Seasoned Mom Hacks: 21 Brilliant Tips

Seasoned Mom Hacks. Twenty-one parenting hacks and tips to help make it easier for you to manage your family and rock motherhood.

Experience can bring a lot of wisdom with it. While being a mom for a while doesn’t make all things easier, there are little tricks along the way you figure out that can all add up to life going a little smoother. Here are some seasoned mom hacks to help you out.

21 Seasoned Mom Hacks

Help Prevent Bad Behavior

Before you go somewhere, talk with your children about your expectations. Talk with them about what they can expect. If you are headed to the park, talk to them before you go about how to respond when it is time to go. This isn’t guaranteed to prevent a meltdown when you say it is time to go, but it usually will. See my post Ask and Tell for a full rundown of how this works.

Let them know what you will say and how they should respond. Let them know what consequences will be if those expectations aren’t met. Apply those consequences if expectations are not met.

If you are headed to the dentist, tell your child what it will be like. Practice for the dentist at home before you go. Have your child lie on his/her back and you brush the teeth a few times before you go. Knowledge really is power. See Dentist Tips for Kids for more.

Help Keep Your Child Cheerful

When you are out and about running errands or even on a fun vacation but it is the end of a long day, distraction can be such a great friend to you. As your child to count five red things. As your child to tell you a word that starts with the letter I. Ask your child to find a square around him. Teach your child a fun little song. Ask what sound letters make.

I used this tool as we walked the streets of New York City with my then five-year-old. It was magic. I wrote all about it in How To Easily Get Your Child To Do What You Say.

Keep Items Separate When Shopping

I loved this school shopping tip from Rhianna. I will be using this next summer as we shop for school supplies!

“School supply shopping. All 4 school-age kids (ages 4-10) carried their own handbasket at the store and put their school supplies in it (some read their own lists, others came to me to ask what next) and then at checkout we bagged it by kid and labeled the names, then it’s already divided by name so I don’t have to sort it. It felt great to keep things divided that way!”

Keep Stocking Stuffers Divided as You Buy

I like to shop early. That is is super handy and great, but it can be hard when it is time to get presents under the tree or in stockings and you can’t remember exactly what was for whom.

I solved this by keeping a separate bag for each person’s stocking stuffers. As I buy something, I add it to the bag. I keep all of the bags in a box, which is up too high to reach. This helps keep things organized. It also prevents me from over-buying because I look in there every time I get a new gift. I can see when to stop.

On the night, I get the bag, put it all in one stocking, and move to the next one.

Check Dosage of Medicine

Brandy shared this about the dosage of medicine.

“I just found out children’s Tylenol is the same dosage per 5 mL as infant Tylenol. (160 of acetaminophen per 5 mL) They just put the infant in small containers and jack up the price.”

Take Water With You When You Travel

If you like your sanity, just do yourself a favor and keep water in the car. Keep water in the car.

Children do not realize they are thirsty until they are forced to sit still. They can play for hours and be fine. As soon as they have to sit for prayer, scriptures, a car ride…suddenly death is imminent! Water must happen now!

Keep water in your car.

We keep emergency water in the vehicle just in case we break down somewhere. I don’t break it out every time. But if we really just need some peace, I will break out the emergency water. I feel like that is a mental emergency. See what else I keep in my car here.

When we take a road trip of even just 45 minutes or more, I tell my kids to pack a water bottle for the road. I don’t want to hear complaints about how thirsty they are.

Bonus tip, do be sure to have potty happen before you leave if you are going to take water along with you.

If you are wondering about kids drinking water, see this post Everything You Need To Know About Kids and Hydration.

Swap Childcare With Another Parent

Swapping childcare can make errands easier or help keep sanity intact. Diedre said:

“Swapping childcare with a friend – I take their kids for 3 hours one weekday morning, they take mine for 3 hours another weekday morning. Maybe 2 days out of the month total. No money is exchanged, and both mommas get some things done without needing to worry about kids! And bonus playdate for the littles.”

Teach Kids How to Puke in the Bowl

Again, if you like yourself, teach your child to puke in a bowl.

This is when training in times of non-conflict is so handy. The time to teach your child to puke in a bowl is NOT when your child is sick. That probably won’t work. Your child doesn’t feel well…you are panicking and less patient…

The best time is when you have a child perfectly healthy. “If your tummy feels like it is going to throw up, hurry to the bathroom and you can throw up in the toilet. We can get you a bowl to throw up in. You want to make sure you always look down into the bowl. You don’t want to look to the side, no looking up, and no even looking straight ahead. Always into the bowl.” Then practice.

Have Rules for Sharing with Friends

Little ones can cause a lot of tension when it comes to sharing. Jess shared this idea:

“Great sharing problem solver my sister shared with me! Kid A has a toy that Kid B wants. Kid B asks for a turn and Kid A tells them how many minutes until they can have a turn (at 3yo the max is five minutes). This is GENIUS. Kid A doesn’t feel like they are being “forced” to share and Kid B knows when they will get a turn. We honestly don’t even need to set a timer usually because toddler minutes are so much shorter than real minutes.

This has been a GAME CHANGER on our weekly pizza nights with two other families who also have preschool age kids.”

Follow Through

If you want your child to learn and grow, follow through. If a rule is broken, follow through. Even seasoned moms can forget to do this one, especially with the youngest child.

Delegate Chores

Have your children help out around the house. Dana shared:

“My husband runs two businesses and said, “if I’m doing all the work, I’m not making any money.” That little tip changed everything. I was running around like a crazy person trying to do everything myself. He told me to delegate. So I did! Now my kids (3yr-7yr) help with dishes, laundry, cleaning tubs and toilets. We take a little time every day and we all work to get things done. It’s been great!”

18 Truths About the First Year of Motherhood

Make Errands Easier

You can make your life easier by making errands easier. Get grocery store pick-up or groceries delivered. Grocery shopping can be so hard with little ones, and so getting groceries delivered or even just being able to just pull up and get your order can make life so much easier.

Shop online. Pay bills online or do automatic bill pay. Simplify what you can.

Color Code Sippy Cups

Jennifer shared how they make life a little easier with their five kids:

” We have a lot of kids (5) so one minor thing that has saved us time has been color coding water bottles. They always have the same one, same color, starting around 12-18mo. Just bought like 3 of the same and always know who left it out, who doesn’t have theirs, who left theirs in the car, etc. Never fighting over who gets which one.

Then when they are in kindergarten they get to pick a new color of hydro flask and get 2 (which sounds expensive but the oldest has literally used the same two for going on 3 yrs now).”

Keep Diaper Changes Clean

Fortunately for me, Brayden’s first blow-out happened when my sister-in-law was visiting from California. She was the mother to two. As I approached that diaper, covered in baby poop, I couldn’t imagine pulling it over my one-week-old’s head. She told me to pull the onesie down, not up. Do not go over the head, pull it down over the trunk and off the legs. Genius! No one wants to get poop on baby’s head.

Prevent Whining at Stores

I love this tip from Kelly about children wanting to get toys at the store. I always tell Brinley to put anything she wants on her list. It does work!

“Telling children (from the time they are toddlers) to “put it on your birthday/Christmas list” every time they show you something they like at the store. Then NEVER buy them anything while they’re shopping with you.

It works. My children have never begged, whined, or even asked for anything at the store, ever. It’s like they don’t even know it would be possible for me to buy something for them at Target. They just show me the item, I admire it and encourage them to put it on their list. They put it back STOKED, because in their mind they are definitely going to get this thing eventually. (Even though they usually forget all about it and it doesn’t make the list six months later.)

I’m so thankful someone shared this tip with me when my oldest was a baby!”

Take Care of Yourself

Self-care is a hot topic right now. You have heard it. You cannot take water from an empty well. You have to take care of yourself as a mother. It is good for you and your children for you to have a moment to yourself each day.

This post talks about how even just 20 minutes a day can make a positive difference in your day.

Save Money

We spend a lot of money on baby products. We don’t use many of them for very long, then we get sick of them cluttering our homes. Harmony said:

“Parenting tip: don’t buy your precious baby anything. Open up a bank account instead. Whatever you’re thinking of buying, they don’t need or want and won’t ever care.”

Parenting Hacks from Real Babywise Moms

Use a Timer

Oh the timer can help you with so much! Independent play, discipline, manners, self-control, tracking video game time, getting chores done faster…I love the timer. See my post The Timer AND my post 10 Uses For a Timer That Will Make Parenting Easier.

Keep Night Accidents Easy to Clean

Changing sheets in the middle of the night is a form of torture. One of my tricks for avoiding messes in the night is to size up for diapers (see my post Diapers at Night). Erica shared something helpful. She said:

“Layer your crib mattress. Waterproof liner, sheet, liner, sheet. Makes middle of the night sheet changes quick and easy! Peel off a layer and back down they go.”

Rotate Toys

Your children will enjoy their toys so much more if there are times they don’t have the toy. A toy rotation can help keep toys fresh and kids interested in what they are playing with. See Out With the Old, in With the New (toys) for more.

Keep Pancakes Clean

We use a pizza cutter to cut up anything like pancakes or french toast when we have a meal. See Pizza Cutter Tip {Meal Time Life Hack}

Deidre said:

“I use maple syrup as an ingredient when I’m stirring up french toast batter instead of pouring it on top of the finished product. Kids love that it still tastes sweet, and I avoid the dreaded stickiness!”

Conclusion

Little tips come with experience. These tips can help you have an easier time with your motherhood journey.

Find tips for having two little ones under two here: Two Under Two – 7 Tips for Keeping Everyone Alive and Sane.