Mom Hacks – Volume 3

Here we are again with more Mom tips and tricks that I continue to learn as I go, day by day. These are helpful tidbits of knowledge that have given me great assistance in maintaining some source of organization or helped speed things up when things get a little chaotic. And that’s with just one child for now! I am well aware things are about to get a whole lot more interesting with another little bundle on the way.

The further I get into my second pregnancy, the more I am trying to obtain schedules, follow plans and guidelines for both myself and my household and gain a prioritized perspective on how to manage our home. Easier said than done! But it certainly is helping prepare me for the unknown. The uncontrollable future. Each day comes with it’s own highs and lows, peaks and valleys, and it is important to have a handle on the bigger picture rather than allowing yourself to fall into disarray, or worse yet, shame.

Parenting is hard, there is no doubt about that. These are some Mom Hacks that I have found useful as I navigate this unpredictable lifestyle.

Bubbles during bath time

This is something I have done recently with my son and he loves it! Bath time can either be a lot of fun for some kids, like my own, or a real struggle for others. By distracting them with blowing bubbles, you can achieve cleaning their little bodies that much faster. And it’s less messy playing with bubbles indoors when it is above the bathtub.

Pull a onesie down to remove from baby

Luckily, I had learned this prior to having my first born, but it amazes me when I hear new parents are unaware. Those little flaps at the shoulders of a onesie, are meant to be pulled down over the body to be removed downward off of your little one. This prevents having to pull another piece of clothing over your child’s head, and is incredibly helpful for less mess after a nasty blow out.

Wash all produce before putting away after purchasing

It can be scary and almost disturbing to know what kind of awful preservatives, pesticides and natural filth that are on your produce. From local, to imported, even organic produce can have residue on it that you yourself wouldn’t want to ingest, let alone feed it to your child. I clean all of my produce right after I bring it home and before I put it away. This allows it to be an easy grab and go for consumption later. Fruits and veggies such as apples, oranges, avocados, peppers, lemons, etc, I hand wash with dish soap and rinse well. Some, yes, you do not eat the skin of, but when you cut into these items, you are inserting the yucky stuff into that piece of produce. For items like berries or grapes, I use the baking soda and vinegar technique. Sprinkle a bit of baking soda over your produce, pour a small amount of vinegar over these items and allow the chemical reaction to eat away and clear off all the gross stuff. Then thoroughly rinse and enjoy, and before you ask, no, you will not taste the baking soda or vinegar if rinsed properly.

Snack prep day

Pick a day of the week to prepare snacks for the family. This can involved cutting up vegetables and fruit. Baking muffins or cookies. Maybe you buy things in bulk and can create snack sized portions. This helps provide healthy options, homemade goodies and gives your family a variety of ideas for snack time or in between meals.

Regular house cleaning prevents clutter

Ever look around your home and think “what happened in here?”. That appearance as though a bomb went off with stuff scattered all about? While this isn’t ever completely preventable, you have to live in your home after all, it can be far more manageable. By having a regular cleaning schedule, whether that be assigned cleaning tasks to certain days or an overall cleaning day within the week, cleaning your home regularly will always help prevent clutter, because you are picking it up as you go.

Distractions during change times

Stopping play time or being pulled away from an activity for a diaper change is less than desirable for a lot of children. By singing fun songs, playing with small toys or objects like a Tupperware container, even giving them a book to look at can be a stress-free distraction for both the child and the parent.

This will be an on going article series within Tidy Hives, as I navigate through motherhood, and have more children. Every child is different, technology and gadgets are ever changing and as we add more children to our families, we are constant students in our daily lives. It is a beautiful thing to learn about life along side our kids. As we learn, it doesn’t mean what we did before was wrong, it just gives us more options in handling things and tricks to making our lives a little bit easier. A bit more organized. A bit more peaceful.

Melanie xoxox