Motherhood is hard. It’s rewarding, sure, but it’s downright hard, too. As parents, we are always looking for little ways to relieve some of the stress and possibly grant us more time in our days. Even when you think you have it all under control, there’s always that other mom who just has her life a little more together than you do.

While no mother actually has it all together, most moms do have one or two tricks up their sleeves that make it look like they do. What would happen if we all shared our secrets? Would we all be happier? Let’s give it a go, shall we? 

We polled moms in all seasons of parenthood and asked them to share something that changed their lives for the better. Every single suggestion was amazing – and pure common sense; however, until hearing them, we never would have thought them up!

 8 Genius Ideas for New Moms 

On Roadtrips...

pack one overnight bag total for everyone that is separate from suitcases.

This bag will make stopping in a hotel easy. Leave everything else loaded in the car and only grab important items and the overnight bag. After the hotel stay, the bag becomes your laundry back for the rest of the trip.

Prepack an outfit...

including diaper/underwear and socks, in a baggie with a label.

Inside suitcases, label plastic bags by day or specific clothing occasion. (“Monday Day,” “Monday Dinner,” etc) Do this for the entire trip (or even for your day-long outings).

Color-coding saves sanity.

Choose one color for each child and start organizing. A red backpack, water thermos, weekend duffle/suitcase, and sweatshirt will make daily outings or overnight stays a breeze. You will know if anything is missing and which child left something behind. Don’t stop at big items, include color-coded toothbrushes, plates/cups, lunch boxes, and even underwear!

Snack trays prevent over-snacking.

Each toddler or child can have their own snack bin inside the refrigerator and pantry. You can color-code these, as well! Fill with healthy items, but implement the rule, “Snacks for the day: no treats unless these are eaten first.”

Socks for days.

Socks disappear faster than you buy them, but what’s worse is never having a matching pair. The solution: Each child gets one specific style/brand/color. You can get all white, white with a gray stripe, or white with a flower. Matching won’t be an issue again.

Hand-me-down solution.

When something is outgrown, it needs to be removed from circulation ASAP. Do not let it take up precious closet storage. If you are saving items, inspect to ensure it is truly worth storing. Keep a small basket in the closet to collect these cleaned items in. Transfer them to their longer-term location every time the basket fills. Don’t forget to label them by size.

E-mail your children.

Set up an email address at birth and send them mail whenever something happens you want to remember. It’s the new version of a baby book! You can send sweet love notes, include pictures directly from your phone without printing, and update milestones and include video. You will never lose these records, and your children will greatly appreciate that you didn’t save a huge book of random things for them to store someday. (Not to mention the amount of time this will save you from sitting and scrapbooking.) 

Always be prepared.

Your car is a lifeline. Make sure to have a first aid kit, change of clothes (for yourself as well), towels, wet wipes, extra water, and an umbrella stored in it. Add a blanket and cold weather necessities in the winter.