Putting food coloring into food to make meals more fun, adding sprinkles to broccoli, and keeping the iPad only 35% charged are some of the more creative “parenting hacks” uncovered in a new study.Putting food coloring into food to make meals more fun, adding sprinkles to broccoli, and keeping the iPad only 35% charged are some of the more creative “parenting hacks” uncovered in a new study.
The average parent uses seven parenting hacks every day, according to the new study of 2,000 American parents.
64 percent of parents say they use parenting hacks in an attempt to get their kid to eat healthy, by trying everything from mixing cauliflower in their mac and cheese, to putting a little chocolate or sprinkles on their broccoli.
Other popular areas to use parenting hacks are when they’re trying to get their kid to behave (52 percent), trying to save time (48 percent), and just to get a little time to themselves (43 percent).
The new survey, conducted by streaming service Vudu, found that parents spend an average of five hours a week actively trying to get their child to do something, whether it be getting them to go to bed, eat their veggies, do their chores, and everything else children notoriously don’t love to do, and with the holidays around the corner that number is sure to increase.
Bribery is a popular tactic to utilize in this area, with 82 percent of parents admitting they persuade their kid to do something by offering them money or candy as incentive.
When it comes to what parents consider “life savers,” wet wipes and TV/movies tops the list, with 60 percent and 58 percent saying parenting would be more difficult without it, respectively.
Which makes sense, seeing as how nearly all parents (95 percent) report letting their child watch movies and TV in order to get a little break for themselves from time to time.
Using TV and movies as a reward for good behavior is also a very popular parenting tactic, with 76 percent of parents reporting they use it with their children.
Said Rachel Derrico of Vudu, “With the holidays coming up, a family-friendly movie is a great parenting hack to help get kids through gatherings – not to mention a fun way to make memorable, shared experiences. Kids will remember watching movies at grandma’s house over the holidays with their family all around. And the fact that we can offer so many great titles for free to all our customers, even better.”
And that doesn’t mean parents are plopping their kids in front of the TV and hiding in a closet, as a lot of parents enjoy watching TV with their kids, even though their kids’ viewing taste tends to be a little repetitive. 84 percent of parents say that they have certain shows and movies completely memorized because their kids have watched the same thing so many times.
However, 91 percent of parents believe watching TV and movies with their kids is an effective way to bond with them.
“After all the holiday hustle and bustle, sitting down to share a little screen time with your kids is a great way to bond with them over their favorite movies and TV shows – or even a meaningful way to introduce them to some of your childhood favorites. And free movies are a fun, easy (and budget savvy) way to carve out some quality, family time during the season.” said Derrico.
20 of the most creative “Parenting Hacks” parents say they use
- Blend up broccoli into ketchup and call it “Special Ketchup”
- Putting fiber in their chocolate milk to keep them regular
- Put food coloring into food to make meals more fun
- Add marshmallows to vegetables
- Add sprinkles to vegetables
- Set their alarm to be music from their favorite video game
- Play the quiet game at bedtime; first one to talk loses
- Blend cauliflower into mac and cheese
- Bribe them with candy if they finish their vegetables
- Bribe them with YouTube if they behave
- Calling all meats “chicken”
- Keep the iPad only 35% charged so they don’t spend too much time on it
- They have to be sweet to get sweets
- Give them a drink that is half juice and half water
- Tell them celery will give them super powers
- Tell if them that their eyes turn green when they lie
- Tell them that cavity monsters will get their teeth if they don’t brush
- Let them “pick” their healthy snack so they feel in charge
- Tell them medicine is candy
- Tell them a bowl of broccoli is only for you, so they keep asking for some until they eat it all
ENDS
