Being a parent can be easily one of life’s biggest challenges, so I’m always looking for ways to make things simpler and to make my life easier. When you become a parent, you suddenly start managing the lives of multiple people and it can be a little overwhelming. Here are my top 4 things that make parenting easier:
1. Labels
When you have bigger kids that are off to preschool and school, as well as multiple kids, it can be hard to keep track of what belongs to who. This is especially difficult in schools and preschools where other kids might have the exact same things. In the past we would rely on Sharpies to label everything, but on cups and utensils the name would often come off, making it hard to keep track of who owns what. Nomi+Sibs are beautiful, functional labels that not only help little hands grip onto bottles easier, but they look good. They’re flexible and grow with your family, meaning that as your children choose different bottles you can easily move them across without having to reinvest. They’re dishwasher safe, meaning you can just pop them in and not worry about ruining the label – how easy is that?
2. Apps
Who would have thought Apps would move into the parenting world – but it makes sense doesn’t it? Right from the moment you or your partner are pregnant, you can download Apps to keep up with your baby’s development. My personal favourite was Pregnancy+ as it had really realistic images showing the approximate size of my daughter as she grew. Once they’re on the outside there are plenty of Apps to help with everything, from remembering how often you’re feeding and changing diapers, right through to Wonder Weeks which is an App that warms you of challenging developmental “leaps” so you can know that the tricky days or weeks are normal and when they’re coming. We use Apps for almost every area of our lives, so it’s only logical that we would then use them for our children too.
3. Support Network
One of the biggest assets I’ve had since becoming a parent has been a community of friends. It’s so nice having friends who are in a similar stage, or have just been through it, to bounce ideas, worries and concerns off. You’ll find that most things are normal, that it does get easier, and you learn how to adapt to your child’s needs as time goes on. Being social might be at the bottom of your list once you become a parent, but it’s so important for you and your children too!
4. Podcasts and Audiobooks
Gone are the days where you will have fully uninterrupted nights of sleep, and you’ll probably struggle to finish a book these days too. However, if you invest in some audiobooks you can listen to a book while you do other things – while you play with your child, while you’re breastfeeding or while you’re walking them to preschool. There are a great range of parenting Podcasts – one of my favourites being The Wonder of Parenting – but you can also find Podcasts on a wide range of topics.
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