There are moments when parenting requires an absurd amount of creativity. For more real-life stories and ideas from moms and dads, visit our parenting and family hub.
Sometimes, getting children to eat their veggies or cooperate with everyday routines requires out-of-the-box methods.
And sometimes, those methods can be bizarre by definition. Here are some examples, shared by people on social media who have likely run out of conventional ideas.
Many of these, as you will notice, are clever workarounds you may want to try yourself. Enjoy scrolling, and feel free to upvote the ones you think are worth stealing!
#1
I dance in public if my kids act up. I got so sick of the embarrassing behavior that I told them I'd out embarrass them. If they start fighting or acting ugly, I just ask them, "Y'all feel that beat?"
NO MOM GOD PLEASE NO
ok then, let's act right.
NO MOM GOD PLEASE NO
ok then, let's act right.
38points
#2
I pretend to not understand my sons homework so he will explain it to me. He teaches it to me and it helps him retain the information better. He thinks I’m rather dumb but it works, no fussing over homework anymore because the enjoys teaching it to me while he does it!
33points
#3
Give my kids each a wet wipe and let them play whoever comes back with the dirtiest wipe wins. They find the most hidden spots that I never would have gotten clean and keeps them busy forever. Saw this in a reel but my god does it ever work.
30points
Most of the parenting hacks on this list are unconventional because none of the parents seem to be babying their children.
Many have actually espoused an approach known as RIE parenting, a trust-based approach that treats infants and toddlers as capable, autonomous people who deserve the same respect as adults.
#4
As a widowed mom of 5 I knew I needed to spend 1 on 1 time with my kids. So I would get them all ready for school & drop them off. Then at lunch I would pull 1 child, take them out for lunch at their favorite place and do some activity. We get back to the school before it let out and then have them act like they were there all day. I called it "a secret mission". It made them feel special. They're all grown and 2 years ago they just found out that I did the same thing for all of them.
24points
#5
My son swears he hates salmon, he loves beach chicken though.
23points
#6
When my son wants a toy at the store I take a picture of him holding the toy to “send to Santa” instead of buying it. Works like a charm & then when Christmas comes around I already have a list.
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21points
Infant-development expert Magda Gerber first introduced RIE parenting in 1973. RIE stands for Resources for Infant Educarers, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles.
Author and educator Janet Lansbury is one of the many proponents of the RIE parenting method. As she explains, this approach builds parents' awareness by encouraging them to observe a child and give them space to show who they are and what they need.
#7
I tell my (9, 12, and 14) year old I’m going to take a quick rest but to make sure to get me up in about 30 minutes so I can tell them the chores they need to do. Funny how they forget to come get me and I get a nice rest/ watch a show in total peace and quiet.
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21points
#8
This is not that cool but I wish I started it sooner when my son became a teenager “how was the day?” became a quick “it was good” response. I started googling topics of interest for him like skateboarding, computer tech, music artists he liked, etc… and would say “did you see that new song so and so dropped” and we’d talk forever. Or, “did you see the new interview they did with Tony Hawk?” And he’d light up and tell me about how he watched it yesterday, etc. Lovely bonding and I was relevant in conversation to what he was interested in at the time Doing this with my youngest now and it works like a charm.
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19points
#9
Light a candle when they start eating. Whoever finishes the new item on the plate first gets to blow out the candle. My 5 year old and nearly 2 year old LOVE this challenge. They’ve eaten so many more veggies.
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18points
“RIE parenting also makes us more self-aware,” Lansbury said. “Through our sensitive observations, we learn not to jump to conclusions; for example, that our babies are bored, tired, cold, hungry, or want to hold the toy they seem to notice across the room.”
Lansbury adds that the method also helps parents learn to differentiate a child’s signals from their own projections. In effect, they become more aware of the habits they create that can become the child’s needs.
#10
A local babysitter keeps two toy rooms - one for younger kids and one for kids who are potty trained. Every kid begs to be potty trained so they can move up to the big kid toy room.
17points
#11
I made potato soup with broccoli in it and we ate it by candle light so they couldn't see the broccoli. I told them we were having a fancy dinner. They raved about the soup and asked for seconds. I had made it before and they wouldn't touch it because of the green.
16points
#12
We painted stones with gold paint so they looked like gold nuggets. Then I buried them in the sandbox, so he could play gold prospector. He could have an ice cream once he’d found all ten—I had hidden nine. After I’d finished my coffee in peace, I helped him find the tenth gold nugget worked every time.
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15points
For parents who want to implement the RIE method into their own approach, Lansbury offered some tips. Her first piece of advice: communicate authentically.
This means speaking in your real voice and talking about real things that relate to the child.
“We encourage babies to build communication skills by asking them questions, affording them plenty of time to respond, and always acknowledging their communication,” Lansbury said.
#13
My kids refuse to take any kind of liquid medicine, but they love eating a spoonful of "melted popcicle".
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14points
#14
I think this is good for both kid and parent. To help develop independence - make the kid do “minutes” or “tries” in correspondence to their age. So my 3 year old had to try his socks on his own for three tries. My 8 year old needs to look for their own water bottle for 8 minutes before asking me.
I think it’s easy for us parents to just step in and “help” and it makes our kids too dependent on us to fix their problems. They usually do it on their own within those tries. But if they do need help I still want them to come to me. It’s just a nice and easy reminder.
I think it’s easy for us parents to just step in and “help” and it makes our kids too dependent on us to fix their problems. They usually do it on their own within those tries. But if they do need help I still want them to come to me. It’s just a nice and easy reminder.
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14points
#15
everytime we brush our teeth our taste buds change so we have to retry foods to see if we still don’t like them.
13points
Parenting doesn't come with an instruction manual (yet), and some days will require thinking outside the box. Apart from a ton of patience, that may include ideas that seem ridiculous but work really well.
Of course, not every hack on this list will work on every child. Still, you can’t help but admire the genius behind some of these ideas. Parents, have you ever come up with these unusual tricks of your own? Share them in the comments!
#16
When my kids were younger and going through something difficult, we had a tradition called a “pity party.”
We’d pick out junk food, watch a funny movie, and give them permission to feel sad, frustrated, or angry…without judgment or pressure to feel better.
But when the movie ended, so did the pity party. It was time to pick ourselves up and move forward.
Those moments taught them that emotions should be acknowledged, not ignored, but they don’t have to define us. We could face hard things together, then take the next step, even if we weren’t completely okay yet.
We’d pick out junk food, watch a funny movie, and give them permission to feel sad, frustrated, or angry…without judgment or pressure to feel better.
But when the movie ended, so did the pity party. It was time to pick ourselves up and move forward.
Those moments taught them that emotions should be acknowledged, not ignored, but they don’t have to define us. We could face hard things together, then take the next step, even if we weren’t completely okay yet.
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13points
#17
Fully understanding what transitions are and what a big deal they are to kids. Getting dressed is a transition. Getting out of the bath is a transition. Finishing meals. Starting meals. Leaving the house, obviously.
We forget that our kids don’t know the plan unless we actually tell them, so it’s really jarring if they’re having a great time playing while you get lunch ready then suddenly you just pick them up and plonk them in a high chair. Because they didn’t know they were playing until lunch was ready. They just thought it was playtime. When you put them down to play, say “you can play here until i’ve finished making lunch, then we’ll eat lunch at the table”. Find several excuses to remind them while they’re playing - “I’ve made us some sandwiches and now I’m cutting up fruit - when that’s done we’ll eat lunch at the table!” “It’s nearly time to come to the table and eat lunch! I’ll help you pack up in two minutes” (use a sand timer if you have one!) “the lunch is ready, let’s pack up together now and go to the table and eat!” Then as soon as you get to the table “this is good, isn’t it? When we’ve finished all our food it will be time to get ready to go to the library!” Etc etc. all day long. Make sure they always know what the next “thing” is. I first read about this when my daughter had just turned two and I figured she’d be too young for that kind of reasoning, but tried it anyway. It was LIFE CHANGING. Let them in on the plan. And if you don’t have a plan, make one up.
We forget that our kids don’t know the plan unless we actually tell them, so it’s really jarring if they’re having a great time playing while you get lunch ready then suddenly you just pick them up and plonk them in a high chair. Because they didn’t know they were playing until lunch was ready. They just thought it was playtime. When you put them down to play, say “you can play here until i’ve finished making lunch, then we’ll eat lunch at the table”. Find several excuses to remind them while they’re playing - “I’ve made us some sandwiches and now I’m cutting up fruit - when that’s done we’ll eat lunch at the table!” “It’s nearly time to come to the table and eat lunch! I’ll help you pack up in two minutes” (use a sand timer if you have one!) “the lunch is ready, let’s pack up together now and go to the table and eat!” Then as soon as you get to the table “this is good, isn’t it? When we’ve finished all our food it will be time to get ready to go to the library!” Etc etc. all day long. Make sure they always know what the next “thing” is. I first read about this when my daughter had just turned two and I figured she’d be too young for that kind of reasoning, but tried it anyway. It was LIFE CHANGING. Let them in on the plan. And if you don’t have a plan, make one up.
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13points
#18
Whenever we’re out shopping and my daughter spots something she really wants, instead of saying a straight "no" (which often leads to disappointment or even meltdowns), we say "That looks really cool! Let’s take a picture and add it to your birthday or Christmas list!"
It works like magic.
She feels heard and included in the process. Taking a photo makes it feel official, like we’re taking her wish seriously. Over time, it’s spared us hundreds of potential meltdowns in shops.
I also keep a dedicated album on my phone and every time we snap a picture of something she wants, I immediately save it to that folder. When Christmas or her birthday rolls around, I scroll through the album and look for items that appear more than once (big clue that she really wants it). It helps filter out impulse wants that don’t stick and it makes gift shopping so much easier for us too.
It works like magic.
She feels heard and included in the process. Taking a photo makes it feel official, like we’re taking her wish seriously. Over time, it’s spared us hundreds of potential meltdowns in shops.
I also keep a dedicated album on my phone and every time we snap a picture of something she wants, I immediately save it to that folder. When Christmas or her birthday rolls around, I scroll through the album and look for items that appear more than once (big clue that she really wants it). It helps filter out impulse wants that don’t stick and it makes gift shopping so much easier for us too.
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12points
#19
My son had torticollis, and couldn't turn his head to the right. The pediatrician told me to force him to turn his head every time I changed his diaper.
Obviously, he hated that, but we still had a problem. So instead of forcing him, after diaper changes, I'd put him in his vibrating chair with the TV to his right for 10 minutes. If he wanted to watch the TV, he had to turn his head to the right. He got a full range of motion in a week.
Obviously, he hated that, but we still had a problem. So instead of forcing him, after diaper changes, I'd put him in his vibrating chair with the TV to his right for 10 minutes. If he wanted to watch the TV, he had to turn his head to the right. He got a full range of motion in a week.
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12points
#20
My kids don't get upset when we accidentally drop food on the ground because "it's for the birds."
A few months ago, I accidentally left a whole plate of my son's favorite mini muffins on top of the car and drove away. My son was a little sad he didn't get to eat them but he thought it was great that the birds were going to have a huge party. "They're going to be talking about this day forever because usually they just get crumbs but today? They got 5 whole muffins!"
I've avoided so many toddler/preschooler meltdowns over the years. Definitely my favorite/most used parenting trick.
A few months ago, I accidentally left a whole plate of my son's favorite mini muffins on top of the car and drove away. My son was a little sad he didn't get to eat them but he thought it was great that the birds were going to have a huge party. "They're going to be talking about this day forever because usually they just get crumbs but today? They got 5 whole muffins!"
I've avoided so many toddler/preschooler meltdowns over the years. Definitely my favorite/most used parenting trick.
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12points
