As an expecting, new or seasoned mom, we’ve all had times when we either need help or give help!  At BCB, we love to bring our community of moms together & one way we can help share the love is sharing our unique “mom hacks” that some of our favorite and most trusted moms across the country live by!  So, read below for our top tips, tricks & hacks to help each other out on this motherhood journey & stop by one of our Gearapalooza stops to meet them and share your ideas!
Top Hacks:
I have the boys pick their clothes out for school before they go to bed.  It removes the stress of figuring it out first thing in the morning.  It also creates independence and self expression.
-Ceta, @ClarkandStone
Keep a stack of post its in your bag for the automatic flush toilets! My kids understandably get freaked out from them flushing while they’re sitting. If you stick one over the senor before they sit down then it won’t flush on them.
– India, @lipstick.and.laundry.blog
When the kids are fussy, put them in the bath 🙂 Works every time.
– Samantha, FB: shiningondesign
Keep an “uh oh” bag in your trunk. What’s in the “uh oh” bag? Anything you might need to tackle the chaos that mom life throws at you. Right now our bag includes a complete change of clothing for each of my kids (right down to the undies), hats, gloves, wipes, plastic bags, first aid kit…and lollipops. Because let’s be honest. Sometimes you just need a lollipop.
– Amanda, @queenofthelandoftwigsnberries
A stop watch! Or use your phone’s stop watch. Sometimes it takes my 7-year-old son what seems like forever to get out of the house. So we play a game with the stop watch to see how fast he can get in the car, etc. It works for when we are out and he says he’s bored. I get the stop watch out and ask him to first walk to a certain point and back. And then ask him to do it again running instead to see what the difference in time is. Somehow it gets him to change his mood.
-Leyla, @secondcitymom
Follow the lead of your child. It will save you so much time and heartache if you follow the lead of your child. As soon as you see a spark in your child’s eye dive in deep. Right now my toddler is into dinosaurs and outer space. We listen to songs, watch videos and do crafts all centered around these two topics. I funnel all of his learning through dinosaurs and planets. Also snacks. Have all the snacks at all time.
-Jenny, @MamaFreshChi
I practice my self care when my girls are in the tub. Whether it’s a shower (I can still see them) or my favorite face mask, it’s time that I get to do something for me while they play.
-Suzanne, @mykindofsweet
Make peanut (nut-free) butter & jelly sandwiches and freeze them and then take them out in the
morning to add to the lunch box. They un-freeze and are delicious by lunch time!
– Melissa, @thechaoticcommute
“The crock pot! Being in Chicago, the winters are long and there are so many amazing, easy, healthy, warm crock pot meals that are dummy proof. Turkey chili is one of our go-tos.”
-Brittany, @thechaoticcommute
I’m a big believer in the “Done is better than perfect” and a “Yes And” approach to life and parenting. Keep moving forward. There are so many choices and decisions to be made in each day, trust your instincts and reach out to build and accept support from your village!
-Natalie, @bubblesacademy
I make dinner for my family most nights of the week but with the kids, I know it has to get on their plates quickly or else they’ll become hangry!! {anyone else??} My mom hack is that I cook for the whole family, and my husband and I will eat what I’ve made that night while my kids will eat what I made the night before. For example, last night I made 4 pieces of salmon – my husband and I each had a piece for dinner and Brody and Levi will eat it tonight! Of course, they love a good kid’s menu {chicken fingers, hot dog, fries, etc} but for dinner they will always eat what we eat mainly because they don’t know any different!
-Dana, @danaivy
I let her feed the dog and fill up his ball with treats. It takes her a long time, but she loves it and feels a sense of pride from it.
-Jenna, @chicagobabiesonthego
Ignore the toys under the couch. You think I’m kidding, right? Well, I’m actually not. Out of sight and out of mind. DON’T drive yourself crazy trying to clean your house.
-Alyssa, @aglassofgoldwater
If you can put in the work the first few months as far as sticking to a schedule goes, I swear it pays off in the long run. Those first few months are a blur and it is beyond hard but if you implement a schedule right from the beginning the baby adjusts and you can anticipate better when they will sleep, when they will eat, etc… and then you can actually plan things and be a normal human. Every baby is different but my guy thrived off of a strict schedule.
Also, now that my little guy is older, there is no shame in turning on a movie to allow yourself the chance to pickup, cook, or get something else down. No shame in your mom game.
– Jillian, @jilliankhorn
BABY WIPES! Take them anywhere and everywhere because they’re good for more than just wiping bums. I use baby wipes for cleaning my car, car seats, my purse, shopping carts, tables, boogers, to remove makeup…you get the idea. My kids are well into elementary school and baby wipes are still a must have for us.
-Bessy, @bessybarbeite
Have a ROUTINE (set daily schedule). Having a routine for my little ones is how I am able to get things done.
– Joceline, @ARaadStory
I keep an emergency kit in my car – extra diapers, an extra pack of wipes, a towel, extra clothes for the kids and for myself, a quiet activity book, a blanket, and small garbage bags. It has come in so handy on days when blowouts happen or when we are out later than expected and I run out of supplies in my diaper bag. Also, grocery delivery services are worth every penny. I order my groceries on Sunday night and schedule them to be delivered for Monday morning before 7 am. We start off the week with groceries, and it actually saves us money because we don’t make impulse buys like we do when we are at the grocery store. It also cuts out the stress of going to the grocery store, scheduling grocery trips around naps, and making it out before my kids have a meltdown.
-Jenise, @atoddlerandatopknot
I would say it’s the routine I created for them since they were infants. It has been our lifesaver and I believe it to be the reason they have slept 12+ hours at night since 7 months old. BOTH. No one ever believed me when I told them I would get my whole, uninterrupted, 8 hours of sleep at night. Create one that works for them and for you, and stick to it no matter what!
-Daniela, @danielacdimas
I go by the law of averages. Some weeks I am an awesome mom. Other weeks I struggle. A lot. BUT I keep it in the back of my head that if you average it over a month I am doing OK. This applies to everything. Meals in particular. Some weeks it is home cooked everything from scratch and the next it may be Drive-Thru meals every night. My “mom-hack” is to not beat myself up over those weeks because it puts me in a more relaxed, calm state.
-Deanne, @DeanneFerguson
Whenever head out on an out of town trip I like to put outfits together into ziplock bags! I will label each bag with what outfit it is which saves us a ton of time getting ready in the mornings.
-Leah, @modernmama
We travel a lot as a family and have been on many plane rides with our toddler ever since he was an infant. I know plane rides with toddlers can be a nightmare. We’ve never had a bad experience (yet). Our trick is to tire out our toddler right before the flight. Once he is settled in the plane, he would pass out. We have always received compliments at the end of the flights.
-Monica, @adoseofohana
Store extra clothes for each of your children in the trunk of your car in case of accidents/getting too dirty or wet, as well as a small bag of toys & snacks… they WILL come in handy. Also we stash a package of wet wipes in our trunk, centre consul and diaper bag… just in case.
-Julie, @this.is.brave
Hmmm, tough one. But, I’m trying this thing where I go to sleep when my kids go to sleep at least 4/7 nights. 8pm bedtime, ok! Forget the sink full of dishes, or pile of laundry, just go to sleep lol.
-Nina, @ninaonthemoon
Up-cycling and reconstructing your kids’ clothing! I cut pants that are worn in the knee into shorts for the summer and chop the sleeves of long sleep shirts to create tanks and vests. I try to use every item throughout all seasons knowing that next year they will no longer fit my rapidly growing son.
-Clarissa,  @lifewithsass
My biggest “mom-hack” is ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING. Holy smokes. It’s the best thing and my biggest time saver! I order groceries at 10pm from my bed and pick it up the next day. AND it doesn’t cost anything extra! AMAZING.
-Amanda, @amandalbreen
I feel like my best hacks were plan ahead when you can. Pre-pack that diaper bag, restock stuff you might need in the car when your thinking about it, pick out outfits the night before. Always have snacks.
-Amanda, @modernmamafv
Next to dry shampoo, grocery delivery/curbside pick up. Ordering all of our food online and doing curbside pick up saves me so much time and money! It forces me to make a list of what meals we’re going to be eating and purchase only for those meals. I am no longer tempted by the guilty pleasure snacks on the aisle ends because I don’t see them. The real win is that I don’t have to argue with my 2 year old about who gets to push the shopping cart and apologizing to everyone and their achilles tendon when she wins that argument.
-Christine, @christineyeargin
I get asked all the time how I run a full time business while also being a full time mom. Sometimes just writing sounds exhausting, but my best tip or piece of advice for new mamas just starting out on the same journey as I did three years ago, is that none of us have it figured out. We’re all just working towards perfect parent imperfections. One day I feel like I’ve got it all figured out and the next day, my son throws a big wrench in the well-oil machine I’ve created. We have to be flexible. We have to know they’ll have their good days and bad days, just like we do as adults. Patience and Organization is key. And I use a virtual planner/assistant to help me run things smoothly in my professional and personal life. I also love taking advantage of services like online grocery shopping and delivery. It’s all about saving myself time and having designated “work times aka nap/quiet times”.
Sara, @saralynnphoto
Sneaking veggies into smoothies (or anything else). Sometimes to make it easier, I buy ready made frozen smoothie kits at Whole Foods that have a mix of veggies/fruit and then mix with water and add flax seeds, extra veggies, coconut oil, etc. I shred veggies and puree to
add in mac & cheese, pancakes, and more.
-Nicole, @nsiegel1922
Yeesh, I’m not the best at this but I guess it’s our shower timer. The boys get a reward if they can each shower, lotion, and jammie up before the timer goes off. But they have to actually completely clean themselves because otherwise ew.
-Allison, @allieroseschneider
Bribing with all the snacks… just kidding. But I think try to give my daughter my complete attention for at least 15 mins before moving on to work or tasks at home, I see a difference in her ability to be “ok” with mom being busy if she knows she is a priority too.
-Rhema, @weare_thepetersons
The resource I wish I had when my kids were little is the podcast by Janet Landsbury called Unruffled. It is a library of tricks for parenting toddlers and the podcasts are usually 9 minutes long. One of her pearls is that we need to welcome the tantrums as a way these little people process their big feelings. Like all of us, we tend to show our best selves to the outside world and melt down when we are at home in private. Kids will rage at the person they feel safest in showing those big emotions. This is why toddlers will behave for others but lose their little minds at home.
-Amanda, @themamahood
Do this ‘mom’ thing with friends. Our girls are so close in age — we were pregnant together and are experiencing motherhood (with all its joys AND challenges!) together. We dish out support for each other daily and we hope every mom has a ‘no judgement’ mom friend.
– Lindsey + McKinsie, @sprinkleanddot
I like to make meals fun. It’s a lot of work to feed our kids + ourselves every single day, so adding some fun twists to the lunches + snacks can bring instant joy to a relatively thankless job of meal planning + cooking.
-Lindsey, @ LindseyLeeandtheboys
Ok I swear by this one! When my first born was a toddler I noticed that she wasn’t into veggies at all. I developed a system with her that I now consider a parent hack and has continued throughout the years with the rest of our kids. I simply tell them that each veggie & fruit is grown in a princess or superhero garden. For example, spinach is grown in Cinderella’s garden, broccoli grow in hulks garden & makes you strong like him. Tomatoes grow in spider man’s garden etc. This little hack has been a life saver in our home and I hope it will work in yours. Tweaking a few things you know your kids love might help too!
-Romelia, @lifethroughmamaeyes
I am a HUGE fan of all the gathre products! We have a highchair mat, a changing pad, a picnic mat, and multiple bibs! They wipe down SO easily and travel so well. They are worth every penny because I never have to worry about throwing things in the wash or liquids/foods making a mess!
-Elizabeth, @oakandoats
I use insta cart for grocery delivery and I can’t imagine life without it (especially right after having a baby). Getting kids to do chores and maker it fun is a game changer also. My 4 year old son loves to do dishes and help with laundry. He wants jobs. It feels so much more fun to me when he is involved.-Morgan @bayarea.moms
Go to Costco and get a huge stack of paper plates! You just made a person, you deserve to not have to do dishes for awhile. It is one less thing you have to worry about. -Lauren, @bayarea.moms
My kids believe that an elf comes at night looking for toys that have been left lying around. He only takes one at a time and you might not notice right away if your favorite toy is missing. But they are scared to leave toys out at night and insist on cleaning up for fear that the elf might take something!
-Suzanne, @sproutsanfrancisco
I load the car the night before so that I can walk down the stairs to our garage with the girls and not have to carry and balance a million things.
-Caroline, @CarolineMCurran
A Peloton – getting out to the gym is a no go and even when pregnant, it’s getting harder and harder. My girlfriends with kids, and I, all swear by the Peloton. It’s quick, efficient, and can be done when a baby naps for 20 mins! Also, another great tip for those fashion moms out there, pick a theme for your kids wardrobe and stick to it for a season/the year. If you do sunset hues, or blue tones, make sure the kids have staple items that are all interchangeable, so they look put together and you can easily throw together an outfit (especially when something is in the wash or they get it dirty) with a variety of options! It’s like a capsule wardrobe for adults, but here you just need more because, lets face it, a lot of their clothes get dirty.
-Natasha, @_tashaarora_
Take (and ask for) all the help you can get. The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” is so true to me! With almost no family here in the US, our friends were a huge help when we brought our first son into the world and even now that we have two toddlers. If friends offer their help, take them up on it, and you’ll see how much of a difference it can make.
-Laura, @frenchmomsf
Swaddle before the feed, that way when they’re passed out milk-drunk it’s an easy transfer to the bassinet!
-Olesia, @olesia.nyc
Do you have a top mom hack to add to our list?  Comment below with it & we might feature you in our next blog post!
If you’re an expectant or new parent, Gearapalooza is an event you do NOT want to miss!  Join us when we are in your city!  We’re bringing you the BEST baby gear, products, services + safety information in one action packed event!  For more information and registration, CLICK HERE.