Being a mum is super amazing, but sometimes, it can be pretty messy. You have to take care of your husband, as well as the kids. Also, you have to do domestic chores, and you combine all these with your job. It isn’t easy, but there are some mum hacks that could make being a mother to be less stressful.
This post covers the mum hacks. If you are a working mum, the hacks discussed in this post will be very useful to you.
12 mum Hacks that Will Make Motherhood Easier for You
1. Use Sellotape to Hold Diapers
Every mother out there knows how difficult the period between wearing diapers and potty training is. In fact, every child goes through the phase of pulling off their diapers and making a mess everywhere. When your baby is in this phase, a great mum hack is to use a sellotape to hold the diapers firmly.
That way, your baby wouldn’t be able to pull it off. It works like a charm on every child, although most times, the child removes the diaper due to the heat. A great tip here is to always rub some soothing powder on the nappy area before wearing the diaper for your child.
2. Label Clothing Items
Another favourite mum hack is to carefully label all clothing items. This means that you should simply put a name tag on every top, shirt, skirt or shorts in your household. When you do this, laundry becomes somewhat easy, especially on days when you are super exhausted but have to do it anyway.
Thanks to these labels, you need not spend so much time wondering if a shirt belongs to your eldest son or his younger brother. Paper tape is the best option to use, as it doesn’t damage the clothes in any way. You could also label the drawers, laundry baskets and wardrobes if your children share the same room.
3. Create a Meal Plan
A great mum hack that is a lifesaver is meal planning and bulk cooking. Even if your kids or your husband are not foodies, cooking in bulk and having a meal plan would help optimise your time. So, set a day aside when you’ll carry out your cooking chores.
You can cook different Nigerian foods and soups, and then put it into airtight containers in the freezer. These meals can last for as long as a month without spoiling, provided there is a regular power supply. You can also create a meal time table as a weekly guide and ensure you stick to the schedule. This saves you the hassle of having to think about what meal you will make on a daily basis.
Pro Tip: Check Out the 6 Health and Easy Breakfast Ideas for Kids.
4. Make a Priority List
Motherhood is stressful — no doubt — but mothers can achieve a lot of things along with other previously set goals. A hack that allows mothers to accomplish set goals is to write down three major goals that must be achieved the next day.
The goals should not be specific as it can be an errand, personal goal, house chore or even movie date. There are no limits here as the main aim is to ensure that a day doesn’t pass without you achieving something.
5. Consider Using a Breast Pump
It is important to breastfeed your baby; in fact, it is one of the joys of motherhood. However, as a working mum, breastfeeding your child might be extremely challenging, and that is where breast pump comes into play. Smart mums use breast pumps and, therefore, are able to achieve the prescribed six months of exclusive breastfeeding for their children.
6. Create a Personal mum’s Daily To-do List
This mum hack is related to the above hack, which is about making a priority list. A mum’s daily to-do list helps you map your day, lets you know the chores that are needed to be done, what to shop for and how much time is left to do other things. The to-do list should be centred on how you can swiftly handle chores and still have personal time for fun.
7. Have a Beauty Routine
The fact that you’re a mum and super busy doesn’t mean you should look scruffy and tired every time. Look for a makeup routine to work with, and try and use it every day. It could be a bit of eyeliner or even the good old fashioned red lipstick.
When you do this, you’re sure to always look presentable and stunning all the time.
8. Keep Snacks in the Car
Another mum hack that is an ultimate no-brainer is keeping snacks at the centre console of the car or in the glove compartments. Get a pack of sweets, cookies, candy or any other car snacks. Leave them in the car, and don’t even bother taking them into the house.
You could even put small plastic bowls in the car where biscuits or chinchin can be put. Doing that will make your car trips quiet and tantrum free, especially because one of the best ways to handle a child’s emotion is by distracting them with food. So, stock up your car with the sweet stuff.
9. Multi-task to Ensure Smooth School Runs
For mums who have children that are in day school, a great mum hack to nail the very busy school mornings is multitasking. You need to get yourself ready, as well as your kids. They have to be fed, bathed, cleaned and their homework’s must have been done a day before.
Also, you need to have washed and ironed their uniforms, as well as put out their shoes and socks. When you do these, all you have to focus on in the morning is getting them ready and making breakfast.
10. Use a Family Calendar
Here’s a mum hack that keeps everything in place. A family calendar helps in keeping track of daily activities; it tells mums where the kids are supposed to be and when they’re supposed to be there. You would definitely know where to find them if need be.
This calendar also keeps records of every expense made in the family; record of kids’ demand and what to buy can all be controlled with the calendar. It goes on in helping mums keep to their budget and avoid unnecessary spending. The little trick in the family calendar can save both time and money.
11. Get the Kids Engaged in Chores and Appreciate Them for It
This is the ultimate hack so far because once the kids are old enough to handle the chores, then mums can be free from the stress. How do you do this? Each time the kids are less busy, get them involved with age appropriate chores; let them do what they can to help even if it’s to clean their room telly or wash their favourite cup. Just have them do something!
Ask them to lay their bed after waking up in the morning; the more they keep doing this, the more they become masters at it. However, if the kids are being appreciated for their little effort, they will do more. So give them a glass of their favourite juice or buy them a gift for a job well done.
12. Fix a Trashcan in the Car
If mums got a Naira for every empty pack of biscuit been found in the car, they would be millionaires today. With the kids inside, a car can easily be transformed into a trash area. However, a small trashcan can save the time of going to clean up an untidy car.
As a driving mum, trash can in the car garners the dirt from dropping, since the kids already know its use. It’s a simple mum hack that will save you the stress of always having to clean your car.
No doubt, motherhood can be stressful — especially for first-time mothers. However, with the mum hacks stated above, it is believed that doing domestic chores and taking care of the family should be easier and fun filled.
