If only there was a magic spell that could make parenting easier and ensure all parents can handle the rigors and stress. Unfortunately, there isn’t any cosmic intervention, but that shouldn’t mean parenting is as hard as you make it. Whether you’re a single parent or have plenty of support from friends and family, you can enjoy your parenting journey much more by being organized. Even this might sound like an impossible task though, so here is some advice to help out.
Use As Many Services As You Can
Back in the day, parents would need to get everything themselves. They needed to run to the grocery store. They needed to check school books out of the library by going there. Cookie g and cleaning were also expected, regardless of how busy they were.
But today is not back in the day, and you have plenty of convenient options at your disposal. Now, you can get your groceries delivered, saving you precious time and helping you avoid those pesky impulse purchases. Similarly, you can order books for school to be delivered to your door, while a household cleaner is a great service, even if they only come in once a month.
Invest in the Right Gear
While you may not want to fill your home with too much stuff, especially if you’re a new baby and you know your child will grow out of this stuff soon, it can still benefit you. Investing in the right gear means you are prepared for anything.
Whether you need something as essential as a diaper bag that slots comfortably into your car or a Tula Explore Baby Carrier that ensures versatility when you’re out and about, investing in (or being gifted) the best baby gear can save you plenty of stress and help you stay on top of things.
Get Your Older Kids to Help
If you have older kids, you can employ them to give you a hand around the house or even with childcare duties if you’re working full-time. Not only can this take the pressure off you and give you the break you so desperately need (and deserve) but it can also teach your kids about responsibility. Even if they aren’t old enough to look after their younger siblings, you can still ask them to keep their bedroom clean and put their laundry away.
Prep Lunch As Soon As You Finish Dinner
The last thing anyone wants to do after making one meal is start on the next. However, using leftovers is a logical kids’ lunch that means you aren’t spending so much on cold cuts or other pricey sandwich meats. Since everything is already cooked, all you need to do is slice it up and put it in sandwiches or transfer spaghetti into a lunch box for them to take to school the next day.
Furthermore, using leftovers for your children’s lunches prevents food waste, which benefits the environment.
Promote Household Organization
Every parent knows that it only takes a single afternoon for the house to become chaotic. Usually, there are toys and games strewn around the living room floor or your kids’ bedroom, and it feels like a never-ending battle to keep the home tidy.
Promoting household organization is a great way to overcome this. Encourage your kids to put their toys away when they are finished playing. As an alternative, designating a specific playroom can confine the mess to a single area. You can also shelve certain toys to keep them out of reach if you are too busy to deal with tidying them up afterward.
Give Everything A Place At Home
All the chaos inside your home means you will lose essentials. Maybe you lose your wallet or keys or glasses. Whatever it is that you regularly misplace, giving everything a home can help you keep your household organized.
Follow these tips so you never lose your keys again and can get out the door on time every morning. You can also get everything ready the night before once the kids have gone to bed so you’re packed up and ready to go as soon as possible. It only takes a few minutes to pack your bag and locate your keys, and you’ll be able to sleep much easier afterward.
If You Start Something, Finish It
Whether it’s cleaning the dishes or folding the laundry, you should always finish what you start. It’s easy to get distracted, especially during the holidays when your kids seem to need more attention than ever, but leaving (or forgetting) about keeping the household tidy will only create more problems later. Even if you don’t get everything done at once, make a mental note to go back to it before you sit down at the end of the day.
Don’t Forget to Organize Your Car
Parents spend a lot of time in their cars. They drive to work and school. They take their kids to and from practice or a friend’s house. With all this time spent in the car, it’s no wonder how disorganized it gets. You might have lunch in the car, or your kids eat breakfast in the backseat because they overslept. There are candy wrappers everywhere.
If this sounds familiar, it’s worth taking a day every few weeks to clear out and clean your car. Not only will this make it a nicer place to be, but you’ll also find those plates that have mysteriously disappeared.
Your Calendar Becomes A To-Do List
Combining your calendar with to-do list apps ensures you always know what’s coming up. Adding events to your calendar means you’ll never miss a swim meet or be late to pick your kids up from practice ever again. Seeing different activities and events in your calendar will make you feel more organized, as things won’t creep up on you. This is perfect for those days when you get a few minutes to yourself because you can look over the week and see if there’s anything you need to prepare.
In Control
All parents can feel they are not organized, so you are not alone. However, if you want to ensure you stay on top of household chores and ensure your kids are well-fed and ready for school, you must get more organized. These tips should point you in the right direction and help you regain control.
