Our 12 Top Parenting Hacks - Tried & Tested
•Posted on February 23 2023
From experience I know that a good hack can be life changing! I mean who knew about cleaning your oven with a dishwasher tablet before it blew up on social media?! These are from my personal experience some of the best Mum hacks around - all have been tried and tested by my family of 5 many many times. I hope they help you as much as they helped me!
- Sunshine bleaches stains from clothes
Yes you can add vanish or napisan to your wash, or you can scrub and soak clothes but for me the easiest way to get rid of stains is to hang your clothes out to dry in the sunshine. The rays of the hot sun will bleach out juice stains, baby poo stains and even blood - as I discovered after a nosebleed. No garden? No problem, just stand the clothes dryer by an open window in the sunshine instead.
- Small spoons for weaning
When it comes to weaning your baby there is a never ending offer of equipment. My best tip is to purchase spoons with a small scoop and a long handle like these. That way you can easily get food from the pot without getting it on your hands and the head of the spoon will fit easily into your baby's tiny mouth so the right amount of food goes in rather than too much food being put in and then squashed out when they close their little mouth to swallow.
- Coconut oil for cradle cap
Cradle cap creams and shampoos are expensive and some are quite potent. So why not give coconut oil a try first. Apply a thin layer of coconut oil to your baby’s scalp and gently massage the oil in for about a minute or so. (Just be careful around their soft spot), leave it to soak in for about 15 minutes and then wash it off in the bath.
- Colour code your keys
This is a simple and easy tip to make your life easier when you have a million other thins to think about. Colour coding your keys by adding nail polish or paint to the handle will make it easy to see at first lance the one you need to et through the door.
- Make some monster spray
At some point pretty much all of the little ones I know go through a fear of monsters state - or in my 4 year olds case, a fear of the Grinch. A great way to tame those overactive imaginations is to make some monster spray that you can spray before bedtime to stop any scary monsters coming near. All you need is an old squirty bottle and some water, you could even add some lavender oil if you have some to create a relaxing, sleepy scent for bedtime. Then simply spritz the room before bedtime.
- Buy socks that stay on
As a parent you waste plenty of time picking up after your little ones. Don’t let their socks be another thing you have to tidy. The Little Sock Company’s socks are designed to stay on, so no matter how much wriggling and kicking your little one does they will still be there on their feet. We can’t guarantee they are tug proof - I think you’d need glue to keep socks on a determined toddler's feet!
- White noise machine
I’m sure everyone has heard this one before. Gone are the days of putting your baby to nap in front of the noisy washing machine! Now we have machines for this! You could take the plunge and invest in the award winning Rockit or a Ewan the sleep sheep otherwise you could just download the sound sleeper app to an old mobile phone and use that. The sound of the white noise mimics the sounds of your womb, lulling baby off to sleep. It also dulls out and other sounds around the house such as noisy older children, for this reason I still use it during my toddlers nap time!
- Talc for the beach
A great tip for anyone heading for sunnier climates! Always take talc to the beach. Use it liberally on damp feet and the sand just brushes off! Ta da! No more sandy feet inside!
9. Oats in bath to soothe
Ground oats have been used for centuries as a home remedy for itchy skin, rashes, insect bites and even chicken pox. Oats not only moisturise the skin but can act as an emollient to improve dry skin. A homemade oat bath is really easy to make, just pop some ground oats into an old sock (an adult one) , tie the top so the oats don’t escape and add it to the warm bath water or under the running tap for a few minutes before your little ones goes in.
- Pull vests down.
If you've ever smeared baby food all over your child's face then you'll love this one. When you go to undress your messy baby pull their baby vest down over their body instead of up over their head. You can often stretch the necks of vests easily to do this.
- Cut finger nails whilst they sleep
This stops the wriggling and means you can cut all of their nails at once, not just the ones you manage to do before they squirm away. There is research into this that I remember reading once that suggests you should wait for your baby to be asleep for 20 minutes before starting to cut their nails so you know that they are in a deep sleep but this is something to experiment a little with.
- Use newborn nightgowns
Don’t go thinking nightgowns are for girls! When your little one is tiny and you have to change their nappy 4+ times during the night you’ll realise how much easier it is with a nightgown on than undoing a baby brown every time. A lot of the nightgowns on the market are designed to fit very long so that they won’t slide up during the night and leave your little one cold.
I'm sure there are thousands more you can think of that I haven't added here so please feel free to leave them below!
Have a great day
Katie
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