Having children is a wonderful blessing, but the struggle of being a parent is real. You’re on call from the second you wake up to the second you fall asleep. Time is crucial, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s where we come in, using our list of hacks, you’ll find you have some breathing room.
White Socks
Colored socks are cute and fun; however, if you have all white socks, it makes things easy to sort, and you don’t need to spend an hour remembering which kid has the sharks and which has the miso soup. Unless you want to. But moms have found that, with the way kids lose socks, this seems to be a simple solution.
Laundry
Some moms have a dedicated day for laundry, and if that works for you, then keep with what works. However, studies have suggested that having a day for each family member might be easier. For example, a mother with two kids might do the first child’s clothes one day and the second the next. It cuts down on time, and you don’t have to sort.
Sort The Dishwasher
This might seem like a pain, but separating your silverware and organizing your dishwasher ahead of time saves you time when putting things away. You just grab a pile of forks and put them straight in the drawer. It’s less complicated, and after a few times, the dishwasher loading won’t take as long.
Have A Family Day
These days, everything is go, go, go all the time. You never have a moment to rest. If this sounds like you, plan a family day where you spend all day in your pajamas having fun in the house. No chores, just resting and relaxing. It will make a world of difference and give your kids a break, too.
Kids Can Help
Time saving is vital to parents, especially when they have multiple children. If you’ve got kids who are old enough, have them help and do simple chores. Dishes, helping fold the laundry, cleaning their rooms, all of these things teach them responsibility and are all things they need to know when they’re older.
Daycare
When it comes to daycare, you already have a thousand things to worry about, but you should consider the location. If you’re working and the parent is dropping them off, you need to think about how this will impact your schedule. Some people use this as a brain break, but if you’re taking your child to a daycare and sitting in an hour or more in traffic, it could negatively affect you.
Having A Schedule
Having a schedule can help save time. Make a list of everything you need to get done, and then pick a day or time that works for you. For example, dishes and things like that need to be done every day. But most people only clean their toilets or mop the floor twice a week, if that. You could clean the bathroom on Monday, the living room on Tuesday, etc.
Always Have An Extra Bag
So let’s face it. Kids are messy and they’re going to spit up or poop their pants or barf. So, having an extra bag (plastic, ziploc, etc.) along with the one that has all of your essentials is vital. You’ll use it to hold said pants, bibs, or shirts. Then, when you need to wash it, just put it in the laundry.
Meals
When it comes to meals, doing crockpot dinners or something easy saves a lot of time. It can also help to plan your week’s meals in advance and grocery shop around that. If you have little ones, you can also pick up some food pouches or try your hand at pureeing their food. A lot of moms swear that this saves them both time and money.
Calendar
When you have a schedule, work, meetings, and more, you’ll need a calendar. But most importantly, your husband needs to be aware of the calendar and be on board with everything. When two parents don’t know what’s going on or everything’s falling on one person, it creates an issue and strain.
Groceries
If you don’t have time to shop, try ordering your groceries and having them delivered, or go and pick them up. If you do have time to shop, try arranging it at a time you and your spouse have off so that one can watch the kids and the other can shop. The last thing you need is hungry kids in the store on the cereal aisle.
Establish Routines
Having a routine in place helps your child to know what to expect. For instance, when they wake up and make their bed, they get dressed, eat breakfast, brush their hair and teeth, and then get their bag ready for school. Simple, precise, and the more they do it, the easier mornings become. As a mom, you should have a morning routine as well to ensure that getting out the door is simple.
Have Reminders
If you’re worried that a schedule isn’t enough, set reminders on your phone or use a planner app. A lot of them are super cute and fun while helping people make the most of their day and time. Not to mention that some of them have a fun gamification aspect to them that makes daily activities more fun.
Prepare The Night Before
This includes your bag, the dishwasher can be run at night, and the kids’ clothing, etc. Having all of this done ahead of time saves you time and effort. Not to mention, the dishes will be ready for you to use because they are already clean. If you have a robotic cleaner, you could run that at night as well.
Use Mesh Bags
Mesh bags are amazing for delicates like undergarments, but they can be great for kids’ socks, too. You have far less of a chance of losing them if they’re all together. It cuts down on time trying to find out how the dryer ate your kid’s clothing. You could even have a mesh bag per family member to keep things sorted easily.
Saving Time
When you want to save time as a mom or dad, it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. In fact, it can be quite easy. It’s all about looking at your life and seeing things that could be altered slightly to make things more convenient for your family. With our list of easy hacks, we promise you’ll find some time to breathe and relax.
