Experienced moms and dads have the best parenting wisdom.
Which is why we polled all the parents we know for their best baby hacks. We got so many tips and tricks, we had to share a second list.
Don’t see your favorite hack here? Share your wisdom in the comments below!
1. Skip expensive Diaper Genie refills and use Febreze-scented garbage bags instead.
Via Youtube
Just pull the garbage bag through the middle of the empty Diaper Genie refill cartridge. Then pull the two red tabs to tighten.
At about $19.99 for three Diaper Genie refills, you’ll save hundreds over a few years — especially if you use coupons to buy the garbage bags.
2. Install a red light bulb in your nursery lamp for changing diapers at night.
Red light is less harsh on the eyes so both you and your baby will fall asleep faster after a midnight diaper change.
3. Freeze breast milk or formula in pacifier lids to soothe teething pain.
Via The Johnston’s
4. Make a busy board to keep your baby entertained.
You probably have most of these items around your house, or you can find them at Walmart or the Dollar Store.
Just mount tactile items and activities to a board that your baby can sit and play with while you make dinner, take a shower, read a book. . . you get the idea.
5. Avoid an even bigger blowout disaster by pulling the onesie off their feet instead of over their head.
Via BuzzFeed
That’s actually the purpose of the envelope folds on a onesie — to allow you to pull the onesie down off your baby instead of pulling it over their head!
6. Use rubber bands to keep the door from latching.
The sound of the latch opening or closing will never wake your barely-asleep babe again.
7. Invest in larger shirts instead of buying bibs.
Buy secondhand baby shirts a size or two larger than what your child normally wears, and slip it over their clothes during mealtime instead of purchasing bibs. It’ll cover more of their cute outfit on spaghetti night.
RELATED: 33 Thrift-Store Shopping Hacks from a Professional Thrifter
8. Turn a laundry basket into a baby bath.
9. Make a sippy cup strap to keep the cup from falling on the floor.
Via Pinterest
All you need is a strap to tie around the sippy cup and a suction cup to sick on the bottom of their highchair. No more falling cups!
10. Cure diaper rash by making a paste out of Mylanta and baking soda.
11. Make a Cheerios necklace to keep your baby entertained while grocery shopping.
12. Vacuum seal a stack of diapers to take up less room in your suitcase.
13. Use dollar store dog collars to baby-proof cabinets.
14. Make your own frozen pacifiers for teething.
Via Mom.me
Squeeze the air out of the nipple of the pacifier and dip in water. Allow it to fill with water, set it in the freezer, and use when your baby needs a little extra relief.
15. Cut your baby’s nails twenty minutes after they fall asleep.
Via Lexington Family
Twenty minutes into a nap, they’ll be sleeping deeply enough that you can trim their nails without any squirming.
RELATED: 18 Brilliant Baby Hacks Every Parent Should Know
16. Heat frozen milk on the go with a thermos of hot water.
Heat water and pour into a thermos before leaving the house with frozen or cold milk.
If you need to heat up a bottle before your baby will drink it, pour the hot water into a cup (we use a collapsible camping cup), and plop the bottle or bag of milk into the hot water until warm.
17. Repurpose an empty foaming soap dispenser into a DIY foaming baby wash.
If you have an empty Bath & Body Works foaming soap dispenser, make your own DIY foaming baby wash.
Just add about an inch of baby wash into the dispenser, and fill the rest with water.
18. Use a pool noodle to carry your baby’s car seat to relieve pressure on your arm.
19. Attach toys and pacifiers to your sling with plastic rings to keep your baby entertained.
20. Save $45 by making a no-sew baby wrap.
A Moby baby wrap from Target is about $45. Instead, make a no-sew baby wrap for pennies on the dollar.
You’ll need to find a stretchy fabric — think T-shirt material. I tend to buy fabric from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon. A standard wrap is six yards long, which can be a bit long for most people, so aim for 5.5 yards when getting fabric.
The only materials you’ll need are the fabric and scissors. Since most fabric is 45 inches wide (too wide for a wrap), cut it down the middle, and you’ll end up making two wraps!
For under $25 you’ll have made yourself not one, but two baby wraps! That’s half the cost of buying one from the store.
RELATED: 26 Hobby Lobby Hacks That’ll Save You Hundreds
21. Give liquid medication through a hospital pacifier.
Via Pinterest
There’s a small hollow opening where you can put a medicine dropper in to give them the medication they need, so don’t toss these pacifiers after leaving the hospital!
22. Use a maxi pad as a diaper in an emergency.
If you run out of diapers and just need something to get you home, stick a maxi pad on the inside of their bloomers and hurry home.
23. Reuse a wipes container to store and easily dispense plastic bags.
Transporting dirty diapers on the road just got less gross.
24. Make your own baby wipes.
You’ll need a roll of paper towels, 2¼ cups of water, 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo and 1 tablespoon of baby oil.
First, cut the paper towel roll in half, and place it into a container with a lid.
Mix all the ingredients in a separate bowl, and pour the mixture over the top of the paper towels. All paper towels have a cardboard tube in the middle, so remove the tube, and pull up baby wipes!
There are other easy DIY baby items you can make that’ll save you hundreds.
25. Buy a self-closing pacifier.
If the pacifier falls out of your baby’s mouth, the guard will snap closed before it hits the ground. Get one on Amazon for $4.99.
26. Save space in your diaper bag by rolling clothes into a sock.
27. Fill your dry baby pool with toys, and stick it in your living room to keep them happily contained.
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