From bake sales to science fairs and parent-teacher meetings, having kids is definitely a full-time job of its own.
Not to mention there’s also the added pressure to go above and beyond which has only ramped up since the influx of mommy bloggers, Pinterest-parents and those wholesome YouTube vloggers who paint the picture of a perfect life online.
Fortunately, a more honest forum has emerged, bringing a sense of relatability to the mix.
From baking blunders to parenting-fails, TikTok is a down-to-earth video sharing platform that has challenged these concepts of perfectionism by sharing the more real sides of parenthood.
There is also a large and supportive community surfacing focussed on getting around certain hurdles.
For instance, on those days when getting your child’s hair into a pristine ponytail just won’t happen, try a fun little hack instead?
@jonathanjoly Hairstyle Hack! Make the perfect ponytail with a vacuum 👍🤣👱🏻♀️##foryou ##hair ##tutorial ##featureme ##youtuber ##sacconejolys
♬ My Oh My - Camila Cabello
7 TikTok parenting hacks to make your life easier:
Birthday cakes
@zaynabparuk Part 2 of who says you have to bake your cake and eat it too, featuring a surprise center 🤩 ##nobodysgonnaknow ##lifehacks
♬ how would they know bad girls club - Chris Gleason
Proving that you can cut a few corners and still come to the same conclusion, this Durban mom shared her hack for sprucing up store-bought cakes so that they look deliciously home-made.
First she scrapes off all the excess icing, stacks the two cakes on top of each other and then whips the extra icing into her home-made icing to give it a little caramel flavour.
Once the cake is completely covered, she adds a white chocolate drip, mounds of icing on top and stick lollipops into each swirl.
Your kid will truly be none the wiser.
No mess paint
@mothercould How did I do as a toddler? 😜 ##momsoftiktok ##momlife ##tiktokmom ##momhack ##toddler ##viral ##ot ##kidsactivities
♬ More Happy - The Hollister Jean Lab
Kids love finger painting… on walls floors and all over the couch.
This mess-free painting hack will save you from the stress of monitoring a busy toddler as they get to work on their next creation.
Rather than lay out paints and paper, put splotches of each colour onto the paper or a canvas and insert it inside of a zip lock bag.
Thereafter, you toddler can have fun squishing the paint around with their fingers, hands and feet, blending colours until the entire canvas is covered and you have a beautiful piece of artwork to add to your collection – minus the worry of stains.
Baby proof cellphone
@brufava DIY baby proof cellphone ##diy ##babyproof ##momhack ##momhacks
♬ IMAGINATION - Lize Mynhardt
What baby doesn’t love grabbing their parents phone while they’re taking an important call or are simply trying to enjoy a few minutes of mindless Instagram scrolling?
This mom came up with the ingenious idea of making a decoy phone using foam sponge and an old phone cover.
Just cut out the foam into the shape of the mobile and place inside as you would with your actual phone.
As you can see from the video, it works like a charm.
Sunscreen brushes
@athomewithshannon Secrets to our *SELF SERVE SUNBLOCK STATION*! ##NatureVibes ##SummerWorkout ##fyp ##parentinghacks ##momlife ##momhacks ##momhack ##summerhacks
♬ Island In The Sun - Weezer
Kids absolutely hate standing still while you slather them up with sunscreen.
Just the mention of sunblock summons moans and groans, often interfering with a fun day at the pool or beach.
This clever little life hack will have your kids putting on their own sunblock as it’s more of a fun and interactive method.
Lay out a sunscreen station with old (cleaned) make-up or paint brushes and get the kids to pat on their own sunblock.
It is a wonderful way to teach them how to take care of their skin and keep them safe from the sun in a more interactive way.
2 for 1 zip lock bag
@momlifewithlaura Thanks for this cool ##momhack @howdoesshe ! ##parentinghack ##hack ##momlife ##momcontent ##momhumor ##reallifemom ##easy ##learnontiktok ##kids ##momsoftiktok
Kids hate sharing, but sometimes you don’t have enough resources on hand for each child to always have their very own thing – whatever it may be.
This particularly true for snacks. For some reason, kids fight over the responsibility of holding the snack bag, especially on long car rides.
With this nifty kitchen hack you can turn one zip lock bag into two by heating a knife over a gas stove or open flame and slicing down the middle of the bag to create a seal.
Now you have two bags, one for each kid.
Sensory play
@lifewithavia Sensory play hack ##sensoryplay ##toddlers ##play ##parenthacks ##hacks ##fyp ##parentinghack ##rainbowrice
From dyed rice in a container to cereal, beans and more – sensory play is vital for child development but an absolute pain in the neck to clean up after.
This mom’s hack using a bed sheet and four chairs helps to contain the mess for easy cleaning up so the fun can continue without any stress.
Dry markers
@lauren.clutter Mom Hack: Save the Markers! ##momhack ##momhacks ##momtiktok ##momtip ##momcontent ##thetiktokmom ##GrowUpWithMe
♬ original sound - Lauren
After an afternoon of crafting, kids sometimes forget to close the caps on all their markers causing some of them to dry up and no longer work as smoothly as they used to.
Well, not anymore, as this mom has solved the issue.
All you have to do is fill the cap up with water, close the marker and wait overnight for the felt to reabsorb all the moisture.
The end result is a perfectly working pen so you won’t have to keep buying more.