12 Parenting Hacks Some Moms Quietly Swear By

There will never be a shortage of parenting advice for any parent. Wherever you look, there’s someone happy to tell you how to raise your children. The problem is that the most helpful parenting hacks aren’t going to come from a book, over the dinner table, or at your local PTA meeting. They’re shared between moms who have had to learn the hard way.

These are the small habits and changes that can make life easier, tantrums shorter, and your sanity feel a little more possible. They’re not secrets of perfection, but strategies for being smart, patient, and a little bit sneaky when you have to be. Here are 12 parenting hacks moms quietly swear by.

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Keep a Restaurant Kit in the Car

Girl child color in book at cafe, creative and drawing with crayons, family day to relax with learning and art in Atlanta. Young kid, growth and writing, education and creativity while at coffee shop — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

It’s just a little bag with crayons, sticky notes, a small puzzle, and perhaps a package of crackers. It turns restaurant waits from the end of the world into tolerable. Many moms have several kits and swap them out every few weeks so the contents are always “new.”

Use a Timer to Avoid Power Struggles

modern kitchen timer apple shaped on the background of the kitchen, stove and pans, Closeup of female hands. Housewife or chef using timer eggtimer, round alarm clock — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Rather than debating over screen time, bedtime, or clean-up time, let the timer be the bad guy. “When the timer goes off, we have to stop” has more impact than “Time to stop” said ten times. Children are more obedient to an angry beeping device than an angry mother.

Hide Tomorrow’s Outfit Under the Pillow

Let me help you with that button. Cropped shot of a handsome young man and his son getting dressed in the morning. — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This avoids the early-morning battles over clothes. Children wake up and excitedly think they’ve gotten big enough to decide what to wear because they’ve “discovered” their outfit neatly arranged for them. It sounds silly, but it makes the morning smoother and gives them a tiny sense of control.

Freeze Snacks in Silicone Molds

Homemade greek yogurt icecream popsicles topped with crunchy granola in silicone molds on turquoise background. Healthy summer frozen yogurt snack without sugar, closeup — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Put extra smoothies, applesauce, or yogurt in small silicone trays. When frozen, they make a quick snack, and children love them on hot days. There are no wrappers or mess, and it is also a great way to avoid food waste.

Keep Cheap Party Favors in a Drawer for Emergencies

Party favors bags at the little girl's Birthday party. — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Any little toy from a dollar store or extra trinkets for party bags can be useful when you need a bribe at the last minute. When you have a tough visit to the dentist or need to entertain your kids during a lengthy car trip, a collection of small gifts will save the day.

Let Them Paint the Bathtub Walls

little girl with paint over white background — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Mix a little baby shampoo with some drops of food coloring and hand them a brush for bath time. It is creative, easy to wash off, and buys you at least 15 minutes of silence while they feel like artists.

Put Their Name on Everything in Rhyme

word rhyme printed on white paper macro — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Instead of just writing their name on a label, write a little rhyme: “This shoe belongs to Lou, and it’s not for you.” Kids will learn it much quicker, and it also helps them feel like they have ownership of their belongings when they are in daycare or school.

Give Bedtime Warnings in Silly Voices

Little boy wearing blue pyjamas in bed — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Warn them “ten more minutes” in a robot or dinosaur voice, and get giggles instead of groans. They still know what you’re saying, but it doesn’t seem like an order to them. It’s a game.

Turn Chores into Missions With Walkie-Talkies

kids in pajamas playing cosmonauts at home — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Moms don’t yell across the house or down the hallway. They hand out walkie-talkies and assign “missions” like locating all the socks or wiping the counters. Kids become junior agents and complete their chores with minimal whining.

Use Grocery Pickup as Solo Quiet Time

Woman putting her shooping bags into car at shopping mall parking lot. She has done some light shopping,mainly food. Young happy beautiful woman shifts the purchase from shopping cart in the trunk — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Moms order grocery pickup at times they know their kids will be with a babysitter or grandma, just so they have 30 minutes of blissful silence while driving home. It’s less about the groceries and more about a break they feel they’ve earned, however brief.

Tape a Paper Towel Roll to the Car Door

Use it as a trash chute for wrappers, tissues, or bits of packaging from tiny toys. This trick may seem mad but helps keep the car clean without needing a lot of space for a big trash bin.

Keep a Yes Day Jar With Random Fun Ideas

Chef cook baker mom woman in white shirt work baby girl helper read cookbook point finger up hide at kitchen table home Cooking food process concept Mommy little kid daughter prepare fruit sweet cake — *Image Credit: Shutterstock.*

Every time they think of a small, simple, silly fun thing to do, such as cooking cookies, having a picnic, or having a water balloon fight, the mom scribbles the idea on a small slip of paper and tosses it in a jar. On those days when things go off the rails, they can all use a mood-boosting surprise without over-planning.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.

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