5 parenting hacks, and baby tips!

It’s surely no secret that being a mom or dad isn’t easy! Most of us are really just trying to do our best to keep it together in the midst of the daily chaos. Kids can be both time and money vampires, which is why if there’s an easier way to do things, most parents will gladly go for it. Here are a few parenting hacks, baby tips, and life hacks shared by friends, family, and colleagues for saving money and hopefully making your life a bit easier!

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LEGOs: I love LEGO’s for the time, dexterity, and creativity they bring to playtime. I loathe, however, the teeny-tiny pieces that get lost and left behind at clean-up. One of my girlfriends has 5 kids and they ALL love LEGO’s. She stores hers in clear shoe storage containers, managed either by color OR by product (if the LEGO’s are a set to create a specific structure/product – these should be stored together – EXTRA hack: use a sticky tag to put the name of the project on the clear storage box). Not only will this handy storage tool help you keep pieces off the floor, but it also gives you a way to organize them in a closet or playroom, giving visual access to the exact LEGO’s you want to use next time.

Lost Socks! This hack isn’t just for kids’ socks (although I recall as a new mom hunting for teeny, tiny newborn baby socks in the dryer…at 2am…with a grand total of 3 hours of sleep for the past 48 hours…) but for ANY socks. Using a delicates laundry bag to keep socks together is a time (and soul) saving simple, inexpensive hack. Toss each individual’s socks in a separate laundry bag, throw them into the wash and dryer, and VOILA! – clean, organized PAIRS of socks.

GLITTER: Just the word alone can send chills through any parent and/or caregiver. There’s actually an entire episode of Peppa Pig dedicated to the trials of glitter. One of THE best hacks shared with me is to use a lint roller to make cleaning up glitter simple and FUN for the kids. Lint rollers can be found in pretty much ANY grocery store and keep kids entertained during clean up as they create glittery art projects AND less mess.

Clean Toys in the Dishwasher: One never truly knows where kids toys end up going, which makes it important to keep them germ-free! Washing each toy individually can be really time-consuming. Luckily, you can just throw plastic or rubber toys in the dishwasher, with 1.5 cups of vinegar to get them squeaky clean! I do this with bath toys as well to ensure they don’t collect mold or carry germs from bath to bath.

Coffee Filters + Potty Training?: Yup. You read that right. I saw this tip on a You Tube video one morning when I was combing the WWW for cool tips to help me hang onto a shred of what was left of my sanity. To make training potties easier to clean given they don’t actually flush, place a coffee filter in the bottom of the potty to make cleaning up number two a much easier task. I pick up the filter, shake the stink into the trash, put the filter into a poop bag, and off to the trash it goes!

I’ve got many more hacks, tips, and time-saving tricks to share! Look for the next 5 coming soon! Please share YOUR must-have hacks in the comments below!

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