10+ Parenting Hacks That Can Make Your Life Less Stressful

73% of parents say that parenting is their biggest challenge. It’s hard even to count all the responsibilities and tasks they face every day. And we believe that few tricks can help ease the tension. Especially, when they are from other parents who know everything first hand.

Bright Side made a selection of hacks that work like magic. And they can not only save you time, but they can make parenting much easier.

• Throwing a tissue up into the air, repeatedly, will make 90% of babies stop crying. A good “weeeeeee” sound helps with every toss. © HotDog804 / Reddit

• My LO is 10 months old and has a hard time staying asleep. I used to nurse her back to sleep but once we started night weening we started giving her half of a banana. After eating her banana she would fall back asleep way better than after nursing and stay asleep for longer. I googled it and bananas help promote sleep because of their magnesium and potassium. © Bee96Honey / Reddit

• When in doubt of what’s wrong with your kid(s), ask the following: “Are you hungry? Are you tired? Does anything hurt?” rather than, “What’s wrong?” Started with my daughter when she was 2 or 3 and it kind of trained her to identify and help solve the problem at hand when she gets cranked out. Still works well and she’s 8. © idgyT / Reddit

• When putting a child in their car seat the easiest way to tighten it is to buckle the bottom part, pull the strap between their legs, then buckle the chest strap. Before I had always buckled the chest strap before tightening, I hadn’t even realized how many times I was tightening and adjusting before trying this way. © MommaK4CJ / Reddit

• Get some tape and put it over the speaker of the toy. Voila, the toy can be heard by the kiddo, but barely by you from about 2 feet (or more) away. Great for the car, plane, etc. © SillyJane / Reddit

• When a decision needs to be made amongst siblings — like picking a game to play or a movie to watch. I have one child pick a few options, the next child can then choose from the options the first child picked, and so on until it’s been narrowed down to one. © lmrichar / Reddit

• Young kids don’t hear/understand negative words, it’s best to tell them what to do, rather than what not to do. © drawdelove / Reddit

• When I see it’s not serious, I like to examine an owie fully. I look really close and smell it. And then I listen to it. However, I require absolute silence before I can complete the examination and it works every time. © dondox / Reddit

• Asking my daughter “How was your day?” always ends in her saying “I don’t know.” So I started asking her “What was your favorite and least favorite thing about today?” and she’ll always have a story/answer for me. © androgynous_potato / Reddit

• Layer crib bedding. Sheet/waterproof pad/sheet/waterproof pad/sheet/waterproof pad. When baby has a blowout (or throws up) during the night, all you have to do is remove the first layer of sheet/waterproof pad and you have fresh bedding underneath. © fourseasma / Reddit

• A trick I use is to have a “wishlist” and when my daughter asks for something (like junky toys at the grocery store) I act excited and interested, and tell her I’ll put them on her wishlist. Sometimes I have to pretend to write it down. Usually, she totally forgets. © francesmcgee / Reddit

• In the car, don’t threaten to turn around and go home. They know you don’t want to do that. Instead, after the first warning, quietly pull over to the side of the road. Don’t say a word. They will get quiet. Then ask, “Shall we go now?” Works like a charm. © groundhogcakeday / Reddit

• Set out everything for the next morning’s breakfast before you go to bed. The night before, the kettle is already filled with the water we need, 2 mugs are laid out with the sugar nearby, all necessary plates and cutlery are on the counter, the bread is pre-sliced, the oatmeal & fruit is all measured out, etc. It’s amazing how much this little thing can save time when you’re trying to get everyone fed and out the door. © cbrichar / Reddit

Is parenting challenging for you? Do you know any tricks that can help other parents? You can tell us about them in the comment section.