20+ Tried and Tested Parenting Hacks Moms and Dads Wish Someone Had Told Them Earlier

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Jul 12, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

You don't have to be a mom or dad to know that parenting is no walk in the park. All you need to do is go to your local department store and eavesdrop on an argument between a parent and child in the toy aisle, or ask a soon-to-be wed couple exactly why they've decided to do a child-free ceremony. It's a tough ride, and it's a lifelong one at that!
While there are plenty of parenting podcasts, books, and YouTube channels that aim to educate moms and dads alike on the trials and tribulations of raising tykes and tots, there are some things that no one — not even that one auntie that gives unsolicited advice at holiday dinners — could possibly prepare you for. You can learn the basics, sure, but there is a lot of trial and error involved when it comes to just about everything else. No promises that these hacks will work for you, but they are tried, tested, and upvoted by the wise parents of the internet. 

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  • 01

    What are the mind-blowing parenting hacks you swear by that aren't stuck in the past?

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    I'm a first-time mother trying to raise a sane, happy, and healthy kid without drowning in "that's how we did it back then" advice from people around me.
    via u/Khichdi19
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    I'm looking for practical, modern-day wisdom-things like keeping separate outdoor clothes for messy play, getting them
    via u/Khichdi19
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    to sing in the bath so you know they're safe while you grab a towel, or how to sneak in vegetables without a war.
    via u/Khichdi19
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    Drop all your tips, hacks, routines, gear, mindset shifts-everything you wish someone told you earlier!
    via u/Khichdi19
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    ohmy-legume Whenever we're out shopping and my daughter spots something she really wants, instead of saying a straight "no" (which often
    via u/Khichdi19
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    leads to disappointment or even meltdowns), we say "That looks really cool! Let's take a picture and add it to your birthday or Christmas list!" It works like magic.
    via u/Khichdi19
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    日
    via Sergey Novikov

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    CrankyLittleKitten There comes a point at around 3 years old where they start to drop the afternoon nap. If they don't sleep they're feral by dinnertime because they're tired but go down easier at bedtime, if they do sleep they're easier to deal with for the evening but might stay awake until all hours.
    via u/CrankyLittleKitten
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    I instigated the hour's quiet time after lunch - they didn't have to sleep, but a period of quiet downtime in the afternoon watching a movie, colouring in, reading or quiet play with their toys. It eased the transition and helped set them up for kindy which had a similar schedule
    via u/CrankyLittleKitten
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    Amylou789 The colour hack for tantrums worked well for us at the right age. Mid tantrum you start telling them the colour of objects then after a
    via u/Amylou789
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    few you get a colour wrong. She has to stop crying to be able to think about it correct you & usually the disconnect is enough to end the tantrum.
    via u/Amylou789

  • I think I inadvertently used this hack back when I would babysit a French toddler who would stop fussing to correct my grammar. 

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    Greenvelvetribbon YES. Color hack is golden. We mix it up, sometimes Dad and I will ask each other to find colors and we'll think for a long time,
    via u/Greenvelvetribbon
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    giving the kid time to interrupt. Sometimes we'll count how many things we see of one color. The key is not to expressly try to involve the kid but to leave space for them to join you.
    via u/Greenvelvetribbon
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    EzraEsperanza We do a "two minute cleanup" every night before bed to tidy the kids' room. Initially the goal was for our toddler to "own" his messes
    via u/EzraEsperanza
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    and see that we all help each other out. And to see how easy it is to stay tidy if you clean a little every day. It's become such a part of our evenings that we usually don't even set the timer anymore.
    via u/EzraEsperanza
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    Also we have a rule that we tidy up a toy before we get something else out. (Obviously not huge builds like a train set he's spent two days on...) For example, we
    via u/EzraEsperanza
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    shove the Dress Ups back in their box before we get out the puzzles etc. Going to preschool reinforced this, as that's standard procedure there as well.
    via u/EzraEsperanza
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    YosemiteDaisy I think this is good for both kid and parent. To help develop independence - make the kid do "minutes" or "tries" in correspondence to their age. So my 3 year
    via u/YosemiteDaisy
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    old had to try his socks on his own for three tries. My 8 year old needs to look for their own water bottle for 8 minutes before asking me.
    via u/YosemiteDaisy
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    I think it's easy for us parents to just step in and "help" and it makes our kids too dependent on us to fix their problems. They
    via u/YosemiteDaisy
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    usually do it on their own within those tries. But if they do need help I still want them to come to me. It's just a nice and easy reminder.
    via u/YosemiteDaisy
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    CurlsandCream I find alternatives to direct him to when he's for example kicking or hitting me or someone else in a toddler tantrum - I tell him he can
    via u/CurlsandCream
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    kick a ball, he can kick a cushion. He can hit the floor. I find an acceptable alternative for him to get his frustration out of
    via u/CurlsandCream
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    murphwhitt One that I did with my daughter was get her to change her perspective when she was stuck on an idea.
    via u/murphwhitt
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    I got her to stand up, bend over and look at me from between her legs, I did the same back. We then had a conversation like that. It was absurd enough that she forgot what she was upset about and helped reset her.
    via u/murphwhitt

  • That's really cute! And it's honestly pretty solid advice for adults, too. I'll try this out next time that I'm having a creative block!

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    another-dave Layer their bed - "puppy pad", waterproof mattress liner, sheet; another puppy pad, another waterproof mattress liner, another
    via u/another-dave
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    sheet-repeat as many times as you like. When they have an accident at night, remove whatever is wet & you've still have (a couple) of dry layers ready to go.
    via u/another-dave
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    If they have a favourite teddy bear, buy up a few understudies now while they're still available. Rotate through them frequently so
    via u/another-dave
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    they all wear down the same. If you can steer which one becomes favourite, go for a machine washable one (or at least not a wipe clean only)
    via u/another-dave
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    RoRo RoYourGoat Also, buy the actual puppy pads and not the bed-wetting liners for children. The ones for dogs are the same basic product, but they're larger and cheaper.
    via u/RoRoRoYourGoat

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Babies toddler married with children fatherhood adulting motherhood funny parents parenting raising teens advice new parents new mom family raising kids Parenting Fail parents
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