‘Alexa – tell me some parenting hacks’

Whether your family go for Alexa or Google Home, more and more of us have one of these handy gadgets in our homes, but did you know your Alexa or Google Home can offer you some genius parenting hacks?
Here are some of the best.

1. Set a timer – Alexa makes a perfect toy sharing referee! 
2. Create a hands-free to do list.
3. Tell me a joke or a story – perfect for amusing toddlers.
4. Ounces to grams recipe measurement conversions. 
5. Check opening times for local leisure parks, pools and baby classes and restaurants.  
6. Add items to your online shop list.
7. Check the weather to help you decide what clothes to put out to wear.
8. Use as a calculator - when sleep deprivation strikes your mental maths skills it’s easy to just ask out loud. 
9. Play lullabies – it can help the whole house calm down and mellow out before bedtime.
10. Turn off (or on) the TV – you can connect voice activated speakers to your smart TV and easily order the TV to be turned off which is handy if you can’t find the remote in your moment of need!
11. Add appointments, invitations and birthdays as soon as you get mail without even getting your phone out. 
12. Ask for a 7-minute workout when baby is napping – you can fit in 7 minutes of workout instruction just about anywhere at home.
13. Get books read to you – If you no longer have time, get audio books read to you whilst you get other stuff done.
14. Create your partner a ‘to do list’ – Help your partner remember the jobs they promise to do with a handy to do list just for them.