Parenting hacks?

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dp797

New member
Okay so I’m about to have my fourth baby in mid-July & I just want to hear some of y’all’s parenting hacks? For example: dinner, bath, bed is soooo unmanageable for us time wise! If they need a bath/shower it’s in the morning or sometimes literally in the middle of the day (all under 5)

What do y’all do “the wrong way” but it works way better for you?
 
@dp797 Baby bathtubs are ok but the kitchen sink works really well.

High quality umbrella strollers ($80-$120) actually work way better than the super expensive stuff.

I try not to lock the kids into routine. Change things up regularly, this way when an event happens where a routine is not practical, the kids are fine.

Cub Scouts has ben a blast.
 
@dp797 I've been doing big clothes/shoes shopping trips. Previously, it was once a year, buying odds and ends or as needed during the rest of the year, but now I have 4 (2g, 2b), so I find that overwhelming and am trying biannual trips this year. I would buy the next size up, or a couple sizes for the youngest. It has worked well. If someone outgrows something or I forgot to buy for an occasion, like camping in the cooler mountains, then no big deal! Just go to the closet and pull stuff out. It also gives me time to find those items that are harder to find, especially for an affordable price, and I can take advantage of sales/clearance. I was doing my one big trip during the end of summer/back to school sales, which was fantastic because I also could score art and craft/school supplies.

I have had a set number of each item that I buy, lists, and know exactly what size each of my children are wearing. It really feels organized and simple. What's hard to control is the girls with their dresses and skirts.

It has also been done for financial reasons. The big shopping trip intentionally happens when there is extra money. It allows for the rest of the year to be freer to not constantly be buying children clothing and shoes.
 
@dp797 I'm not expert but my kids thrive on routine. As soon as we get too flexible they seem to smell blood in the water.

Home bedtime routine:
Bath stories cuddles till asleep. We don't have kids who can fall asleep alone so we don't make them.

out bedtime routine: pjs at the house we are at, sleep in the car with an audio story on, straight to bed.

Kitchen scissors. I hardly ever use a knife to cut anything.

Get a grape cutter. Just....do it.
 
@dp797 Dinner time- my pet peeve. I need everyone to eat enough so I don't stress out (this is the only annoying parenting thing I do I promise) to be clear I am a single mom with 4 kids (2-10) so our dinner style is not as traditional as it could be (I am fine with that)

I started doing 2 things to make dinner easier
1) offering more options and serving it buffet style, saving the leftovers for the picky eaters to eat tomorrow
2) I split the kids up I try to feed two at a time so there's less fighting at the table and it's less chaotic
 
@dp797 And it's very simple!!! It doesn't have to be super extra. For example my son will eat black beans but not Mac and cheese, one of the girls will eat both one will only eat Mac and cheese. Them having the freedom to choose their favorites makes it easier to get them to complete the task at hand. We only serve 2 servings of the black beans and reheat em for the next night. Also I keep fruit cups to the side for the pickiest eater and sometimes the other kids choose to get one. Extra fruit in their belly for dinner so I'm happy! The system works well for us.
 
@dp797 Homeschooling. The older two just get their assignments and do it on their own. I make a bit of time if they need help, but they usually don't. I do the full lessons and monitor work for the middle two and since the younger three are only working on learning basics (reading or alphabet and letter sounds, addition/subtraction or counting) the older two are kind of in charge of doing that with them. Any new things (starting multiplication, borrowing/carrying) I explain what it is and how it works, then tell the older two how to do it with the littler ones. The older two like the feeling of being more grown up and being the teacher (one actually wants to be a teacher). Because it's not the norm the little ones pay more attention when I teach them something. As the two middles are getting older, they get a few things to do on their own. They want to do those really well so they can get more and have more free time.
 
@dp797 For the younger three for science, history, civics etc. I pretty much just have them around while I do lessons with the middles. They pick up so much more than you would think. The 7 year old actually has a decent understanding of atoms.
 
@dp797 In general, I find that giving them as much control as possible over their own lives helps. Kids get bossed around all day every day so giving them autonomy and choice is refreshing for them.
  • No PJs, they sleep in whatever they want.
  • I don't formally bathe them. They can jump in the shower with me and I try to clean them as best I can during my shower.
  • I also give them occasional bubble baths, but it's mostly for fun (2 and 5 year old) I don't stress about the frequency or if they're not in the mood to get their hair washed that's fine too.
  • I make dinner and leave the food out for them. I'll announce "hey, I made X Y and Z let me know when you want to eat" then I leave it up to them. If they don't come to eat by the time I'm ready, I will also say, "hey, dad and I are eating now, do you want to join us?" If they still don't want to eat, I give them one last chance before bed "hey, bedtime is in X minutes this is your last chance to eat". We don't do dessert after dinner, so they're not holding out for ice cream or anything. They know that if they don't come to eat dinner, they don't eat dinner, and they definitely won't get snacks or treats. I'm fine with that, it's not my job to force-feed them.
  • Bedtime: at 7:30 it's brush teeth time and then lights off. We all get in bed, even mom and dad. With the house totally dark and quiet, they go to bed quicker. After they're down mom and dad get up if they want to. Sometimes the time slips away from us and we start bedtime later than 8 but we don't sweat it.
  • Try out an earlier bedtime for yourself too. IF you don't already get 7+ hours of sleep, give yourself a bedtime too, go to bed with your kids or shortly after for a week or two, and see how you feel. Even if you have "tons of work to do" or you want to have "time for yourself" or something, just tell yourself you'll do it later. Try it out, seriously.
 
@dp797 Mom to 2 sets of twins 18 months apart. Every other day each set of twins got a bath together. So first set Monday, 2nd set Tuesday.... I enjoyed bath time because it was the only time I actually got to sit and do nothing while they played in the water. As newborns they either got a quick morning bath or one after a giant poop blowout.
Laundry folding was done while sitting on the floor with them playing, fold a little, play a little. Some things just stayed in laundry baskets, like socks. Bib washing and sock washing, those things went into garment bags so they could be washed & dried as a group and could stay in the bag and be used from there or just dumped into a drawer or basket.
 
@preston354 Ohhhh the garment bag is a good idea. I am A LOT less organized than it seems like a lot of these other families are .. we have a family sock & underwear bin! That might just actually organize a little slice of chaos with no extra work
 
@dp797 We don’t do baths every day. We do them every 3 days. Or if they’re really dirty, we will do a quick wash cloth over the face, arms, private’s and legs.
Sandwiches for dinner outside on a picnic blanket is fun and helpful for low mess.

Pack the bags for the day the night before, pyjamas that look like clothes are good to wear if you need to get up early and go somewhere.
 
@katrina2017 4 kids, starting just giving 1 kid a shower every day and rotating them. They would throw fits when we did them all at once and it was there turn next. Knowing it’s their day strangely calms them lol.
 
We regularly do normal daytime t-shirts that are comfy enough to wear to bed for my 4 yo. He requests it and it works great for me on busy mornings. Great hack!
 
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