Mumsnet users tell Disney Junior their best parenting hacks

[EllieMumsnet]

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No matter your child’s age, if you have tips for encouraging them to help around the house, how to overcome fear of the doctor or dentist or knowing the little things to remember every time you step out with the family, Disney Junior UK wants to hear them.

Here’s what Disney Junior UK has to say: “A child is the greatest gift you can have but we know being a parent can be stressful at times. Our shows like Vampirina and PJ Masks, aim to spark little conversations around everyday problems that can sometimes be difficult for parents and children, and provide fun solutions for them. Disney Junior UK has now launched a new Parenting Hacks podcast with Helen Skelton to bring together parents, experts and special guests to explore tips, tricks and ways to provide more support to busy parents.”

Have you found the best ways to turn household chores into games? What’s your best trick to stop a supermarket tantrum? Do you have a life-changing laundry hack that has been passed down through generations? Perhaps you have tips that will help other busy parents at meal times? Or what about the little tricks that you’ve learnt to encourage your child to use their imagination?

Whatever your best parenting hacks are, share them on the thread below. Everyone who comments will be entered into a prize draw, and one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

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I read affirmations to my son every day. There is power in your tounge. I also sing nursery rhymes with him all the time at 17 months he knows the moves to 6 songs and requests songs by dping the dance for that particular song, singing and dancing is really good for your soul. I focus on his mental health because schools dont. If he has a healthy mind and good resilience everything else will fall into place.

I try and make it fun and I have tools that are appropriate for the kids to help with. We have a small dyson handheld that means its really easy for them to help and use. I also have cleaning products that don't have chemicals in them and are safe for the kids to use. They both have jobs they do every week like one is in charge of keeping the shoes tidy and he thrives on the responsibility. I try and keep tasks small and manageable and like a game where they finish a task it gets inspected then they get allocated another one. They love being encouraged and praised and I do also bribe them on occassion with treats if they help too.

setting up a routine early on and sticking to it. Sounds tired and tedious but has always worked for us especially when you have toddlers.

Telling a small child that crying will upset your soft toy (to be he,d up and given a name) usually distracts them and cheers them up

Held up

Never underestimate a child’s innate sense of competition. Bedtime in the Cheby household often goes like this:

Me: right, time for bed
5yo:
1yo:
Me: oh look, your sister is winning
5yo: I won I won!
Me: sure. You won. 😂

Mine so far is to make up the cot with 4 layers, waterproof cover, then sheet, then another waterproof cover and sheet, so if there's an accident in the middle of the night, it's easy to take the wet layers off and the bed is already made under that which saves valuable time at 3am...

Cn't say I have any tips, I just muddled through

The best parenting hack I've been told is about incorporating 'special time' into every day - I do this with my son every morning.
'Special time' is basically just a set amount of time where my son has my full attention 1:1 & we do whatever he chooses for that set time (usually 20 mins with no distractions.
It could be racing cars, colouring, reading a book together or playing a boardgame - whatever he chooses, but we stick to the rules above.
It's amazing the difference this has made to our relationship - I reall struggled before as I found he wasn't very affectionate & was becoming quite an angry little boy. This has literally transformed our relationship, he is so affectionate now & the chats we have during this time are so special time.
I would recommend this to anyone - it gets our day off to such a good start, none of the nagging I used to have to do to get him to get ready, etc. It's a simple change, but well worth it.
Try it :) x

I think listening is the best thing you can do as a parent; and sometimes that’s the hardest! Kids always seem to want to express their feelings at a really inopportune time, like when you’re rushing out of the door or about to kiss them goodnight. But the feeling of security they get when they know you are listening is worth it.

I always explain the cost of things by how many hours of work it would tske to earn that amount of money to help teach the value of money

When things are getting fraught or you can see they're about to blow, I often turn things into a game to defuse the situation. When voices are raised I put on a silly voice and say "why are we talking like this". If they shout and won't calm down the punishment/consequence is whispering for x amount of time which really defuses things and makes them forget they were feeling cross. I try and remember that as a parent I don't need to be perfect and sometimes you've just gotta do what you need to survive and that on occasion bribery is very useful.

Once old enough we held our two responsible for their own mess around the house, they had to tidy their own rooms and when they were 15 we showed them how the washing machine worked so if they wanted clean clothes they knew what to do. They were also allowed use of the kitchen from an early age, with supervision, if they wanted to experiment with cooking and baking. Leaving home and looking after their own homes was a breeze as they already knew how things worked.

We taught my son to add salt to his food (after he saw other people doing it and wanted to copy) by pinching the top of the salt shaker and sprinkling onto his food - none comes out that way so he was happy (for years and years) without actually causing harm.

We told him that 'fizzy juice' was a huge treat, only allowed if you are good. Fizzy juice was just carbonated water so not unhealthy in any way - he didn't have any actual juice until gone 3 because he was completely happy with fizzy water. At 6 he has still never had any carbonated soda so I count that as a win!

When I need to get ready in a hurry, I turn everything into a game with my son. So I will say to him ‘Who can get dressed faster?’ And we will ‘race’ each other. He always wins! Haha! But we are ready in super fast time, he is elated that he has won and we are out the door on time! :)

I make the veggie portion of any meal first so that instead of getting the whiny mum I’m hungry time while I’m cooking they are sitting eating veggies and I can get on with making the rest of the food. Plus it means they eat more veg which is always nice.

When my dd's were younger (before school age) I found that making sure we got out of the house every single day whatever the weather..walk to the park/beach/woods, trip to shops, visit family etc, wherever it didnt matter just getting out for an hour made the day much more manageable

It is hard to give hacks on parenting because all kids are different but I find that bribery works well in my house. Not the best advice but one I am sure most parents are familiar with.

we use foil to black out a bedroom window on holiday. just wet the glass with a damp sponge and the foil will stick and totally blocks the light. it also acts as insulation - keeping the room cool or warm.

Honestly I find a little reward helps get her tidying her toys away, stickers or tv something like that

Communication is so key with so many issues, I know it can be hard getting kids to open up (even little ones!) but it's so important that they have a safe space where they feel loved and listened to.

I put myself in 'time out' when I can feel my nerves getting a bit frayed or I'm running out of patience- often it has far more to do with how I'm feeling (especially if I'm tired) than the behaviour of my DC and it saves me snapping for no good reason.

Letting kids have age-appropriate responsibilities and the ability to make decisions (we're talking small stuff here) let's kids feel involved and i think that's really important.

Loving this thread, some great tips here!

the iPad unfortunately

Bribery - sorry rewards!

Plan plan plan ahead to make sure i'm always ready to leave the house eg. restocking the nappy bag as soon as I get home from every trip out. it still takes 20mins to leave the house, at least, but at least it's one less thing to think about