One parent has taken to Reddit to share their all time favourite parenting hack, and it’s genius! Opening the floor to all the other parents as well, they’ve asked for their best parenting hacks to make everyone’s lives just that little bit easier. So, we’ve compiled a list of the best parenting hacks to make your journey just a wee bit easier!

1. Do you want your toddler to do something? Binary choices. It’s not “time to go to bed” it’s “do you want to go to your bed upside down, or on daddy’s shoulders?” Toddlers LOVE control. Works every time, 89% of the time. ~ NeighborhoodTrolley
2. If your kid wants something in the store and you cant or don’t want to buy it for them, offer to take a picture of it so they can remember it for later. Saved me a lot of tantrums. ~ Eggggsterminate

3. If your child has a special comfort object, do your damnedest to get at least two more of them. Rotate them out so they’re equally worn. Having five identical IKEA stuffed pandas saved my ass during the Barf-ocalypse of ’19. And when a panda got left at grandma’s house, dropped in a puddle, forgotten on the bus… ~ Flufflepuff16

4. it would be to take a step back and ask yourself if the time you spend with your kids is quality time. I feel like some (definitelty not all the time) of the time when kids act up, misbehave and/or just generally suck, it’s because they are craving actual attention. I can see the difference in my son when he gets my undivided attention vs when I’ve let other things get in the way. Sure, taking my kid on errands all day is technically giving him attention, or watching a movie or talking about his poor grade on a test… all attention, but not what he needs. Taking 20 minutes to sit and watch him put on his car show or take a walk and listening to him talk about some random science fact. Googling a question that he asked about the Washington Monument and then talking about it. ~ No1tamesme

5. We set timers. And timers for the timers. And I give a warning and he says it back to me. “Hey baby I’ve set a 15 minute timer. When it goes off we are going to pause the game and get ready for bed. What are we going to do when the timer goes off?” “We have 10 minutes left on our timer!” “We have three minutes left on the timer. What do we do when it goes off?” ~ TheEesie

6. Kiss their forehead every day and you will know when they are coming down with something ~ Maud_dweeb18

7. Mine is simple. TALK to your child. Are they still babbling and not using real words? Talk! Are they only saying the same three words over and over? Talk! Are they capable of full conversions? Please keep talking! Talking to them early helps them form language and interpersonal skills. Continuing builds a relationship that will encourage them to come to you with all life’s problems— cause your the one they talk to. ~ trewlytammy1992

8. I figured out if I let my baby hold her utensil, she eats better. I’m still holding it, but she’s holding it too. She was 9 months when I figured it out. She’s 12 months now and can eat with a spoon by herself. Apparently that’s a milestone, but it still seems so surreal ~ Goblinqueenmac

9. If you don’t want a toddler to play with something just say it’s ran out of battery, doesn’t matter whether it’s battery powered or not, works for me 9/10 times ~ AccomplishedTax4903

10. Bedsheet lasagna. Mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet. Then, when a blowout or vomit happens in the middle of the night you just rip off the top layer and they’re good to get back in bed quickly. ~ DejaVough

11. Not sure if it’s a hack or I’m totally screwing up my kids. But when they get upset and start crying, even my oldest gest frustrated and cries. I tell them that I know they want me to help. But I cant understand the problem when they’re so upset to explain what’s wrong. Then they take a couple of deep breaths and they are able to explain what’s going on and I can help. I accidentally did the same to my husband recently though he wasn’t crying, just frustrated and it worked surprisingly well. ~ thelostmotherbird

12. A “no thank you bite” at dinner. He was allowed to Not eat something on his plate, with no hassle from us, but he had to take one bite before saying “no thank you.” Really helped discover what foods (especially veggies) he liked, because none really looked ~ thishurtsyoushephard

13. very simple sign language before they can talk. Teaching a baby just simply how to sign “Food, more, thirsty, milk” cut back on quite a bit of frustration and crying. ~ thishurtsyoushephard

14. Set realistic consequences that aren’t cruel or ridiculous and then follow through with them. ~ Mrjabrony

15. Sometimes if I don’t want to “make” lunch, I just fill a muffin tin with 12 different food items. Like, cereal, pretzels, salami, baby carrots, berries, apple slices, pickles, granola, etc. And I always add 1-2 sweet treats like marshmallows or chocolate chips. My kids love it. They call it a “serve yourself lunch” and I don’t even have to turn on the microwave. ~ rabidbreeder

There’s so many hacks that parents have shared, we’re hoping at least one makes your daily life even a little bit easier! If the hack you’re looking for isn’t in the list, make sure you have a look at the full article and read the comments, I’m certain someone out there has the answer you’re looking for! We would love to know: do you have any parenting hacks you want to share?