Everyday parenting hacks I wish I'd known earlier
Parents stow away all kinds of parenting hacks - and for excellent reason. How to get their kids into the bath. How to comfort swollen, engorged boobs in the newborn days.
How to hide nutrients in a child’s diet when all they want is plain cheese, plain pasta and vanilla yoghurt. How to survive hours (days) of the never-ending question ‘ But why mum and dad?
Sharing parenting advice can be complex depending on the person, the situation, the mood, and the topic. Hacks on the other hand? Those I love and welcome with open arms. A parenting hack is simply a custom-made coping mechanism – because where there’s a parent, there’s a way.
When you stumble across (or invent) a hack that helps you get something done, it’s like having a Steven Bradbury Olympic moment. In the most unexpected of ways – you succeed.
These differ from household to household, parent to parent. While many of us share some common ideologies and rules (use your manners, wash your hands, ask first, don’t snatch), each parent has their own unique ways of managing the load, coping with overwhelm, keeping kids entertained and achieving a sense of productivity – all the while present.
In case it offers any benefit, I thought I’d share some of my own hacks. Some of these I’ve created based on my kids’ personalities, and others have come to me via fellow parents – and after a process of trial and error, I’ve found them to offer a lot of value. I adore parents who share their hacks so this is my attempt to pay it forward!
Before I go on, please note that I am not a parenting expert, a psychologist, a medic, a nutritionist etc. While I’m not the one who can promise a magic trick to make kids eat dinner, I can share what helps me. A woman with 2 under 5, a career, a bunch of hobbies and a goal in life – to survive daily life with kids!
Nutrition
Say hello to ‘Magic Sprinkles‘, a term I use almost daily to add goodness to my children’s meals. When cooking a meal for my boys, pending what’s on the menu, I sprinkle things like chia, hemp seeds or a powdered supplement (for example Foraged), on top for a hint of extra goodness. On toast, in cereal or porridge, pasta sauce or a batch of pancake mixture … it can always fit in!
To beef this particular hack up – if your children (like my own) are desperate to be part of the process, give them the proud honour of doing the sprinkling. To do this neatly, I bought some empty salt and pepper shakers from the supermarket and filled them up with the ‘magic’. Easy, collaborative, healthy!
Nicer noodles – Kids love 2 Minute Noodles. They’re a universal comfort food and easily accessible when grocery shopping. Sometimes, the parental attraction to them is the speed. Dinner in two minutes? Sign me up. Unfortunately, their nutrient value for kids is slim to none. Until now! A fellow kindy mum gave me a hot tip which I adore.
To preface, I buy wholegrain noodles and only use about 30% of the flavouring sachet. The kids have never complained.
When I told this to a school mum (schoolyard chat is so riveting isn’t it?), she suggested ditching the flavouring sachet completely and instead using a teaspoon of powdered bone broth. So I now use Nutra Organics Chicken Bone Broth to ‘‘health-ify’ the noodles and the boys have zero clue. The best thing about this hack is the added health benefits in terms of their immune and digestive system.
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Bedtime
Bedtime is a varied experience for all parents and kids. In hopes of potentially helping, I’ve popped 2 hacks below. The hacks are around a) calming your child’s mood and helping them wind down, and b) physically getting them into bed and encouraging them to stay in bed. To the parents who are currently experiencing broken sleep every night – stay strong! Your kids will get there.
Keeping them calm
Every child is SO busy at bedtime. The exact moment they hear, ‘Ok darling, time for teeth and bed’ … their to-do list bounces to life in a state of urgency.
‘But mum I’m so hungry. Let’s make some toast … I have to finish the puzzle… I need to check something in my school bag …. We need to write the guest list for my birthday party in 7 months…’ Sound familiar? It’s tiring, but never tiring enough to induce their sleep.
As my 4-year-old starts to hear me say, ‘No buddy, it’s time for …’ he can unravel into scattered thoughts and crumble into a puddle of defiance or irrational tears. In these moments, the hack I employ is a little game called, Where Is?!
In short, Where Is?! is about helping him feel calmer by focusing on achieving positive triumph. This tends to distract him from otherwise feeling neither here nor there.
How does this work? Pretend to lose something in the room. Start searching and watch them subconsciously switchgear and join in. Say, for example, we’re in the bathroom. I’ll look around and say (without directly asking for his help), ‘Oh no! I can’t find my hairbrush. I wonder where it went?‘.
8 times out of 10, without a second thought, he will quickly become intrigued by the mystery and start helping me look.
I’ve found that kids love to be helpful. Kids love to solve problems. And kids love to beat their parents! So during the ‘Where Is?’ game, I intentionally let him ‘win’.
If he finds the brush, we have re-established a more positive energy – which makes the next steps (teeth, book, lights out) more reasoned.
This shouldn’t mean ignoring their feelings or conflicting emotions. But when young children are in moods where they’re just floundering around uncomfortably, I’ve found it to be helpful when I offer a pathway that invites them to harness direction.
Hygiene
My firstborn honestly thought brushing his teeth was a form of torture. He was far from a keen bean when it came to dental care!
After trialling every singleJack & Jilltoothpaste flavour and a bunch of toothbrush options, we finally found our groove.
So to bypass this issue with my secondborn – who is now 2 years old – I jumped ahead and purchased an age-appropriate electric toothbrush for him too. I’ve noticed that whatever his big brother uses and ‘plays with’ … he wants in too!
I can safely say this hack has been very successful. My 2-year-old now very enthusiastically brushes his teeth (sometimes, multiple times a day!), as he thinks it’s a cool activity he and his brother can share in. Very cute and very effective.
Getting them to stay in bed
Some kids go down (and stay down) easily for their tired parents. Some kids take 17 books, 10 songs and 2 minutes of gentle pats to the toosh. Others take a nightlight, the hum of white noise, a 30% crack in the door to access hallway light or a parent to lay down with them until they drift off.
My eldest (he’s 4.5 years old) is a big book guy. If it were up to him, we’d read 100 books per night and complete at least 10 pages of Where’s Wally. I’d say this is 90% of kids! We now have ‘a rule’ where my husband or I will read a maximum of 2 books and then … we then pass the baton over to him. He’s free to keep looking at his books but without a parent.
We purchased a smart lamp (a Wiz Squire from JBHiFi) which sits next to his bed (or in the bed with him). Using the Wiz’z affiliated app on my phone, I can allow him to keep reading – and then switch it off using my phone when I know he’s fallen asleep (usually this is anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour). I’ve now actually programmed the Wiz to turn on at 6pm and off at 8.10pm. These timings can of course be varied, depending on your child and their usual routine.
For the light itself, there are many colour and brightness options. I use a purple/reddish light as it’s been shown to support higher levels of melatonin production for better sleep, as opposed to a harsh white light.
The snack hack
We all know kids are always hungry. They snack endlessly, especially when they’re going through a growth spurt. Keeping up with the many ‘Mum I’m hungry, can I have something to eat?’ queues can be tiresome when they’re so frequent. A friend recently shared her little snack hack which I now use & adore.
She taught me to find a drawer or shelf in their reach and allocate it as their Snack Space. Fill it with whatever you feel comfortable with (this is a good op to introduce new foods you want them to try!) and allow the kids to help themselves when they’re belly signals hunger. Not only does this cure their hunger, but it also gives them a special sense of independence. They love that they can dip their toe into the ‘grown-up’ world of … taking care of their needs!
Their drawer or shelf does come with In order to keep their access, they must demonstrate good behavior. If you notice their manners slipping or perhaps a few tantrums interrupt the day – this is a fair and reasonable privilege to revoke until you see improvement.
The Hygiene Duo
Hygiene part 1 – teeth!
My firstborn honestly thought brushing his teeth was a form of torture. He was far from a keen bean when it came to dental care!
After trialling every single Jack & Jill toothpaste flavour and a bunch of toothbrush options, we finally found our groove.
So to bypass this issue with my secondborn – who is now 2 years old – I jumped ahead and purchased an age-appropriate electric toothbrush for him too. I’ve noticed that whatever his big brother uses and ‘plays with’ … he wants in too!
I can safely say this hack has been very successful. My 2-year-old now very enthusiastically brushes his teeth (sometimes, multiple times a day!), as he thinks it’s a cool activity he and his brother can share in. Very cute and very effective.
Hygiene part 2 – sticky hands, be gone!
The thing about sticky hands, sandy hands, paint-y hands, jam-y hands, and vegemite-y hands, is that the grub moves from their 10 little fingers and 2 little palms onto everything within their sight. Sticky hands can have almighty impact on a couch, an outfit, a wall…everything! I don’t know about you, but I needed a way around it.
Say hello to the Magic Eraser. I encouraged my boys to want to clean their hands before smearing grub everywhere by allowing them to witness the magic of the wet wipe. One minute the grub is there, the next it’s gone!! Use the wipes as fun props and invite them to experience the MAGIC. The trick to the trick is to make the MAGIC sounds. ‘Oooooo oh my gosh, LOOK! The magic wipe made all of the sand disappear!’ ... “Oooo la la! Now we see the jam…now we don’t!‘ … ‘Holy moly! The Magic Eraser can even make pink icing vanish?! How cool is that!”
This sounds so easy and silly but I kid you not – my boys now ASK to wipe their hands when they see anything but clean skin!
Let technology give you a hand
Ah technology! We love to hate it and hate to love it. As much as I try to not bury my brow in my laptop or phone when the boys are around – I do lean on a few techy tips from time to time.
Alarms – We all know that kids love a challenge. When it’s time to pack up the toys, put their shoes and socks on, or get into the car for kindy, I get out my phone and time them! They love it. The best is when I set an alarm for 2 minutes and see if they can complete the given task within that time frame. Giggles, productivity and pride is born. Love this hack.
The AirFryer – I was against it at first, but now I am in awe of the handsome silver machine next to my toaster. It’s quick, easy, and a must-have for parents feeding hungry kids!
AirPods – Parents very rarely have two hands-free, let alone one. Our palms are usually clasping onto children, prams, scooters, nappy bags, washing and/or cold takeaway coffees. AirPods allow you to catch up with friends and listen to music and podcasts – while managing the load.
Fact: Parenting hacks help beat the mental load
Parenting hacks are not about avoiding hard tasks related to childrearing. They are not about ignoring our children or bypassing the need to play, protect and teach. And most importantly, hacks do not mean we are lazy parents.
Hacks are finding clever, innovative ways to parent in a style that best suits our individual selves and families. They strengthen our ability to cope as parents – and they make it more fun! Those of us with kids are so heavily loaded up with newborns, toddlers, and children. We’re trying to juggle chores, sleep (or lack thereof), jobs, relationships, health, and social lives! There comes a point when we need to help ourselves out by finding ease.
Just remember, if you find a brilliant hack, pass the idea on. The more we all contribute to the ‘hack pool’ the better off we’ll all be. Tell a friend, post it, leave a comment on a post, YouTube it! Just get it out into the world. The tired mums and dads out there will be forever grateful.
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