Eight life-changing mum hacks
Real-life tips that actually work!
We all love a good parenting hack - they help make family life easier, smoother and better.
A mum-of-two shared her concerns on Mumsnet about going back to work after maternity leave and other mothers hopped on board to help her out with their best tips.
Here are some of the best responses:
1 Do your grocery shop online
“Online shopping, have a basic order that you add or take away from - much nicer to do on the sofa,” one mum wrote. At the very least, get click and collect, added another.
2 Make simple meals
“Build a repertoire of quick simple meals. Cheesy broccoli pasta. Jacket potato. Omelette. Stir fry. Then meal plan so that you don't have to think about it,” said one one.
“The best tip I saw was to freeze vegetable packs - onions carrot peas etc in a big flat ziplock bags, so they lie flat and take up little room. Then empty the contents into the slow cooker and add the meat,” added another mum.
“Scrambled eggs on toast is a winner, anything that takes any time or concentration is a no-no until the weekend,” said another.
3 Stay on top of laundry
Doing one load of laundry a day saves a big build-up at the weekend. “Set it overnight and then hang out at 6am if weather forecast is fair,” one mum wrote. “If not, set the tumble dryer off when you get home in the evening. Fold warm washing out of the dryer to minimise ironing and don't iron childrens' clothes.”
4 Prep the night beforehand
A little organisation can save a lot of time in the morning. One user said she put all her daughters outfits for the week ahead at the weekends, and also has her bag ready so she can just grab and go in the morning.
5 Buy in bulk
Stock up on essentials and make the most of sales and specials. “Always buy extra of things when out shopping, like buy extra birthday cards to keep at home, buy extra shampoo etc so you don’t run out,” one mum advised.
6 Have date nights at home
Communication with your partner is key, many mums said. One mum also had a novel way of keeping date nights up – without the expense of a babysitter.
“We have date night,” she wrote. “Thursday nights, a takeaway or dine in for 2, glass of wine, no laundry and a chance to catch up on the week, plan the weekend, watch an episode of something on Netflix and then an early night. Something to look forward to and gets you through the week.”
7 Get lots of sleep
“No ipads in bed!,” one mum said. “Herbal tea and a book...relaxing, brain exercise, good sleep hygiene, something to talk to other people at work about other then your babies.”
Another mum said she went to bed straight after the kids one night a week to catch up on her rest.
8 Keep weekends free
“Don’t plan any activities, clubs, swimming lessons etc for a Saturday morning. You … will need this to unwind,” advised one mum.
“Definitely try and make weekends as non functional as you can get away with. Or else you will feel like it’s an endless cycle,” added another.
Nicola Conville has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 20 years across a wide range of print and online publications. Her areas of expertise are parenting, health and travel. She has two children; Lucy, age eight, and Nathan, age five.
