Anyone who says parenting is easy is probably either single or married with kids and has 11 nannies to call on at any given moment. Being a mommy or daddy is not a walk in the park. Having a toddler or toddlers isn’t just a different ballgame—it’s a whole other sport entirely.
Toddler-aged kids aren’t old enough to be independent as they still need to be guided. How can you be sure that your kids will be able to do things on their own? At the same time, how can you keep them safe?
These parenting hacks will give you peace of mind while keeping your kids happy too!
Laundry Basket Playpen
Bath time can be difficult as tubs for toddlers are always either too big or too small. Plus, their bath toys usually float away while kids are moving around—potentially creating a risky situation when the tub is slippery with soap bubbles.
Fortunately, there is an easy solution. Simply place a laundry basket inside the bathtub. Doing so produces a makeshift playpen. Your toddler will also be able to sit on their own in the water while their toys are nearby.
Hanger For Bibs
Mealtime for toddlers can be a little chaotic. It is all too common for parents to lose the bib at the exact moment they need one. But there is an easy way to make sure that a bib is easily accessible at all times.
Place a hook at the back of your toddler’s high chair. Doing so ensures that a bib is nearby and can be easily reached. Though we cannot totally promise that this tip will completely reduce mealtime mayhem, it will definitely make it a more manageable process.
Potty Pad Training
Potty training is another difficult stage that all parents need to deal with. Once you inform your kid that diapers are out, there’s no going back. While they’re getting used to the big seat, accidents are bound to happen. Is there a way to make your child feel confident with less mess during training?
The answer is a resounding “yes!” All you need to do is have them use a sanitary pad. Wearing one is an effective stepping stone to being potty trained while transitioning from diapers. It is important to make sure that the sanitary pads they use are scent-free and chemical-free.
Pacifiers Need To Be Kept Clean
How can parents keep their toddlers’ pacifiers clean while outside and constantly on the go? All you need to do is place them in containers used for regular takeout sauce. Buying expensive pacifier holders is not necessary. Simply utilize the containers which restaurants use to deliver their salsa or sweet chili sauce, for example—just remember to clean them first!
They are perfectly sized for pacifiers. Plus, they are very easy to clean. You can also involve your little tots in a fun activity by having them decorate the containers. Doing so helps toddlers take ownership and care of their things.
Pimp Up Your Crib
Baby cribs are costly! Some people prefer to throw them out once their toddler has grown out of them, but you can actually make use of them after they are no longer useful places to sleep. Cribs can be repurposed to make them useful—even if your toddler might think otherwise.
A very creative and useful way to reuse a crib is to convert it into a little kid’s desk. Kids can use the desk as their own space for making arts and crafts, a place to read, or if they have school projects, as a little place to work.
Hand Washing
Toddlers need to know the proper way to wash their hands. However, in the process of washing your toddlers’ hands may be cleaned but the rest of the bathroom may be left a wet mess as a result. Water flow must be regulated. This can be done by re-purposing plastic bottles and attaching them to the end of the faucet.
Feel free to utilize an old shampoo bottle or lotion. Cut it appropriately as above and voila! You automatically have a makeshift extended sink. This useful hack can help your kids reach the water and wash their hands without you having to clean the entire bathroom after.
Pool Noodle As A Door Stopper
Children, especially toddlers, have the tendency to slam doors when playing or running around. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this problem—door stoppers. However, kids might trip when the door stopper is on the floor. A better method is to place a door stopper atop a door.
Simply pick up a pool noodle and repurpose it to keep doors from slamming. You can cut a slit down the noodle and place it on the door, no nails or glue are needed. We can assure you that your doors will definitely stop slamming.
Get Along Shirt For Kids
This is a very clever parenting hack—however—it is a tad controversial. It is ideal when your kids are unable to get along with one another. If you don’t know what to do and want to stop your kids from fighting, you have to force them to get along. But how?
Place them inside a Get Along shirt. This incentivizes them to be nicer to one another and to figure it out on their own. If you don’t agree with this method, you can try a different route. Tell your children they won’t be getting any more dessert until they make up and become friends.
Easy Fort
Kids love to create forts. They want a place inside their house that they can call their own. Though there are toy forts on the market available for purchase, they can be quite expensive. They also take up space inside the home.
However, rug or blanket forts are actually very easy to make. You need only use blankets and a few pillows to pad the ground. All on their own, kids can make a fancy fort that can be easily built and taken down easily.
Boredom-Proof Activity Kit
Traveling with toddlers can be stressful. Kids have the tendency to become easily bored. As parents, it is your job to keep them occupied and busy while traveling on the road, on a plane, ship, or train. You are also responsible for getting to your destination on time while being ready to give your kids any toy they ask for during the course of the journey.
Fortunately, with this hack, your kids can be occupied and boredom-fee for as long as it takes. All you need to bring is an activity portable kit, which you can make before your trip. The kit can be flipped to the specific part of the binder where they can do the activity they want. It is also an effective way to teach them how to stay organized.
Popsicle Muffin Cup Holder
Consuming popsicles can be a very messy activity for both kids and adults. But there is a way to resolve the issue of melting sticky popsicles without the use of an excessive number of wet wipes by simply using all those spare muffin cups in your baking cupboard.
Muffin cups can function as popsicle holders. Kids get to eat their favorite sweet treat without having to get their shirts, hands, or in some cases the entire car or house sticky.
DIY Sandpit
Sandpits are great places for kids to play. They are part of many of our fun childhood memories. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a sandpit. Very few people live near a park or a beach. However, it is possible to provide your kids with the experience of creating sand castles and sand tunnels all in the comfort of your backyard.
It is easy to make a homemade sandpit that can be reused for a long time to come by using tents or pop-up tents. Your very own DIY sandpit can keep your child shielded from the sun. It can also be closed at night to avoid critters from getting in.
Plastic Storage Bags For Toys
Many people use plastic bins to keep their kids’ toys tidy. Usually, these are opaque containers that have labels to indicate the items inside them. However, there is a tendency for kids to make a mess when using them as they are not yet able to read So they’ll need to open them and take everything out which can result in a mess.
But that problem will be a thing of the past if you use reusable zip-loc bags. These bags allow your toddlers to see their contents at a glance and select which bag they want to open without pulling their guts all over the floor. As a result, you’ll have less mess and happier toddlers.
Toy Organizer
Toddlers tend to accumulate a lot of toys. As a result, parents have the problem of organizing all these items. But what if their toys need to be gathered up for a road trip? The easy solution is to place a shoe caddy at the back of the car’s front seat.
Doing so allows kids to have access to the toys they want while embarking on a lengthy drive. The benefit of this hack is that kids are entertained and parents can drive stress-free all at the same time. Arguments between kids should be minimized because they will be busy with their favorite friends.
Kiddie Wallet
Kids like to be involved in matters related to the home. They feel important when they think they are part of the decision-making process or can act like adults. Doing so increases their independence as well as confidence. One way to achieve this is by giving them their own wallet.
You can even put fake money in their kiddie wallet. This hack can benefit your toddler in two ways: They can learn about the value of money as well as practice math. It is never too early to teach them about basic addition and subtraction.
Seat Reservations And Preservations
These easy seat covers, which use either an old T-shirt or some spare fabric, can make a ton of difference not just for your car, but also for your sanity. These items can help you avoid drink, food, or bodily fluid spillage from ruining your car seats.
These can also double as seat placers to allow each of your children to reserve their favorite car seat. Essentially, you no longer have to submit yourself to lengthy arguments on which child should sit where. Seat savers organize your kids’ car life by making car seats strictly reservation-only.
Paper Line
Children usually find it difficult to assess the toilet paper they need. They have the tendency to take more than is required. The result is usually a big toilet paper mess and a waste of a roll or worse—a clogged toilet.
Nagging and constantly monitoring your kids is more energy-intensive and usually doesn’t work. The best way is to draw or make a toilet paper line and place it on the wall of your bathroom. Doing so visually helps your child to know the right toilet paper amount they can use.
Easy Snack Box
Snacks are a must when you’re on a lengthy car ride, whether you’re aged two or forty-two. The problem starts when kids battle it out with their other siblings to eat the snacks they want. The consequence of this is usually a chaotic car ride. Sometimes, kids require that a parent open up the packets of snacks they have.
Fortunately, there is a solution. The snack box is a DIY item that allows your kids to open and close the box themselves. It also gives them the freedom to select the snacks they want to eat. Parents can also have their own snack box to eat during a road trip too.
No-Slip Jammies
Toddlers’ onesie pajamas are adorable. However, they can be slippery. Though a few companies do provide onesies that have treads, some do not. Fortunately, it is actually very easy to make your own onesie with a bottom grip. These can also be made on a pair of socks.
Simply get puffy paint or hot glue and apply it on the bottom of the onesie. Feel free to create your own design or write the name of your child to make it more personalized. Just remember to let the paint or glue cool before use!
Easy-To-Make Baby Spoon
A lot of parents have baby spoons ready for their toddlers while eating at home. But sometimes, they forget to bring this utensil when dining out or when visiting a friend’s house or a relative. What can a toddler parent do?
Simply use the back of a fork as a temporary baby spoon. It is sized similarly to a baby spoon and it gets the job done. Just remember to have it cleaned prior to being used—and afterward, too.
Telling The Time
Toddlers do not yet have a practical concept of time. They may be too young yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start teaching them. You just need to make time-telling easy for them to understand. Kids can be independent when they know their schedule.
All you need to do is place stickers or tape on specific portions of the clock that you want them to understand For instance, if your child is told that they can only watch television for an hour, simply place the sticker on the following hour clock mark. Doing so helps your kid identify if the hour is up all on their own.
Help Tots Take Their Meds
Giving kids medicine is not an easy process. Kids are scared of taking their meds while parents are similarly scared of how long it would take a child to accept their medication. What is the easy way to make your toddlers take their medicine with little to no fuss at all?
All you need to do is place the medicine in your child’s baby bottle. They will not even notice it! Toddlers associate the bottle as being a very comforting item and it should help with keeping the meds down without too much of a fuss.
Baby Bottle Holder
It is normal for your home to look like it was taken over by pacifiers, blankets, and diapers. Though this is a normal part of parenting, there is an easy way to combat such disarray.
Instead of filling your cabinets with baby bottles, you can simply use a shoe caddy and place your toddler’s baby bottles inside it. Doing so saves you precious kitchen space while keeping baby bottles safe and organized.
Pool Noodle Handle
Few baby carriers are comfortable to use. Some may give parents raw and red arms at the end of a long day’s stroll out and about. If your baby carrier has no cushioning available, you can add one of your own.
Simply cut a small slit in a pool noodle. The size of the slit should be enough for it to wrap around the baby carrier’s handle. The pool noodle serves as a cushion for your weary forearms, thereby freeing them from soreness.
Easy Massage
While it can be a source of great joy, parenting is not easy. Sometimes, there isn’t enough time to relax and get a massage even when you really deserve it. Fortunately, there are easy and harmless ways to get your kids to work for your relaxation—all while they’re having fun.
All you have to do is draw a racetrack on the back of your shirt. Your kids get to play while you take the time to chill and have a massage. You don’t need to purchase a shirt. Simply use an old one you no longer use and draw a racetrack using fabric markers.
Taped Toy Speakers
Children have an uncanny ability to be unbothered by the loudest possible noise—as long as they are the ones making it. They can roll their plastic cars and trucks along the wooden floor while everyone is suffering from a migraine and it wouldn’t occur to them to take it elsewhere.
Fighting with your kids is futile and energy-depleting. The best way is to cover your kids’ toy wheels with clear tape. This muffles the noise thereby allowing your kids to play as loud as they can without it being too headache-inducing for the adults. Plus, your kids won’t notice the difference.
Toy Soap
When your kids are old enough to take a bath on their own, they won’t want to do it. Most kids find bathing boring instead of relaxing. A few won’t really understand how important it is to maintain good hygiene. But that’s where parents come in.
The best way to get your kids to shower or bathe is by using soap that has a toy trapped inside it. For kids to have access to the toy, they will need to take regular baths. The showering problem is therefore solved!
Marking Bottles Of Medicine
Forgetting stuff is easy, especially if you’re a toddler parent. Your attention is divided between caring for your kids, managing your home, and going to work. At times, it is difficult to recall if you have given your child their daily dose of medication. Worse—you don’t want to accidentally give your kids too much.
The best and easiest solution is to physically write the days medicine should be taken on the medicine bottle. Doing so helps you know how much is left. Plus, you need not worry about getting late refills.
Baby Mesh Bag For Laundry
The expression, “the washing machine ate it” has become popular these days—and it feels as though it could actually be true. This saying is based on people’s experiences of losing small clothing items such as socks while doing the laundry. Keeping track of these small articles of clothing can be difficult.
Is there a way to ensure that children’s clothes do not get lost in the laundry shuffle? The answer is an emphatic yes! You only need to place your kids’ clothes inside a mesh bag. You can even use one mesh bag for each child in order to ensure that their clothing items stay close together and organized.
Electrical Outlet Cover
Covering electrical outlets is a necessity, especially if you have toddlers in your home. Though you can easily buy an easily removable outlet cover, you can also make your own. This is a useful hack if you have no time to go to the store and a friend or relative with a toddler is visiting your house on short notice.
All you need to do is cover electrical outlets using tape, a band-aid, or a sticker. You can simply remove them when you no longer need them to be covered. It is essentially an easy fix if you want to protect and keep your little ones safe.
Dish Rack For Kids
Kids enjoy playing house, especially when they have little toy kitchens and dishes. However, some parents consider this to be an organizational nightmare due to the mess all those toys create at the end of the day.
But if your little ones have a Minnie dish rack, they will find the process of storing their toy dishes and kitchen items a lot easier. Plus, their toys will last longer because they will be better-taken care of. It is also an effective way to teach them how to organize this early on.
Organize Paints
We wish there were an easier way to have a mess-free painting session with kids. However, that might be too much, if not impossible, to ask. But there is a more manageable way to paint with less mess while also teaching toddlers about tidiness.
You can use an empty egg carton and have it function as a painting station. The carton is where you can store paint colors and brushes. Doing so allows your kids’ art supplies to be properly stored and organized. Clean-up also becomes a breeze. Plus, you get to teach them the value of recycling.
Right Way To Use Juice Boxes
Believe it or not, a lot of people do not know how to properly use juice boxes. This child-friendly drink was specially designed to be functional and was not just produced this way for aesthetic purposes. Now your child can get a handle on their drink!
Instead of making your kid hold the middle of the juice box, make them hold it from the side flaps. Doing so helps prevent them from pressing the drink and spilling it everywhere. We recommend that you give the juice boxes to your kids with the flaps already lifted. This helps them understand what to do.
Car Storage Boxes
There’s another way to repurpose boxes—that is if caddies and snack boxes are not at all appealing to your taste. You can use an empty wipes container to store your kids’ snacks and toys during a road trip or a car ride.
The best thing about this storage container is that you can get your kids involved with putting items inside it. Let your child pack what they want inside the box. Making them independently decide helps them take responsibility for their things. These boxes are also accessible and easy to carry for kids.
Watermelon Snack Stick
Watermelons are healthy snacks. They’re perfect for both kids and grown-ups. However, eating them can get a bit messy. The traditional way of cutting and eating watermelons is by cutting them into triangle shapes. But doing so ends up with kids having watermelon-stained shirts.
The solution is to cut the watermelon into sticks. Kids will find it easier to take a bite off it without juice dripping everywhere. Even adults would find this hack fun and a very effective way to consume watermelons.
Baby White Noise Playlist
Sometimes, it gets difficult to make your little ones fall asleep. A few parents have used white noise to bring their tots to slumberland. But not everyone can buy a white noise machine. Fortunately, you really don’t have to make such a costly purchase. There are actually white noise playlists available on both YouTube and Spotify.
You can even make your own white noise playlist. Parents can even manage their lengths. Giving your kids a way to sleep soundly and quickly helps you sleep stress-free. It also keeps your wallet very happy.
One Right Way To Use The Onesie
Similar to juice boxes, onesies are specially designed to be used in a specific way. Located on its shoulders are envelope folds that allow parents to pull the onesie down off the child instead of over the head.
This serves a functional purpose more than an aesthetic one, especially if your child has had an accident and you need to take it off quickly. Pulling down a onesie is therefore the best thing to do in any situation. Give it a try!
Baby Toy And Bottle Holder
Children sometimes struggle with gripping their bottles because of their small hands as well as the bottle’s shape. It is therefore important for kids to be taught to hold their baby bottles properly and have them learn to drink independently.
A squishy ball can help kids master their fine and gross motor skills. The trick is to place the bottle into a squishy ball. Toddlers will find the squishy ball easier to grip than the bottle. You might still need to help your kids hold the bottle steadily at first.
Place Stickers in Your Tot’s Shoes
Toddlers find it difficult to wear shoes. Specifically, they struggle with knowing which foot goes on which shoe. The best way to help them easily know which shoe belongs to which foot is by placing half a sticker in the left shoe, and the other half of the sticker in the right shoe.
Though your toddler may not be able to identify which is their right or left foot, they will be able to figure out what the sticker looks like when it’s whole—when both shoes are put next to each other, as shown above.
Baby Proof Using Cheap Cable Ties
Baby-proofing your home is possible using only cable ties. It is not just effective—it is as easy as A-B-C. You don’t need to get a professional to babyproof your house. You can do it on your own. Instead of installing a baby gate to your banister, simply secure one using cable ties.
Soft material like foam is perfect. The process is quick and easy. It is the perfect solution if you have relatives or friends coming over with their tots in tow.