15 Mom Hacks to Make Life Easier

Let’s face it, moms need all the genius tips and tricks, aka Mom Hacks, for making life easier. You not only have yourself to take care of (and ALL that goes with that โ€“ groceries, meal planning, cleaning, paying bills, etc.), but now you have a little one and all of THEIR needs to take care of!

15 Mom Hacks to Make Life Easier

I’m 4 years and 3 kids into this mom life thing, and I’ve learned a few things along the way. Whether you have a newborn or toddler, these are some life-changing tips and tricks every busy mom should know to help save time and sanity!

Here are a handful of clever mom hacks I’ve figured out to make your life simpler!

15 Genius Mom Hacks to Make Life Easier

15 Mom Hacks to Make Life Easier

1. Keep an emergency bag in your car.

One of my best new mom life hacks is to keep a small bag in your car with daily necessities. When our kids were infants, we kept 2 diapers, a travel size wipe pack and a change of clothes. Now I keep diapers and wipes for Penelope and a pair of pants for Roy (who’s mostly potty trained).

Mom hack - Keep an emergency bag in your car

You could also keep a pacifier or small toy in there too! We also used to keep a nursing cover in Rishi’s car in case he forgot the diaper bag since I preferred to use a cover while nursing.

I can’t tell you how often this came in handy for us, especially in that first year of life!

2. Use a mesh garment bag for socks.

It’s hard enough to keep my own socks from getting eaten by the laundry monster, much less those tiny kid ones! Keep a garment bag near your hamper to throw socks in so you don’t lose them โ€“ super easy and it will save you from wasting time searching for them!

Put baby socks in a mesh zippered bag for easy folding!

3. Get your groceries delivered!

This is one mom hack I used ALL the time to save time and reduce stress when Penelope and Miles (our 2nd and 3rd) were newborns. There’s nothing worse than lugging 3 kids to the grocery store in 1 degree weather, and when I had all 3 I had to use the giant carts to keep everyone contained! Those are a beast to maneuver around the store. ๐Ÿ™‚

This also helped me meal plan since I ordered all of my groceries Sunday evening to be delivered Monday so it forced me to figure out what we were going to eat!

4. Keep a bin in your kid’s closet for clothes.

My sister-in-law taught me this, and I think it’s brilliant! Rather than walking to the basement every time a onesie is too little, I just throw it in the bin. Once the bin is full, I put the cover on it and put it in our storage room!

Mom Hacks - Keep a bin in your child's closet for clothes that are too small.

I also write the sizes that are in the bin on a sheet of paper and put it inside the bin facing out so I can see it when it’s in our storage room. Then I know exactly what’s in there โ€“ instantly organized!

I shared this mom hack along with tons of other helpful tricks on my 7 Genius Tips for How To Organize Baby Clothes (+ other stuff) post!

5. Rotate toys.

This was one of the best life hacks for moms with toddlers. We all know toddlers lose interest in toys super quickly. They play with something every day for a week and then never want to see it again.

Rotate toys to keep the kids' interest!

We have 3 medium-sized bins of toys that we keep on each level (upstairs is where our bedrooms are, main level is where our living room/dining room is and our basement is our “fun” room).

Most of our play time is on the main level and sometimes the basement, but each level has a bin full of toys appropriate for both Roy and Penelope (trucks/cars, a doll, musical instrument, etc.). I rotate the bins every couple of weeks, and it’s always fun to see the toys they haven’t seen get played with again! It makes them seem new again.

Every once in a while Roy will ask for a certain toy so we’ll pull it out but often times they just play with what’s around them!

6. Use furniture pads on doors.

This is probably my favorite mom hacks. Rishi did this when Roy was little, and it was GENIUS. There’s nothing worse than shutting a door while a child is sleeping, only to wake them up with the close of the door. Rishi put furniture pads where the door hits the door frame, so there’s no more noise!

Genius Mom Hacks - Use a furniture pad on your kid's door so it doesn't make a sound when you shut it.

If you don’t do any of the other tips, you HAVE do this one! We bought a pack of furniture pads from Amazon because it fits all of our needs โ€“ furniture, kids table/chairs, doors, etc! And you’ll have extra for when some lose their stickiness or you switch up furniture!

7. Keep a small bag of kid activities in your car.

We bought this cute Buckle Toy backpack on Amazon for Roy for one of our flights to California to visit Rishi’s family.

Keep a small bag of kid activities in your car.

When we got home, I kept a book, a Water Wow coloring book and a small notebook with a bag of crayons in it. We pull it out when we go to restaurants or anywhere where we may need some distractions for him!

8. Get your kids to help with chores at an early age.

No, this isn’t child labor โ€“ it’s truly a great hack for moms with toddlers! ๐Ÿ˜‰ Kids love helping out and feeling part of something, so allow them to help!

We’ve started having Roy feed Chloe (our dog) dinner each night and help with letting her in and out of the house. Now that Penelope is getting older, the two fight over who gets to feed Chloe. I call that a win in my book!

Get your kids to help with chores at an early age.

Roy brings his dishes to the counter after meals and, if we’re there to help him, he’ll dump any food in the trash and load the dishwasher.

Penelope has started pulling out plates or bowls while I prepare meals. She’s also getting to the age where she can bring her dishes to the counter with assistance getting it into the sink.

Both kids clean up their own toy messes and are learning how to put their own laundry away (Roy does great at it, Penelope’s still figuring it out).

I’ve quickly learned that the kids could be whining at my feet while I’m trying to prepare meals or I could empower them to help out, which eliminates the whining! Yes, it may take a bit longer or not be done exactly right, but they’re learning and helping! It’s a win, win!

9. Double layer sheets.

We don’t do this 100% of the time, but if one our kids is sick or if our newborns are dealing with a ton of spitting up, we do!

Rather than having to completely remake the bed (especially for those middle of the night blowouts!), layer a waterproof sheet, a regular sheet with another waterproof sheet and regular sheet.

Double layer sheets.

That way if there is the need to change sheets, all you need to do is remove the top 2 layers (sheet + waterproof sheet) and you’re good to go!

When our kids have the flu, I also put down a giant towel on the floor with a large bucket on it if there’s any chance of vomiting. This saves our floor and makes cleanup a ton easier when the inevitable happens!

10. Utilize the bath for crabby kids!

Sometimes that act of actually getting the kids in the bath can be a disaster, but adding some bath bubbles (lavender scented to induce calmness, ha!) and a few new to them toys (raid your kitchen for spatulas, cups or other utensils they can play with) paired with their favorite tunes can turn even the crabbiest kid into a happy one!

Utilize the bath for crabby kids - a favorite mom hack!

Roy especially loves it when I tell him we don’t have to actually wash his hair and all he has to do is play for the next 30 minutes to an hour!

11. Use a laundry basket for bathing baby.

Once your baby graduates from their newborn bath support and can sit on their own, use a laundry basket to keep them stable in the bath. Any regular plastic laundry basket with holes is perfect for putting your child in for bath time.

Not only will it be safer (less likelihood of falling, tipping, etc.) but their toys will stay close! Bonus โ€“ it makes it easier to wash them if they’re a wild child and would otherwise be moving all over the place!

Just be sure to always stay close whenever you bathe your child. ๐Ÿ˜‰

12. Make a marshmallow ice pack.

A simple mom hack - use marshmallows as an ice pack!

It’s inevitable that your little one will at some point need an ice pack. This is where a marshmallow ice pack comes in handy! Not only will an ice pack filled with marshmallows make the whole situation less scary (bonus, you can let them eat a few non-frozen ones while they ice) but it’s easier to mold around a child’s injury.

Simply fill a Ziplock bag (or 2 โ€“ one quart size and one gallon) with marshmallows, and throw it in the freezer. It’ll be ready the next time you need it!

13. Keep Band-Aids in your wallet.

I learned this one from my sister-in-law, and โ€“ funny enough โ€“ it was for me and not one of my kids! We were traveling together, and I got a blister on my foot. She quickly pulled out her wallet and handed me a Band-Aid.

Genius!

Be prepared! Keep Bandaids in Your Wallet

We’ve all been away from home and in need of a Band-Aid, whether it’s for us or โ€“ more likely โ€“ one of our kids. You don’t always have your first aid kit from your car or a box of Band-Aids in your diaper bag but chances are good that you have your wallet!

Keeping a few Band-Aids in your wallet is the perfect way to keep your (or your kids’) owies covered.

14. Use Band-Aids to cover outlets while traveling.

Now that we all have Band-Aids in our wallet, you’ll always have Band-Aids for when you need to cover up an outlet or two! Crawling babies seem to get into everything, and it’s unreasonable to ask friends or hotels to cover up outlets for your visit.

Mom hack while traveling - Use Bandaids to Cover Outlets While Traveling

Covering up the outlet with a Band-Aid or two will help keep little fingers out of places they shouldn’t be, keeping everyone safe!

15. Use cupcake liners for popsicle drips.

We’ve used this favorite hack over and over in our house! It keeps our oldest kid nice and clean โ€“ which is a perk since he HATES to get messy โ€“ and also keeps our middle kid from covering herself with popsicle juice!

Use Cupcake Liners For Popsicle Drips

We sometimes like to double wrap for the most messy eaters or really hot days. ๐Ÿ˜‰

These simple life hacks can be implemented today to help you feel less stressed and more prepared for the unexpected!

What are your clever mom hacks?

I love how we’re constantly learning from each other as moms to help make life easier and save time! What mom hacks do you do? What do you wish you’d known sooner? Share with us your genius tips and tricks!

Love coordinating with your little one? Here’s the best places to shop for mommy and me outfits!

As always, thanks for reading and sharing!

Jen

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  • Jen Biswas

    Jen has styled women for photo shoots, fashion shows, board meetings, work trips and most importantly, every day life! She's been hired to style many homes as well. Her aesthetic aims to make style approachable and practical, and most of all fun! She's a mom of 3 who loves frozen cookie dough, plants and a generous pour of creamer in her coffee. Her biggest joy is helping others find joy in personal style through practical tips and inspiration. She loves to share all of her styling secrets on Paisley & Sparrow! Feel free to send Jen a message or join the fun on Instagram!

11 thoughts on “15 Mom Hacks to Make Life Easier”

  1. Rotating toys is the best. It even works for me, because I forget about them too. I usually just put a big bag in my closet and discover it the next year. Ha! I’m dying to see your braiding videos- going to check them out now!

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  2. Def love all these tips and didn’t bother to think about the mesh garment bag to keep the socks together ๐Ÿ™‚ I also need to make a “going out” activity bag– ASAP ! ๐Ÿ™‚

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