Parenting in the age of social media comes with a few fringe benefits, such as getting parenting hacks from other moms and dads. There’s nothing better than discovering a genius new method for a previously troublesome situation.
TikTok has a ton of videos featuring helpful parenting tips, and we’ve found 18 that will absolutely change a parent’s life. Not all of them may be applicable to every child, but there’s enough here that will help parents of children of all ages. We’re all in this together, and if we can make it a little easier, all the better.
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Infant Clothing
Dressing our babies can be such a struggle, but TikToker @iramotherhood2under2 has a genius hack for putting pants on a baby. Simply turn the garment inside out, put your hand through the leg to grab the baby’s foot, and slide the pants on in one swift motion. She also uses her child’s onesie to contain flailing hands. Watch the full video to see the move in action.
Alone Time
Sometimes moms just need a moment to ourselves, and if we have kids who are old enough, we can try Casey Minnich’s TikTok hack. She told her kids to come get her in 15 minutes so they could clean their bedrooms. She joked that the kids didn’t want to start cleaning so they left her alone for two hours. Ah, sweet peace.
Car Seat Meltdowns
TikTok mom and nurse Jacquie Ciccone said in a video that her baby hated being in the car seat. With that in mind, Jacquie taped a photo of her own face to the seat in front of the baby. Getting to see mom even while she was driving seemed to calm the baby right down!
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Sunscreen Application
Trying to put sunscreen on a fussy toddler can be so frustrating. Fortunately, TikToker @mckennahashcroft has a hack for that. She started applying her daughter’s sunscreen with a makeup brush to make it seem more fun. It worked! Just make sure to still apply enough if using this method.
Branding Is Everything
TikToker @thedailyschvitz said in a video that branding is everything. She’d seen a video where parents started calling lunch “the big snack” to make it more enticing to their little ones. She used the rebranding technique with her niece, who was upset about getting chicken nuggets for dinner instead of chicken fingers. Wisely, @thedailyschvitz rebranded them as “mini chicken fingers.” Worked like a charm.
Secret 'Elsa' Music
Actor Eden Sher shared some game-changing information in a TikTok video. Tired of always playing the Frozen soundtracks, she decided to tell her children about “secret” Elsa music — aka just other songs by Idina Menzel. Suddenly Eden got to listen to the Wicked soundtrack for a change.
Parents can try this hack with lots of kids’ favorites. Just find other projects by the same actors and singers to change things up.
Delay, Delay, Delay
Sometimes it’s worth waiting a little bit before introducing a new concept to a child. TikToker @christinahelvey recommended delaying the start of “underdogs” while pushing a child on a swing. The move — pushing the child on the swing and then running underneath them while they’re in the air — is a delight for a child. But it’s kind of hard work as a parent. Once kids learn the concept, they’ll want it all the time, so maybe wait to start.
And for TikToker @emily_wehner, she felt that she signed her child up for soccer too early at 3 years old. Suddenly their Saturday mornings were devoted to a sport that her kid was still a little too young to totally play and enjoy. Feel free to wait a bit before signing up for those types of activities.
Acclimate Them
TikToker Maycee Domph said in a video that she hates getting water on her face because as a child she was never acclimatized to that. She suggested during bath time pouring some water over the baby’s head to get used to it, and it makes baths less stressful. “You can customize these kids a little bit,” she said.
And isn’t that sort of what parenting is, anyway? Just teaching (aka customizing) them to handle situations even better than we did?
Use Make-Believe
Mother of six @sharon.a.life posted on TikTok that she uses pretend play to get her kids to listen better. She’ll ask if her toddler is magic and can magically put on her pajamas while Mom counts to five. It makes it a little more fun and like a challenge for the child to participate in.
In the video comments, @janiceodom222 said she did something similar by pretending to be an alien and having the kids “teach” the alien how to do chores and things.
Genius.
Visual Tools
In a TikTok video, @mama_nous shared the importance of using visual tools for kids. Print out pictures of the morning routine, potty steps, or bedtime activities. Place them where kids can see to help them learn the steps better than when we just tell them over and over again. Check out the full video for some visual tool inspiration.
Better Bedtime
Parenting educator @wholeparent said in a TikTok video that he managed to cut his son’s bedtime routine from an hour to 15 minutes with this hack. As he put his son down for bed, he gave him a bedtime story that was just rehashing the last five hours of their day. “He knows all of the characters, he already knows what happened, so it’s not overstimulating,” @wholeparent said.
He added that it also encouraged memory development and activated the part of his son’s brain that encourages sleep. So cool.
Let Them Help
The learning curve for children to understand how to properly do chores can be steep, so it can be tempting to just want to do things ourselves, faster. But letting the kids help from an early age builds those skills, and soon they’ll be more of a help than a hindrance during clean-up. That’s what TikToker @ciaoamberc does with her 2- and 4-year-olds. “They help me clean and cook constantly,” she said.
She added that by starting young, when the kids are genuinely interested in helping, it helps forge those habits for later.
'Brain Off' Room
One of TikToker @ashieadams‘ biggest hacks for moms is to create a “brain off” room. It’s a thoroughly baby-proofed room that allows Mom to set the baby down and relax. It can be overstimulating being a mom, so having a room — or even an area — where we know that the child will be safe while we turn our brains off for a bit can be so helpful.
Use AI
Artificial intelligence, aka AI, has become a lot more prevalent recently with the introduction of chatbots like ChatGPT. We can use this new tech to our advantage, TikToker @nurse.carly said in a video. She’s used it to help her build meal plans specific to her family’s taste preferences and even allergies. We could also use ChatGPT to help inspire bedtime stories, plan vacation schedules, and more.
Create a Wishlist
TikToker @yourbestieanika said that when her toddler asks for things at the store, she just tells her daughter that she’ll add the item to her wishlist for the next birthday or Christmas holiday. Anika will even take a photo of the item to save it. Doing so makes the child feel heard, and Anika said it stopped her daughter’s in-store meltdowns.
Brag About the Kids
Parenting coach Gen Muir said in a TikTok video that one of her best hacks is bragging about the kids where they can overhear. Maybe they’re having a tough day, struggling with something, or doing a behavior that we want to encourage. By loudly praising the child in a conversation with a friend or another parent, it can help improve the child’s self-esteem.
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Perspective Shift
Sometimes the best thing we can do as parents is shift our mindset. TikToker @dadtothefuturepod tries a trick where he pretends he’s a time traveler and he’s chosen this exact moment to come back to — just to wrestle with his kids or put them to bed one more time. It’s the small things that we will miss one day and that we can enjoy to the fullest now.
'The Happy Song'
TikToker @emilyrosebrewster said that this hack was a “game changer” for her fussy baby. Just put on the Imogen Heap song “The Happy Song.” According to Time magazine, the song was scientifically engineered to make babies happy when listening to it. Try it and see if it works!
