Creative Parenting Hacks That Will Make Your Life So Much Easier

The Next Generation of Artists

What is it with parents, children, arts and crafts? Why do children love anything to do with paint and colors, why do teachers and carers always encourage children to do some art, and once and for all, why do parents oppose this so much? Parents parents parets. We assure you, that no one is doing this deliberately.

This happens all over the world, and we are here to make things better. After preparing the paint on a piece of paper, cover it with clingfilm, and let your child spread the paint. Your child is clean, there is no paint on the floor and you have new paint to hang on the wall.

It's Ice Lolly Time

Say goodbye to stupid excuses of why not to buy your kids ice lollies, or why not to eat them in the house. We all know that sticky feeling on the floor after your kids have indulged in a refreshing, sweet ice lolly. There is nothing much we can do about it, as ice naturally melts. Well, think again. There is a lot we can do about it.

Insert a cupcake holder through the stick, and this way, no matter how slow of an ice lolly eater your child is, the juices will drip into the cup and not on your floor.

No More Noisy Toys

The number of toys that make noise (and especially the annoying kind) is never-ending. From tractors to cars and plains, the more toys you have the more noise there is. We are all familiar with Thomas, and his TV show can be quite entertaining, however when it comes to the real thing, it is as annoying as it can get. Teach your child an early lesson in life.

They will learn to read the "out of order sign" before knowing the ABC, and most of all, they will understand that sometimes cars and trains break down and there is nothing we can do about this. We will forgive you for not being 100% honest with your kids, however, when an hour of peace and quiet is in need, honesty does not matter.

Cup Cake And More

There is much more to your cupcake-baking dish than you could ever imagine. Now, if there is one thing we as parents cannot stand is the mess created by paint. And if there is one thing kindergartens and schools like to bring as presents, for all kinds of events, it is paint.

We have a cupcake dish in our kitchen, but when was the last time you used it? It's time to bring it out, and if you're not going to bake anything, at least make good use of it. Place each color in a separate cupcake hole in the dish. This won't avoid any mess at all, but it will help your toddler separate the different colors.

Color Coordinated Children

The more children you have the more you will thank us for this next hack. Next time you go out on a family outing, color-coordinate your kids. Make sure they are all dressed in the same color top, the brighter the better. This makes it much easier to spot them out, as they are most likely to stay together.

If they happen to disappear, all you have to do is ask if someone has seen the four boys, wearing the four red tops. This can be a great hack for when you go swimming too. Just make sure all kids have the same colored swimming cap and you can enjoy the sea and sun peacefully.

French Apple

French fries have got to be the nation's favorite. It doesn't matter if you prefer the thin fries or thick steak fries, you can't get better than fried potatoes. Now, as a parent, your child's health is the most important thing, and eating potatoes and french fries on a daily basis cannot happen. So what do we do? We turn the french fries into apple fries.

The younger the child is, the easier it will be to convince them that this new innovative dish is far better than any french fries they know. Try by describing the crispiness of the apple, and the juices that refresh and nourish. Did it work? We didnt think so.

Indoor Swimmingpool

This next hack can be a solution for several issues you might come across during your parenting days. So, your baby can already sit all by itself, they love bath time, however, you only have a stand-in shower in your home. No worries. All you need is a plastic blow-up pool and bath time has never been more fun.

This hack can also be a great answer for your more grown-up kids when they keep asking to go to an indoor swimming pool. They you go kids, here is a swimming pool and it is indoors. We hope they appreciate your sense of humor.

Easy Way of Learning

Children are divided into two. Those who do well in literature, history, and anything that requires you to write, compose, and use your imagination. Then there are those who are wizards in mathematics. You think of a number, double it, multiply it by 72, then take away the first number you thought of, and they know the answer.

This hack is for those who prefer to write, however, a number of magicians will have great fun on these staired too. We couldn't think of a better way to memorize the multiplication table, and we must admit, it helps us too as we have forgotten everything we have learned in school a long long time ago.

Paint a Chalkboard Wall

Chalkboards are a great learning tool for kids, and they can also be a fun accessory to add to their room. You can turn a section of the wall into a chalkboard surface where kids can let their creativity run wild. It’s as easy as going to an arts and crafts store and buying chalkboard paint to create a designated area for drawing, writing messages, or playing games.

Your kids will be entertained for hours! And, of course, there’s the huge added value of not having to repaint your walls because your kids suddenly decided the house looked like a blank canvas.

Use Containers to Build a Play Table

Any parent will tell you that having play tables in a kid’s room is a must since they are very helpful at keeping them busy for hours. If you’re looking to get an outdoor play table for your kid, check out this DIY project – it’s easy cheap, and your kids will love it. Find a wooden box or crate and measure its surface, then buy some plastic containers that will fit perfectly within the measurements.

Next, fill in the containers with sand or water and place some toys on top; your child will spend hours playing with their new interactive table. And it’s super easy to dismantle and transport when you travel!

Pool Noodle Target

Pool noodles have been scientifically proven to be great for creating all sorts of games and recreational activities! Here's one of them: making a DIY pool-noodle target. This will guarantee hours of fun, for your kids and for the neighbours' kids.

All you need are some pool noodles, tape, and a small piece of ground you could stick the pool noodle poles into for stabilization. It's super simple and you can endlessly play with it. Great! You might have to pack it up just before the winter kicks in unless you think of a way to install one of these indoors too.

Make a Storage Table for Your LEGOS

This next one will be appreciated by parents and children alike. There are few things more annoying than stubbing your toe on a tiny piece of LEGO that you forgot to pick up, and usually, it’s not just one; it’s a trillion of them! This is why this DIY project will make your life better in more ways than one.

Pick a coffee table in your house with a smooth surface and buy some LEGO bases from their store; in this way, you can simply place any loose LEGO parts on the base and make sure they stay there. It's also a great way to display whatever LEGO creations your kids made that day.

Stamps

As a little kid, one of the best things your parents can allow you to do is go crazy with gouache, painting, and coloring until you get paint all over your clothes. Well, you might want to try and avoid the clothes-staining part, but pool noodles can be a lovely addition to the painting bit!

All you have to do is cut a noodle into relatively small pieces, then dip its end into the paint, and let the kids use it as a doughnut-shaped stamp. It can be far more creative and interesting, and you never know. You might end up discovering the next Picasso in your own house.

Pattern Practice

Here's a pool noodle hack young kids (and their parents) can benefit from! All you'll need for this one are some paper towel holders and, obviously, some holy pool noodles. Take a few different-colored pool noodles and cut them into small rings.

Kids can have an awesome time creating different patterns with the colorful noodle pieces by placing them on top of each other on the paper towel holders! You can add an extra layer of thought by writing letters or numbers on some of the pool noodle pieces and help your kid practice their spelling. Be creative for once. Your children will appreciate it.

Paint Your Lamps to Make Them Groovy

Lighting is one of the most important features of any room and when it comes to spicing up your child's room, we have a great hack for you. When you’re getting a lamp for your children, you have to make sure it’s the right one. If you have any spare lamps in the house that you want to use for your kid’s room, or if you end up buying a new one, you can make it extra special with a few simple steps.

You can paint the lampshade a different color to give it a groovy vibe, or you can draw a dinosaur or any other figure that your kid likes. This will turn a simple lamp into a gorgeous accessory and spice up the lighting atmosphere in the room.

Bath Childproofing

This is a really good one, so be sure to take notes so you can pass them on to all of your young mother friends. One of the riskiest places for toddlers is undoubtedly the bath. Other than the constant possibility of slipping, there's also the possibility of bumping different body parts into the bath tap.

We're not sure what to do about the slipping thing, but we can definitely help with the tap thing: just take a piece of pool noodle, place it on the tap, and wrap it with a rubber band to make sure it doesn't move.

Improvised Ball Pit

One of the things little kids like most is playing around in a ball pit so why don't make one of your own? Parents are less keen on being dragged to the Gymboree time and time again just so their children can play while they have to chat with all the other moms and dads.

So, here's a hack for antisocial parents: take a portable Playard, fill it up with small cut-up pool noodles, and you have your very own ball pit for your kids to play in at home. It's easy, it's cheap and we assure you, for the next playdate, the p[arent will prefer to come over to yours.

Tub Product Organizer

Whether you have a kid or you choose to act like one, your bathroom is a minefield of trip-and-fall hazards in the form of toys and other products. If you're not in the mood for falling in the shower and breaking a hip like a common assisted living resident, follow the orders below.

Mount a nice rod on your wall, string some plastic hooks on it, and place small plastic baskets on the hooks. Now, stuff those baskets with whatever items you use in your daily scrub session. You won't mind of your little toddler wants to bring the entire Barbie collection into the bathroom now. There is plenty of room for everyone.

Tennis Rackets

It's the summer holiday and your kids have been driving you up the walls about the new tennis rackets they just must have. The would can no go on without them having a new pair! Let your unused pool noodles turn into the tennis rackets you never knew you needed! Why? Just because it's SO cool and creative!

All you'll need to turn this dream of a hack into a lovely reality is... pool noodles, recycled plastic nets, and tape. With very little effort, you can turn those everyday things into fine tennis rackets everyone will fall for. Don't forget where you learned about it first.

Pool Noodles for Math Practice

Yes, we're being serious, and this hack is effing cool and we honestly cannot get how no one thought of this when we were at school. To help your kids or students practice fractions, all you need are a few colorful pool noodles.

Just divide the noodles into even pieces depending on the fraction you'd like to demonstrate and write it down on each individual piece. This kinda makes us wish we were in school again. Well, okay, not really but like, almost, and for sure, your kids will enjoy practicing their homework with this more than nothing at all.

Makeshift Puppet Show Theater

Okay, so this one might require some more crafting skills, but we're fairly certain you can do it despite failing home ec. There is nothing we won't do to make out children happy! In order to create this DIY theater, you will need a tension rod (or two, depending on how fancy you feel) and some fabric for the curtains.

You can buy fabric or simply use the sheet with chocolate stains from that time you had cake in bed and couldn't be bothered to wash it. Mount the rod in the doorway and drape the fabric over it. You can sew the top and cut a hole for the puppets in the middle, or you can cut the whole thing down the middle so it hangs on each side like window curtains.

DIY STEM Bin

Looking to create a homemade STEM bin for your kids to play with? Here's a super simple, fun way to do it: just cut different colored pool noodles into small pieces (they should end up looking like somewhat foamy, colorful doughnuts).

Add a pile of toothpicks to the mix – and you have yourself the foamy version of building blocks. Just don't forget to warn your kids before you let them play with toothpicks. We have come to the conclusion that the soft toys sold by big brands, are just too expensive and with a little imagination, the same quality, however much cheaper equivalents can be made.

Feet Care

As a little kid, not many things beat having a super cool bunk bed, especially if you're the one to sleep on top and get to climb a kickass ladder to get there! It's almost like having a treehouse (okay, we may have gotten slightly carried away here). Anyway, this next hack will solve all of your child's problems.

Back to the matter at hand – the only problem with such a bed is having to climb the stiff ladder steps with bare feet. Enter pool noodles! Just cut pool noodle pieces down the middle, slide them around the steps of the ladder, and put an end to sore little feet.

Simple Reading Nook

One of the saddest things about growing up (aside from student loans, doing your own dishes, and having to ingest enormous amounts of coffee to survive another day) is not spending sufficient time in blanket forts. So, while your kids are still young try to do your best and encourage them to read as much as possible. Check out this next hack, you call it a reading nook.

You don't even have to read it (but your kids don't have to know). All you need to do is mount a heavy-duty tension rod between the wall and a big piece of furniture. Next, drape some blankets over it. For a finishing touch, throw some pillows on the floor and put up some twinkle lights.

Baby Bumpers

If you're a young parent, you probably know that annoying situation where you have to change your baby's diaper, and… well, it ain't fun. The little rugrats simply won't stop moving, bumping different body parts on the side of the changing table! Honestly, what are they feeding them at daycare?

Anyway, if you're one of these poor parents – boy, have we got something for you. Just use a pool noodle to cover the sides of the changing table, and you'll never have to worry about your baby hurting their head.

The Foam Knights

Feel like using pool noodles to help your kid become a make-believe warrior extraordinaire? Or, better yet, become one yourself? All you need are some pool noodles, PVC, and duct tape. You can make various types of swords and go wild with individual variations, shapes, and colors!

The principle is simple: use PVC of the wanted length as the sword's "backbone," then slide the pool noodle over it, cutting it to fit and leaving a few inches of exposed PVC as the handle. Once you're all done with that, just wrap your marvelous creation with a ton of duct tape. And there you have your Halloween expenses reduced by half.

Glitter Gatherer

Everybody loves glitter, except for parents who are forced to clean it up. A lint roller is a great way to cut down on the work of gathering glitter.

Roll it around in the sparkly places and see how the glitter just sticks right to it.

Easier Splinter Removal

Getting rid of a splinter is usually a difficult and painful ordeal, but baking soda and water can make it easier to endure.

Simply place the mixture on the injured area for several minutes. The baking soda will help the splinter come out of the skin, making the removal less painful and traumatic.

Bath Toys Hack

Bath toys make bath time way more fun, but often end up disgusting and filled with mold. To keep this from happening, use a hot glue gun to seal the toy’s hole before putting it in the bath.

There won’t be a way for water to get in and the toy won’t get moldy.

Kid-Free Walls

Did junior have a hard time limiting his artistic talents to paper or canvas yet again?

If your walls have just become more colorful than intended, you can use WD-40 to quickly and easily remove crayon stains.

Painting of the Day

Do your kids love to paint and draw and leave you feeling like you’re always running around the house looking for clean paper? Or worse, they look for it themselves in your home office and end up leaving a mess? Just try this neat trick.

The frame will inspire them to change things up each day or maybe even more than once a day, and the paper will not need to be changed very often.

Cleanup on the Clock

Another way to make kids hop to it and start cleaning their rooms is by turning it into a game.

Use an egg timer to set a time limit and sit back and enjoy the show!

No More Lost Socks

Making sure all your socks are in pairs is hard enough, but when it comes to teeny tiny baby socks, keeping track of them is nearly impossible.

To ensure that all the socks will come out of the wash in pairs, simply place them in a mesh laundry bag beforehand.

Pool Noodle Protector

Trampolines are always good fun, until someone lands on the metal part and ends up crying.

In order to avoid painful or dangerous accidents, wrap cut up pool noodles around the metal bits and keep your kids safe.

DIY Noise Dampener

If one of your childless friends or family members made the mistake of purchasing a really loud toy for your child, don’t worry, you don’t have to throw it away and lie about it. Simply cover the toy’s speaker with a piece of tape to dampen the noise.

Your child will still enjoy it, just at a more reasonable volume.

Babysitter FAQ

Hiring a babysitter is often a stressful situation, especially if they are new. It’s always a good idea to have any information they might need on hand.

Print out this template and put it in a picture frame. You can use an erasable marker to add in the information relevant to the specific occasion.

Candy Stash

Instilling good eating habits is important, but everybody needs a little treat now and then. To keep your kids from finishing all the candy in the house before you can have any, you need to be sneaky.

Keep a bag of something healthy in the freezer and use it to hide your sweet stash. There is no way they are ever going to accidentally find it.

Pizza Box Canvas

Not sure what to do with your empty pizza boxes after family movie night?

You can turn them into a canvas for your kids and fold them up and throw them away when they are done.

The Old Switcheroo

We do not support lying to your kids but making them take their medicine when they really need it may be a pretty good exception. You take the child’s favorite drink but secretly place the straw into the medicine.

Make sure to immediately let them drink their beverage of choice afterward, or you are going to be dealing with the temper tantrum to end all temper tantrums.

It’s Chore O’clock

Structure is very important for kids, but a schedule is a hard thing to stick to. They are always asking for just five more minutes, and you have your own things around the house to take care of. Keep them on track with a color-coded clock.

They know what they are supposed to be doing at all times and can be held accountable if they are not doing them.

Dishwasher Safe

You can use the dishwasher for more than plates and saucers.

It actually does a great job on toys and even shoes.

Magnetic Wall

Another way to make learning fun is to place a magnetic board on one of your child’s bedroom walls. They can play with numbers and letters and try to do math or spell.

This will give them the confidence to experiment and learn, but also the joy of playtime.

Shower Caddy to the Rescue

A shower caddy is not just convenient for your shower stuff but can also be used to hold meals on the road.

Pack one along on your next long trip and it will help your toddler eat in a more organized way and keep your car much cleaner.

Kid Compartments

Long car trips with small children can be torturous, especially when they start getting into each other’s space. These parents decided to divide and conquer by creating kid compartments in the back seat.

The kids won’t be able to bother each other and hopefully will fall asleep as soon as you hit the road.

Building Words

Teaching your kids new things in a fun way is an amazing experience for you and them. If they have outgrown their basic blocks, repurpose them into spelling blocks.

Simply write words on the bigger pieces and letters on the smaller pieces. Kids will enjoy putting them together and learn how to read and spell new words in an enjoyable way.

Teether On the Go

Parents of teething babies know how hard it is to give them some relief. There is very little you can do, and their pain is extremely hard to bear. One father from Queens, New York, came up with this helpful hack. Whenever he was taking his teething baby out for the day, he would keep the baby’s teether in a Klean Kanteen full of ice water.

This kept the teether cool all day and ready to offer relief when needed.

Magic Fairy Money

You can make the tooth fairy seem more real and the money she leaves more special by adding just a bit of sparkle.

Use glitter hairspray to give the bills a little extra shine. Don’t use too much, just enough to make losing teeth a little more fun.

Quick Cool Down

Kids don’t like putting on seat belts on their best days, but if it’s really hot out and the metal is scorching, then they are definitely not going to cooperate.

Keep a water spray bottle around and use it to cool down the seat belt buckles.

No-Slip Socks

Have your kids inadvertently turned the living room into a Slip ‘N Slide?

You can solve the problem by putting puffy fabric paint on the bottom of their socks and keep them on solid ground.

Make Baby Food Prep Easier

Cooking baby food in small batches is a waste of time. It is just as easy to make big batches that you can use for a whole week.

You can freeze the prepared food in ice cube trays and then mix and match the different fruits and vegetables.

Frozen Yogurt

Want to give your kids a summer treat that is actually healthy and they can help you make? All you have to do is take a yogurt they like, cut a hole in the lid, put in a popsicle stick and freeze.

The yogurt will be less messy to eat, and it can help cool them down on a hot day.

Use a Pool as a Play Pen

You don’t need a fancy playpen to keep your child entertained, an inflatable pool will do the trick and won’t put such a strain on your wallet.

Just inflate, place it in the middle of your living room and let the fun begin.

No More Bath Time Blues

Trying to wash your baby’s hair is a daily ordeal. The soap gets in their eyes and they get angry and upset and ironically refuse to let you wash their eyes out with water.

Instead, you can use an umbrella band which lets baby enjoy bath time while you manage to get their hair really clean for once.

That New Shoe Look

As a rule, kids are pretty hard on their shoes, but that doesn’t mean you have to worry about every scuff mark.

At the end of the day, all you have to do to make them look brand new is fill in the scratches with a properly hued crayon.

Pool Noodle Finger Protector

It sometimes seems like doors are actively trying to catch the fingers of small children, causing a lot of unnecessary pain and tears.

To keep little fingers safe, simply attach a pool noodle to the side of the door, that way doors will be unable to slam shut and hurt them.

At Arm’s Length

Babies can get frustrated looking for their toys, which have drifted away during bath time, making washing them a real chore. All you need to do to keep them happy is add a laundry basket to your bath routine.

Just put the basket in the bath and fill it with toys. Your baby will have everything they want within reach and you can concentrate on getting them clean.

A Home Remedy for Minor Burns

Even minor burns can be scary and painful. If your child suffers a small burn that doesn’t need medical attention, you can make them feel better with this home remedy.

Soak a facecloth or paper towel in vinegar and place on the burn. Not only will it cool things off and lessen the pain, but it will also help keep the skin from forming blisters.

Fluffy Pain Relief

Kids are full of energy; they run around and play and often fall and get hurt. Leaving them with gashes and bruises and the need for some comfort and pain relief. One mother noticed that her children don’t like the feel of ice packs because they are too cold and don’t feel nice. Meaning, they weren’t actually being used or offering much pain relief. Instead, she came up with the idea of making marshmallow packs.

She put the sweet treats in Ziploc bags and placed them in the freezer. The marshmallows cooled down but didn’t freeze, and stayed soft and pliable so that they could be used to wrap around knees and elbows. Also, the promise of a treat after the marshmallows warmed up helps everyone feel better.

Namaste

Daniel Eisenman inadvertently became an internet sensation while shooting a Facebook Live video. He was snuggling with his new baby when she began to cry, but he found a way to calm her down and he didn’t even have to get out of bed. Daniel was talking about surfing, but when his daughter Divina began to cry, he immediately started oming to her.

He was using the familiar yoga chant to soothe the baby and it worked like a charm. Divina calmed down and went straight back to sleep!

Keep Your Apples Fresh

Do your kids love apples but refuse to eat them by the time they open their lunchboxes because they are brown? Here is a quick fix for that: after you cut them up, add a pinch of salt and then mix them up with water.

The salty taste will not linger, but the chemical reaction will keep them fresh all day!

DIY Racetrack

It’s no surprise that kids have a lot of energy and are always looking for something new to do. If you are looking for a way to mix things up, you can make your own racetrack for them using your carpet and masking tape.

They can use the toy cars they already have, the variations are endless, and the tape won’t hurt the rug!

Spill-Proof

Feel like your child spills more of their beverages than they drink and leave you with a mess to clean up? Then this little trick is perfect for you! Buy some crazy straws and swap them out for regular straws in your child’s favorite drink.

Put them in upside down, so your child won’t be able to pull them out and cause a mess.

Bye-Bye Binky

As kids get older, they don’t really need their pacifier as much, but use it more out of habit. That doesn’t mean it is easy for them to give it up though. To make the binky less appealing, you simply cut away a small piece of the nipple.

They won’t enjoy sucking on it as much and might even decide to get rid of it themselves.

Easy Door Stopper

It doesn’t matter how many times you tell your child not to lock the bathroom door, somehow, they end up locked inside at least once. Instead of going through the trouble of removing the lock, simply use a rubber band on the doorknob.

It will keep the door from closing fully, meaning your child is never locked in.

Screen Time Savings

It’s not easy to get your kids to do their chores, but it is important for them to feel responsible and capable from a young age. You can motivate them using this hack. Kids can earn screen time by completing chores.

Each one is worth a different amount according to its complexity or duration. In this way then can have a sense of accomplishment and feel like they worked for something.

Condiment Change-Up

We all know how it ends when your child takes a big bite of a juicy hot dog with ketchup. They really enjoy it, but unfortunately so does their face and their clothes.

Next time try putting the ketchup on the bun before putting in the hot dog. Same great taste, less need to use a stain remover.

Paint by Baggies

It’s important to help your child develop their artistic side but somehow doing so always seems to mean more mess for you to clean up. Here is an easy way to let them be creative without making a mess.

Add three drops of colored paint to water inside a Ziploc bag and let them go wild.

Homemade Water Slide

On a hot day, there is nothing better than a little water fun, and all you need to create a makeshift water slide are a hose and a plastic sheet.

So, the next time you get a new piece of furniture or a shiny appliance, save the plastic sheeting for a sunny day.

Sheet Art

Letting your kids’ creativity run wild and not getting the house dirty is a win-win in our book.

Instead of donating or throwing out your old sheets, let your kids draw on them to their heart’s content.

Bring Your Fort Outside

Forts guarantee hours of pleasure for kids and parents alike.

Here’s an easy way to set one up outside, hang an old sheet on a hula-hoop, use string to attach the contraption to some tree branches and create a special space for your child to enjoy.

A Place for Everything...

Habits that are instilled when we are young tend to stick around through the rest of our lives. That’s why it’s a good idea to teach kids to put away their toys right from the start. A good example is this parking garage for toy cars.

Each car has its own space where it can be placed when the game is done. Hopefully, this will help teach them to put their clothes away when they are teenagers.

Soap Stopper

Rubber bands can be used for almost anything. Just look at the photo below!

In this example, you can keep kids from using too much soap and leaving a sink full of bubbles by securing one around the liquid soap’s pump nozzle.

Hands-Off

There are some nights in which your kid simply will not go to sleep without you sitting beside them, but you may have things to do or simply be too tired yourself. You can give them that comforting feeling without actually being there, by filling a glove with rice or dried beans.

They will feel the weight of your hand on their back and peacefully drift off to sleep.

Paint the Fence

On a warm summer’s day, it is always nice to laze around outside and relax, but that is not usually possible when you have small children. An idea to keep them busy is to “paint” the fence.

Paintbrushes and a bucket of water will do the trick, and they have a fun activity to do and see instant results.

Sticky Solution

Cutting your child’s toenails is not the most enjoyable activity but stepping on a piece of toenail that was left on the floor is downright gross.

Use tape while snipping to make sure that the clippings stick and can then be thrown straight in the trash.

Beach Break

It’s not easy to go to the beach with your toddler. Not only do you have to bring practically your entire house worth of stuff, but you also worry constantly about them getting into the water if you look away for a second. Keep them where you can see them at all times by making your own playpen.

Take a fitted sheet and keep it up by securing the corners with coolers and other beach essentials. Now you can enjoy the sunshine.

Command Hook Bib Hanger

It seems like you can never find a bib when you need it most. Keep them in one place, instead of all over the house, using a command hook.

Just attach it to the back of the highchair and you will always have a bib available when it’s time for the baby to eat.

Photo ID

Before you head out for a day of family fun, it’s a good idea to snap a picture of the entire family. If one of your kids gets lost, you won’t have to rack your brain for what they were wearing or how they wore their hair.

You just have to look at the picture or show it around and it will include the perfect description.

Spray Away the Monsters

Little kids have big imaginations, and most go through a phase in which they scare themselves by imagining monsters hiding under the bed or in the closet. Help them feel safe by creating your very own “monster spray” from an old spray bottle!

Fill it with water and watch them spray their worries away.