The 10 Best Parenting Hacks from Around the Internet

Parenting is hard. Thankfully, a number of very creative parents have come up with some ingenious ways to make the job a whole lot easier. Want to make your life easier, too? Check out the ten best parenting hacks from around the internet!

Helping kids put their shoes on the right feet: Does your toddler have trouble putting her shoes on the right feet? Simply cut a sticker in half and put it on the bottom of her shoes. Now all she has to do is match up the sticker!

 Homemade Baby Monitor: Want a low-cost alternative to the increasingly expensive baby monitors on the market? Try making one at home with your old cell phone!

 

  Juice box handles: This popular internet hack stops your kids from squirting juice everywhere by teaching them to lift their juice boxes with the side flaps!

 

 Fridge Magnet Cups: Tired of having to get cup after cup down from the cupboard for your kids? With these fridge magnet cups your kids will be able to get their own cup whenever they want it.

 

  Cleaning kids' shoes: Sneakers.  Tennis shoes.  Kicks. No matter what term you use, we’re all familiar with shoes and the fact they wear easily and are impossible to keep clean, especially if little boys are wearing them around.  If you have old dingy shoes, before you go out and buy new ones, save yourself some money and try washing them in the dishwasher.  Yes, the dishwasher.Growing up, my family always washed them in the washing machine.  I now use the dishwasher because I don’t like hearing the loud clunking of the shoes rolling around in the spin cycle.To wash your shoes in the dishwasher, first check the shoes for any areas that need to be pre-scrubbed such as the soles or stained areas.  Use an old toothbrush to get most of the stain removed and if you need to, put a little dishwasher detergent on the bristles.  Put shoes on the bottom rack and if you want, remove the shoelaces (I don’t always do this because it takes a bit of time).  Add dishwasher detergent to the machine and set the cycle to normal but make sure to turn off the heat dry cycle (if you forget to do this it could cause your shoes to shrink).  Once the cycle is complete, remove the shoes and set in front of a fan or outside if it is hot out.  Warning– shoes take a long time to dry so allow them to dry overnight before wearing them.Your shoes should be nice and clean when they come out.  This method will also help reduce foot odor that has invaded and camped out in your shoes.

 

  Using trays to make play stations:Every parent knows the “joy” of finding Play-Doh and Legos all over the house. Help contain all the little things by setting your child up with a workstation made with a sunken tray. It’s portable, and the edges of the tray contain all the little pieces!

 

 Tissue trash trick: Tired of finding used, wadded up tissues all over the house? This simple trick shows you how to make a mobile trash bin for those icky tissues!

 

 No Spill Paint-Cups: Have some empty Starbucks cups around?you can turn them into awesome no spill paint-cups!

 

  Getting kids to take medicine: Gross-tasting medicine is the bane of every kids’ (and parents’) existence. Help the medicine go down by mixing it with a strong flavor, like chocolate or Kool-Aid powder, to help mask the taste.

 

  The magic of sprinkles: Have a picky kid who refuses to try new foods? Put some sprinkles on it! Seriously, drop some jimmies on top of that food – it won’t change the taste, and your kid will definitely take at LEAST one bite.