10 Most-Upvoted Parenting Tips from Reddit

Parenting advice floods every corner of the internet—but some insights rise above the noise because they come from real experience. On Reddit, thousands of parents share what truly works in daily life. Below are ten of the highly upvoted pieces of wisdom, gathered from top threads across r/Parenting, r/AskParents, and r/BeyondTheBump.

1. Explain Things to Your Child

“Explain things to your child. They are in the world. They can hear things and understand emotions. … Nothing is off-limits to at least have a simple explanation.”
Source: r/Parenting

2. You’re Modelling Behaviour—Be Consistent

“Children learn from example … Be honest, respectful, empathetic, and listen to your kids. Apologize when you are wrong.”
Source: r/Parenting

3. Regulate Your Own Emotions First

“Babies can feel your emotions. An escalated adult cannot de-escalate an escalated child. Learn how to take deep breaths to avoid lashing out at your kids.”
Source: r/AskParents

4. Spend One-on-One Time Daily

“One thing that’s been a game-changer for me is setting aside just 10 minutes of uninterrupted, one-on-one time with my kid every day.”
Source: r/Parenting

5. Let Children Contribute

“Give them real tasks from 1 year onward. … Frame chores as shared family responsibility, and view the family as a team in which the child is an integral member.”
Source: r/BeyondTheBump

6. Pick Your Battles

“Pick your battles. Clothes don’t match? Doesn’t matter 99.9% of the time.”
Source: r/Parenting

7. Focus on Acceptance, Not Perfection

“Focus on acceptance—loving all your sides and all the things about your child. Don’t punish them (or yourself) for things they can’t control.”
Source: r/Parenting

8. They’re Having a Hard Time, Not Giving You One

“They’re not giving you a hard time—they’re having a hard time.”
Source: r/Parenting

9. Do What Works for Your Family

“People will give advice, judge you, make comments… Be Teflon! Ignore. Do what’s best for you and your child.”
Source: r/Parenting

10. Be Present—Connection Over Perfection

“Don’t worry about the housework as much … focus on making your kid’s childhood the best it can be. … You won’t get this time back.”
Source: r/Parenting

Final Thoughts

These ten insights reflect a shared truth among parents: no one gets it perfectly right, but staying patient, honest, and connected matters most. Kids don’t need perfection—they need presence.

Question for you: Which of these parenting tips resonates most with your own experience, and what advice would you add to the list?