It takes a village, right? But no one said the village had to be only human though. As parents we need all the help we can get. So here are my favorite game-changing products for parents of young children, that I’ve discovered during my motherhood, and grown to rely on.
We tend to shower new mums and dads with lots of useful gifts for the first year. But after that, it’s harder to know what will be helpful. Maybe we think life will be easier once the child isn’t a baby anymore. Hehehehe.
If you don’t have children of your own, toddlers are messy. Ages two and up, in my experience, even messier, and more demanding. And even once they start school, that demand on my time and sanity has only increased.
Anything that saves time or, makes a job easier to do or, can happily distract my child for a short while is GOLD. I might even go as far as to say that if there was a natural disaster, the third thing I would grab (after my two darlings) would be my Dyson.
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1. Dyson Cordless Vacuum to get the kids involved
I’ve wanted a Dyson cordless vacuum for years. And the first week I bought one, I kicked myself for taking so long.
I’m far from a domestic goddess. However, I still have my fair share of tasks screaming at me to be done, like “DEAL WITH THIS MESSY FLOOR!”.
Vacuuming is usually the last part of tidying up that I never quite get to.
So I saved up, and took the plunge.
With one of these beauties, I just do section by section of the house that manages to get lego-free enough to be vrooooomed. It comes with a wall-charging mount, so it’s easy to grab from the corner in the laundry. No cord!
Also, the kids think our Dyson comes from out of space, so it’s become the latest reward at the end of tidy-up time. I’m waiting for them to name it.
Also, the kids think our Dyson comes from out of space, so it’s become the latest reward at the end of tidy-up time. I’m waiting for them to name it.
Having a vacuumed floor each evening helps me feel just that little bit more like I’m winning, and there’s less To-Do’s screaming in my head.
2. Food Processor for happy tummies and baking distraction
My eldest child is allergic to all nuts except almonds. She was sad that she missed out on PBJ sandwiches that her friends had in their lunches.
Until….. I got one of these multi functioning food processors for mother’s day.
I just chuck a bag of roasted almonds in, with a dash of cinnamon and turn on for 10 mins until smooth. This blender takes a beating. And it’s wayyyyy cheaper than the artisanal store-bought Almond butter. Plus, there are no hidden ingredients.
It seemed like a bulky appliance to have just to make nut butter, so I started using it more often to justify having it.
I found it’s great for whipping up banana bread, mashing vegetables, and distracting my four-year-old. I let her be in charge of the pulse setting when I’m adding ingredients in.
3. Netflix for kids when you need an emergency distraction
I know this is probably preaching to the converted, but if you don’t have a streaming service for your kids’ TV time, may I kindly recommend Netflix for Kids.
There are no commercials and because you can set them up a kids profile, they won’t happen upon any content their young eyes shouldn’t. If you’re not sure what they’ve been watching, you can see what they’ve just watched in their ‘continue watching’ section.
Our kids love that they get to have their own channel.
I’ve tried a few streaming services out and Netflix has the most intuitive to navigate, in my humble opinion. And I have the app on my phone too, which is a lifesaver for when I need a quick distraction….
Most recently was when I had to take my youngest to the late-night doctors clinic. My daughter dropped a pudding bowl on the floor and when it shattered, a shard sliced open the top of her big toe. Scary blood everywhere.
When the nurse was ready to clean her toe up, the screams started. So I whipped my phone out and played some captivating Netflix cartoon to distract her long enough for the nurse to do her magic.
4. A slow cooker or crockpot to make dinner a delicious breeze
When we get home in the afternoon, my kids cope better if I can tune into them. If I feel stressed about getting dinner underway or deal with the pile of dishes, or both, then I’m not fully there. And they can sense that.
I mostly work from home, so the best time for me to get organised is in the morning and if we’re particularly tired, I’ll reach for my slow cooker, so I won’t have to think too hard in the afternoon.
There are so many recipe books for slow cookers to suit dietary needs.
Slow cooking food allows for better nutrition. Plus it’s incredibly tasty.
If you’ve cottoned on to meal prepping, then slow cookers make a big batch. It really takes the stress out of your week.
And when you come home with tired and hungry family, the house is filled with the smell of yummness.
I recently found this great website by another kiwi mum dedicated to Just Slow Cooker Recipes. Because she’s a mum (and a kiwi), her approach is all about being easy and down to earth. The ingredients aren’t too fancy. Just tasty.
5. The Nourish App: bite-sized moments of calm at your fingertips
2020 took its toll, and ’21 has been a challenge too. But these challenging times have highlighted a lot of what fills a mother’s plate, which I reckon is a good thing to bring to light. It’s made abundantly clear the need to look after ourselves. Even if we only have a few minutes.
Right before I took a social media detox, the algorithms threw The Nourish App in front of my eyeballs. And I’m glad they did. Just before I deleted those unhappy scrolling apps from my phone I installed this lovely app.
It’s the “World’s 1st multi-disciplinary self-care app specifically designed by mums for mums. Practical, bite-sized & relatable wellbeing tools at your fingertips.” It also makes scrolling much healthier.
Not only have I found loads of quick, helpful resources like guided meditations or breathing exercises, but it really feels like there’s a community of mums out there and we’re not so isolated.
You can download the Nourish app for free and browse loads of practical, bite-sized wellbeing tools, tailor-made for busy mums. If you love it and want more, you can unlock loads more additional resources when you sign up to Premium. Pricing starts at just £1.49 per month.
If you sign up to The Nourish App with this code ANDBREATHE when you register to receive your free digital goody bag, worth over £10.
Download via App Store or Download via Google Play
Related post: Self-care ideas for busy parents
6. Shakti mat to melt the stress from your shoulders
Inspired by the idea of a bed of nails, hang in there, this is actually a blissful way to fall asleep each night. I don’t sleep on it, just lie on it before bed for about 20 minutes.
This acupressure mat increases blood flow to the area and after 5 minutes the relaxation feelings start flowing. It definitely improves the quality of my sleep. And I fall asleep much faster.
Quality and quantity of sleep are so important to parents still having the sleep battle with their young children. Uggh, which we currently are. Again. So, melting into a deep sleep makes a big difference.
Sure, this takes some getting used to. But I found by the 4th try, and breathing through the mild discomfort, that I soon felt my back heating up and tingly relaxation.
I was hesitant too. But the ‘No Questions Asked’ refund policy period of 60 days dealt with that worry.
It can be used for overall relaxation, not just at bedtime. If I do it in the day or after some yoga it intensifies my relaxation.
7. Homemade play dough for a tactile transition
My eldest is nearly eight, and she still finds play dough an awesome thing to sink her fingers into after a long day at school.
Play-dough has always been an easy doorway for my girls into imaginative play. And quite often provides for a smooth transition from school to home. There are many learnings involved with play dough, but I think it works so well because it’s tactile and a sensory release for my daughters
So I make lots of it regularly. There are loads of recipes out there, but the one we had to most success with came from their daycare.
I’ve tweaked the playdough recipe a bit since inheriting it, to make it extra silky and smell nice.
It makes a decent-sized batch, and that works for us, because then we can make a whole rainbow of colours.
If sit with the girls for 10 minutes to get into the playing, then I can usually sneak away and get on with chores…. but sometimes I like to stay too.
The play-dough is so squishy and tactile! Click here to get the recipe. Hope you enjoy!!
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