They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and when you’re a parent, like, a literal mother (or father), sometimes you have to become an inventor too.

While there are a lot of really helpful products out there to help parents, sometimes you just have to create your own hack that works better than anything else ever could. And, since we live in the age of technology, when one parent comes up with something awesome, we can all benefit.

Here are 24 parenting hacks that just might change your life, or at least make your life a little less stressful.

1. Toy Jail

   Write on a plastic bin with a permanent marker to let your kids know what’s going on, and we’re pretty sure they’ll start picking up their toys pronto.

2. Babyproofing with Baby Wipes Containers

   The idea is out of sight out of mind as far as outlets go. It’s seriously easy to use the top part of a baby wipes container to hide outlets yet make them easily accessible, you know, in case you want to vacuum or something.

3. Grocery Cart Hack

   You know how carts all stack inside each other to make a sort of train? You can use that to your advantage if you have kids who like to sit inside the cart. Just push up on the back of the cart, and form a tunnel for your child to climb inside. No more lifting your wriggly kids up and over the side of the cart!

4. Tool Cart Changing Table

   This was definitely a dad hack. You know this “changing table” will be moved to the garage when his kids don’t need it anymore.

5. Car Seat Foam Partitions

   This genius dad wanted his kids to stop fighting in the car. Turns out they don’t fight when they can’t see each other.

6. Newborn Sleeping Hack

   No white noise machine? No problem. Simply take the baby into the bathroom where he or she can hear the soothing sound of running water. It really works.

7. Onesie Hack

   This may not be the KonMari way to store onesies, but it’s certainly brilliant. Storing onesies upside down on a hanger makes them easy to put away, and it’s also super easy to find the one you’re looking for.

8. “Bucket” Cleaning Hack

   If you’re not ready to send your kids toys straight to Toy Jail, they can take a stop in a bucket first. If the kids still don’t put them away, then Toy Jail it is.

9. Time Saving Pumping Hack

   This hack is for new moms. Since breast milk doesn’t spoil when it’s refrigerated, you don’t actually have to wash all of the pumping parts every time you use them. Just put them in a bag and refrigerator them between uses. You only need to wash the pumping parts at the end of the day. Just think how much time you’ll save!

10. Baby Wipes Diaper Bag

    Turns out you don’t really need to lug around a heavy diaper bag. Just put a few diapers, a small pack of wipes, a change of clothes and even a changing pad in an empty baby wipes container. A headband from the dollar store will keep it secure.

11. Keep Strawberries Fresh for Weeks

    Yes, weeks! All you need to do is let the strawberries soak in a mixture of one part white vinegar and five parts water for a few minutes. Be sure to make sure the strawberries are completely dry before putting them away.

12. Giftable Crayons out of Broken Crayons

    Every kid ends up with dozens of broken crayons. Put them in an oven-safe silicone mold and bake them at 200 for a half hour. Voila. Super cute crayons in custom color combos.

13. A Winter Coat Kids Can Wear in a Car Seat

    The trick here is the off-center placement of the zipper.

14. A Breastfeeding Cover That Actually Works

    Not only does this cover stay in place, keep mom covered, and allow baby to peak out at the world. it also doubles as a scarf, car seat cover and baby blanket.

15. Daddy Doll

    When her military husband was deployed, she used a “daddy doll” (a soft doll made to look like daddy). Before being deployed, it was dad who used to get baby ready for bed. The daddy doll, and especially the dad’s special message via voice inside the doll, definitely made it easier for baby to sleep at night while he was gone.

16. Uber for Kids

    If you don’t have time to take your kids to all of their activities, now there’s a safe Uber-type service just for kids. Of course HopSkipDrive was started by moms.

17. Open a Stuck Jar with a Butter Knife

    All you have to do is hit the lid of the jar around the edges at equal distances, say every quarter of the jar. Then, it’s super easy to open.

18. Turn a Shower into a Bathtub

    If you have little kids and no bathtub, all you need to do is wedge a little inflatable pool in the shower. Brilliant!

19. Sports Bra for Nursing Moms

    These clever sports bras are supportive enough for your most intense workout, yet the panels fold down for easy nursing access. Yes, they were created by a breastfeeding mom.

20. DIY T-Shirt Folding Mat

    You only need 6 plastic sink mats from the dollar store. Hook 2 rows of three together with duct tape, and even your kids will be able to fold their t-shirts perfectly.

21. Wheelchair-Accessible Snow Fort

    This dad didn’t want anyone to miss out on the winter fun.

22. App That Ensures Your Kids Will Text You Back

    Because they can’t use their phone until they do. This app was created by a dad. Wonder how many times his kids didn’t text him back before he thought of it. Genius!

23. Laundry Basket Roller Coaster Ride

    This dad set his daughter in the laundry basket and put it on his legs so he could make it bump and twist to match the rollercoaster footage on TV.

24. Using Straws as DIY Curlers

    One dad figured out a way to use straws instead of curlers so that his daughter can comfortably sleep in them at night. He wraps her hair around the straws, bends the straws to kind of form a circle, and uses an elastic to keep the straws in place. In the morning, she has a head full of curls!

Which parenting hack do you think you’ll try first?