Parenting is a tough job. It makes no difference on how many children you have or what their ages are, all parents desperately need help when it comes to making their job a little bit easier. Luckily, there are plenty of amazing parenting hacks that can help you stay on top of things and make your duties more efficient.

1. Apply Vinegar On Minor Burns

A study done by the University of Birmingham found that the acetic acid in vinegar helps prevent the growth and spread of bacteria and kills bacteria, which may already be present inside the wound.

You might be concerned that using vinegar to treat burn wounds would hurt; however, the study revealed that it takes a very small percentage of acetic acid in vinegar for it to destroy the pathogens. Therefore, use a highly diluted vinegar solution so that your child hardly feels a sting and the treatment will still work effectively.

Spray the vinegar over the burnt area or just soak a small cloth in vinegar and apply it until the skin feels cool. Do it immediately as it will help ease the pain quickly.

2. Shoelace Size Guide

If your child isn’t a big fan of trying on shoes at the store then the shoelace size guide would save you a lot of trouble from their unpredictable tantrums.

Measure your kid’s foot size using a shoelace; tie a knot at the length of the lace and keep it in your purse at all times. This way you don’t have to worry about what to buy for your children when you go on a random shopping spree.

3. Mess-Free Painting

Even though parents love watching their children become creative and artistic, the thought of them painting will always get them a bit worried. Place a piece of paper in a Ziploc bag and squeeze some colourful paint inside. This will prevent your child from making a big mess or getting themselves dirty, while still being able to create their own masterpiece.

4. A Glove Full Of Rice

Constantly having your hand over a fussy child to put them to sleep can be tiring and the slightest movement on your part can wake them up.

This simple hack of filling a glove with either rice or beans and placing it over your baby will help comfort them while you can relax or get some chores done. However, just be sure to keep an eye on your baby while doing this as they might wake up and start playing around with it.

5. Combining A Medicine Dropper With An Open Pacifier

Almost all parents struggle to give their sick kids their medication. To make the administration easier, create a small opening to an open-ended pacifier by cutting the tip off using scissors. Give it to your baby to suck on, then insert the medication dropper through the pacifier opening and feed the medicine.

6. The Dot Method

The dot method is a great way to separate kids’ clothes easily, especially school uniforms and underwear. If you have children of the same gender, mark the eldest child’s clothes with one dot on its label tag using a permanent marker, draw two dots for the second eldest and so on.

If the labelled hand-me-downs are passed on to your younger children, then just add another dot and it will be identified as their belonging.

7. Baby Mop Suit

We all know babies love to crawl, however, most parents don’t find the time to sweep or mop the floors every day. Instead of picking them up because you’re worried about the dirty floors, just use them as little dusters.

Make your kids wear the baby mop suit, which is easily available online, and let them crawl around all they want, this way they have their fun while getting those floors cleaned for you.

8. Turn Chores Into Fun Games

The best way to get your kids to help with household chores is by turning them into fun games and offering them an incentive for a job well done.

You can hide treats behind furniture in your house and ask the kids to dust, they get to enjoy the reward once they have finished dusting everything.

You can even set up a scavenger hunt with a list of stray items around the house. The child who picks up most items and places them in their rightful spots will be declared as the winner. You can reward your children any way you feel is best, as long as they enjoy the thrill of competitiveness and not feel left out.

9. Putting Food In a Shower Divider

This little hack is perfect for when you go on long trips with the kids or if you decide to take them along to run errands. Putting all the food items in a shower divider helps keep everything clean and tidy. The kids will have easy access to their food, preventing them from spilling or making a mess in the car.

10. Phone Number Bracelet

The phone number bracelet is a fun and cute idea to help make sure your kids are safe. Buy colourful beads that have numbers written on them and allow your child to make the bracelet while you dictate your phone number.

Give them specific instructions on what to do when they’re lost. You can tell them to look for a mother with children and show them the bracelet, asking the parent to call the number.

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