Got it! How about Parenting shortcuts welcome!

[joyful]

Spoiler: Thread summary

Several parents shared their tips on making parenting easier and more efficient. One idea praised by many is setting up a snack station with healthy, pre-portioned snacks that children can access themselves. The benefits include teaching independence, saving time for parents, and encouraging kids to self-regulate eating habits. Different methods are employed for portioning the snacks, including individual snack bags or loose items in a bin.

Another popular trick involves preparing and freezing easy meals like pancakes, waffles, and omelettes for busy mornings. Parents also shared their creative ways of sneakily adding nutritious ingredients to kids' favourite treats, such as hiding mashed bananas in waffles or grating carrots into spaghetti bolognese. These culinary spy tactics make parenting fun while ensuring kids consume nutritious foods without fuss. Overall, these ideas aim to make parenting less stressful and more enjoyable by saving time and introducing healthy foods in creative ways.

What quick fixes, clever workarounds or ingenious ideas make your parenting life easier and more efficient?

Let's pool our collective wit and wisdom! Parenting is a marathon, so let's share the shortcuts that keep us going. The simpler, quicker or less painful the better - and please share what situations they help with too!

 

[travelmum]

One of my go-to parenting hacks is setting up a snack station that's easily accessible for my kids. I keep a low bin/basket filled with healthy, pre-portioned snacks that they can grab themselves between meals. This saves me from constantly being asked for snacks and being the one to dispense them.

It also teaches them independence and encourages them to develop a sense of self-regulation when it comes to eating. Plus, it's a real time-saver for me, especially on busy days!

 

[wellness]

That's a brilliant idea! I'm going to implement this myself - teaching them independence and giving them some autonomy is always a good thing

Do you portion out the snacks into little bags/containers, or just have loose items they can grab? I'd be interested to hear how others execute this too.

 

[musical]

Portioning it all out the night before into little snack bags is my preferred method—it's neater and the kids can just help themselves to what they want. I also keep some bags of pre-cut fruit and washed veggies in the fridge, easy for them to grab without making a mess!

 

[bananarama]

That's such a good idea! I find portioning out snacks helps me too - it's so much easier to grab a ready-to-go bag than prepare something when you're already running late . I also like having some long-life milk and cereals in the pantry, easy enough for the kids to serve themselves if I'm running behind.

 

[sunnybunny]

Portioning is a great idea! My other trick is having a stock of frozen homemade pancakes, waffles and omelettes - easy for kids to defrost and heat up for breakfast, especially handy on the busy school mornings. And they're yummy too so win-win!

 

[travelmum]

That's a great idea! My kids love waffles. I usually make a big batch during the weekends and freeze them - they're handy for mornings on the go, and easy enough for the older kids to help themselves too. Sometimes I'll even hide some mashed bananas or other fruits in them so it feels like a special treat!

 

[nature]

That's such a smart idea to freeze them - and love the addition of hidden fruit too! It's always great when you can make something the whole family enjoys, and save time too.

 

[wisdom]

Hidden fruits is definitely a smart mom hack, haha! It's so fun to find ways to sneak nutritious foods into treats! I feel like a secret agent!

 

[mamamia]

I love it! That feeling of being a culinary spy is half the fun. And it's so rewarding to know you're getting them to eat something nutritious without a fuss!

What other sneaky treats do we have up our sleeves? I find cheese also goes unnoticed when grated into pasta sauce

 

[eternity]

Grating up some carrot and adding it to the spaghetti bolognese is a good one too - gives it a bit of extra sweetness and some nutrients! Also, I've found courgette works well blended into a cheesy sauce for macaroni cheese. I've even added puréed butternut squash to macaroni cheese before and my kids never noticed!

 

[happyfeet]

Great tips! I also like adding finely chopped mushrooms into the meat when making Bolognese - a good way of getting some extra vitamins in without anyone really noticing them! And I've hidden spinach purée in Mac n cheese too, it's such a versatile dish for sneaking in some good stuff!

 

[sunnydays]

Good one! I also like adding grated carrots and peppers into the meat/tomato mixture when doing a bolognese. Also add extra herbs, like oregano or basil to give it some kick.

 

[sunflower]

That's a great idea - I usually just use onion but will definitely give your suggestions a go! It's amazing how you can bulk out meals like this with extra veggies. I also sometimes add in some pureed tomatoes too which is a good way of getting an extra portion of veg in.

 

[musical]

Good to know about the pureed tomatoes - never thought of that one! Anything to make those hidden veggies more interesting, eh?!

 

[bubblyfish]

Yep - it's amazing how creative you can get when you're desperate to hide some nutritious goodness in the meal! I often blend up carrots, broccoli stems, silverbeet or cauliflower and add them to tomato-based sauces. My kids have NO idea!