Welcome to Parent Hacks
- Submit a hack!
Email your parenting tips to hacks@parenthacks.com. Or pitch your exceptionally useful product for review to reviews@parenthacks.com.
more contact info » - Support Parent Hacks
Are you an Amazon.com shopper? Every time you shop at Amazon, get there by clicking this link -- anything you buy will throw some change into our tip jar, with no extra steps or cost to you. Thank you!
more ideas » - Shop at the Parent Hacks Store
Whether you're outfitting a nursery, buying a gift, or treating yourself, start here!
go to the Store » - See more hacks
The front page only lists the most recent hacks. There are over 2000 more!
go to the archives »
get free updates
Categories
- 0-01yrs (infant)
- 01-03yrs (toddler)
- 03-05yrs (preschooler)
- 05-12yrs (kid)
- 13-18yrs (teen)
- 18yrs+ (grownup)
- admin (Parent Hacks news)
- attitude/mindset
- bathtime
- behavior
- fashion/general cuteness
- feeding/nursing
- fun/toys
- gear
- getting organized
- habitat
- health/development
- holidays/special occasions
- learning
- poop, pee, potty, etc.
- saving money
- sleep (yours and theirs)
- things we like
- travel/going out
Recent Comments
- Nancy Talan on How to trick the autoflush toilet sensor in public restrooms
- Nancy Talan on Dandruff shampoo gets rid of cradle cap
- Lissa on The magical, multifunctional properties of painter's tape
- Melissa on Dandruff shampoo gets rid of cradle cap
- Meagan on How to trick the autoflush toilet sensor in public restrooms
- Greg on How to trick the autoflush toilet sensor in public restrooms
- Malyndia on Dandruff shampoo gets rid of cradle cap
- cagey on Dandruff shampoo gets rid of cradle cap
- Carrie C on Dandruff shampoo gets rid of cradle cap
- Ann on Dandruff shampoo gets rid of cradle cap
Community
- Show us what you're up to! Tag your pertinent blog posts, Flickr photos, and del.icio.us bookmarks as parenthacks so we can visit you in your corner of the Web. We often find goodies for our link roundups here!
Archives
- Parent Hacks logo by Bryan Bell
Go to: Archive index | Home
Archive: September 2007
30 Sep 07 | Comments: 9
Meghan's found yet another use for those stretchy rubber/silicone bracelets: I stumbled upon this hack last year while visiting Disney World. The hotel we stayed at had a deal where you could buy a cup for a set price, and...
links for 2007-09-3030 Sep 07 | Comments: 2
The Juggle - WSJ.com : The Morning "Time-Slip" Commiseration about the morning get-to-school rush.
links for 2007-09-2929 Sep 07 | Comments: 0
Five Food Hacks: Getting kids to eat vegetables and love it Bathroom Cleaning Hack « Idea Pizzeria Another variation on "clean it while they're in the bath." DaddyFactory » Father First — Idea #8: Let her do your hair The...
iPod photos distract wiggly toddlers29 Sep 07 | Comments: 5
Margot's hack proves, once again, that you have more than enough justification to buy an iPod. I noticed the spate of iPod hacks. I have another semi-hack. I keep some family pictures on my iPod nano, which can't show movies....
FM Fall Shopping Guide: Little Hands Help Around the House28 Sep 07 | Comments: 0
My next post is up at the FM Fall Shopping Guide: Little Hands Help Around the House. Inspired by a recent thumb-through a Montessori catalog, the post follows a theme we've discussed at length: giving kids the tools and opportunity...
Automotive microfiber cleaning towels as cheap spitup rags28 Sep 07 | Comments: 9
Joshua discovered ideal burp cloths in the automotive section: Our son, now two months old, goes through an inordinate number of small towels. Between burping and spitting up, breast milk misfires, and daddy knocking things over at 2AM, it seems...
links for 2007-09-2828 Sep 07 | Comments: 1
Invent a geeky new way to get kids moving, win $75k Work-Family Balance is a Joke: Embrace the Chaos Paul tells it like it is.
Kettler Supertrike on super sale28 Sep 07 | Comments: 1
Awesome Kettler Kiddi-o tricycle on sale at Amazon...for who knows how long? Via WantNot.
Malt vinegar as vegetable "dip"28 Sep 07 | Comments: 6
Kids surprise you in their food preferences. My kids (aka Finicky 1 and Finicky 2) reject entire categories of food, and yet will eat almost anything from a Chinese, Japanese or Thai restaurant (something about soy sauce). For that reason,...
Use a nasal aspirator in the bath as a baby shower27 Sep 07 | Comments: 1
Ah, the snot sucker. Rebecca's found another use for hers: The latest hack around our house is using the snotball (rubber nasal aspirator) as a tiny shower. The benefit is that you clean it out (sort of an extra cleaning...I'm...
Use baby wipes to clean DVDs27 Sep 07 | Comments: 2
Violet's tip may salvage your too-well-loved copy of Finding Nemo: If you have a DVD that is smudgy or lightly scratched, use a baby wipe to clean it. It'll play again. Related: Uses for baby wipes
Bungee cord "leash" helps pull novice bike riders over bumps26 Sep 07 | Comments: 9
I'm lucky to live in a neighborhood where there's a mix of single folks, families with kids ages 0-17, empty nesters, and retirees. As such, I get a parenting education each time I walk out the door. Someone's always around...
How to make a public toilet less intimidating for a kid? Sit on it yourself.26 Sep 07 | Comments: 24
See the lengths we're willing to go for our children? Here's how Charisse makes scary public toilets less so for her potty-training daughter: For public bathrooms, my daughter was a bit scared, especially of noisy or smelly ones, and didn't...
links for 2007-09-2626 Sep 07 | Comments: 0
Official Gmail Blog: Tips from a Digital Mom - How managing emails can be like picking up toys Via Techmamas.
Free(ish) family business cards simplify playdates and more26 Sep 07 | Comments: 16
Business cards are handy for the non-businessperson, too. From Shawna: Our family uses VistaPrint to order free business cards with all of our contact info. The cards are free when you pay for shipping, so they work out as a...
Cut the snaps off the shirts of potty training toddlers25 Sep 07 | Comments: 5
Ellie said "I'm sure this is too simple to send in," but it most certainly is not. It never dawned on me while I was potty training my oldest...I struggled with snaps all the time. Duh. I am potty training...
Store extra diapers and wipes on a media shelf25 Sep 07 | Comments: 9
Mama J's organizing hack: Like many parents I know, we buy wipes and dipes in bulk, but storing them was always a challenge. I got an inexpensive media storage shelf, and now they are all stacked and tucked away in...
links for 2007-09-2525 Sep 07 | Comments: 0
Z Recommends: Music Week More kid music reviews than you can shake a stick at. My contribution: more gushing about Captain Bogg and Salty. Ask Moxie: Q&A: allowance and chores Read dem comments! Baby Toolkit: Stop the Madness: A Toddler-Proof...
IKEA: Real furniture kids can build24 Sep 07 | Comments: 4
From the Obvious department: IKEA recently came to Portland. Cause for city-wide celebration! Free child care! Swedish meatballs for less than a buck! And (oh yeah) cool, cheap furniture! But there's more. My almost eight year-old son is always looking...
Rubber band pant legs over sockless baby feet23 Sep 07 | Comments: 5
Shirky McLazy's little sock hack: We went out and the baby lost his socks. I pulled his pants over his feet and rubber-banded the ends closed. Tada! Warm feet! Speaking of lost baby socks, the only thing that ever kept...
Keeping delicate fruits unbruised in lunchboxes22 Sep 07 | Comments: 2
We're making the most of late summer fruit with a peach or nectarine going to school in someone's lunch almost every day. Problem: ripe fruit often gets mushy and bruised from the inevitable roll around the lunch box. Solution: place...
Arrange groceries in the cart so cold and frozen items get bagged together21 Sep 07 | Comments: 20
Teri's good-thinking grocery hack: When I go grocery shopping with my toddler, I keep the cold or frozen items together in the cart and at checkout. That way, I end up with nicely sorted "cold" bags. (The items keep each...
Best bag for toting diapers and laptops? Talk amongst yourselves.21 Sep 07 | Comments: 14
We've all got our own ideas about what makes for an ideal diaper bag. But when you add a laptop into the mix (as many of us Parenthackers have) the requirements change. Tricky to store electronics and juice boxes in...
Simplifying the toddler soap-and water wipedown21 Sep 07 | Comments: 11
Carly's tip for destickifying a toddler: We bathe my daughter Lucy, 15 months, every other day. The days between we always wash her face and hands with soap and water, but it's been a struggle to hold her dangling over...
FM Fall Shopping Guide: Smart Homes20 Sep 07 | Comments: 0
My next FM Fall Shopping Guide post is up: Smart Homes, about labor-saving gadgets that eliminated some of the hassle of getting in and around my house. Also: Sweetney demonstrates how to turn kid art into home decor, and the...
Another way to stir natural peanut butter20 Sep 07 | Comments: 10
We've discussed how best to stir natural peanut butter before, but Nathan's got another idea: If you are into buying all-natural peanut butter (ingredients: peanuts, salt) you know that there is a half inch or more of oil at the...
links for 2007-09-2020 Sep 07 | Comments: 1
Brown Rice Crispy Bar Recipe: Recipes: Food Network With flax seed oil no less! Via Ask Moxie. (tags: recipes kids snacks) Education: Learn a Foreign Language with Mango - Lifehacker Free online language courses. Greek, anyone? (tags: learning) Mind Flush:...
Intercoms as baby monitors20 Sep 07 | Comments: 2
Nothing like multi-use gadgets. From Jason: When I had an office in the basement, my wife and I bought a pair of intercoms at Radio Shack so we didn't have to shout back and forth. It turns out that these...
Upside-down kiddie pool as makeshift trampoline19 Sep 07 | Comments: 20
Leta's still getting some use out of the blow-up pool: Our rectangular blow-up kiddy pool was upside down in the yard after being cleaned out. My 3 year-old discovered that it was as much fun to jump on it like...
links for 2007-09-1919 Sep 07 | Comments: 1
Crocs, kids and escalators a bad combination? - CNN.com Watch those toes, everyone. Thanks to Peter and May for the pointer. (tags: kids crocs safety) Aardvark Adventure Stories "Where kids star in their own adventure storybooks." (tags: kids reading books)...
Cheapass Games: For the true cheapass, they're free19 Sep 07 | Comments: 6
Another Rael find! Cheapass Games -- imaginative, simply-produced board, dice, and card games (and even a few computer games). From the site: Cheapass Games come with the bare essentials: boards, cards, and rulebooks. If you need anything else, we'll tell...
LibraryLookup makes searching your local library easier than ever18 Sep 07 | Comments: 4
My bookshelves and wallet have begun to groan under the weight of our book buying habit, so I'm making a point of using the library. I'm fortunate that my county's library has a wonderful online lookup system, but my smart...
Crust-haters will eat "inside out" sandwiches made with bread heels18 Sep 07 | Comments: 9
Geoff passed along this brilliant bread crust hack, no doubt spurred by my story of my mom's little white lie about the relative nutrition of the crust vs. the soft inside bits: for my entire childhood, my dad was constantly...
Do rewards kill motivation? Talk amongst yourselves.18 Sep 07 | Comments: 14
Thanks to a recent Lifehack.org post, I just read an Alfie Kohn article (written in 1993) about how rewards get in the way of intrinsic motivation. Some of you have mentioned Kohn's name in the comments before, but I've never...
links for 2007-09-1818 Sep 07 | Comments: 2
Thingamababy: Dog Food Bowl as Baby Bowl: Why the Heck Not? The title speaks for itself. A must-click post from AJ. (tags: parenthacks baby feeding) Thingamababy: How to Test Toys for Lead Step-by-Step in Photos Cleaning: Use Charcoal to De-Stinkify...
How to keep your kids happy while you watch football17 Sep 07 | Comments: 7
Bill figured out how to keep his daughter entertained (but engaged) while he watched the game: My son Griffin (2) is crazy about football - almost every shirt he owns has a football on it - but my daughter Erin...
FM Fall Shopping Guide: Coffee Gear for Drowsy Parents17 Sep 07 | Comments: 1
I, along with a number of my Federated Media brethren and sistren (I made that word up), am participating in a nifty collaboration: the FM Fall Shopping Guide. Each week for the next six I'll be posting there on the...
Frozen raspberries cool down hot oatmeal17 Sep 07 | Comments: 12
Alisa's hack will put a dent in your frozen berry stash: My 16-month-old daughter loves oatmeal for breakfast. But she's really impatient - I make the real deal, which takes a whole ... what, five minutes to prepare? Add 'cooling...
Mashed beans disappear into chili16 Sep 07 | Comments: 10
Adrienne's mom understood the power of a diversion: I don't have any children of my own (soon!) but checked out your website after reading about it in Maclean's. Had to share this little tidbit from my own childhood. When my...
links for 2007-09-1515 Sep 07 | Comments: 4
How to get the kids to set the table correctly: Place Setting Mnemonic Man, what a smartie. Took me a minute to get it myself. (tags: parenthacks kids)
Joe's Goals doubles as an online behavior reward chart15 Sep 07 | Comments: 2
I wrote about the goal-tracking app Joe's Goals last year, but Kathryn suggests its as useful for older kids as an online star chart/sticker chart: I ran across a tool called Joe's Goals, and the minute I hit the site...
Britax car seats on sale (and free shipping) at Amazon14 Sep 07 | Comments: 7
I just noticed that Britax car seats (the brand I've sworn by for years) are on sale at BabyUniverse through Amazon. 12% off regular prices, and shipping is free. They're expensive, but in my experience they're studier and more stable...
Use bread bags for diaper disposal14 Sep 07 | Comments: 6
Nicole says: I use old bread bags for putting dirty diapers in. They're the perfect size. I used to use (note past tense! HOORAY!) the plastic bags that covered my morning newspaper. Related: Diaper pail management
Keeping sliced apples from browning14 Sep 07 | Comments: 12
Andrea's hack would work as well for lunchbox-toting schoolkids: My 17 month old, always a good eater, finally showed an interest in eating fresh apples, peel and all. Since it's much easier for her to hold a slice, I've been...
Keep track of friends' street addresses and locations with Google Maps13 Sep 07 | Comments: 9
Miss Zoot's hack is the best use of Google Maps I've heard about in a long time: Every time my son gets invited to a friend's house or a party, or if I even just pick up someone to take...
links for 2007-09-1313 Sep 07 | Comments: 1
Helping GeekKids Create Their Own Fonts A twist on the homemade card. (tags: parenthacks kids) Techmamas: BlackBerry's - Not Only Yummy But Useful For Moms Does Beth like her new toy? (tags: blackberry)
Simplifying the standing diaper change13 Sep 07 | Comments: 18
Cathy, aka Mayberry Mom, makes good use of those onesie/bodysuit crotch snaps: Here's something I figured out recently--can't believe it took me two kids and many years to do so. I've been doing stand-up diaper changes for a year now...
Turn old baby bottles into mess-free paintbrush holders12 Sep 07 | Comments: 5
Carrie's sister is an extremely smart woman. (Thanks for thinking to send this hack in, Carrie.) Here's a hack my sister taught me. All of her kids are well past the nursing/bottle stage, and they all love to do various...
links for 2007-09-1212 Sep 07 | Comments: 0
Tottoos A tidy alternative to a Sharpie to the belly! Thanks for the pointer, Kim. (tags: parenthacks parenting kids travel) Be*mused: Blankie lives to see another day A loving restoration of a lovey...step-by-step. Via StrollerDerby. (tags: parenthacks kids sewing) Dr....
Simplify toddler's food choices with magnetized pictures12 Sep 07 | Comments: 5
I so admire Fautina's willingness to adjust her communication with her son (a post in and of itself!): My two year old son is a little behind in his speech. Someone suggested I take photos of his favorite foods and...
Parent Hacks admin: She Lives11 Sep 07 | Comments: 5
First and foremost: thank you to all of you who wrote in response to my desperate gasp with comforting words, offers of advice and help, and general "it'll be okay" vibes. You people are amazing. I'm happy to report that...
Meal orders reduce the morning madness11 Sep 07 | Comments: 13
I hope Laura's triplet daughters know how good they have it! In the mornings before school, there are so many decisions to make. What to eat for breakfast, what snack to take to school, what to have for lunch. These...
Real Simple Family: full of good hacks04 Sep 07 | Comments: 11
I couldn't resist -- Real Simple Family -- a special issue of the lifestyle mag Real Simple -- found its way into my shopping cart this afternoon. It's full of good hacks, including taping a few unused board games together...
links for 2007-09-0202 Sep 07 | Comments: 0
Whole Foods healthy snack planner A lovely chart with healthy snack ideas for every day of the week. Via Working Dad (thanks, Paul!). (tags: kids health nutrition snacks feeding)
Set up a homework station to make afterschool assignments easier01 Sep 07 | Comments: 4
Melanie's tips for setting off on the right foot with homework: I’m a teacher as well as a mom. A good homework hack is to have a place or station set up where your child can do homework. Have pencils,...
