We all know that the key to maintaining a calm and ordered household is organisation. But as modern Mums, with 1000 things on our to-do lists and in the midst of a chaotic household full of tantrums, meal prep and nappy blow-outs, this is easier said than done.
We’ve sourced some of the best tried and tested Mum Hacks to help you become an organised modern Mum – it only takes a few simple habits to turn your day from mess and stress to calm & prepared.
1. Give Everything a Home
Clutter is the enemy of the organised! De-clutter your space by giving everything a home – if everything has a place, there can be no clutter!
Make sure both you and your family know where everything goes so you can all easily put everything away. Make it a rule; if an item doesn’t have a home, find one for it or get rid of it! No hoarding allowed.
2. Baby Wipes for The Win
A must have for any organised Mum at home or out and about is the humble Baby Wipe! You can use them for literally EVERYTHING!
Dusting, bathroom cleaning, wiping counter tops, carpet spills, sticky fingers… the sky’s the limit with these handy Mum-savers.
Use The Nappy Society’s Wet Wipes Pouch to keep your Wet Wipes wetter for longer as well as much easier to manage!
3. Enlist the Kids to Help
Start them early! Teach the kids to help out around the house from an early age so that cleaning and doing chores becomes part of their normal routine. It’s much harder to introduce daily tasks later in life if it’s not something they’re already accustomed to.
Turn the cleaning and chores into a game to help get them involved – put a “cleaning up” song on or set a timer so your kids have fun while hustling to help you keep a tidier home. Trust us, they’ll want to “win” ;) You can even dish out prizes at the end for the “best cleaner”.
Hot tip: Search Google for age-appropriate chores so you know their task is within their age range! You can progress them to harder or longer tasks as they get older.
4. Use Baskets
A super quick and easy way to clean up toys, shoes or other “messy” household items is to use stylish storage baskets.
Baskets make it easier for the whole family to clean up quickly while giving a home to lots of potential clutter! They look great in the home and are super low maintenance.
Hot tip: Stack baskets in odd numbers for maximum styling impact! You can find great baskets anywhere from Kmart to Pottery Barn and Adairs – find some that work for you and use them to their full advantage!
5. Pack Bags the Night Before
A well-stocked nappy bag or kid’s day bag is imperative to a good, stress-free day out – nappy blow-outs and spills happen! (We’ve all been there)
Pack your bags the night before means you have one less thing to worry about the day/morning of. If you’re feeling extra motivated, you can even load the bags into the car or put them next to the door to make life even easier. Make sure you have a spare change of clothes (for you and the baby/toddler) in the car at all times with a few extra nappies – you never know when you’re going to need them!
When you get home re-pack the bag ready for the next outing. You’ll be grateful you did!
Hot tip: Use a TNS Baby Bag Insert to transform any designer tote into the ultimate, stylish & super organised Baby Bag!
7. Meal Plan
Meal planning sounds like so much work, but it really is a game-changer! One less thing to think about in your day and having meals sorted is the biggest blessing when you just can’t be bothered cooking.
Make double batches of your meals and then freeze the leftovers. If you don’t have time to batch and freeze all your upcoming meals, try writing a list of your family’s favourite meals and then write your shopping list ahead of your trip to the supermarket. At least this way you’ll know what you’re cooking and have all the ingredients you need.
7. Drop Unrealistic Expectations
Try to relax and give yourself a break.
Sometimes you will be a super-mum with everything in its place, healthy lunches packed and an empty laundry basket and other days you will be a hot mess and that is totally NORMAL.
Cut yourself some slack and knot that if you didn’t get to all your errands today, there’s always tomorrow. You cannot do and be everything no matter how great your multi-tasking, superwoman skills are.
