Mom Hacks for Time Management with a Baby
Do the days feel long but the time to actually get things done seem too short? Do you feel like you don’t have enough time in the day to check those items off your to do list let alone to get a moment to yourself to just breathe? It is a major life adjustment having a baby and it’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed as it’s like starting a new job without a degree or any training. You can read all the baby books, but nothing truly prepares you for the experience! So, if it feels overwhelming, then give yourself grace and know that like any learning curve it gets better with time.
As a teacher, I know how to manage my time well as you always need ideas in your “back pocket” in case things change (which they always do with kids, as you know!) Being a master in time management has helped me immensely as a Mom to cram in a little more “me time” into my day. Read on if you feel like you need a little more of that too!
Hi! My name is Shannon, I’m a teacher, travel photographer and blogger and I have a 1 year old son!
Mom Hack #1 – Join a Mama Community!
Being a new Mom is lonely. Being a new Mom during a pandemic is even lonelier. I was not comfortable doing in person meetings with my baby other than with my parents for quite some time because of COVID. But I had a Mama community on WhatsApp to ask questions to, to share experiences with, to commiserate about the sleep deprivation and cluster feeding, etc. We would even message each other at 2am, finding solace in each other when you felt so alone in the middle of the night. Once our babies were a few months old and the weather was warmer, we even started to do in person stroller walks and join Mom and Baby outdoor exercise classes together.
Where did I manage to snag such a wonderful bunch of ladies?! Well, I joined a prenatal group while I was pregnant (I was very lucky to have it covered by my workplace benefits under social work. If you have them, do look into that before registering for a program!!) After the virtual class was done, we kept in touch via WhatsApp and supported each other and still do today! Shoutout to HBC Baby Mamas!
If you can’t do a prenatal class, there are so many other ways to find your Mama Community. If your baby is older, you can join a Baby Playgroup (many are considered support groups and are still operating during COVID). You can join a Mom and Baby exercise class, a Baby Music or Baby Activity class and meet other Moms that way. If your town is small or you don’t want to (or can’t) leave the house, you can join online communities. Various apps like Peanut, Mom Life, Ovia Parenting, Meetup or Next Door offer places to ask Mom questions anonymously, activities to join and meet up in person or virtually, or ways to chat with other like minded people. I joined a Book Club via Meetup and chatted about the book via Zoom once a month. It was the one activity I did every month after my son’s bed-time and I looked forward to it so much! I was too tired to leave the house at night but an hour long Zoom chat was enough to have something in my social calendar. Find your community and hold onto yourself and others during a time when you might feel like your baby’s needs are the only thing being tended to. You matter!
Mom Hack #2 – Don’t do anything while baby naps that you can do while they’re awake!
This can take getting creative, but it can be a major sanity saver! I have done many around the house chores while my baby was awake and have found different ones easier at different stages of my son’s life. While my son was a baby, I found cooking hard because he liked to be held and cooking is such an all-encompassing task. But putting him amongst the laundry while folding and putting it away? Easy! Now he likes to “help” me with the laundry and the trade off is that it can take much longer to do with his “assistance”. But I rather do it while he’s awake and save the time that he’s napping to get something I really need to get done or something I want to do for myself like showering, exercising, or reading a book. And if you’re baby is only napping 30 minutes at a time or only contact napping, I’ve been there too! It gets better! Try the first nap of the day in the crib as it’s the easiest one (as melatonin is still making your baby sleepy) and get done whatever is most important to you. Or maybe just scroll Instagram in bed for baby’s only crib nap of the day? Yep! I’ve done it. Don’t be hard on yourself if that’s all you can manage!
Mom Hack #3 – Buy places to “hold” your baby when you need free hands
This is an obvious tip but it’s worth noting how things change as baby ages. I used a Snuggle Me for supervised naps when I had a newborn and found that great! I could move him from room to room as I got things done. Cycle on my exercise bike? Bring baby! Make a snack in the kitchen? Move baby there! I never found success with baby swings but I know it works for a lot of people. Try it and if it works it can be your spot for your baby to nap while you get things done. Or we found a lot of success with baby wearing when we had a newborn. One of those wraps was a great way to get a contact nap but still be able to move. I had an emergency c-section, so I couldn’t do this initially while I recovered but a couple months in it was doable for me. When baby gets older try using a Exersaucer or Jumperoo for 15-20 minutes while you do something. I used to eat or cook during this time, something where I needed both hands. When baby is even older, move on to a Jolly Jumper. If you’re on a budget, try Facebook Marketplace. I have gotten so many good deals on toys for my son there. A quick clean and its as good as new!
Mom Hack #4 – Write down a list of things that you have to do and things that you can let slide
So, you probably should wash the dirty dishes in the sink, but do you have to clean up the toys off the playroom floor? Probably not. It takes my son seconds to throw his toys all over the floor again. I keep the high traffic areas free of toys to avoid tripping, but his playroom I clean up only sporadically. That may not be your goal, if you already have a cluttered or a small space, but for me that was one thing I could let slide. Anytime I did any tidying of his playroom, I made sure to do so while he was awake as mentioned in Mom Hack #2. It helps to make a list of things you do regularly. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, cut out some. This simple exercise might help you realize that you don’t have to do everything every day. Some things might not be as necessary as you think until you write them down. Seeing everything on paper also helps us realize how much we do accomplish in a day, when we feel like a whole day goes by and we feel like we’ve done nothing at all. Also, in case you didn’t realize, Keeping an entire human alive and all their needs met is accomplishing something too! 😉
Mom Hack #5 – Multitask when you can to feel productive
Breastfeeding Moms, get a wrap-around breastfeeding pillow and rest baby on it for feeds or contact naps. This frees up your hands to do whatever you’d like! When my son was a newborn, I used to scroll Instagram, text, or call my friends, watch TV or movies or even read books while nursing! It made those hours spent in my rocking chair feel more productive and like I had a little time to myself. I would try to take my son on a daily walk in his Baby Bjorn or his stroller if the weather was decent, and I would listen to audiobooks with my headphones while walking. Reading books was another small thing for me to feel like my time was a bit more my own. Going for stroller walks or shopping trips with a coffee and a friend is another thing that helped me get out of the house and feel a little like myself again, especially in those newborn days when I would barely leave the house all week.
Mom Hack #6 – Get a membership to the local library or a museum/zoo membership
Now this hack depends highly on where you live, as small towns may not have zoos or museums or animal farms, etc. where you can join. Also, COVID can affect this hack as well. But one thing that will likely apply to most is a local library. My local library ran outdoor programs during the spring, summer and fall and has outdoor playgrounds and indoor reading nooks and discovery zones. I never knew what treasures my local library had until I became a parent. If you have a nearby library, look into what they offer, it might surprise you. I am fortunate to live in a large city, with lots to offer my family. Our local Zoo is outdoors so it is accessible during these difficult times. Other ideas for visiting include science centre, art and culture museums, animal farms, play parks and aquariums. To get a membership somewhere may cost you, but if there’s any room at all in your budget then budget for this! You can go there as often as you want and it is such a nice way to spend time with other parents you know, get out of the house, immerse your baby in a cool experience and not take the same neighbourhood walk every….single….day. Worth it!
Shannon is an avid traveler, having lived in 8 countries and travelled to 36 countries by the age of 35! She is a qualified Principal, French Immersion teacher in early childhood education, travel photographer and mother to a 1 year old! She loves to keep fit, hike with her family and dog, read and travel and lives near to Banff’s beautiful Rocky Mountains, Canada. Visit https://shannonseesworld.wordpress.com/ or follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com › shannonseesworld
