Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids

Parent Hacks by Asha Dornfest is a clever assortment of time saving shortcuts and creative tricks designed to help parents.

Dornfest, co-author of Minimalist Parenting, created her Parent Hacks blog of the same name in 2005 and over the years has gathered numerous “hacks” or solutions to kid-related problems. What began as a way to exchange ideas and converse with other parents, resulted in this Parent Hack collection.

Dornfest has grouped her parenting tips into categories such as pregnancy, sleep, health and safety, travel and outings, and holidays and special occasions. Each “hack” is delightfully illustrated by Craighton Berman and graphically presented in an easy to read fashion within colorful category divisions.

There are clever tips. Like #34: Flatten the toilet paper roll to keep toddlers from spinning it. And #58: Make baby leg warmers by cutting off the sleeves from old sweaters. And a personal favorite #88: Tape two tissue boxes together—one full and one empty for the used tissues when your kid has a cold.

Some of these hacks are great for the youngest kids, like #70: Use panty liners as a cheaper alternative to nursing pads. Or #46: Cut a vinyl tablecloth to use as a blackout curtain in your baby's bedroom to stall off morning light and allow for a few more precious minutes of sleep.

Though some of them are altogether too manic DIY—Who uses dental floss to cut birthday cake regardless of how much cleaner the slices may be?—and overall the hacks are catered to parents of younger children, Parent Hacks is a useful and interesting read.