This post contains affiliate links. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
There were moments when I first became a mom that I felt totally lost. I learned the hard way some practical parenting skills. There are so many parenting hacks out there that can really give a mom or dad a “leg up” in this life of parenting small people. Parenting is the hardest, and most rewarding job!
Here are some of my favorite Parenting Hacks that have made life a whole lot easier!
1. Buy the cheap diapers or name brand with coupons. Don’t be afraid of the less expensive diapers. They al do the same job. Once you know which diapers work best for your baby look for coupons or sales and stock up.
2. Discount stores are the place to buy clothes and shoes your kids will wear once or if they are tough on them. Cheaply made clothing will not last! Children are rough on clothes and shoes. If your kids go through pants (tears in knees) like mine it’s a good idea to go for the less expensive ones. I also buy cheaper shoes for special occasions. They wear them once and then grow out of them before they need them again… so I don’t buy expensive ones no matter how high quality they are.
3. Take hand-me-down baby stuff… but not the car seat. Car seats expire every 5-8 years and should be thrown away if in an accident. The safety of your child is so important, don’t risk using a faulty car seat. I always buy the best car seat I can afford.
4. Buy big bins for toys. You will get so many toys. Keep them semi organized with big bins.
5. Keep plastic grocery bags in your diaper bag for soiled diapers, dirty clothes, or any other kind of emergency.
6. Vapor Rub on a baby’s feet or young child will do wonders to help them sleep when congested.
7. Empty cardboard boxes and cheap flashlights provide hours of fun. Kids enjoy simple gifts. No need to be extravagant.
8. Sanitize your children’s plastic toys by putting them in the top shelf of the dishwasher. Clean, sanitize and dry in one cycle. (don’t put any toys with batteries in the dishwasher)
9. A pizza cutter is a tool every mommy must have! Not just for pizza. Quickly cut bite size sandwiches, pancakes, chicken, and more with just a few quick rolls of the pizza cutter.
10. Put fruit and veggies and other healthy snacks at your child’s eye level on the shelf or in the fridge. Allow them to help themselves to healthy snacks and watch them start a pattern of healthy choices.
11. Rotate your child’s toys. Sort your child’s toys into bins and rotate those bins every few weeks. It will feel like Christmas when you bring back that old set of blocks! This is also huge in cutting down the clutter.
12. Take baby powder to the beach. Baby powder will help get the sticky sand off of feet. Sprinkle on the baby powder and brush off with a towel.
13. Be prepared in the car. A shoe organizer hung over the back of a seat or a shower caddy suction cupped to the window are great tools to keep your car stocked and within reach with toys, snacks, drinks, and supplies for your kids.
14. Old electronics (with the batteries removed) make awesome toys. Don’t throw those old phones away. Let your kids use them as pretend toys.
15. Make a Family Binder. Make a binder with important information all in one place. Mom and Dad’s cell number, Doctor’s numbers and addresses, nearest emergency room, close relatives contact information, etc… This is helpful to babysitters and your older children and even yourself when looking for information in a pinch.
16. Use the kitchen sink. Right after birth and until baby is sitting up leaning over the bathtub to give a bath can be hard on the back. Buy a cheap basin from the dollar store and give baby a bath in the kitchen sink. Save your back and save money on water.
17. Use a rubber band around a door knob and latch to keep noise down when shutting the door.
18. Make a bracelet with your phone number on it. Make a fitted bracelet for your children to wear when you are out. Use small number beads and add your number to the bracelet for cases of emergency or if the child is lost. You can also order temporary tattoos or even a marker to write your name and number on your child’s arm for those too young for beads (choking hazard).
19. The envelope fold on the shoulder of babies shirts is not just for easy fit over their head. It actually enables you to pull the shirt down over their rear end in cases of blowout diapers. No more risk of poop on their head!
20. Keep a trash bin or bag in your car. You will be surprised how much trash babies generate. Having a bin or a bag can corral that trash from piling up all over the car.
21. Use a glue gun to add tread to the bottoms of baby shoes. A lot of baby shoes are quite slippery with no tread for little ones learning to walk. Add a design or babies name on the bottom of the shoe using a glue gun.
22. Help your child know which shoe goes on which foot with a sticker. Cut a sticker in half and put the left side in the left shoe and the right side in the right shoe. Your child will know they have their shoes right when the sticker fits together.
23. Q-tips are not just for cleaning ears. Use a q-tip to get clean small parts of sippy cups and toys.
24. Creamy baby oil can repel bugs. Stay away from stinky bug spray for the babies. Creamy baby oil keep bugs away and is nice smelling too.
25. Simple is totally fine! Children and babies don’t have to have every toy and accessory. Simple and easy is totally okay. They best parenting hack is your love and time!
I love putting toys in the dishwasher. I learned that one from my mom. Great tips you have here.
I spent way too much on my kid’s clothing when they were small. I thought I had to shop at the cute little boutiques for everything. Later I realized that kid’s clothing are not investments. If I had to do it over, I would buy all their play clothes at discount stores and splurge occasionally instead of often. Live and learn. 🙂
Discount stores are the best, especially if you have a couple of kids! You can save so much money that way!
Yes! I love this. I love the take hand me Downs. I offer to people I know who could use them, and I’ve taken too! Way better than spending so much money when they grow so quickly!
This is a lot of helpful advice for new parents. I have a few friends that just announced that they were pregnant that I could share this with.
I agree with all of these! It’s funny you should mention a pizza cutter – I use it on my son’s food at least once a day!
These are such great parenting hacks! When I have a kid I will for sure keep these in mind! Thanks for the tips!
Great list. Buying clothing from thrift stores (that are still in great shape) is a wonderful way to save money on baby clothes. I also buy my own clothes there when I’m trying to stretch our budget.
I love these! Now expecting our second baby we learned a lot of these things with our first.
as someone who has never been able to have kids, I can honestly say I never would have though of half of those
Great tips!!! I need to keep grocery bags in the diaper bag for dirty diapers. I also need some in the van to use as trash bags. Older kids really know how to leave a mess in there, too!
Oh my gosh yes the pizza cutter!! I have a couple and use them for everything it seems like to cut up for the kids.
I had to Pin this so other mamas can know truth! My favorite hack is to not make things more difficult. So many times I’ve handmade/cut/prepared things that I could have purchased, just so I could seem “better”- all I really was, was more stressed.
A pizza cutter is definitely a necessity. I was surprised how much use I got out of mine when the kids were little.
Did you know the pizza cutter is also great for cutting spaghetti up in the bowl? Try it! Life changer 🙂
This is a great list and I have done most of these myself over the years! I loved Target brand diapers for my kids, and I still keep spare plastic bags in the car “just in case”!
These are great tips. I wish i had known some of these before becoming a parent myself.
Wow! Great list! We keep getting more and more useful information as the years go by. Thank you for sharing, I appreciate it!
You had some tips on here that I had never heard of. Ironically, I’m headed to the beach this week and that baby powder trick is going to come in very handy for me. Thanks for sharing your parenting hacks with us.
These hacks are amazing! Getting tips like these before becoming a parent is ALWAYS good!
These hacks are amazing! I would have never of thought of most of these!
These are really great tips! We use out pizza cutter on so much more than just pizza!
Those are some really good tips. Most I learned after having kids a while.
These are such great tips and I wish I would have known these too! I am definitely going to bookmark this page! I especially love #20…so simple yet I’ve never thought of it!!!
Great tips! I especially love the sticker and shoe trick. Saves us time in the morning.
Love this post, I put the trash can in the car and put healthy foods at eye level. I need to pick a few more to incorporate – genius!!
I never thought to use a pizza cutter for sandwiches and other things, but of course you could. That’s a great and very practical idea.
These are great hacks. I need to put a trashcan in the car! That would help!
My kids are grown, but this is great for when the grandkids start coming which is going to be soon! Thanks for sharing this!
You gave me some great tips. Definitely going to try some of these hacks. Every mom would appreciate this.
I was always grateful for hand me downs when my kids were little because they go through it so fast. There are some great tips.
I LOVE THAT YOU PUT THE COMMENT ABOUT BABY POWDER! No one ever believes me until I show them! Adios sand! The other one I think is genius is to put healthy items at eye level… very important and probably not done in a lot of homes! You see cookies… you want cookies! Thanks!
These are great tips!! I would have never thought about adding glue from the glue gun on the bottom of their shoes. I will remember these for next time!
Fantastic tips and tricks for new parents or woman like me thinking of becoming a mom soon. I could use hacks for every portion of my life, especially when it comes to keeping up with it!
Isn’t it so funny how kids love trash, boxes, and all non-toy items so much!? I am gonna use a few of these tips too!
This is such an awesome list! Totally needed! I am pinning this.
I really wish I knew about that rubber band trick years ago lol. This is a great list!
If we only knew, huh? This is such a great list!
How I wish I had known them too before I had my son except for the Q-tips. I do use them to clean other stuff too and not just the ears. 🙂
I have a few big totes (bins) for my childrens’ toys. They definitely help them keep their toy collection organized!
When my daughter was born and I found out I had several co-workers who had girls that were older than her, I did not hesitate to ask for hand-me-down clothes. And incidentally, I also shared her clothes to friends of mine who wanted them! 🙂
Number 15 is my favorite, this is such a huge help for all parents. Glad you shared this one.