“Picky Eaters Hate This One Simple Trick”: 50 Parenting Hacks People Wish They Knew Sooner (New Pics)

Sometimesparentshave to do whatever it takes just to survive. And those who turn on their creativity and out-of-the-box thinking succeed the most. Luckily for other fellowmomsand dads, they enthusiastically share the hacks they come up with online so they too can overcome anything children throw their way.To save your precious time,Bored Pandahas rounded up the crème de la crème of parenting hacks in the list below. From keeping ice cream eating mess-free to reusing pizza boxes for canvas, scroll down to find genius childcare tricks that might come in clutch when nothing else seems to be working.While you’re at it, make sure to check out a conversation with parenting coach and founder ofBe Kind Coaching, MegAnne Ford, and Logan Blackburn-Issitt, transgender dad of six, community advocate, and parenting blogger over onDad Business, who kindly agreed to share their creative tips for parenting.This post may includeaffiliate links.

To save your precious time,Bored Pandahas rounded up the crème de la crème of parenting hacks in the list below. From keeping ice cream eating mess-free to reusing pizza boxes for canvas, scroll down to find genius childcare tricks that might come in clutch when nothing else seems to be working.

While you’re at it, make sure to check out a conversation with parenting coach and founder ofBe Kind Coaching, MegAnne Ford, and Logan Blackburn-Issitt, transgender dad of six, community advocate, and parenting blogger over onDad Business, who kindly agreed to share their creative tips for parenting.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

We live near a state park/forest and my wife and I like hikes. HOWEVER with a younger kids it can be a pain. It’s either too slow for the adults to get decent exercise or take FOREVER because of groaning, wanting to pick up every rock, etc.Today I had an idea.My wife took a head start and set clues at intersections and landmarks to show the way she went. The kids and I looked for the clues to “track” and “catch Mommy.” They took turns being the “clue finder.“My wife slowed to a stop near the end of the trail and waited to be “caught.“Result?She got an actual home at her pace. The kids hiked farther and faster than normal. They got practice taking turns, being observant, and thinking critically.Your mileage may vary, but I recommend giving it a try.

Children practicing parenting genius tricks outdoors, exploring nature trails with a dog.

Tweet about paying kids $1 per chapter book as a clever parenting trick.

Tweet about a parenting trick; renaming Tomato Soup to Ketchup Soup to get kids to eat it.

Creativityis truly a great skill to have under the belt when parenting. It helps find solutions to various childcare challenges, which makes raisingkidssignificantly easier.

“Creativity is a vital skill that new parents learn very quickly. We all do this to a different degree,” says transgender dad of six, Logan Blackburn-Issitt, who also runs theDad Businessparenting blog.

“I find that the happiest parents are some of the most creative and open in their approach. Too rigid in practice and they become authoritarian and strict in nature- no room for anything new. And too fluid in approach means lots of chaos and movement—that nothing sticks or dries—like a goopy mess of paint without a canvas to stick to. So striking a balance of appropriate structure and flow requires a parent to be creative in their approach,” she explains.

But he said it didn’t taste the same and wouldn’t eat it. So yesterday I put paw patrol stickers on it and he ate two in a row. “See, mommy?” he said. “I told you the paw patrol cheese tastes better.”

Paw Patrol cheese stick featuring Marshall, showcasing a parenting genius trick with character-themed packaging.

Blackburn-Issitt also notes that the real skill is matching the creativity to the child’s personality. “Whether it’s pulling faces to get your one-year-old to lie still for a nappy change or using a blender to hide the veggies. Sometimes it’s a lack of animation, like reading the last bedtime story in a monotone to induce sleep, that works best.”

Two boys with bright green hair sitting on a chair, showcasing creative parenting tricks.

The concept seems so simple, and I’m sure has been done many times before, but for some reason it blew my mind. Get some sectioned containers, clean them thoroughly, gather together some of your and kids' favorite non-liquidy snacks, and you have the perfect travel-ready collection of treats for even the pickiest and most indecisive eaters.

Went On Vacation, Wife Brought A Game-Changer: Snackleboxes

The tricks that he uses the most with their kids are distraction and redirection. “Kids fighting over one colour pencil, you get really excited about something one of them has coloured. Kids getting frustrated about waiting at the doctor’s, start having a sing song or play a game,” he says.

Funny parenting tweet about a mom’s creative way to get peace with coffee.

Meanwhile, Ford’s go-twos are connection and understanding. “When a child is learning a new skill, building their ideas, or navigating through a hard moment, having their safe adult be right alongside them to help them make sense and navigate with them helps de-escalate any struggle,” she says.“Connection and understanding allow the child to be seen, heard, and understood in their truth and experience—and in turn teach them how to see that in others. There isn’t much that can’t be solved when the other person feels safe and connected.”

“Connection and understanding allow the child to be seen, heard, and understood in their truth and experience—and in turn teach them how to see that in others. There isn’t much that can’t be solved when the other person feels safe and connected.”

Child-safe gate installed at top of wooden staircase, showcasing parenting tricks for home safety.

Her advice for staying creative and having fun while raising kids is to not be afraid of the mess and get involved in the creative process. “I think that most adults stay out of the mess—emotional and creative—because they want to avoid it. They may even feel stressed and angry about the mess. So to protect themselves, they just avoid the creative options altogether. So I like to get really good at building the clean-up into the flow,” she explains.“For example, I was with two babies recently, one of them skipped their morning nap, so she was feeling a bit irritable so to do our art project together, which was painting a holiday wreath, I moved the project inside a plastic bag. It allowed me to be able to introduce the art project in a new and creative way while also giving ourselves space to not push the moment past our abilities or energy level. It wasn’t what was planned, but it was in a way better!” she shared.

“For example, I was with two babies recently, one of them skipped their morning nap, so she was feeling a bit irritable so to do our art project together, which was painting a holiday wreath, I moved the project inside a plastic bag. It allowed me to be able to introduce the art project in a new and creative way while also giving ourselves space to not push the moment past our abilities or energy level. It wasn’t what was planned, but it was in a way better!” she shared.

Outlet with a makeshift cover for child safety, showcasing clever parenting tricks.

Child playing with toy cars on a homemade road map, showcasing a parenting genius trick for creative play.

Compact device with music and fitness apps, illustrating parenting genius tricks for managing kids' activities.

Wanted a wagon for the beach but didn’t want to struggle with it in the sand. I found a wagon that fit inside a cheap sled I found on Amazon. Bungee the sled on top the wagon from the condo to the beach, then put the wagon on the sled when you get on the sand. Worked like a charm.If I was really motivated, I would have found a way to just add wheels to the sled that could swing up out the way in the sand, but that may just have to be a project for the next beach trip.

A beach cart loaded with gear and a Jet Sled showcasing parenting genius tricks for easy transport on sand.

Parents themselves agree that encouraging creativity in children is very important, with 9 in 10 saying it’s essential for their development and learning. 53% believe they need to be creative themselves so their children will be too.Unfortunately, 33% of parents struggle to incorporate creative activities into their day due to lack of time, ideas, or resources. In fact, 29% find it difficult to come up with novel things to accomplish with their little ones.

Unfortunately, 33% of parents struggle to incorporate creative activities into their day due to lack of time, ideas, or resources. In fact, 29% find it difficult to come up with novel things to accomplish with their little ones.

Tweet sharing parenting-genius-tricks about handling tantrums with music and dance, dated December 17, 2019.

Text tweet by Ben Klinker sharing a parenting genius trick emphasizing timing as an effective parent hack.

Baby playing with a wooden toy near a shelf, showcasing parenting genius tricks.

However, fostering creativity isn’t as complicated as it might seem at first. Children naturally possess this skill, and all parents need to do is provide opportunities for their kids to use their imagination and let their creativity flow. It can be as simple as making the tools to create easily accessible.

Child using a plate to catch ice cream drips, showcasing parenting genius tricks.

They’re small and don’t take up much space in your bag. Rather than letting a group of kids fight over toys, you can blow up ten or twenty balloons for $3 and turn anything into a party.This is the family room at a religious gathering we went to last weekend. Instant friends. And they all get to keep one.

Children playing with balloons on an alphabet mat during a parenting-genius-tricks activity.

Sleeping baby in penguin blanket with yellow glove trick, showcasing parenting genius tricks.

“This can include setting up a dedicated space for drawing and crafts, keeping art supplies like crayons and paper readily available,” says Amanda Gummer, PhD, a child psychologist, parenting and play expert. “Try and keep play materials accessible, so your kids can dive into creative play whenever they feel inspired.”

I took my 4 year old to a museum.It was mostly classical art, sculpture and paintings. For small kids it’s kind of difficult as they need to walk a lot and after 5 minutes they normally want to leave. But I really wanted to see some art and decided to give it a go.At the entrance they gave us this floor plan and I gave it to my son, not knowing it would become a great game as he decided to try to find all the artworks in the map.That’s it! Problem solved!So next time I will find a way to do this myself and print out a sort of DIY museum bingo. It was really helpful.

Museum visitor holding a floor plan of Alte Nationalgalerie, showcasing Neo-Classicism, Romanticism, and Impressionism sections.

Twins in striped pajamas lie on a carpet, captivated by a red dot, illustrating parenting genius tricks.

Child using an open oven door as a table in the kitchen for a clever parenting trick.

Tweet by Paul Graham sharing a parenting trick to communicate with teens by driving them places.

Senior Advisory Dad here with a small lifehack to all you first timers out there. Today I wanted a piece of chocolate with my coffe, but my 3rd child, who is almost 1, woke up from her nap before I got around to make that cup of coffee. She knows well what Chocolate is, but shows zero interest in coffecups so the solution is to put the chocolate in a cup and “sip” from it. Used that trick on my to older sons when they were younger. Dosent work any more but I can still foll the with Coca Cola in a coffee mug.

Coffee cup and chocolate in black mug on counter with laundry; a parenting genius trick setup.

Child playing with toy truck next to “Trash Truck” Netflix show poster; Parenting-Genius-Tricks for fun learning.

Simplicity is key. A creative activity doesn’t have to take up a huge chunk of the day. Including a child in cooking and making it playful counts as a creative exercise. As does letting kids pick out their clothes in the morning—independence can be a great creativity booster.

Non-slip tape applied to a bunk bed ladder, showcasing a parenting genius trick for added safety.

Two young children in a kitchen with a clever parenting trick using a high chair and cloth as a catch-all solution.

A toddler playing in a large inflatable pool indoors, showcasing parenting genius tricks for safe play.

Lastly, experts recommend not to overthink it. “Parents don’t need to be creative themselves to raise creative kids; they just need to provide opportunities for imaginative play, encourage exploration, and support their child’s creative endeavors,” says pediatric mental health expert Roseann Capanna-Hodge, EdD. “Doing fun and creative activities together just adds another level of connection and shared memories.”

Plastic toy fixed with a makeshift bandage, illustrating parenting genius tricks for quick repairs.

Our little girl absolutely hated getting medicine, didnt matter if it was interspersed with the bottle, or if she was mostly asleep she would just cry and scream every time the syringe went near her mouth. My wife brought this home and instantly she just sucked the medicine down without so much as a peep.

Parenting genius trick: modified pacifier syringe held in front of baby in crib, for easy medicine administration.

Dining chair with toddler booster seat on a spill-proof mat, showcasing parenting genius tricks for easy cleanup.

Child wearing sunglasses drinks from a clever juice box hack, showcasing parenting genius tricks.

Back in November I was lamenting that these adorable granny-square slippers might be too slippery for a toddler when an ingenious anonymous commenter suggested adding hot glue to the bottoms. Brilliant!

Quick Tip: No-Slip Slippers

Use A Cheap Shower Curtain To Make A Little Pool For The Kids At The Beach

$10 At Home Depot And 10 Mins Of My Time. Little Man Is Loving It!

Child coloring a drawing with crayons, wearing a shirt with a deer design, showcasing parenting genius tricks.

Every other person that we passed commented that it was such a good idea. Spoiler, I saw someone do this last year. We always used to use the Ryobi clip-on fans previously, but I upgraded when this one went on sale. I highly recommend looking into something similar for whatever battery powertool family you’ve chosen!

A child in a stroller with a portable fan attached, showcasing parenting-genius-tricks for comfort on a sunny day.

Tweet sharing a parenting trick on offering choices to kids, like laundry or nap, to encourage cooperation.

Made my 6yo son’s lunch on Friday, but forgot it was pizza Friday at school. So, I threw the lunch in the fridge before we left for drop off.24 hours later, my wife SWORE there was no way he’d eat the lunch because it would be ‘disgusting’.Guess whose face lit up like Christmas when he saw the plate?

Plate with sandwich quarters, grapes, and a mustard smiley face; a fun parenting genius trick for kids' meals.