10 Unconventional Tips for Parenting from a Mum of Three
Because survival is more important than perfection, and sanity has no price.
As a new mum, I had thoughts. The big ones. They’re the ones shaped by parenting guides, Pinterest binges, and rose-coloured fantasies of raising my perfect child.
I exclusively breastfed. I was always quick to respond to any cry. I carried my baby with me everywhere. I avoided screens. I made homemade purees. I spent late nights Googling about “developmental leaps”, and I took pride in my “attachment”.
I also judged. Silently, (and sometimes not so silently). I raised my eyebrows at mothers whose toddlers munched on corn chips, or whose phones served as babysitters in the pantry while they drank their wine. I thought I knew it all.
I then had twins.
All that wonderful idealism? Out the window. Now, I am a mother of three – one school-age and two toddlers who are like mini-demolition crews. I’ve changed, adapted, and let go a lot. My goals have become simpler: to keep everyone alive and maintain my sanity. I also occasionally enjoy a warm cup of tea.
This is not a list of Pinterest-perfect techniques for parenting. This is a collection of raw, weird, and unconventional hacks that I have developed while in the trenches as a mother. These hacks were born of chaos, desperation and the desire for 10 freaking minutes peace. Please don’t judge. Just try them. You’ll thank me later.
1. Box Colouring: Cardboard Containment Meets Creativity
You may have a moment where you see toys all over the place, a child licking a wall, or another screaming because “someone looked at them funny,” when you suddenly think, I need to pause .
Enter box colouring.
Open the bottom of any large cardboard box. Appliance boxes are golden. Place it on your child (head out). Give them markers and let them decorate “their home”. It’s a great way to encourage sensory play and creative expression while also containing them.
Bonus hack: Give them a permanent marker and whisper, “These are adult texts.” You have to be careful.” Congratulations–you’ve just bought yourself five extra minutes of silence. Temporary skin tattoos may look like doodled Picassos, but they are worth it for the sake of peace.
2. Crunching Contests: When Loud Eating Saves Dinner
It’s like trying to convince a cat to bathe. I decided to stop trying logic and turn it into a fun game.
” CRUNCHING COMPETITION! Who crunches the loudest carrot?”
The kids began to compete with each other, trying to determine whose gnawing could produce the highest Richter scale reading. Broccoli, celery, cacapsicumeveand n raw mushrooms were wiped out in the heat of a bitter rivalry. It’s absurd, but it works. Aren’t the best parenting ideas often ridiculous?
TIP: Play up your reactions. It works like magic to say “WOW! Did the neighbours hear this one?”
3. Child Labor Light is also known as Window Cleaning
When the house is just one mess away from being reported to child services, it’s time to get creative. Want to join my Window Team?
Give them microfibre towels and spray bottles of plain water. Let them get to work on the windows. When they’re finished, are the windows any cleaner? Are the windows cleaner after they’re done? For 15 minutes, they were focused and not fighting. They felt proud to have helped. It’s a victory.
Spray bottles are also considered high-tech gadgets. Make them feel like superheroes on a mission. Who knew that chores could be used as quiet time, too?
4. Indoor Pool Party Vibes: Swimming in the Bath
Rainy day? Is there escalating sibling conflict? Someone drew on furniture with toothpaste?
Declare “Bath Swim Time “
Put them in swimsuits and fill the tub a bit deeper than normal. Add plastic cups, spoons, and rubber ducks to the bath, then let them loose. Wearing swimsuits in the bath makes it feel more like a pool party. You should supervise, but you can also enjoy that your family is not destroying your living room.
Bonus: Clean kids = bath time. Two birds with one bath.
5. Dip Dinner: The Art of Disguising Health as Fun
You’ll be amazed at what your kids will eat when you dip their food. Enter: Dinner with Dip
You can use any veggies or proteins that you have available, such as carrot sticks, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, cooked strips of chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, etc. Place a large dollop of yogurt or hummus in the center of their plate and say: “It’s DIPPING DINNER!“.
They believe it is a party. You know that it’s full of nutrition. Everyone wins.
The kids now associate this with good times. Serve it only when you need an easy victory, to keep the novelty.
6. Sleep Rewards Charts: Bribery for a Purpose
The twins were night-time pests of the highest order. Wake up multiple times. Nightmares. The one who loved to creep into our bed and sleep horizontally at 22 AM
I was desperate and tried everything. Finally, I turned to the most holy parenting tool: an incentive chart.
Every night that they went to bed quietly = 1 sticker. 10 stickers = a small toy. Instantaneous change. They wanted to stay in bed. It was as if a switch had been flipped.
Yes, it’s bribery. We all feel better if we call this “positive reinforcement.”
As soon as you stop the charts, they start to wake up again. Stock up on stickers, people.
7. The Sleep-In Fairy, Guardian Angel for Groggy Parents
This is for you if you have ever asked the universe to give you just another 30 minutes of sleep.
Most nights, the Sleep In Fairy comes to our house. Her gift? The kids will be surprised to find a magical set-up in the living room when they awaken at 5:45 AM (sigh). Consider new colouring sheets, a Lego tray, or an Amini scavenger hunt.
They sneaked out quietly to investigate. Sleeping in until 6:30 is a treat. Bliss.
Tip: Set up toys that they haven’t played with in a while, like treasures. Kids love novelty. You love quiet mornings.
8. Morning Task Charts: Parenting Without Nagging (Mostly)
Every morning, our eldest child, who is now five years old, would dither most extremely. It felt like a hostage situation to get her ready and out the front door.
I created a visual morning schedule chart with simple words and drawings: get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast, pack bag. No stars, no bribes (yet). Just a feeling of control and autonomy.
She loved it. She was suddenly the master of her morning. Even better? She was even more excited when her toddler sisters started copying her. They began doing tasks just to be like big sister.
It’s not exactly magic, but it comes close.
9. Dress-Up Box: Instant Attitude Shift
A sparkly tutu or a superhero cape can instantly lift a person’s mood. When the whining becomes unbearable, I pull out the dress-up box.
The box is filled with mismatched clothes, old Halloween costumes, a nd op-shop finds. It’s hidden the majority of the time, so when I do see it, it feels extra.
In a matter of seconds, grumpy children can transform into dancing fairies. Sibling arguments become imaginary battles of good and evil. They get creative, and I can drink my coffee without interruption.
Win-win.
10. Recycled Crafts: The Junk Drawer of Dreams
Crafting doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect or require $200 in supplies. The best crafts in our home come from the recycling bin.
Egg cartons can be transformed into caterpillars. Milk bottles can be transformed into rockets. Lids can be used as buttons on monster costumes. Add toilet paper rolls, feathers, pebbles, and other items you find outdoors.
If you are brave, add paint, paintbrushes, a glue stick, and kid-safe scissors. Step back and let their imaginations run wild.
Don’t forget the shower curtain. Creativity can be messy.
Conclusion
No one ever tells you how constant itsit isids are all the time. We’re expected to keep up with them, to nurture their development, to manage their emotions, to cook, to clean, to play, to teach, to soothe, and to find the time to ensure our brains do not explode.
This is why hacks such as these are important.
It’s not about doing things right. It’s about getting through the day (mostly) with your sense of humor intact. It’s about reducing noise, encouraging independent thinking, and reclaiming precious moments of mental stillness.
If you have ever locked yourself up in your pantry with some chocolate chips, this is for you.
Welcome to a silent scream in your throat. You are not alone. We are all just winging things.
Tell your children that the cardboard box in the garage is their new art studio. You deserve 11 minutes of peace.
