The baby season is amazing! And it goes by so fast. As they say “the years are short, but the days are long!” Here are five life hacks I’ve used for my three kids to minimize chaos and enjoy the moment.
Diapers in every room I live in, always. With our first daughter, we had a tiny house and a changing table that was literally fifteen steps from anywhere else in the house. Our second daughter came into a house with upstairs and downstairs and no changing tables in sight. In both situations, I strategically placed caches of diapers and wipes in rooms we spend a lot of time in. Currently, I have a drawer in the living room, a drawer in the bedroom, and a basket in the playroom dedicated to baby booty necessities. This has saved me and my husband time and energy. We don’t ever hunt. We know! And, when one stash runs out (oops!), we don’t have to wonder where an extra diaper might be. Seriously helpful, I know.
Laying out clothes - but for real. When I follow this lovely rule, I NOTICE the reduction in morning chaos. You won’t magically make a better decision in the morning. And, laying out clothes at night usually leads to looking at weather, schedules, even school assignments IN ADVANCE! Every momma who has woken up after a night of every three hour feedings to discover that baby #1 needs a pink and purple polka dot shirt to wear to kindergarten special day number 435 of the year can say AMEN!
Wash your hair and shower at night. Now, this is personal, but hear me out. There are mornings that baby wakes up, daddy is gone, or older child is sick and momma can’t get the shower that she desperately needs and the dry shampoo just can’t cut it another day. Those days happen a lot more in baby season. So, I experimented with washing and drying my hair at night. And, it was AMAZING! I ended up leaving the house dressed and with makeup on so much more often and so much more quickly!!! And, baby is welcome during my morning routine now. It’s spectacularly awesome.
Create at least one drawer or cabinet in your kitchen that your baby/toddler can rummage through at will. Baby season means saying no a lot. It also means child proofing if you are good at that sort of thing. I found that choosing my yes in advance helped on all fronts. So, I have boxes of toys strategically placed around the house when I need a distraction. And, I have decided that tupperware is my friend! With my first child, I had a cabinet of tupperware that CL would rummage through as I cooked or met with people or typed or whatever I needed to do. It was great. It was easy to clean up.
Play list. Environment is key during the baby season but your house is not likely to be super perfect; so, fake it with low lighting and great soft music in the background. For all three of my babies, I kept a mix of my favorite worship songs with sweet inspirational songs, and love songs that meant a lot to Phillip and me. Keeping connected is hard during the baby season, and hearing our favorite songs whisper to baby during nap time was exactly what I needed to remind me why I was bleary eyed but still really happy. It will also impact your mood - which is key.
What are some of your favorite hacks? Have you tried any of the above? Did they work for you?