Being a parent is one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs in the world. You will experience sleepless nights, big arguments (and likely a few stained carpets!), but you will also get to experience raising another human being, which is extremely fulfilling and emotionally rewarding.
And thankfully there are lots of tips and tricks out there that you can use to make life as a parent easier. These parenting hacks are fairly simple, but they will make day to day life much easier for both you and your children.
Are you curious? If so, here are seven of our favourite parenting hacks.
1. Cover Plugs With Wipe Lids
Plug sockets are a hazard for babies and toddlers, but you can easily cover yours using the plastic lid from a packet of wipes. All you need to do is click the lid off, apply glue and stick it around the socket.
2. Store Certain Foods In Baby Food Jars
Does your child like to taste everything they can get their hands on? If so, consider storing certain items (such as fresh chillies, fresh herbs or fermented foods) in baby food jars. This means your child won’t be able to access the food, no matter how hard they try!
3. Use Self Adhesive Hooks To Hang Bibs
Most parents with babies feel like they are on constant, daily quest for clean bibs, but you can avoid this by sticking adhesive hooks to the back of the highchair. This means there will always be a clean bib within arm’s reach, which should help to save time every day.
4. Freeze A Dummy For Teething Problems
Teething is a seriously unpleasant experience for babies, but you can reduce their pain by filling a dummy with water and freezing it. When they seem to be in pain simply take the dummy out of the freezer and pop it in their mouth to numb the pain (just make sure to use a dummy that doesn’t have a hole at the bottom, or the water will melt out).
5. Use Fabric Paint For Slip Proof Socks
Slippery floors can be a big problem for toddlers and excitable children, but you can reduce the chance of an accident by putting 3D fabric paint crosses on the bottom of their socks or onesies. This will give the socks a proper grip, so your little one can run around without you worrying too much.
6. Use Stickers To Help Your Children With Their Shoes
Are you teaching your children to put their own shoes on? If so, consider cutting a sticker in half and putting the right half in the right shoe. This will make it much easier for them to put the right shoe on the first time, which is very useful for busy school mornings!
7. Set Up A Savings Account For Your Child
We all understand how expensive being an adult can be, so you may want to consider setting up a savings account to help your child in the future. You can schedule a weekly deposit so that you don’t have to remember to do it manually, and it doesn’t have to be much; just £1 or £2 a week will add up as the years go by. You can also encourage your child to add money to the account when they are older, which is a great way to teach them about the benefits of saving money.
