Family Travel (old)

How to Keep Your House Clean with a Crazy Toddler

Inside: Overwhelmed with household duties and keeping up with a toddler?? I can help! Here are 4 easy ways to keep your house clean with a toddler all day!

Ever finish cleaning your living room and turned your head for 2 seconds to find that it’s apocalyptic again?

Keeping your house clean with a toddler is NOT easy!

You’re probably thinking that having a clean house with a toddler is an impossible oxymoron. But I’m here to tell you that keeping your house clean even with a toddler is totally possible, and can even be easy!

Just because you have a toddler (or several!) doesn’t mean you have to settle for living in messy, unorganized chaos. If you’re overwhelmed with keeping your house tidy, staying on top of your chores AND taking care of your children, this is for you!

The key to keeping your house clean with a toddler is to stay ahead of the game and use your time wisely. You may be thinking that I’m crazy because this is impossible to do…

But I’m going to show you 4 different ways HOW you can EASILY keep your house clean with a toddler!

4 Ways to Easily Keep Your House Clean

1. Always clean up before starting a new activity

I personally found that this is CRUCIAL in keeping your house clean.

It’s also the first thing we forget to do as busy moms. But trust me, it will save your sanity!

When you’re finished with an activity, always clean up before moving on to another activity. I love this rule because it applies to every single activity you can possibly do every day.

This rule not only helps you eliminate messes all over the place, but it also helps you manage messes throughout the day.

One thing I know to be true as a busy mom is that messes tend to escalate because you are so busy moving from one place to the next. But taking the time to clean up before moving on your next activity in the day will save you SO. MUCH. TIME.

For example, you can spend well over an hour cleaning up 10 different messes after your kids go to sleep. OR you can spend 2-5 minutes after each activity during the day cleaning up.

By using your time wisely, this gives you a whole extra hour every night!

Side Note: Cleaning can be what YOU want it to be. If you’re perfectly fine with your house being a little unkept but somewhat clean, that’s what you aim for. If you’re fine with toys being messy but all in one place, then that’s what you do.

Don’t try to “clean” and be “perfect” just because you think that’s what people want. Only you know how much you do during the day so you decide how far your cleaning will go!

2. Involve your toddler in chores

Another really smart way to keep your house clean with a toddler is to actually teach your toddler how to clean!

It seems so simple but it’s brilliant.

Teaching your toddler to clean up after themselves is not only beneficial to you but it also begins to teach them responsibility. It also put in place a new routine for them to follow.

When you’re done playing with something, put it away.

You can start to show your toddler how to clean up well before they are 2. They won’t be able to actually DO a lot of it, but they are absorbing what you are doing and learning it.

This doesn’t just apply to toys but can be anything! Teach your toddler to help you fold clothes, dry plastic dishes, sweep and even give them a handheld vacuum.

Teaching your toddler to clean will help you not only keep the house clean but you have a little helper. Use it to your advantage!

3. Have a cleaning system in place

If you read my blog and know anything about me, you know I am all about systems of organization, schedules, and routines. I believe these 3 things are the cogs in a well-functioning household!

I’m not a total neat freak and my house is NOT “spit spot” clean, but having a cleaning system in place helps my family know 1. Where everything goes and 2. How to complete certain house chores.

This system truly keeps my household clean, pretty much by itself. Once you set up the system, all you have to do it follow it and it sort of becomes on autopilot.

And it will save you SO MUCH time and save you some future headaches.

You don’t have to get crazy with a cleaning system. It doesn’t have to be rocket science and perfect. It just needs to work for you and your family.

For example, a simple cleaning system or cleaning routine is to make sure that when you get home, everyone takes off their shoes, puts them in their proper place and hang up their jackets on a hook.

This saves you from cleaning up tons of shoes on the floor and picking up jackets from random places throughout your house.

Another cleaning system is to do the dishes before you go to bed every night. OR have each person wash the dish that they are putting in the sink. This reduces the high pile of dishes you’ll have every night.

See…super easy!

BONUS: Don’t forget to grab your copy of the FREE mini Mommy & Me Tracker! Get the instant download to Plan, Track & Organize you and your toddler’s activities in one easy to use planner! CLICK HERE to get it now!

4. Find ways to do everyday chores in a simpler way

I am a HUGE believer in finding simple ways to do everyday tasks. If it saves me a minute, then I am doing it. Why? Because I’m a busy mom, wearing a million different hats!

Finding simple ways to complete everyday chores will take the stress out of actually completing the chore.

For example, do you hate to clean your baseboards? Buy a Swiffer and put a regular paper towel on it and just go up and down your hallways cleaning the baseboards.

Does your toddler love to eat Cheerios? But then you find yourself stepping on random bits of cereal or crackers throughout the day? Instead of bringing out your big vacuum, buy a cheap handheld vacuum! It’ll take 2 seconds to suck up food on the floor!

Do you dread figuring out what you’re going to make for dinner every night or hate going to the store to buy groceries? Start to meal plan!

(I have an awesome post to help you meal plan for the entire week in just 10 minutes. Read it here!)

Finding easier ways to do simple things in your house will not only keep you sane and save you time, but you’ll find that because things are easier to do your house will be better kept up!

Bonus Secret #5

To truly keep your house organized and in tip-top shape (so you don’t go crazy!), you’ll want a cleaning routine in place.

Want to eliminate mom life stress? The ” You Got This, Mama” Organizing System can help!

From cleaning & organizing to meal planning and goal tracking, the You Got This Mama Organizer can help you reduce the everyday stresses of motherhood.

Grab my ultimate organizer at a super SPECIAL one-time offer here!

Free Mommy & Me Mini Planner!

Do you want an easy, stress-free way to plan your daily tasks and be able to track your baby’s schedule, feedings, and naps??

The Mommy & Me Mom Planner is a 10-page, all-in-one resource to help you easily plan your days, weeks, and months all while tracking your baby’s schedule, feedings, naps, and activities!

I designed the planner to help you:

Easily plan your days, weeks, months, and even year so you can clearly see your schedule at a whole!
Focus on your day to day tasks, including to-do lists, appointments, and chores so you never forget to do anything!
Complete your tasks easily and effortlessly and be able to check things off your to-do list!
Create a daily schedule for your baby so you can see your baby’s patterns and allow those patterns to help you anticipate your baby’s needs.

Get it FREE now!

So there you have it! Here are 4 different ways to keep your house clean with a toddler. Remember, no one can define what “clean” means for you, so take these suggestions and create a cleaning system that works for you and your family!

Here’s a recap…

The 4 rules to keep your house clean with a toddler:

Before starting a new activity, clean up after the old one.
Teach your toddler how to clean up and help you complete chores
Create your own system and routines for cleaning
Find ways to do everyday house chores in the easiest way possible

Don’t forget, the key to keeping your house clean with a toddler is to stay ahead of the game and use your time wisely.

Say goodbye to the apocalyptic living room and hello to an organized system to make your life easier 🙂

Have any other rules or tips that you do to help you stay on top of your house chores with a toddler?? Feel free to drop them in the comments below!

Check out these other toddler tips posts!

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Simple & Awesome Daily Toddler Schedule

Toddler Routines

Inside: Want the perfect stay at home mom daily toddler schedule? Here are the tips you need to create an awesome and easy everyday toddler schedule!

My toddler had just finished playtime and I was exhausted. I glanced at the clock and rolled my eyes…it read 9:23 am. I wanted to die. It was only 9 in the morning and it felt like 3 in the afternoon!

Finding what to do ALL day with your toddler can be exhausting. The secret to not only getting through the day with a toddler but making each day awesome is to have a daily toddler schedule.

Having a daily toddler schedule will help you have an overall plan for each day so you never have to wonder “what do I do now?”. A daily toddler schedule also improves toddler development because your toddler is learning routines, which is healthy for their growth!

The key is to make a daily toddler schedule that is exciting, structured, attainable, and most of all, flexible. Building these key elements into your daily toddler schedule will help make each day an awesome one!

Having a schedule doesn’t mean you’re tied down to doing the same exact thing every day. It just means you have an overall outline for the day that you can fill with whatever you want!

It’s also important to remember that a daily toddler schedule doesn’t have to be restricted by “time”.

Meaning, your schedule doesn’t have to solely be based on an exact hour. The purpose of a schedule is not to do everything at the same TIME every day. The purpose is to have an overall routine for the day, where your activities are based on what came first and what comes next.

An overall daily toddler schedule at its simplest form looks like this:

Wake
Breakfast
Play
Lunch
Nap
Wake
Snack
Activity
Dinner
Play
Bath
Bedtime

Let’s talk about how you can make your own simple but awesome daily toddler schedule!

How to create a perfect daily toddler schedule

Here are some things to keep in mind to create an amazing schedule…

Routines:

The first thing you want to do is figure out which routines your toddler does each day. It can be morning routines, naptime routines, feeding routines, playtime routines, and bedtime routines. Whichever routines your toddler does, make sure to incorporate it into your overall daily toddler schedule.

The key is to try to do the same activities each day at the same time. This becomes your toddler’s overall routine for an individual activity. When your toddler is accustomed to doing something at a certain time or in a certain order, they eventually learn how to do it themselves.

Independent Play:

Another important element in a daily toddler schedule is independent play. You want to incorporate at least twice a day a time where your toddler is learning how to play independently. This means that your toddler is engaging in an activity by their self.

This teaches your toddler how to play alone and actually helps brain development. it also helps you get things done that you need to, without having to worry about your toddler following your every move.

Some independent play activities include coloring, mat time, block building, table time, etc. Independent play helps your toddler be able to do something alone, which build independence!

Track your toddler’s day

If you have no idea where to start when creating a daily toddler schedule, it’s best to just start by tracking what your child does every day and at what times. By doing this, you are essentially seeing what your toddler’s schedule is already. Each child has a routine or schedule because there are things that they do every day that they are used to. This is their schedule by default!

If you are noticing that your toddler’s day isn’t as productive as you would like it to be, then start changing some activities and routines to create a daily schedule that works for you!

A Daily Toddler Schedule that works!

Now that I’ve given you some tips on how to create your own daily toddler schedule, here’s my sample schedule that I do with my toddler each day. This schedule has helped her thrive day in and day out and has given her the ability to grow leap and bounds!

If you want to download this sample schedule to use or to use as a guide to creating your own, you can download the sample schedule here!

Sample Schedule

7:00am- Wake

Baby L wakes between 7:00-7:30am each day. Some children wake earlier or later depending on what time they go to bed.

7:30am-Breakfast

I usually try to mix things up every other day or so. That way, your toddler isn’t eating the same thing every day. I tend to give my daughter a lighter meal here and she drinks about 3-4 ounces of milk with her meal and I then give her a larger meal for lunch. She just turned 2 so she’s still transitioning out of her “baby daily schedule”.

Some options are yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, fruit, apple sauce, eggs, etc.

8:00-10:00 Activities:

-8:00am Reading Time

Every morning for a half hour or so we read books and go over the alphabet and numbers. Having interactive books helps make reading time fun and exciting!

-9:00am Coloring/Drawing

After reading time, we have some table activities and I give my daughter coloring/drawing time. I put on some music and she colors and plays with stickers while I clean up breakfast and do the dishes.

This is considered the first independent play of the day. I can easily get about 30 minutes of chores done because she is at the table playing and coloring. Sometimes if she’s done coloring I’ll give her blocks or her toys to play with so she can continue her independent play.

-10:00am Chores

After her independent play, I let my daughter help me with chores. This is teaching her to help around the house also allows me to get things done while my toddler is up and with me. She helps me fold, sort laundry, sweep, vacuum, and clean up toys. It also is a great way to show her what happens around the house. If your toddler is still developing speech, this is a great way to interact with your child without it being with toys.

It’s important to show and tell with your toddler. Simple showing your child what you are doing and explaining it them in simple words greatly helps their speech!

Feel free to add more activities during this morning activity hours. Maybe you want to take a walk with your toddler or let them play outside! Shake it up each day!

Remember, having a schedule doesn’t mean that you are tied down to doing the same exact thing each day. It just means that you have an overall outline for the day that you can fill with whatever you want!

10:45am TV Time

Yes, I am one of those moms that let her toddler watch an episode of TV. I don’t believe in mom shaming or parent bashing and I believe that each parent has the right to decide what is best for their child!

Each morning while I am cooking and preparing lunch, I let my daughter watch 20 minute episode of one of her favorite shows.

Having a structured time for TV shows your toddler that they can watch tv but within the time that you allow. I believe it’s the perfect balance of not depriving your toddler but also setting boundaries.

BONUS: Grab the FREE Sample Toddler Schedule that works! Take the guessing out of your routine and use this routine as a template to create your own perfect schedule! CLICK HERE TO GET IT NOW!

11:00/11:30am Lunch

Lunchtime is between 11-11:30, depending on what time she woke up that day and what activities she did before lunch. Sometimes I give my daughter “breakfast for lunch” and make banana pancakes or something fun!

11:30/12:00pm Nap

It’s naptime! Be sure to have a consistent nap routine that you are doing with your toddler each day! (Read more about nap routines here.)

1:00pm Wake

Depending on what time your child fell asleep, your wake time will be different. Nap times usually last around 1.5 – 2hours.

1:30pm Snack

It’s snack time! This snack should hold your child over until dinner. I usually give my daughter fruit, apple sauce, yogurt, a small sandwich, etc.

2:00- 4:00pm Activities

This is another time slot for activities! Every afternoon I try to take my daughter out (weather permitting) so she can have some outside time. We’ll run errands, go to stores, or go for a walk. I try to especially get out of the house once a day when it is Spring and Summer.

We live on the beach so I walk the boardwalk every day and take her to the park 3 times a week. Try to think of fun ways you can take your toddler out!

4:30/5:00pm Dinner

Depending on what our afternoon activities looked like, I’ll start making dinner. If I was out of the house that afternoon and it’s a day that we have budgeted to eat out, I’ll pick up some take out or wait until my husband gets home to go out for dinner as a family.

Want to read some tips for eating out with your toddler? Read my article here!

5:30-6:30 Family Play

I think it’s so important to spend time with your children as a family. Every night we dedicate an hour after dinner for family time. Maybe we’ll watch a special show or start a movie or go out for an early evening stroll or just camp out in our living room playing games.

Of course, our schedule doesn’t ALWAYS let us have this time together, but I like to have family time at least 3 times a week!

6:30pm Bath

We start our daughter’s bedtime routine around 6:30 every night. It’s actually funny because when I lose track of time my daughter will run to the bathroom door and start knocking asking saying “bath, bath”. So children definitely love routines!

Our bedtime routine starts with her bath. If you want to read more about the awesome benefits and importance of a bedtime routine, read my article here!

7:15/7:30pm Bedtime

After bath time, I get my daughter dressed in her pajamas, give her a little lotion massage, have some extra snuggles and cuddle with her in our bed and then take her to her room for bedtime.

She is still in the “baby to toddler” transition phase so she has been drinking a 7 ounces of milk before bed. After her milk, she goes right into her crib/toddler bed and falls asleep. She usually sleeps 12 hours and wakes up at 7 the next morning where it all begins again.

>>And that’s a simple and easy daily toddler schedule! See, not so bad!

Free Sample Toddler Schedule

Remember, if you want to steal this schedule (THAT WORKS!) be sure to get the printable download of this daily toddler schedule!

You can use the schedule as is or change it to fit your needs and your toddler’s activities. I’ve been doing this schedule for months now and my daughter is thriving every single day.

This schedule is so structured yet FLEXIBLE that it allows me to drop my daughter off at her grandparent’s house or even go away on vacation and she doesn’t fall out of schedule!

It’s seriously a miracle!

Download your copy of the daily toddler schedule here

So there you have it! Remember, you can easily create your own simple and awesome daily toddler schedule by using these tips and taking my schedule as a template and changing it to fit your home. It’s reeaalllyyy easy!

Here’s a recap:

Wake
Breakfast
Play
Lunch
Nap
Wake
Snack
Activity
Dinner
Play
Bath
Bedtime

Remember, having a daily toddler schedule helps you know your overall plans for the day and also improves toddler development because your toddler is learning routines, which is very healthy for their growth!

Keep in mind, having a schedule doesn’t mean that you are tied down to doing the same exact thing each day. It just means that you have an overall outline for the day that you can fill with whatever you want!

Having a predictable routine will help your toddler learn independence and even help you anticipate your toddler’s needs. It’s a win-win.

Now when you glance at the clock and think it’s 9 in the morning, it’s really 3 in the afternoon because the day flew by! Score.

Happy toddler days!

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5 Spring Cleaning Tips

Homemaking

Inside: Don’t let Spring Cleaning get you down! Find out the best Spring Cleaning tips for moms to help you clean fast and easy!

I personally have a love/hate relationship with Spring Cleaning… I love it when things are cleaned and organized but I hate to actually do it.

Sounds familiar??

So, this year I came up with 5 awesome Spring Cleaning tips to help you Spring Clean in the easiest way possible!

These Spring Cleaning tips will help you accomplish your spring cleaning effortlessly, at your own pace, and effectively!

Let’s not waste any more time, and dive into these awesome tips!

5 Awesome Spring Cleaning Tips

1. Use a checklist

Man, oh man do I love checklists!

Not only do checklists help me get everything done but it allows me to what I need to get done in a tangible place so I don’t have to keep remembering it over and over again. It also helps me prevent the risk of forgetting to do something.

I believe a Spring Cleaning checklist is essential to Spring Cleaning. Why? Because it puts everything you need to get done in a place that is easily accessible and in a way that you can easily see what you need to do.

There are times when I remember to do something and just jot it down on my list. Then I don’t have to worry about it again until I have to do it. Great!

If you don’t have your own Spring Cleaning checklist yet, I created a super simple and easy to use Spring Cleaning checklist that you can download for free!

It has a ready-made checklist and then a template for you to create your own checklist too. Plus, a free Spring Cleaning Goals sheet for you to write out the cleaning goals you want to accomplish.

It really comes in handy! Especially if you are planning to redo a closet or organize your garage or redecorate a room. Having those goals down on paper and figuring out the steps you need to take to complete the project can be really helpful!

Download the Checklist now!

2. Go at your own pace

The second Spring Cleaning tip is to go at your own pace. This is crucial to Spring Cleaning! You know why? Because it’s easy to get burnt out really fast, especially when you are cleaning.

Ever started cleaning something and then it rabbit trailed to you cleaning 3 other things? I have! You start cleaning and then find something that was dirty and then something else…and so on.

I personally think people hate Spring Cleaning because it can take sooo long and can be exhausting. One way to prevent that from happening is to go at your own pace, not a pace that you THINK you need to go.

If you get one thing done every week, that’s great! If you want to do one small thing every 3 days, do it! Find a pace that works for you and Spring Clean over time, not all at once.

3. Do one room at a time or One category at a time

The next Spring Cleaning tip is to clean one room at a time. This tip piggybacks off of the last tip (to go at your own pace) because as you are creating your own cleaning schedule you want to be sure to only focus on one area at a time.

This will help you not get overwhelmed with having to clean your whole house at once!

So, let’s say on your Spring Cleaning goals list is to reorganize and declutter all of the closets in your house, it’s best to do one at a time, one room at a time.

For example, one weekend you would go through the closets in your room- your closet and your spouse’s closet. Don’t do the linen closet, coat closet, and your baby’s closet ALL at the same time!

Or if you’re feeling adventurous and want to get Spring Cleaning done as fast as possible, you can group certain things together. So do all of your baseboards throughout the house at the same time and clean all of your ceiling fans at the same time.

Completing a category of things at the same time eliminates the stress of having to go back and do the same thing in another room!

4. Plan what you want to get done beforehand

I know there are many moms who hate to plan and rather go with the flow of things, but I’m telling you—a super easy way to get through Spring Cleaning is to PLAN what you want to get done.

Planning what you want to get done helps you see an overview of your Spring Cleaning!

Let’s say you want to clean out your attic, deep clean your bathroom, and kitchen cabinets, and rearrange your child’s closet. Writing out what you want to do and when you plan to do it can help those goals be more attainable.

It also helps you see what you NEED. For example, if you want to reorganize your kid’s closet, maybe you need some extra storage bins, hangers, and a couple of smaller drawers.

Before you start the closet, you want to make sure you have these items so you can complete it all at once!

Planning out what you want to clean in advanced will help you save time in the long run!

And you don’t have to go crazy with planning. Just simply figuring what you want to clean on what days can be the very thing that saves your sanity 🙂

5. Find ways to do things EASIER!

The last tip is my favorite tip- find easier ways to clean! I absolutely LOVE Pinterest because it’s not only inspiring but it’s filled with ideas of things that I would have NEVER thought of.

Just a quick search for “tips to clean my kitchen” can save you hourssss of cleaning your kitchen the hard way. My Spring Cleaning goal is to clean in the easiest way possible.

Here are some cleaning hacks:

Instead of cleaning blinds with a paper towel, put a sock on your hand and clean the top and bottom of each individual blind. It only takes 2 minutes!
Put vinegar and water in a microwave-safe bowl and let it steam in the microwave for a couple of minutes. It’s a miracle worker!
Soak your vent covers in soap and water in the tub and let air dry.
Clean your showerhead by placing a Ziploc bag over the showerhead filled with equal parts vinegar and water solution.

See? Super easy cleaning hacks to save you’re a crazy amount of time!

Download the Simple Spring Cleaning Checklist Now!

This checklist is seriously awesome because it breaks Spring cleaning down and makes it easy and simple! No more scrubbing your house for week and weeks! Simply use the list to check off your Spring Cleaning as you get around to it.

It’s Spring cleaning simplified!

Alllsssoooo, as a BONUS to help you Spring Clean in the easiest way possible, I added Spring Cleaning Goal Worksheets along with the checklist so you can create your own Spring cleaning goals to make your “to-do” list more attainable!

Download the checklist now!

>>Well there you have it! Just to recap, here are the 5 awesome Spring Cleaning Tips:

Use a checklist
Go at your own pace
Do one room at a time or one category at a time
Plan what you want to get done beforehand
Find ways to do things easier

Remember, these Spring Cleaning tips will help you accomplish your spring cleaning effortlessly, at your own pace, and effectively. I hope you enjoyed them!

Want to read more about Spring Cleaning the easy way?? Click here to read more about how to create a perfect Spring Cleaning checklist!

Happy Spring Cleaning!

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Easily Clean Your Diaper Bag in Under 5 Minutes

Mom Life

Inside: Want to easily clean your diaper bag in less than 5 minutes? Find out my 5 steps on how to clean your diaper bag in the easiest way possible!

I was in a stinky bathroom, rushing to finish changing my daughter’s diaper and as I reached into my diaper bag to pull out the wipes there were 5 old, sticky fruit snacks stuck to the bottom of the case!

I just about lost it.

I couldn’t take how messy my diaper bag was!

Diaper bags can get really dirty, really fast. Sometimes we get so caught up in cleaning up our little one that we forget to actually clean our diaper bag.

But don’t worry- I’ll show you how to EASILY clean your diaper bag and it’ll only take you 5 minutes!

Mom’s certainly don’t need another thing to clean but because cleaning your diaper bag is important, you need a quick and easy diaper bag cleaning routine that will take you less than 5 minutes a week!

That way, your diaper is ALWAYS clean and disinfected! This also reduces the spread of germs and illness and keeps your children healthy 🙂

How to Easily Clean Your Diaper Bag in Under 5 Minutes

It’s important to clean your diaper bag because it literally goes everywhere with you. It’s in your car, in the stroller, in a shopping cart, hangs off of chairs, goes into bathrooms with you, and even gets placed on the floor.

Believe it or not, diaper bags can be one of the dirtiest things you carry. So, cleaning and disinfecting your diaper bag is super important.

5 Steps to clean your diaper bag:

1. Remove all items from diaper bag

The first step to clean your diaper bag is to take everything out of it. I know a lot of parents who just keep piling things in the diaper bag and never really take things out of it. Then at the bottom of the bag, you find dried out wipes, stale cheerios, and flattened gummies!

You want to remove everything from the pockets too, even the zippered pockets. The goal is to start fresh once your diaper bag is clean.

2. Flip diaper bag upside down over sink/garbage

Second, now that everything is out of your diaper bag, you want to completely flip the diaper bag over to get out all of the crumbs and loose bits. Make sure you do this over a sink or a garbage can. Trust me, you don’t want to spend time sweeping your floor after you’re done!

3. Use a warm cloth to wipe down interior and exterior

Third, now that your diaper bag is empty and free of crumbs and loose “garbage”, you want to use a clean cloth to wipe down and clean the diaper bag. To do this, use a clean washrag or washcloth and wet it with warm water and a bit of Dawn soap. Don’t forget to ring the washcloth out of the excess water.

BONUS: Don’t forget to get your FREE copy of the Diaper Bag Essentials Checklist! CLICK HERE TO GET IT NOW!

Gently scrub your diaper bag with the washcloth with a bit of pressure on the areas that have spots or “stains”. I would wipe down the whole outside of the bag with the washcloth and keep rewetting the cloth as needed.

Do the same for the interior of the bag.

Double-check the diaper bag’s washing instructions (sometimes it can still be found on the inside tag). If your diaper bag can be washed, you can turn it inside out and wash it on a gentle cycle and hang dry.

4. Disinfect straps and top handles

Next, we want to go a step beyond just a wipe down and actually disinfect the diaper bag strap handles and straps. Take a disinfectant wipe (like a Clorox wipe or Lysol wipe or seventh generation wipe) and really scrub those handles and straps.

If the bag is really dirty on the inside, to properly clean my diaper bag I even use a disinfectant wipe on the interior as well. I get into the pockets and clean the zippers too.

5. Replace/refill any items

Now that your diaper is all clean and fresh, it’s time to refill it! Use this time to restock on diapers, wipes, and anything else that you have used throughout the week.

I also take advantage of my diaper bag being clean and reorganize it. I like to have my diaper, diaper cream and wipes all in one area or in one pocket. Because when I got to change my baby, everything I need is all in that one area of my diaper bag.

Then, I put all of the food-related items in another pocket. Like a bib, spoon, disposable placemat, crackers, and any other little snack that will fit.

In the other pocket, I put all of the misc. items I have in my diaper bag. Such as a travel Lysol spray, travel Clorox wipes, travel band-aid kit, mini nail clipper, and hand sanitizer.

Now that my diaper bag is cleaned and restocked, it’s completely ready for me to just pick up and go when I have to go out! It’s one less thing I have to get ready!

Get my free Ultimate Diaper Bag Checklist!

To make sure that you ALWAYS have everything you need in your diaper bag, I created the ultimate diaper bag checklist! Ever got to the store and realized you forgot something essential for your baby?? I know I have!

With this checklist, you can print it out and keep it somewhere where you pack your diaper bag and make sure that you have everything on that list. No more having to remember everything and worrying if you forgot something!

It’s super helpful to have!

Download it now!

>> There you have it! Here are the 5 steps to easily clean your diaper bag in under 5 minutes! Each step can easily take you a minute or less!

RECAP TIME!!

Remove all items from your diaper bag
Flip the bag over your sink or garbage
Use a wet cloth wipe down the interior and exterior of the bag
Disinfect straps and handles
Replace and refill any items

If you do this diaper bag cleaning routine once a week, your diaper bag will never reach the point where it’s so messy and dirty that you just want to throw it out. Trust me, I’ve been there before!

Spending 5 minutes a week to clean your diaper bag will have you SO much time in the future! Not only is your diaper bag clean but it’s also completely ready for you to just grab and run when you need to go out.

Now, I don’t have to worry about sticky fruit snacks getting stuck in my diaper bag!

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Mother’s Day Gifts for New Moms

Mom Life

I love Mother’s Day because it’s a celebration of all the things that mom’s do! Being a new mom is NOT easy. So, if you’re looking to get the new mom in your life a special gift, I’m going to give you a bunch of Mother’s Day gift for new mom ideas!

I believe ALL moms deserve something special and deserve to feel special, especially on Mother’s Day. But there’s something extra special about becoming a new mom because it’s the first time that you are experiencing the new life of motherhood. A new mom has just gone through the terrain of pregnancy, went through labor and delivery, and is now in the postpartum stage of motherhood.

Because of all of this, a new mom deserves the best! Usually, gifts for new moms focus on her self-care, leisure, things to pamper her, and things that will better her life.

If you have no idea what to get a new mom for Mother’s Day- look no further than here! Because I’m going to give you 16 awesome ideas for a Mother’s Day gift for a new mom!

As a recent new mom, I know first-hand what a new mom would absolutely love!

14 Mother’s Day Gift for New Mom Ideas

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It’s important to remember that special gifts do NOT mean expensive gifts. A special gift is something that is given from the heart, with much thought and care. It can the tiniest homemade gift, or something special that she has been wanting. A special gift is thoughtful and filled with love!

1. Mom Mug

One of the first awesome Mother’s Day gifts for new moms would be a cool mom mug! They make really awesome and fun mom mugs. Some of them say “New Mom” or “Mom Fuel” or “Mom Established” and the year that she became a mommy.

2. Mom T-shirt

There’s nothing better as a new mom than to sport a mom t-shirt! It’s you’re officially a part of the motherhood tribe! A great Mother’s Day Gift for a new mom is a t-shirt that says something cool about being a mom.

3. Pajamas

Another great Mother’s Day gift for a new mom is some comfortable pajamas. New moms experience a lot of changes postpartum, so comfy pajamas and slippers can go a long way! If she is breastfeeding, you can get her nursing pajamas or something that is comfortable to wear but also accessible for her to be able to nurse.

A pair of comfortable slippers is also a great addition to the gift!

4. Robe

The fourth idea for Mother’s Day gifts for a new mom is a nice, comfortable robe.

A house robe, whether it be nice and fluffy or thin and soft, can be used every day! She can throw it over pajamas or just wear it around the house while she’s getting stuff done.

5. Mini Purse

Moms have SO MANY things to carry when she goes out. Switching from a purse to a diaper bag can be a huge step for a new mom. Having a mini purse helps moms know that she has all of her important items without having to carry a big purse AND a diaper bag.

I decided to switch my regular over the shoulder purse for a mini bookbag purse, that way I can carry the diaper bag on my arm, my baby in the other arm, and push the stroller with my free hands. It’s been a great mom life hack!

6. Comfortable pillow

The next Mother’s Day gift for new mom idea is a brand new, comfortable pillow. Starting to see the “comfy” trend??

New moms have a lot of aches and pains that she’s never experienced before, so getting a good night’s sleep is imperative! New moms tend to not get as much sleep so when she does sleep, she needs it to be completely restful and comfortable.

This is my favorite pillow! I got it 2 weeks after I had my daughter and it changed my sleep life.

7. Comfortable blanket

A perfect gift pair to a comfortable pillow is a comfortable blanket. A nice, soft, plush blanket is a great addition to the pillow gift!

8. Massage

Another great Mother’s Day gift for a new mom is a massage! Who doesn’t love a relaxing massage?? New moms are constantly busy and thinking of their baby instead of themselves so giving a gift of relaxation and comfort is a great option!

This also gets her out of the house for some much-needed self care so it’s a win/win!

9. Mani/pedicure

Staying with the same “relaxation” theme, a manicure and pedicure are another brilliant gifts for new moms! New moms don’t want to spend money on themselves, don’t focus on themselves, and definitely, don’t care about their nails every second of the day. Between doing dishes, laundry, changing diapers, and cooking- nice nails may be the last thing on her to-do list. A manicure and pedicure can be a nice gift to help her get out of the house and relax a bit.

10. DIY Home Spa

You don’t have to give a costly massage or manicure/pedicure- instead, you can give her the gift of a DIY home spa bath. A new mom would love a relaxing bath with candles and a comforting aroma.

You can get her a bath bomb and some candles or a full DIY spa kit! The options are limitless.

11. Coffee maker

The eleventh awesome Mother’s day gift for a new mom idea is a new coffee maker. Most families don’t spend too much money on household appliances when they have a new baby because finances are stretch thin. A new coffee maker can be the saving grace for a new mom!

12. Mom Planner

Being a new mom is difficult. You have to plan your to-do list and activities all while tracking your baby’s naps and feedings. It can be A LOT! But having a mom planner can help any new mom organize, track, and plan their day and their baby’s day!

I created a FREE mini mom planner called the Mommy & Me All-In-One Planner to help moms plan their day as well as track her baby’s naps and feedings.

This is a brilliant Mother’s Day gift for new moms- and its free! Get your copy of the free instant download mom planner now!

13. Instant camera

The next idea for a Mother’s Day gift for new moms is an instant camera. Instant cameras are super trending right now and it’s a fun way to record all the new, fun things that come along with having a new baby. It’s a great gift because moms take a picture and instantly get the print out on film. It’s a perfect milestone and monthly tracker too!

(If you want to pair this gift with some other things, you can also give her some extra film and a photo album for her to save and store the new pictures and memories she is making!)

14. Coffee

Is the new mom a coffee lover?? Another great Mother’s Day gift for a new mom is some of her favorite coffee grounds, beans, or coffee pods. Feel free to get her something that you know she wouldn’t get for herself!

15. Amazon gift card

Who doesn’t love an Amazon gift card?? You can find just about anything on Amazon and get it delivered straight to your door- a new mom’s dream come true!

If you don’t really know if she will like any of these gifts, a great option is a gift card!

Get an Amazon eGift Card Here!

16. Subscription to Amazon Prime, Amazon Family, or Amazon Pantry

As a new mom, I love gifts that were practical as well as something that I loved.

A really amazing gift is the gift of Amazon Prime, Amazon Family or Amazon Pantry. With any of these services, you can order EVERYTHING that you need at a fraction of the price.

Amazon Prime:

Amazon prime is the perfect Mother’s Day gift for new moms because moms can order whatever they want for free shipping, access thousands of movies, and even have exclusive access to millions of songs and playlists. It’s a 3-in one gift!

Get Amazon Prime here!

Amazon Pantry:

Help moms save a trip to the grocery store by giving her the gift of Amazon Pantry. She will have exclusive access to a wide selection of low-priced food items!

Get Amazon Pantry Here!

Amazon Family:

Moms can order everything they need for their baby without ever leaving the house for a fraction of the price that it would be at your local store.

From diapers, wipes, detergent, diaper cream, soap- and so much more. The Amazon Family Subscription allows you to order everything on a monthly basis with an amazing discount.

Get Amazon Family Here!

This is like the perfect gift that keeps on giving!

Grab Your Free Mini Mom Planner

Don’t forget to download the FREE Mommy & Me All-In-One Planner to help moms plan their day to day tasks as well as track baby’s naps, feedings, and activities all in ONE place!

Download the planner now!

There you have it! Here are 16 Mother’s Day gifts for new moms!

Remember, you want to get her something that is heartfelt, thoughtful, and something to make her feel special. Maybe even get her something that helps her easily accomplish her daily tasks and makes her new mom life easier! All moms aren’t all the same so be sure to think of her likes, interests, wants, and needs.

Happy gift giving!

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Family Travel (old)

4 Ways to Easily Keep Your House Clean

1. Always clean up before starting a new activity

2. Involve your toddler in chores

3. Have a cleaning system in place

4. Find ways to do everyday chores in a simpler way

Bonus Secret #5

Free Mommy & Me Mini Planner!

Here’s a recap…

Check out these other toddler tips posts!

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How to create a perfect daily toddler schedule

Routines:

Independent Play:

Track your toddler’s day

A Daily Toddler Schedule that works!

Sample Schedule

Free Sample Toddler Schedule

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5 Awesome Spring Cleaning Tips

1. Use a checklist

2. Go at your own pace

3. Do one room at a time or One category at a time

4. Plan what you want to get done beforehand

5. Find ways to do things EASIER!

Download the Simple Spring Cleaning Checklist Now!

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How to Easily Clean Your Diaper Bag in Under 5 Minutes

5 Steps to clean your diaper bag:

1. Remove all items from diaper bag

2. Flip diaper bag upside down over sink/garbage

3. Use a warm cloth to wipe down interior and exterior

You might like this post too!

4. Disinfect straps and top handles

5. Replace/refill any items

Get my free Ultimate Diaper Bag Checklist!

Wait! Do you Love free printables??

14 Mother’s Day Gift for New Mom Ideas

1. Mom Mug

2. Mom T-shirt

3. Pajamas

4. Robe

5. Mini Purse

6. Comfortable pillow

7. Comfortable blanket

8. Massage

9. Mani/pedicure

10. DIY Home Spa

11. Coffee maker

12. Mom Planner

13. Instant camera

14. Coffee

15. Amazon gift card

16. Subscription to Amazon Prime, Amazon Family, or Amazon Pantry

Amazon Prime:

Amazon Pantry:

Amazon Family:

Grab Your Free Mini Mom Planner

Wait! Do You Love Free Printables??