We Put Viral Parenting Hacks to the Test on TikTok
We can’t give you extra hands to make life with kids easier (sorry), but we can give you a few hacks.
By Briana Engelbrecht
In This Article
There’s a hack for virtually *everything* these days—especially when it comes to parenting. Raising children is hard, so anything to make it even a tiny bit easier? We’ll take it! And TikTok is the best for helpful tips, tricks and hacks.
We put a bunch of hacks to the test over on TikTok, including how to prevent the whole pack of wipes from dispensing at once to the tedious task of weekly menu planning. To save you time, we’ll get right to the point (because we know it’s precious and far too scarce).
Read on to see which TikTok hacks are worth it and which you should skip. And if you want even more recommendations for parent-simplifying hacks, here are the products to add to your registry to ease you along your parenting journey.
Hack #1: Hair Ties + Baby Wipes
TL;DR: Few things are more annoying than trying to pull a *single wipe* out of the pack and 20 come streaming out. Control the flow by securing either a hair tie or rubber band around one end of the pack and voila, one wipe at a time.
The Verdict: Yes, this actually works! No more stuffing baby wipes back into the pack (an almost impossible task).
Hack #2: iPhone White Noise
TL;DR: Picture this: you’re out and about during baby’s naptime and you realize you forgot to pack the portable sound machine. Or worse, you have it but it’s not charged. Not to fear, you can save baby’s nap by using the built-in white noise feature found on iPhones. While there are a ton of white noise apps out there, this is way more simple and already built into your phone. This hack is exclusive to iPhones (running iOS 15 for later) and we walk you through all of the steps to set it up in the TikTok below Pro tip: use it for *yourself* when you’re feeling overstimulated and need a moment to reset, just pop your earbuds in and take a breather.
The Verdict: iPhone saves the day! And your baby’s precious routine.
Hack #3: ChatGPT, Your Weekly Menu BFF
TL;DR: One of the *most* tedious tasks of adulting is figuring out what to eat every.single.night. Add in a tiny human with a developing palate and you’ve got some added pressure. Let ChatGPT figure it out! Turns out this new technology is also useful for parents. With a bit of direction, it’ll populate some meal ideas for you and you can rewrite it if needed until you’re totally satisfied.
The Verdict: ChatGPT is easy to use, helps with some of the parenting mental load and the more you use it, the more it’ll become attuned to your likes and dislikes.
Hack #4: DIY Diaper Pail Deodorizer
TL;DR: No matter how great of a seal your diaper pail has, opening it to toss another diaper in still greets you with a smelly waft of air. We tried out two DIY odor-controlling hacks—one with coffee grounds and the other with a simple Borax mixture.
The Verdict: This one was so-so. While the smells were under control for a short period, we’d need a longer testing period to speak to the longevity. The Borax mixture felt very disinfectant-like and was easy to put together. Next time, we’d put the coffee directly in the bag for more odor control and easier cleanup.
Hack #5: Football + Oven Mitts + Baby’s Naptime
TL;DR: We’re sure you’ve seen the viral TikTok of a dad watching sports with oven mitts on his hands—TikTok content creator @makwaters is just a genius for saving all of our babies' naps during football season. If you’ve got a sports fanatic who just can’t help but cheer their team on with loud and aggressive clapping, pop some oven mitts on their hands to tone down the noise and prevent baby from waking up.
The Verdict: Worth a try! Just make sure they also practice their whisper-cheering.
Hack #6: Another Laundry Tip: Mesh Bags for Tiny Baby Socks
TL;DR: Adult socks are so easy to lose in the washing machine, so you can imagine how easy it is for itty-bitty baby socks to go missing. TikTok user @hello_happy_mom shows us a trick for keeping track of everything. Grab a mesh laundry bag to contain those little socks and you’ll never have to search for a matching pair again!
The Verdict: Mesh laundry bags are great for washing bras, delicate, adult socks and especially baby socks. We love this mesh bag set the best!
