Being a mom is no joke – before having my first baby I was a middle school teacher and I taught somewhere around 150 students a day. I figured after that, becoming a stay-at-home mom would be a breeze… I’m learning that’s not quite the case.
My mom friends have been a huge asset so far on this motherhood journey. We share our mom fails, cry with each other, and provide some much needed daily inspiration when baby just won’t sleep. But one of my favorite aspects of doing life with my mom friends is sharing all of our creative mom hacks to make life easier.
Below I’ve compiled a list of my favorite DIY mom life hacks for moms of toddlers- some I have discovered on my own through trial and error, some were inspired through Facebook mom groups (be sure to check out Moms Supporting Moms – Flawed and Fearless), and some come from those amazing moms that I do life with.
This specific post focuses on new mom hacks for babies and toddlers older than about 6 months. If you are a mom of a newborn, you’ll want to head over to this post instead.
#1: Keep the car seat straps and buckles cool in the summer with an ice pack
I live in Arizona where the summers are blazing hot, and a parked car in the sun can feel like a pizza oven after just a few minutes. I looked up car seat ice packs and they were all a little pricy for my taste (but I’m sure they work great). Instead, I found these reusable gel packs for less than half the price, and they come in a pack of two! I have one frozen and ready to go at all times and it makes such a HUGE difference on the temperature of the car seat, straps, and buckles before I put my baby in.
#2: Offer 2-3 options
Toddlers do great when they feel like they are the one calling the shots. They don’t always do so great when they are being told what to do… especially if they don’t want to do it. Instead of telling your kiddo what you want them to do, or even asking them nicely, try giving them two or three options to choose from instead.
For example, if it is time to leave the park and go home, don’t say “it’s time to leave the park now and go home”. Instead, try something like, “We are going to go home now, when we get back do you want to have a snack or do you want to play with your blocks?” This shifts their focus away from what they are being required to do, and instead gives them a choice to make and something to look forward to. Try it!
#3: Apply sunblock with a beauty blender
This one is great for babies and toddlers! I use these beauty blenders, put a dab of sunblock on them, and then apply to my babies face, ears, neck, arms, etc. She is so much less resistant to getting her sunblock put on, and I find it is SO much easier to get good, even coverage.
[Related post: Our Favorite Montessori Toys and Activities]
#4: Remove elastic hair bands with lemon essential oil
You can read all about this girl mom hack and how it works here!
#5: Use a laundry basket in the tub
This bath time baby hack is great for those slightly younger ones who are learning to sit but aren’t quite crawling and splashing around the tub yet on their own. You can put them in the laundry basket with their toys – the basket helps them sit up and it prevents all of their toys from floating out of reach. Win win!
#6: Put hair ties or rubber bands on either side of the baby wipe opening
Sometimes when you go to get a wipe out, you get 3. Or instead of getting a wipe at all the entire package lifts up off the table as one clump. To prevent this, put hair ties or rubber bands on either side of that wipe opening for a dramatic difference.
#7: Join your local “buy nothing” group on Facebook
A good mom friend of mine introduced me to this. There are “buy nothing” groups all over Facebook that you can join to get/give baby products for free. You have to find one in your area as they only let members within a certain radius join, but this is an awesome way to fill in those gaps from your baby shower without breaking the bank. Speaking of Facebook groups, be sure to join our Flawed and Fearless mom group to get connected!
#8: Make your own breastmilk soap
This might not be for everyone, but I try to avoid chemicals where possible. Plus my baby girl has eczema on her face and extremely sensitive skin, so I worry about certain skin products with her. My sister-in-law actually introduced me to the idea of making my own soap! You can find all the details and the recipe here.
#9: Take professional style photos
This is for all of my fellow iPhone users. I am obsessed with photos and videos of my baby (duh) but the photographer in me also wants them to look as nice as possible without having to carry around my Canon camera everywhere I go. Thankfully, Apple has outdone themselves with their camera quality.
Open up your camera and scroll the “Portrait” setting. In the top right, you’ll see a fancy letter “f” in a circle. Click it, and then drag the slider bar at the bottom to 3.5. This is going to blur your background and give you that professional look!
#10: Lavender oil and cotton balls in your diaper genie
I know the whole point of a diaper genie is to contain the smell of diapers without having to take them out of the room after each change, but sometimes that poop smell is just too potent for even the best of diaper pails. Regardless of which brand you have, I love this hack for balancing out, and ideally, overpowering that nasty stink.
Take one or two cotton balls and tape them to the inside lid of your diaper pail (the diaper genie actually has an insert that you can stick them in) and then drop 5-6 drops of lavender oil on them. Or more if you really want that smell out of there. Bonus, lavender is a calming scent that can help promote good sleep!
#11: Dress your baby in white long sleeves in the sun
This is a great hack for those summer months when the UV rating is high and you can’t keep baby in the shade. Dark colors will make baby hotter and lighter colors keep baby cooler – a long sleeve white shirt provides great coverage in addition to, or in place of sun block on their arms. Less chemicals on their skin!
#12: Put a puppy potty training pad between the crib sheet and mattress
I have also heard and tried the layering trick (mattress – waterproof sheet – regular sheet – waterproof sheet – regular sheet) but I find simply putting a puppy pee pad between the mattress and the crib sheet works to prevent stains better. You could also try a combination of these two hacks! This is a great one for potty training.
#13: Keep emergency snacks on you at all times
I get hangry sometimes and I am an adult with regulated emotions (for the most part). You can’t expect a hungry toddler to act like anything except a hungry toddler. Keep something on you at all times that you can offer before your little one turns into a gremlin.
#14: Use toothpaste to remove sharpie from wood
Hopefully you don’t have to use this one.
#15: Keep your kids cups, plates, bowls, and plastic wear in a low drawer or cabinet
Even better if you can provide access to healthy snacks and access within their reach. This helps them learn independence and gives them that control over their daily decisions that so many toddlers crave.
#16: Turn chores into a game
Toddlers don’t know the difference between chores and play… that is to your advantage! Sure they may not be so great at them when they first start out, but the more they enjoy doing chores around the house with you at this age, the less of a fight it should be later on.
For starters, have them help you pull clothes out of the dryer and put them into a laundry basket. Have them help you match socks. Have them put their own dishes into the dishwasher. Let them control the water faucet in the sink when your rinsing off dinner dishes. Play clean-up games in their play room.
My 9 month old daughter helps me make her eggs every morning and she LOVES being part of this routine. I let her smell all of the seasonings before I put them in. She helps me whisk the eggs with a fork. And she reaches her tiny little hand into the bag of cheese and drops it into the egg mixture (yes it is a huge mess). I can’t wait to get her using her toddler kitchen stool once she starts standing independently so she can get involved in all of our (baby friendly) kitchen activities.
#15: Get your groceries delivered
To be fair, I used this before I was a mom. But now that I am a mom, I cannot imagine life without my grocery delivery. Some days it really is nice to get out of the house and walk around the store for some mental stimulation and to see other adult faces. But some days trying to get out of the house with a grumpy baby is a nightmare.
I personally use Walmart delivery for those days, but I have friends and family who use Instacart and love them as well. Whichever company you pick, there is nothing quite like getting all of your groceries without having to leave the house.
#16: Use empty diaper boxes to store clothes as your kid outgrows them
I keep an empty diaper box on the floor in my baby’s room. Every time I come across a onesie, shirt, pair of shoes, etc. that is too small for her, I roll it up and toss it in the box. When the box is full, I scribble a size range on it and put it in storage. This is a great way to recycle diaper boxes and store those clothes for any future babies without having to spend money on storage bins!
#17: Apply water or sunshine
This one is for those grumpy kiddos that seem to be unhappy for no good reason. It works! Apply water – If weather permits, splash around outside in the sprinklers, with water balloons, water guns, or a bucket of water and their imagination. Maybe a full bath (if your baby typically likes the bath). You can also try just the sound of running water like the tub or shower.
Apply sunshine – or really just getting them outside in any capacity. Get that baby outside on a walk, or let them lay in the grass for a few minutes. You can also try giving them a task to do outside such as “collecting” weeds or gathering rocks from the grass and putting them back in their rock home.
I like to combine the two and get out my babe’s splash pad.
These two techniques really work wonders with grumpy little ones.
#18: Use band aids to cover electrical outlets in hotels
Stash a few band aids in your purse, phone case, or wallet to keep on you for emergencies. And pack a few extra when you go on vacation! My baby loves to get into everything. She does not miss anything and is always getting into everything, including outlets. We have yet to run into any real issues and I pray we never will, and this hack helps us keep her out of trouble!
Band aids are too difficult for her to peel off the outlet herself with her current fine motor skill development, and they don’t leave any damage behind. Just don’t forget to remove them when you check out!
#19: Make a “yes” drawer
Create a special drawer filled with safe and age-appropriate items for your baby or toddler to explore. Even better if it is filled with items they don’t see on a regular basis or that they see you using (like rubber spatulas, a solar pocket calculator, etc.) This can help satisfy their curiosity while also preventing them from getting into some of those more dangerous or fragile items in the house.
#20: Use a shower curtain to contain messy play
Before you get out the paint project, sensory bins, play dough, or other fun and messy play activities, lay down a dollar store shower curtain and then toss it when the play is done for easy cleanup.
This post is constantly being updated as we learn more mom hacks! Be sure to check back and share with any toddler mom friends who could use some diy mom hacks.
Jess
