11 must-know parenting hacks
Emily Cater
WriterWho better to give advice on how to make life as a parent just that little bit easier than another mum or dad? Trust us, these parent hacks are worth their weight in gold.
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A parents' work is never done, right?
We've all had days where we've endlessly cleaned up mess, wiped what feels like 1,000 runny noses and changed the same number of nappies, struggled to find a new activity every five minutes and not once managed a cuppa that's hot.
When it comes to getting through the tough days, no one knows better tips and tricks than another parent.
These tried-and-tested hacks that should help to take the pressure off a bit.
1. Dry shoes with wet newspaper
Whether you've been caught in a sudden downpour on the way home from nursery or there's been some unplanned puddle jumping going on, soggy shoes can take an AGE to dry ... and getting them wearable for the next morning can be nigh on impossible.
Ladies and gents, we give you – newspaper!
Scrunch it up into balls and stuff it inside wet shoes. It'll soak up the moisture and have them dry in no time.
2. Remove grease from clothes
Cooking with smalls is a messy old business. Yes we all know they love it, but it's rare to make anything with your kids and not end up with a splodge of grease down your top or sticky little finger marks on your jeans.
An unexpected hero product that removes grease?
Baby talcum powder, believe it or not. And if you don't have any to hand, white chalk should also do the trick.
Simply dab the talcum powder on the stain, rub it in well, leave for a few seconds, then brush off. Just repeat until the mark is gone!
3. Create storage with a coke can
Nothing beats a good storage hack. Let's face it, who doesn't want to maximise the space they have at home?!
This one was recently shared by a parent on TikTok and the great thing about it is, you'll more than likely already have what you need at home!
Just take a can of Coke or any other fizzy drinks can, remove the ring pull and slot it over a clothing hanger. You can then hang any clothes from the same hanger, saving on space in yours or your kid's wardrobe. Clever!
4. Get make up off of clothes
Managed to smear foundation on your top during the morning rush?
The trick for getting it out is hair spray. Just spray a little on the stain, leave to set for 10 minutes, then dab with a damp cloth and wash as normal.
Good as new!
5. Make homemade ice packs
Falling over and getting bruises and scrapes is a special skill for most toddler? Use this hack to make a homemade ice pack that works like a charm.
Just put an ordinary sponge inside a sealed bag and stick it in the freezer!
Once frozen, you can use it on your child's injury and it'll work just like a normal ice pack. And have almost as many magic healing powers as a Paw Patrol plaster.
6. No more shoes on the wrong feet
This genius little trick will take away at least one stress on busy school or nursery mornings.
If your child is always getting their shoes muddled up, cut a sticker in half, then place the left half in the left shoe, and the right half in the right shoe.
Now when your child puts them next to each other, they can easily see which shoe is which!
No more realising they've got them on the wrong feet as you run out of the door, already 10 minutes late.
You can buy special shoe stickers which have a space so you can either write 'L' or 'R' or your child's name (handy so the shoes don't get lost!). See more details here.
7. Help little boys to 'aim'
If your son has graduated from the potty to the toilet, there's inevitably some mess as he learns how to aim into the bowl.
The simplest trick for training him is to put a ping pong ball down the loo.
That way, he can aim for the ball (hopefully avoiding the toilet seat) and when it's flushed, it will pop back up again every time!
We know a few grown up 'boys' who might benefit from this, too!
Worried about nighttime toilet trips? You can buy a special light for the toilet bowl so little ones know where to aim! See more details here at Amazon.
8. Use a coffee cup lid as an ice lolly drip catcher
If you're anything like us and can only handle the morning school run with one (*ahem* three) takeaway coffees, we've now found a genius parenting hack that can justify you keeping up your habit ...
Keep your old coffee cup lids and use them as holders for the kids' lollies.
Simply turn the lid upside down, put the lolly stick through the hole, and get them to hold the stick underneath.
And there you have it, no more sticky fingers and drippy ice lolly mess all over the place. Plus you're doing your bit by reusing single use plastics!
9. Keep bugs out of drinks
Bugs, wasps and flies can be a huge pain, especially when there's sweet or fizzy drinks around.
A great solution is to take a cupcake case, pierce a hole through the top of it and slot a straw through.
Et voila, no more bugs ruining drinks!
10. A new use for lint rollers
Sure, lint rollers are a necessity for picking up pet hair – but did you know they actually work really well for picking up crumbs, too.
Kids and crumbs go pretty much hand in hand, so this has got to be worth a try.
11. Homemade door stops
If you've got toddlers running around the house, you probably find yourself worrying about fingers and toes getting trapped by doors. WHY is it that they have such an obsession with opening and closing doors anyway?
A humble pool noodle can help though.
Just chop it in half and then cut out a wedge so it fits on the corner of the door frame, serving as a nifty door stop.
Pool noodles also make for a great bed guard – slide one under a fitted sheet and it'll stop tots falling out of bed.
Have you got a clever hack you're dying to share? Chat to other parents and swap ideas in our forum below:
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