Parenting Hacks Tips Tricks

What comes to mind when you think about hackers? Malevolent creators of computer viruses? Bored coders wreaking havoc on the Internet? These people exist. But there’s a larger, more influential group of hackers who use their cleverness and ingenuity for good. You know them. You’re one of them.

Parents are the smartest, most prolific hackers around. Think about it: When was the last time your day went as expected? Raising kids, particularly in the beginning, is the most seat-of-the-pants job there is. You make it up as you go along, and every now and again, you stumble upon a brilliant solution or shortcut that makes your life easier.

Parent Hacks celebrates those flashes of problem-solving genius.

What’s a parent hack? You delight in your kid. Of course you do. But, along with the joy, let’s acknowledge that parenting comes with its share of annoyances, dilemmas, and full-on crises, many of which require fast thinking under less-than-ideal circumstances. The diaper explodes when you’re miles from a bathroom, and you’ve forgotten to restock the diaper bag. The kid’s fast asleep until the pacifier falls out of his mouth and he wakes up screaming. I’m sure you can come up with a few disaster scenarios of your own. One of them probably occurred earlier today.

A parent hack is a creative, unexpected solution to a kid-related problem. It’s a clever work-around, an inspired shortcut, a duct-tape-and-chewing-gum-type move that changes the game.

I read every parenting and productivity book I could get my hands on with the assumption (or fervent hope) that other people—more qualified people—would have the answer. I adopted time-management systems. I called the pediatrician. I adjusted my communication style. I called my mother. I dropped a few hundred dollars on home-organizing supplies. I called my therapist.

But expert advice didn’t fix my new life. If anything, it undermined what little confidence I had. I felt more overwhelmed (so much information!) and less equipped to handle it. (I must be doing this wrong!) Social media wasn’t yet a thing, so with no easy way to compare notes beyond my immediate circle, I was plagued by self-doubt. My unflappable optimism . . . flapped.

I found my tribe online. I discovered blogs. At the time, blogs were new enough that finding them felt like stumbling into a secret world. Parents were taking to the Internet, writing their own stories in real time, unvarnished. I was dazzled. This was nothing like the stuff I’d read in parenting books and magazines. And by nature of the format, there was an important extra no book or magazine could offer: an invitation to respond.

You’re the expert, even when it doesn’t feel like it. My readers taught me something I wish I had known from the start: Parenting is a series of best guesses. We rarely feel sure of ourselves. How can we when we’re making case-by-case decisions based on spotty data and shifting variables, on too little sleep?

Parent Hacks also proved to me that, without a doubt, we all have moments of brilliance. Raising kids reveals our hidden problem-solving ninja. Not every day, not always when we need it, but surely and eventually, we all shine.

The thing is, our flashes of genius are too easily forgotten in the stumble toward bedtime. That’s why I started a blog and now have pulled together this app: to save and pass along these gems. This app is crammed with 134 illustrated tips that will make you smack your forehead and wonder, why didn’t I think of that?


Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1 Pregnancy & Postpartum
Chapter 2 Organizing Time & Space
Chapter 3 Poop, Pee & Potty
Chapter 4 Sleep
Chapter 5 Bath Time & Grooming
Chapter 6 Getting Dressed
Chapter 7 Food & Mealtime
Chapter 8 Health & Safety
Chapter 9 Fun & Learning
Chapter 10 Travel & Outings
Chapter 11 Holidays & Special Occasions