People share 10 of the best life hacks parents must have in their back pockets for an easier life

Simple hacks every parent should know.

Parenting is not an easy pursuit to handle by any means. It is a huge responsibility to bring up a child in this world and inculcate the right values within them. There are joyful highs and debilitating lows. The experience is so overwhelming that oftentimes it helps when people get support and suggestions from people stuck in the same boat. In this Reddit thread people are coming together to give suggestions on how parents can make lives easier for them with some timely and effective hacks. This was all because of a question posed by u/MacItaly- "What's the best 'child hack' you've figured out to make your life as a parent easier?" These hacks help the parents to keep their kids healthy, impart to them the qualities required to become a better human, and also get a little bit of time and comfort for their selves. Here are 10 hacks that can make the experience of parenting easier for people.

1. Tucking children into bed

When my kids were little, my wife worked at a health club and I would take the kids swimming in the evening. We'd always pack their PJs for the clothes they'd change into after swimming. That way, they got out of the pool, showered, and changed into pajamas. They didn't always go to bed right when we got home, but they were always ready for bed when we got home. It was my wife's idea. u/couchjitsu

2. Treat them as equals

Learn to say "thank you" and "I’m sorry" to them. It makes you closer and helps your relationship with them no matter what age. Experiences are better than things. Waking up before them makes the day a lot easier. Find a way to see them when you’re driving. u/kjfrog Don’t chew your kids out in front of other people. Pull them aside and talk to them in private. It helps them to trust you and it helps them to save face in front of others. It’s a win-win. u/eltiburonmormon

3. Work now. Relax later.

The best advice I ever received as a parent... "It's all about the long game. Work hard now to mold them into decent and intelligent little people and you can worry less as they turn into more responsible, respectful teens/young adults." It's a way to ensure quieter years later. u/CutLikeAPotato

4. This will make them veggie fans

If you have a hard time getting them to eat their vegetables, give them before dinner because that's when they are hungry and will eat almost anything, give them some carrots and cucumbers in a glass which is a great snack. u/marcusguthe Giving veggies first is an awesome idea. I’ll sometimes give them a bowl of salad while we wait for the meat to finish cooking and they will eat much more salad than they would if they were given it at the same time as everything else. Veggie sticks with hummus or other healthy dips are also an awesome thing to give them. u/GalaxyGirl777

5. Make kids master of a certain day

I had 3 kids very close in age. At one point I assigned them each a day of the week (they each got two and Sunday was the leftover) Whatever the question was, the answer was whose day is it. Who gets to go first? Who gets to ride in the front? Who has to take their bath first? I saved so many arguments with this. u/Governmentman43 I have two kids. The eldest was born on an odd day, the youngest on an even day. We divided our days up this way, odd and even days. u/Emebust

6. Let them sit on their wishes

When your kid sees something they want like a toy or game and you can’t/don’t want to buy it, tell them to “put it on the list.” If they’re the type of kid that will follow through then you have a handy list for Christmas or birthdays. If not, then they’ll forget about it. Helps avoid arguments in the store because you aren’t really saying no. u/Sarita_Maria That's what we do. Helps every time. When they want it so much that it hurts them to leave, I tell them they have X minutes to look at it while I'm in the next aisle looking for something. Also with candy, both children have a place in the closet where they can store their candy. This way, when they just want to have it right now, I tell them to take it and put it there. They can eat it the next day after they eat something healthy. Now they have enough stored, that even when we go visit someone and they get offered candy, they say 'No thanks, I already ate some today'. They are 6 and 3 years old. u/hummingelephant

7. Establish communication

My wife and I came up with a short unique whistle that both kids knew meant come here to us. Works in malls, water parks or just to come in and clean up for dinner. Fellow parents were amazed by this. Teach them early. u/Biff_Bufflington My dad had a whistle like that. I could faintly hear it a mile away, but my friends couldn't. Threw them for a loop when we'd be playing in the woods and if dt350 and say "I gotta go, dinner is ready." u/Lucifurnace

8. Routine is key

The best advice we ever got from our doctor - babies don't have a good circadian rhythm and rely on us to set one for them. Pick a time that you're going to go to quiet time - basically turn out lights, TV off and/or volume down, do quiet activities, sit still, etc. We did this with our first child and it became the center of our evening routine. Now my son is 3 and knows that when the clock says "7-0-0" it means "settle down time" and helps to turn the lights out. A routine is key -- our kids do great transitioning from one setting to another like home and school, on vacation, etc. u/i_am_the-bad_woolf Routines are great just generally. Also in the early days making sure the child knows the difference between day and night is really useful in teaching them that night time is quiet time. The amount of friends who get their newborn baby up when it cries in the night and then play with it baffles me. u/cardboardshrimp

9. Hype them up

Not a parent, but an uncle helping raise a niece and nephew. For small tasks like getting dressed or if they’re being difficult getting buckled into their car seats I generally try to hype them up and act as excited as when I play games with them, and then clap and cheer when we’re done. It’s silly but effective, and I get a kick out of the one-year-old yelling: “Yay! Shoes!” when I get her shoes on. u/AppalArcher

10. Create harmony and love between siblings

If you have treats, give them to one child to hand out to the others. Siblings have a lot of negative interactions. There's jealousy, competition for resources and perceived injustices. You have to create opportunities for them to have positive interactions. The simplest way of doing this is with treats. If you're passing out cookies, give them both to child 1 and say: "Here, this one's for you, and take the other to your sister". (Obviously, you need to be right there to see that they do it, lol.) There's nothing nicer than to see a kid saying to another kid: "here, this is for you" and the other kid saying "Thanks!" It warms your heart, and they actually really enjoy it, too. u/exfamilia