You get bombarded with an abundance of advice throughout your pregnancy, especially with your first. It really can be hard to take it all in. After all, you don’t have anything to compare it to or a chance to put anything into practice until bub arrives and you are a new mom. Personally, I found myself zoning out when people started their sentences with “oh my goodness, you really have to get…”
However, as soon as your little one arrives it’s likely that you will hang on to every bit of advice another mum has to give about motherhood.
If you’re a new mum seeking some tips (or pregnant and willing to listen to some more advice!) then I have 10 “life hacks” that will hopefully make your life a whole lot easier.
1. Prep meals
- Put something together for your breakfast, snacks and/or lunch the night before. It is essential that you keep yourself healthy, especially if breastfeeding. Even preparing a toasted sandwich or a small salad during the day can be difficult if bub is being fussy, so ensure you have a few items that are easy to access (and eat) throughout the day
- Use the weekend (or days when Dad is around) as a chance to put together stir fries, curries, and/or slow cooker meals. These simple meals can be easily reheated throughout the week ,when the last thing you want to think about is preparing a meal for the family
- Add another serve when you cook meals so that have leftovers for lunches throughout the week
2. Buy multiple burb cloths, bibs and packets of wipes
You can never have too many things on hand to wipe up spew or drool! Keep them in the lounge room, nursery, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and your car.
3. Always keep your nappy bag stocked with the essentials
- If you go out throughout the day, repack it when you get home. This will ensure at least this portion of your “getting ready to see the world” schedule is organised for you prior to your next outing.
- Essentials are nappies, wipes, nappy bags, change of clothes, dummy and nursing pads (I always forget to put mine in before I leave the house!)
- I also suggest thinking about a change of clothes for yourself – you just never know when you’ll be caught out! I keep a few items of clothing in my car.
4. Say ‘yes’ to hand-me-downs
I understand that there are certain things you want brand spanking new for the beautiful little addition to your family, however it can expensive!
- If people are offering blankets, swaddles, muslin wraps, toys, books, and clothes (your little one really will go through A LOT of clothes!) be sure to consider it. They won’t mind if you change your mind and don’t use them. Chances are they are simply trying to spring clean their own wardrobes!
- You can always use the second hand goods as a last resort when you don’t have visitors around to judge you (not that you should be worried about that!)
5. Have the nursery prepped for night time feeds before you go to bed
- Have a night light that provides limited lighting; enough for you to see but not too light so as to wake bub up when you go in to feed
- Ensure you have water, burb cloth, music, wind medicine, etc within arms reach so you’re not unnecessarily disrupting bubs feed or sleep
- Have your change table stocked so that you have everything on hand for changing a nappy
6. Have your clothes ready for the next day the night before
There will be days where you won’t have time to put together something that you’d be comfortable wearing if you need to leave the house. Even if you find yourself housebound I’m a strong believer that the simple act of getting dressed in the morning makes for a good start to the day (sounds simple but it really can be a luxurious start to a day for some mums!)
7. Put your dirty washing in the washing machine the night before
Just don’t turn it on if you have a restless sleeper. Hit start as soon as you and bub are up in the morning. Ticking something off the to-do list straight up makes for a great day. Even if that is all you do for the day, you’ll have started the day feeling productive!
8. Prioritise the things you need to do when you put bub down for a sleep
Unfortunately you can’t guarantee how long they will sleep. Don’t get stuck dealing with the dishes or dirty clothes if you haven’t gotten dressed, gone to the toilet or had something to eat. It isn’t selfish to put you first, especially in this example!
9. Stretch
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you are taking on an all day weights session. Bubs may start off only a few kilos but by the time they are 6 months old, and off on their own, you could be carrying around up to 10 kilos. And let me assure you, if you were at the gym, you’d have a fitness instructor telling you off for incorrectly carrying your weights!
Stretching will ensure that you’re muscles are ready for the task ahead and/or stretch out any muscles that have been used excessively at the end of the day. It really does assist with the aches and pains new mums experience in their neck, shoulders and backs.
10. Use Milestone cards to keep notes on bub.
Once you’ve taken your “1 week old” photos flip the card over and use the blank side to write about what’s happened throughout the week. Soon enough time will get the better of you and you won’t remember what day is what, let alone what happened each week of your babies life. Its such a great way to keep track of all the things, big or small
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