Today I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite mom hacks that I have learned over the years. Being a parent isn’t easy, and the more kids you have, the more your time and money gets stretched thin. I hope some of these mom hacks will help you with your baby or toddler the way they help me!
If you prefer to watch your mom hacks on YouTube, here is a link to my video version of this article.
Mom Hack #1 – How to Make Toddler Feeding Time Easier
When my first daughter started eating in her high chair, I wanted to avoid messes at all costs. I am not a person who likes to make or clean up messes, and so to avoid any of that hassle, I simply fed her every meal. Unless it was something simple and easy to clean, I spoon fed her meals for years!
This obviously was not going to work when my twins started eating solids. I needed a better solution, so I decided to make meals they could feed to themselves. This was helpful to save me from having to keep spoon feeding them both, but it made a huge mess! I was constantly mopping the floor, and going through the hassle of removing those high chair covers to wash them. If you have ever had to remove and then re-attach a high chair cover, you know what a pain this can be!
It wasn’t until I was at my sister-in-law’s house on Christmas that I realized how silly this was. Her toddler’s high chair looked perfectly clean. Then she pointed out that it was missing the cover. She simply took it off and didn’t put it back. Why hadn’t I thought of that amazing mom hack? I came home, took both covers off the twins’ high chairs, and have not put them back since. It has made such a huge difference in cleaning.
Mopping the floors underneath the high chairs was also a huge pain. What a mess a baby can make when they are learning to feed themselves! So I decided to forget about mopping. I now place an old sheet under the high chairs, and when it gets dirty enough I throw it in the wash and put out a new sheet. No more trying to scrape up all the stuck on food bits from my kitchen tiles!
Lazy Mom Hack #2 – Let Your Older Kids Get Their Own Snacks
Any parent of a preschool or school aged child knows that kids want snacks ALL THE TIME! What busy parent has time to constantly keep going into the kitchen to prepare a snack for their kids? So make it easy on yourself with this parenting hack for older kids. Set things up in your kitchen so your kids can get their own drinks and snacks whenever possible.
This means keeping kids cups, plates and bowls in a lower cabinet where your kids can reach. Designate a shelf or an area of your pantry just for snacks that you don’t mind your kids getting on their own. Do the same in the fridge, leaving things they can get for themselves on lower shelves so they don’t need to constantly ask for your help.
Not only will this save you time, it will also help your kids develop some independence, which is a good thing!
Third Parenting Tip – Get Your Kids to Take Showers
I don’t know about you, but kneeling down next to the bathtub to give my young child a bath is not something I enjoy at all. She’s certainly old enough to bathe herself, but she still enjoys playing in the bathtub, and she has trouble washing and rinsing her long hair while in the tub. I have tried getting her to take showers instead (at least some of the time) for years! The problem is, the shower head is so high it’s scary for her.
The solution? Set up a kid friendly shower! This is an idea I got from a friend, and let me tell you, it is genius! It is definitely one of my most favorite mom hacks ever!
First, you need a hand held shower head, the kind with a long hose. Then, you need something to attach it to. I used a command strip and one of those hooks for hanging pictures. Finally, use a rubber band or thick hair band and tie it around the shower head. Then, voila! – you can hang the shower head lower for when your kid needs a shower.
This is also super helpful for bathing babies and toddlers in the tub. Instead of fumbling with a silly rinse cup or the tub faucet, I used the handheld showerhead to rinse the babies as well! Before their bath I hang it on that same hook so it’s nearby when I need it during their bath.
Bonus tip – get a shower head with a “pause” feature, so you don’t have to turn the faucet on and off during the bath.
Genius Hack #4 – Hide Toys From Your Kids!
One thing I have learned in my time as a mom is that kids play with their toys more the less they they actually have. This is true of babies, toddlers and kids alike. When you clean up and remove half the toys, suddenly they play with the toys they have so much more!
The only problem with this is that kids also get easily bored of the same toys after awhile. This is why I rotate their toys so that when they start to get bored of the toys they have, I hide those away and bring out different ones. I actually do this same thing for my dog!
There are several benefits to doing this. For one, your house will look cleaner and less cluttered with less toys around. This saves time from cleaning toys and keeps your sanity in check. Another benefit is your children will play for longer periods independently. And finally, you will save money by not having to keep buying new things to keep your kids entertained!
Case in point – I saved pretty much every single toy that my first child had once she outgrew them. Now that we have the twins, I have slowly been bringing those toys down from the attic. And wouldn’t you know I find my older daughter happily playing with many of those toys when I bring them out. New (or forgotten) is always more interesting to babies and older kids as well.
This may be harder to get away with as your kids get older and less likely to forget their toys, but it still works. I try to keep as much of my older daughter’s toys and games as I can in closets and cabinets. She might not forget they exist, but just having them out of sight for awhile makes them more interesting (not to mention keeping the house so much less cluttered).
Finally, when your kids do outgrow a toy (or just plain don’t like it anymore) and you don’t plan to have any more kids to save it for – get rid of it!
Organizing Mom Hack – Save Those Plastic Takeout Containers!
This is one of my favorite tips for keeping organized with kids. You know those plastic containers that you get with a lot of takeout orders? Save them when you’re done with them rather than recycling. They are just the right size for storing all sorts of things around the house that would otherwise be creating huge amounts of clutter.
I use them for crayons, markers, pencils, marbles, little pieces from my daughter’s Calico Critters toys, Polly Pockets, hair clips, kids jewelry, batteries, stickers, nails, screws, the list goes on and on.
I used to use cookie tins and those were good too, but the great thing about the takeout containers is they have clear tops so you can see what is inside without needing to label them. They also stack really well. So rather than dumping all these tiny little things in drawers, toy bins, etc., you can store them in these little containers! The containers are also flat enough to fit in a lot of drawers. It is so nice to open a drawer and see things organized like this rather than just thrown in!
#6 – Most Creative Idea For Bathing Babies and Toddlers
I have to credit a very smart friend for this one – I never would have thought of such a creative idea myself. This one has been especially helpful with twin babies. It’s a really smart idea for making bath time easier and it won’t cost you a penny as long as you have a laundry basket.
That’s right, just a plain old plastic laundry basket. Stick that in the tub and it will contain your older baby or toddler as well as their bath toys. You can also put a non slip bath mat underneath to keep the basket in place, although your child’s weight should be enough. It’s so easy to do and it really makes bath time with a curious and active baby or toddler a breeze!
Besides making bath time easier, this creative mom hack will also save you money over buying yet another baby item. Who needs another baby bather or bath seat? The laundry basket trick works just as well!
For more tips on baby baths – read my post on how to bathe a baby!
Another Use for Cloth Diapers
If you have ever used cloth diapers, you know how absorbent they are. I mean, that’s the whole point of them – they are designed to absorb wetness. I used cloth diapers on my twins as newborns, so I have a whole stash of newborn sized cloth diapers. They are still so clean and new feeling, I didn’t want to throw them away just because my twins outgrew them!
I’m not talking about the fancy all in ones or pocket style diapers. Just the simple cotton prefolds. Once you have washed them a few times, they become super absorbent. I had so many extras, I started keeping them all around the house. At first I was just using them to wipe up spit up. Then I realized they made excellent household rags.
I keep them stashed away in all sorts of places around the house. When something spills, I don’t reach for the paper towels. These prefold diapers work so well at soaking up wetness, they are my go to for whenever I need to quickly mop up a spill. And unlike many rags and towels, they won’t drip all over the place.
Another great idea – buy a few in a larger size and use them as hair towels.
Mom Hack # 8 – Babyproofing
This mom hack might seem obvious, but it still deserves a place on the list. If you want to keep your sanity as a parent, you need this tip.
I know you will want to babyproof your whole house as best as you can. But as you do this, make sure to designate at least one room as a totally safe (as much as anything can be totally safe) room for your baby or toddler. Choose a room that is centrally located in your house, such as a family room or den, and do your best to make the room completely safe for your baby or toddler.
When you have at least one place in your home to put your baby or toddler where they will be safe for a few minutes, it makes such a difference! Of course it’s best not to leave babies and toddlers unattended, and accidents can always happen. However, with babies (especially twin babies) it’s just not possible to watch them every minute. Having a safe space where they can play for a few minutes while you make a coffee or use the bathroom without having to cart your baby from room to room is really important.
Bonus Tip!
Once again, I can’t take credit for this idea, but it sure is a great one! What do you do when you have a bunch of dripping wet bathing suits in the summer or snow suits and coats in the winter? You need a place where they can drip dry without ruining your floors
Instead of letting all that water make a mess and ruin your house, all you need is a simple shower tension rod. Set it up at the back of your shower and hang anything that needs to drip dry on it. The water will drip into your bath tub instead of on your floors!
I hope you found some of these mom hacks helpful!
