These 20 Parenting Hacks Might Just Change Your Life

Looking to put a little more ease into your life? Like all things that require research, sometimes, the best place to go is straight to the best and brightest minds on social media. So we put out a call for the best of the best parenting tips on Instagram and picked some of the most brilliant.

Thank us later if you must, but in the meantime, you're totally going to want to start using these hacks ASAP.

Pack Baby Powder for Easy Sand Removal

"Keep baby powder in the car for trips to the beach," shared mom influencer hello.scout. "It takes the sand off their feet SO easily and saves our car from being a huge beachy mess." (Just be careful how you apply the baby powder, always making sure your child doesn't inhale any of it.)

Bring a Baby Pool to the Beach

"Bring a mini baby blow-up pool to beach and fill w ocean water! Keeps them cool and you don't have to make a million trips down to [the] water," wrote mrsack22. "Also freeze juice boxes and bring to beach, they defrost to the perfect ice-cold drink."

Order Ahead for Toddler Meals

Honestly, this one is genius. "Whenever we plan to eat out at a restaurant I call ahead and place a 'to go order' just for my toddler," shared Instagrammer momdragon_. "Once there, we say we are dining in instead. It allows the food to cool down and the hungry toddler to be relaxed and fed by the time we get our food."

Make Juice Boxes Easier to Hold

User mamaneedswellnessandwine commented, "Lift up the side flaps on juice boxes, so your toddler can hold on to the 'wings.' No more squeezing the box and getting juice everywhere!"

Use Scissors to Cut Up Food

"Using scissors to cut up food into bite-sized pieces," said eliza_marie. "So much quicker than a knife and fork."

Don't Limit Pizza Cutters to Pizza

Mastyleswrites has another idea when it comes to cutting toddler food: "Using a pizza cutter for everything: pancakes, grilled cheese, waffles, French toast, hotdogs, pizza," she wrote. "Makes cutting things up 20x faster." (Editor's note: I personally use this one for my 5 children and it works like a charm!)

Label Technology for Easy Battery Replacement

"Using a label maker to put the number & size of batteries on the bottom of toys," wrote sbertschy216. "This way I can check if we have them before opening up the toy."

Spice Up Old Remotes for Baby-Friendly Fun

"Eight-month-old always tries to grab the tv remote," explained katwhelan_illustrations. "We have an old remote from a broken DVD player, removed the batteries and put dried rice in the compartment. He will always trade the actual remote for the rattling one."

Make Them Laugh for Picture-Perfect Smiles

"Saying, 'who farted?!' to get them to smile for pictures," said punsandlittleones.

Stash a Car Bag for On-the-Go Fun

"I keep a 'fun bag' in my car that is filled with chalk, bubbles, balls, kazoos, water bottles, and snacks," housewifeplus said. "That way, when my kids start getting cranky while we're out, I can distract them. It keeps me sane and they think they're getting a special treat. Win-win."

Offer a Dry Erase Marker During Potty Time

Themamibrunchseries shared, "Giving the little one a dry erase marker and sitting him backwards on the toilet to assist with potty training."

Keep a Training Potty in Your Car

"Keep a training potty in your car for unexpected stops for your little ones," wrote plpetterson3. "Place a doggie 'poop bag' in the seat to catch the waste! It has saved me so many times on road trips!"

Double Layer Sheets to Make Accident Clean Up a Breeze

"On your children's bed double the mattress pad and sheets. 1. Put a mattress protector then a sheet then 2. Add another mattress protector and another sheet," said txgrwnnsassy. "This way when accidents happen in the middle of the night you are not fumbling around to make a bed. Just strip it and put them back in."

Prep Breakfast the Night Before for Early Risers

"When my 6yo started waking up before 6am asking for cereal, I'd leave the box of cereal out for him and put a sippy cup with the right amount of milk in the fridge for him to pour over it," said hannahesisley. "Gave mamma another few minutes of rest and avoided a gallon of milk on the floor."

Use a Diapers to Avoid Damage

Aside from diaper explosions, samcomstock2010 uses a diaper to avoid another potential messy situation: "I use a diaper to make sure my car door doesn't scratch or dent the car parked next to us when I'm loading and unloading my kids from the car," they note.

Use a Lint Roller When Checking for Ticks

Ticks and kids don't always mix well for fun outdoors, so ky_ky_la has safety in mind with this tip: "[Use] a lint roller on their clothes to check for ticks after playing outdoors."

Always Be Ready for Birthday Season

If you're in the season of non-stop birthday parties, you'll love this hack from vcj15, who keeps "A bag of gift bags and tissue paper in the car for all of those weekend birthdays!"

Get Ahead of Screen Time

For summer months when screen time feels like an endless (losing) battle, try this: "Set a daily family activity time to keep screen time down over the summer!" suggests chelseas.chronicals.

Make Yogurt Straws a Thing

ms_momma_of_3 provided this tried-and-true tip: "Use a straw in yogurt! Life saver for on the go and eliminates the drippy spoon messes for toddlers!"

Always Stash a Spare Set of Clothes

Sure, a spare tire is helpful, but so is this hack: "Always, and I mean ALWAYS have an extra set of clothes inside a zip lock included in your diaper bag," said ashley_dicus.