Hands down, being a mother and a full-time homemaker is the hardest thing I have ever done. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard someone say that parenting was easy. We all want our lives to be a bit easier, and sometimes little mom hacks can make a big difference! Haven’t we all seen those handy little tricks and thought:
“Why didn’t I think of that?!”
Many of those brilliant “A-ha!” moments have saved me so much time. I’ve discovered some of my own parenting hacks, plus I have compiled a few of the very best mom hacks from across the internet that will actually save your sanity!
1. When spoon-feeding a baby, keep the spoon in your baby’s mouth a second longer.
- Isn’t it so frustrating to try to teach your baby how to eat and just end up with the food everywhere except his mouth? For some babies, it takes a long time for them to figure out how to use all of their mouth muscles to actually swallow their food. The amazing trick that helped my sons was for me to place the spoon in the center of their mouths and hold it there for a bit longer. This may not work for every single baby, but it’s sure worth a try!
2. Tilt a crib on its side to lower the mattress.
- I feel like we have always waited as long as we possibly can until lowering the crib mattress as our babies have grown because it is such a pain! Then, when lowering that mattress becomes an absolute necessity for safety, we stay up late frantically trying to balance that lower frame in place while lowering it and screwing it back in. Turning a crib on its side turns it into a one person job and saves so much time!
3. Get a Toy tether to keep your baby from dropping sippy cups on the floor.
- Stop the pickup game once and for all! I know, babies think it is just hilarious to drop their sippy cups on the floor and watch you pick it up again, and again, and again. But this mama isn’t laughing. The Grapple Toy Holder can stop that game for good by keeping cups, pacifiers, and toys right where you want them. We’ve outsmarted you, baby!
4. Clean kids’ toys in the washer by putting them in a mesh bag for delicates.
- So often, kids manage to get their toys all sticky and gross. Don’t waste your precious time wiping down those little toys. Just throw them is a mesh laundry bag, and run them through your washer.
- I also use these same delicates bags to wash socks. It is so convenient to have them all together. Never lose a sock in the dryer again!
5. Master nail clipping with a forward facing baby carrier.
- With your baby secure and your hands free, you can clip those nails without your baby squirming away. I used a Baby Bjorn carrier with my babies and loved it! Alternatively, wait until your baby is asleep to clip those little nails.
6. Use Glad Press’n’Seal to protect kids clothes from paint or food.
- I already love how Glad Press’n’Seal can create a lid for anything. Using it to protect kids’ clothes is just brilliant! It works so well to protect clothes during art projects. I wish I had known about this trick earlier so that we could have used Glad instead of bibs that get torn off anyway. Speaking of bibs . . .
7. Put a command hook on the back of the high chair to store bibs.
- You probably got bundles of bibs as baby gifts, so you may as well use them! With this handy hack, you will always have one right when you need it.
8. Invest in Crayola Color Wonder markers.
- You guys, these markers really work like magic! My twins love to color, but they are the worst terrors when they are given any writing utensil. In just half a second, they can color all over each other and basically anything but the paper. Color Wonder markers really only show up on Color Wonder paper. Plus, they love to find the hidden pictures on the paper. Once again, I feel like I’ve outsmarted my children.
- In case your little ones do color on the walls with crayon or marker, use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean it off. It works so well! My oldest son loves using the Magic Eraser to help clean up his little brothers’ mishaps – it’s a win-win situation.
9. Make your child a bracelet with your phone number in case he gets lost.
My oldest boy has been an escape artist ever since he could walk. Once when he was two (and the twins were newborns), I woke up to a police officer at my door. He had my son, who had escaped while it was nap time for everyone. I so wish he had a phone number bracelet back then! Luckily, he now has my phone number memorized, and he knows it’s not okay to go outside by himself.
10. Use a buggy bench to go to a grocery store with all of your kids.
I wish that all shopping carts had two seats (or three)! The Buggy Bench is the perfect solution to allow you to shop with your kids. Or instead, you could grocery shop online with Walmart Grocery or Hello Fresh
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11. Layer sheets and mattress pads for midnight messes.
- Blowouts seem to happen all the time with newborns. Then, you might end up with a toddler who’s a diaper Houdini like mine. One of my twins always manages to find a way out of his diaper! I have to keep him in overalls to prevent messes. Sometimes accidents still happen, and it is so helpful to have an extra sheet underneath the mattress cover so that you can get back to bed in the middle of the night.
12. Use a hair elastic or toy links to baby proof in a pinch.
- Links are such a versatile toy! They are great for teething babies; they can clip onto a car seat; they can do so much! Yes, I have used links to baby proof cabinets. It worked well for several months! Hair elastics always come in handy, as well.
Bonus! Use a baby wipe to tame crazy toddler hair.
I just discovered this trick, and I love it! A baby wipe is just damp enough to tame baby hair. On top of that, it’s soft enough to not irritate your baby the way a brush does. It’s perfect!
