I’m always looking for better ways to mom. Whether it’s in regard to cooking, cleaning, organizing, playing, or simply just saving my sanity, I’m constantly looking for the easiest and quickest ways to get things done. So, naturally, I turned to the internet to ask my fellow mamas what they do. Below you’ll find a compilation of some of the best #momhacks around. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find one that will change your life!
Food Hacks
- Portion out all readily available snacks! It gives the kids a visual of how to ration out what they want to eat. Once the snack is gone, it’s gone until the next grocery trip.
- Have a bowl of fruit and veggies easily accessible for little hands. The kids know they can have something from the bowl at any time! Now you don’t have to hear, “Mom, I need a snack!” a billion times a day.
- Cook your meat for the week and then freeze it! Brown the hamburger meat and add whatever seasonings you need (taco, etc.) and freeze in Ziplock bags for the week. You could also buy rotisserie chickens, pull the meat off of them, and freeze that for quick and easy meals later.
- Put a command hook on the back of a highchair to hang bibs. No more scrambling to find a bib at dinnertime this way!
- Tired of your kid squeezing a juice box and making a mess? Fold out the tabs that are on the sides of the juice box at the top. Now there are little wings for those chubby hands to hold on to. No squeezing required!
- Nothing is more frustrating than cutting up food into tiny bite-size pieces for new eaters. Carry some scissors in your diaper bag and you’ll save some time and your sanity.
- Instead of cutting a banana into discs, cut it in half length wise and then gently press down on the halves. It will naturally separate into three sticks and it is way less slimy than the discs!
- Always offer some sort of dip. BBQ, ranch, ketchup, mustard, Chick-fil-A sauce — you name it. Kids love dip.
- If your kid won’t eat something, give it a new name. Instead of broccoli, try baby trees. I bet they’ll be more interested!
Potty Hacks
- If you have a not-night-trained kid, layer sheets for easy wet bed cleanup in the middle of the night. Put down a waterproof mattress pad or puppy pad, and then a fitted sheet on top. Do this three times and you can just take off a layer quickly when needed at 2am.
- Automatic flushing toilets can be scary for little ones. Good luck trying to get a toddler to use a public restroom after they’ve been terrified of the toilet. Put a post-it note over the sensor and now it won’t scare them mid-pee!
- Get some individually-wrapped toilet seat covers online and keep a couple of them in your diaper bag or purse. We’ve all been in the nasty public bathroom situation. This will save you and those little hands from all the germs!
- Put Cheerios in the toilet if you’re potty training a boy. Now they have something to aim at, it can be fun, and hopefully you now have less bathroom cleanup!
- If you keep a potty seat in your car, put a diaper in the removable insert. Now you won’t have any bodily fluids sloshing around on your travel days. Easy cleanup!
Car Hacks
- Keep a plastic grocery bag in your car in case of vomit. Make sure it doesn’t have any holes!
- Put a pair of shoes for each kid in the trunk. Kids are always leaving the house without shoes! Now you won’t have to turn around, and you will actually be on time for once.
- Keep a Ziplock bag with a change of clothes (and diaper if needed) for each kid in the car. This way you have a fresh set of clothes when needed, and a bag to put the soiled clothes in.
- Always keep a hidden snack stash somewhere in the car. No one likes a hangry kid. Or a hangry mom.
- Always keep bug spray, sunscreen, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, and antibacterial wipes in the car. These are items that are always in high demand no matter where you are!
Kid Hacks
- Frozen waffles are great for teething! You can’t go wrong with something edible and cold for a fussy baby.
- Forget fighting the tight pajamas before bed when everyone is tired — let the kids sleep in loose, comfortable clothes. Boys love to sleep in their athletic attire!
- Put a fitted sheet over a pack ‘n play when you’re outside to keep the bugs out, the kid in, and the play area shaded.
- Toddler trying to escape the crib, but you aren’t ready for that just yet? Put them in a sleep sack, but put it on them backwards!
- Baby had a blowout? Pull the onesie down their body instead of over their heads. Less mess!
- Have a kid that likes to take their diaper off during nap time or upon an early wake up in the morning? Put zip-up pajamas on them backwards! Just twist the feet around forward so you don’t have to cut them off. Works like a charm.
- A blow-up plastic pool in the living room may look funny, but it is an excellent way to keep a crawling baby safely contained. Toss some toys in there and you can get some stuff done while they have a big contained space to play in!
- A kid never says no to a race. If there is something you want them to do that they are adamantly against, challenge them to a race. Race them to finish the veggies at dinner or race them to the car to avoid the meltdown leaving the park.
Life Hacks
- Poptarts. They work as breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack. Cereal works the same way.
- Do you have a kid that won’t stop talking? Give them a sucker and now you’re guaranteed a few precious minutes of silence. (Full disclosure: it works on adults too.)
- A Ziplock bag of frozen marshmallows works great as an ice pack!
- Lay out clothes for everyone, including yourself, the night before. You’ll get out the door faster the next morning! No more frazzled mom at 6am looking for a matching outfit.
- Did you know you can just buy the Happy Meal toys at McDonald’s for $2? Now you do. You’re welcome.
- School delayed or cancelled? Don’t tell your kids the night before! Wait until they wake the next morning. Now they’ll be excited and you got to keep your sanity at bedtime with a consistent routine. Everyone knows how hard it is to put an excited kid to bed.
- Only buy fitted sheets instead of sheet sets. Kids never use the top sheet. Shoot, I don’t even use the top sheet and I’m an adult. Save your money!
- Buy unisex toys when you see them on clearance. Wrap them and put a sticky note on them saying what they are. You never know when you’ll need a last-minute gift!
