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There are a million lists out there titled “Baby Must-Haves” or something similar. These are awesome, but make you think that you need to buy a ton of baby products that, in my opinion, are a bit of a waste of money. Many are designed to be products that make a mom’s life easier, but for
However, there are a few products that I feel are really important, especially if you are planning on pumping/breastfeeding.
There are some items and products that I have gotten over the years that have made MY life easier as a mother because they helped me work less, get some space, or enjoy my kids more. Most of these are not even baby products but are the absolute best purchases I’ve made for my job as a mom!
That’s why this list will look very different than many that you have seen. They aren’t focused on what the baby needs, but what the MOM needs (to survive).
Most of these products made household management easier in general so really, they are products to make anyone’s life easier. But a mom’s job is difficult and we need all the help we can get! So here is my list of products that make a mom’s life easier!
Products That Make a Mom’s Life Easier
Smart lights
See what I mean? Not a baby product. A lot of people just rolled their eyes and thought, “Seriously? How hard is it to turn on a light?” Well the answer is harder than it should be as a new mom!
After you have just had a baby (and especially if you are breastfeeding) anything that can be done remotely is extremely helpful. Many women also have harder recoveries due to difficult labors or C-sections. This is just one more little thing that helps ease your load.
I was waking up every 2 hours to feed my baby. I had her in a bassinet next to me (or in bed with me) because getting up and walking to a crib every 2 hours was just too much.
Before I knew how to breastfeed well, I needed to see what I was doing. Which meant turning on the lights, which woke up my husband and forced me to have to get out of bed… OR use my phone’s light which was just too bright and not as helpful unless pointed directly at what I was doing. No one wants to shine a flashlight on their baby… Especially in the middle of the night.
Here’s why smart lights made my life so much easier…
Remote from my phone
Phone App! Enough said. With my Google assistant, I didn’t even really have to touch my phone. I could say “OK Google, turn on the lights.”
Preset “Moods”
Even if you don’t have dimmer lights in your house, smart light bulbs have the ability to be dimmed. You can have presets!
I had “nursing
Even not at night, smart lights are extremely helpful for nursing moms. You tend to be stuck a lot as a new mom, either breastfeeding or with a pump, so again, anything that can be controlled by your phone SHOULD be controlled by your phone.
Indoor Toddler Trampoline
This Christmas I got my kids a little trampoline. I am kicking myself for waiting this long to get one.
My kids LOVE it! And I love them not climbing and jumping on the furniture.
Why does this make my life easier? Well because I can sit on my butt and watch my kids jump their little hearts out. They get good and tuckered out and I get to sit without elbows and knees in my rib cages as they climb all over me.
Instant Pot
This was a new discover for me. I had heard people talk about it but I didn’t really GET it. Well, now I get it. This little pressure cooker is God’s gift to all mothers.
It’s the ease of a crock pot, but without having to plan ahead as much. Anything that just does the cooking for me while I go away from the kitchen (I’m not a cook, if you can’t tell) is fantastic. When I got my slow cooker I got obsessed with that too because it cooked for me while I was working. Great! But the downside is I needed to have enough forethought to put the ingredients in the pot and start it in the morning… Sometimes I don’t think ahead, guys. The crock pot was not ideal for that.
The INSTANT POT, however, is amazing because I can realize I need to make something, t
Stepladder potty
We’re about to be back into potty training mode… The thing I made sure of this time around was to get steps for the REAL potty for my daughter to just go straight to using the big potty.
I hated cleaning those toddler potties out. Ew… I would have much preferred to just train my son on the big potty but he always needed help getting up which meant it was less likely for him to just start going when he felt the urge.
These steps will help our daughter to use the big potty without too much extra help just like the toddler potty.
Force of Nature
I have written about this product before and there’s a really good reason. That reason is it’s amazing.
I hate cleaning! Hate it. Force of Nature has helped ease the cleaning process quite a bit because it is ALL-PURPOSE and KID-SAFE! That’s right, no lugging around a cleaning supply bucket with a thousand spray bottles. No waiting until the kids are safely napping so that I can frantically scrub things down with toxic chemicals and get them rinsed well enough to not feel worried.
I carry my Force of Nature around on my day off and spray whatever needs to be cleaned as I see it. My son even helps me which helps him learn how to be responsible and participate in chores.
It also works amazingly! I was able to get grime off of our shower that had been there when we moved in and nothing seemed to work. Force of Nature got it up with hardly any scrubbing.
The best part of this cleaner? IT’S SO CHEAP! I no longer buy any other cleaning products (remember, all-purpose) and I buy a year’s worth in one go. After all is said and done, Force of Nature is about 7 cents an ounce.
Kid-Friendly Vacuum
Kids LOVE imitating their parents. They pretend to cook, clean, and take care of their little doll babies. My son was obsessed with the vacuum. He always pretended to vacuum with anything that even kind of resembled a vacuum.
It wasn’t very long after I bought him a toy vacuum that I felt really dumb. He would “clean” the whole play room with his little fake vacuum. What a waste. I finally realized, give him a working vacuum and he will actually be getting something done!
At first, I got him a little handheld. This was better than a toy but it didn’t last as long as he wanted to vacuum without being charged. It would only work for a few minutes before it started to die. That’s just the nature of those vacuums, honestly. They aren’t meant to vacuum a whole room.
Now what I do is take the middle attachment (the long tube) off of our vacuum and connect the motor directly to the part that goes on the floor. Boom. Toddler-sized vacuum. Now he’ll go for hours.
This Shark Vacuum is the model that I have that my son is able to use. If you are in the market for a new vacuum, this one is fantastic. It’s very lightweight and since the motor is actually on the handle part of the machine, it allows me to make it smaller (as said before) and easy to do the stairs. Other vacuums I’ve used, you have had to use the hose to do the stairs, and you still have to lug the big vacuum up with you.
Help this list grow!
What are the things that made being a parent and managing your household so much easier? We’d love to hear about it!
Interested in the products listed in this article?
It is not hard to turn on a light at all — until you are struggling to get through the front door with all of the groceries or any other number of scenarios. Smart lights are convenient. I suspect that even the nay-sayers would use them if they had them. Haha.
OMG YES! Another great example of why they are awesome! I love just being like, “Hey Google! turn on the lights!” We also have a smart thermostat and that has changed my life… We’re working on making our house a smart house (will probably post on that later!) 😜
These are really awesome! Anytime you can find a way to make your life easier and have the kids help is a win!!
Yep! I’m all about the kids helping! My parents always made the joke, “Why do you think we had kids?!” lol they were kidding, of course, but now I make the same joke. lol
That toddler trampoline looks AMAZING. I don’t have kids yet but I have been a nanny. That thing would have been so much help at times ha.
I love how it keeps them occupied for so long and gets their energy out!
Great post for Moms, now that I’m a grandmom I can share this with my daughter! We love our IP it really does make life easier for everyone. Thanks for the info 💚
I’m so glad you liked it! I really love the instant pot, I was very surprised at how easy it made making dinner!
Wow - lots of great ideas! I’ve been wanting to try an instapot, even more now that I’ve seen how you use yours!
GET ONE! I wish I had gotten mine earlier! It was always on my wishlist but just thought it was kinda frivolous (I already had a crockpot, I thought, it’s not that different…) I was so wrong. It’s so nice and for how often I use it (all the time), it’s not expensive at all.
Smart lights!!! Those would be great especially in our hallways. And I really want an instapot.
We love ours! Of course, now my kids run into any room (anywhere) and yell at the lights. Hahaha this is the future, I tell ya!
Love a good instant pot!
My life is changed now! haha
I never thought of an InstaPot for my daughter. It would make a great baby shower gift too!
Yes!!! People don’t think of non-baby items, but really it’s things that make work easier that are much more helpful.
Oh, my. Having kids is definitely a full-time job with constant over time. So these tips are helpful for the future 😉
We love the small trampolines in our house! Jumping on them can also help kids with sensory processing disorder, anxiety, and give physical exercise even in the dead of winter. We also can’t live without our extra large stuffed animal bean bags. They are empty large bags that the kids stuff all of their stuffed animals into and zip up. No more stuffed animal apocalypse!
O yeah! I’ve seen those! That’s so smart whoever thought of it!!! And if the kids want their bean bag to be comfy, they have to pick up their stuffed animals! lol
I don’t have young kids anymore, but I sure would have loved the Instant Pot back then! I use mine now for almost everything, and I have two of them! My next goal is to use it to make yogurt. I am going to look into Force of Nature. I haven’t heard of that before. I use the most expensive product on your chart!
Great list! I remember our days with the step latter potty too! LOL! It really did make life a lot easier.
I have never used an instapot - it looks interesting. Might have to do a little more research.
My kids are all old enough to have their own kids…let me tell you I’m jealous of a lot of the things out there now!
I really need an instant pot, but I am afraid it will just sit! After reading, I don’t think it will just sit - I can put it to great use!
My youngest is nine, and I want some of these! Remote lighting? Sign me up. Sometimes I just don’t want to get up. I know a lot of people like their Instapots, too. Great ideas!
I have not even thought about the smart lights. Definitely will be looking into buying some since I have a new baby coming at the end of May. Thank you for great recommendations.
These are great ideas. It’s so easy to get focused on what baby needs about what is helpful for mom! I really want one of those trampolines for my son!
It’s so easy to forget about what mom needs in those early days. Thanks for making this list! I want one of those trampolines!
My kids have so much fun on it and they play together doing “tricks.”
I love my instant pot, I use at at least 3-4 times a way, it is absolutely my biggest mom hack. We also have a trampoline and find that when the days get too long we love spending time jumping on it.
Yes! It’s especially nice during these cold winters!
My kids are grown now, but what a great list of ideas to help a busy mom! I have the shark and I would have never thought of it for toddler vacuuming!
Great list! I’m definitely planning on upgrading my vacuum one day (either that or making enough to hire someone to do it for me). And I have heard SO many great things about the Instant Pot.
I’ve been debating about whether or not an instant pot is worth it. And i love the idea of a trampoline!
Ok, I am seriously considering getting a toddler trampoline! These are all amazing and helpful tools for a busy momma like me. Thank you for sharing these!
Oh my goodness, the smart lights are AMAZING! Seriously. I would even go another step further and say to just get an Alexa or smart home device. We love ours, and IDK how I ever managed without one. The step potty is amazing too. However, my toddler now carries it around and tries to use it as a step-stool…ugh.
I would also add steam mop. Our Shark steam mop makes sure everything is clean, and quickly. Swiffers are okay, but this thing blows them out of the water. I’ve been eyeing the Bissell Crosswave, but not sure it’s worth the price.
OOO!!! I will have to look into that mop! We love our Google Home! I almost added that one too!
I have never heard of Force of Nature before. I will have to check it out. We have an instant pot, but I rarely use it. I will have to get in the habit because it sounds like it would be great!
I really love it! I can’t believe how well it works and how easy it is!
All great suggestions! I appreciate knowing about the all in one cleaner. I’ll be checking that out!
What great suggestions-for new moms and old! 😉
Great tips! Absolutely some good things for mom’s here!
Great ideas especially for new Mom’s. I wish they had this stuff when I was a new Mom! I’ve been hearing so much about the Instapot, I really want to check it out 😊 it’s just the two of us, but during the week I just don’t have time to cook. It might offer more options for variety other than our protein and salad!
It’s perfect for when you just don’t feel like cooking! I love finding “dump” recipes that you just throw things in and let it do its thing!
Some of these things I haven’t ever heard of…and now I really want to look into them! Thanks for the tips! I have been on the fence about an Instapot but I just might have to jump on board, that pasta looks delish!! And the trampoline…I can’t believe I’ve never gotten one of those! That is a must this go around for my kids! Thanks for the ideas!!
Great post!! I am pretty lazy and love any products that can help make life easier! lol! I loved all of your suggestions!
Wonderful post! I love how you explained why each item has helped make your job easier as a mom. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Shirley! I’m glad you liked it!
We love our instapot! So many possibilities!
A kid friendly vacuum! This is awesome! Great ideas!
I love it! He loves to vacuum and I love when the house gets clean 😛 Win/Win!
We love our smart lights! The fact that they can be set to 20% or 50% brightness (in those middle of the night or early morning wake ups) is a life-saver for my eyeballs! I am very intrigued by the Force of Nature! I purchase all natural cleaners every month and I am definitely looking into this instead. Does it do a quality job cleaning?
I feel like it cleans way better than anything else I’ve used. It gets grease up in my kitchen really well.
My boys would have loved that trampoline had it been around when they were young. Not to mention, I still have not invested in an Instant Pot - I’m sooo behind the times!!
I’m late to the party too! Now I’m obsessed though! I literally ONLY will make instant pot food now lol
I think I need all of these things!!! Especially the vacuum and insta pot!
The instant pot seriously has changed my whole life. I went from pretty much NEVER cooking to cooking every night. It’s soooo easy! Especially when you do “dump” meals, which I pretty much do exclusively. haha!
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