4 Quick Tips To Make Life With A New Baby Easier

A new baby on the way is always exciting!

It also means life is about to get even busier.

You'll be juggling feeding / sleeping / changing / bathing / recovering / entertaining visitors / cooking / eating / showering / washing / dishes / and more..

My biggest tip? Ask for and accept as much help as you want. It's totally fine for your only priorities right now to be looking after baby and looking after YOU.

But I know real life gets in the way of that, so I also have a few practical tips to make life easy for new mums (and dads)!

Here are 4 quick tips to make life with a new baby easier:

1. Put a note inside your nappy bag with a list of everything you normally pack into it. Then on days when you're tired, in a hurry or have someone else packing the bag, you can see at a glance what needs to go into it and have it packed in 2 minutes instead of 10

2. Set up a nappy change bag or basket that you can take from room to room easily and fill it with nappies, nappy sacks, wipes & cream. If you can find one, get it with a strap or handle that lets you carry it while holding the baby if you need to. Or just use your nappy bag. Now you can change bub in whatever room you're already in - lounge room, your bedroom, bathroom at bath time - instead of having to get up and walk all the way to baby's bedroom (particularly handy if baby's room is upstairs)

3. Record your favourite shows so you have something good to watch when you're up for late night feeds - you'll be surprised how much easier it is to stay awake while feeding when you're interested in what's on tv!

4. Switch to night showers, especially if that's when someone else is home to look after the baby with you. You won't be in a rush and can make shower time nice and relaxing instead of hurried and stressful. On a side note - don't be surprised if you think you hear the baby cry every time you have a shower - it happens to lots of us!

Do you have any other tips to make life easier for new mums and dads? Share them in the comments below!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE AS A GUEST POST ON YOUR BLOG OR IN YOUR NEWSLETTER? Of course you can - just make sure to include this bio and picture with it:

Marissa Roberts helps busy mothers find more time in the day to do everything. She teaches family friendly organising and time management techniques to mums looking for more work, life and family balance. Get her FREE ebook “5 Steps to an Easy Morning" at www.beautifullyorganised.com

Credits:

• Picture by me! It's Sophie when she was tiny :)
• This post is not sponsored

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My secret trick to handling motherhood overwhelm

It doesn't matter how many kids you have, how long you've been a mum, whether you stay at home, work at home, work outside of home, or any thing else - life as a mother is busy all the time, and it's often overwhelming.

We love our families - no doubt about that. But sometimes all that busy-ness gets too much and we're not sure we can handle it!

If you find yourself headed towards too busy and overwhelmed, it's ok. There are ways to cope.

In fact, I have a secret trick that woks for me every time, no matter what situation I'm in, and I want to share it with you today.

You might love it and start using it yourself, or you might find it a little silly and decide it's not for you. Either way, I don't mind. I just want you to know there's a simple option you can try if you like :)

So what's my trick? 

I pick a Mummy role model.

Yep, that's it. I pick a mum I admire and copy her. Not in a stalker way - I just think of the things she does that impress me, and I practice doing those things myself.

Easy! And such a big benefit. It works immediately, every time I do it.

Here are a few examples of my past mummy role models and how I've practiced 'being them':

• The mum from the TV show 7th Heaven: I used to watch reruns of this show when Sophie was a baby and I was up very early feeding her. I just loved the way this mum handled "The Juggle" - shopping, cleaning, cooking, bottle washing, laundry etc and still had time for family. She just kept on moving, kept going in a smooth rhythm. My life was all about these things when Soph was tiny so I really related to it and found myelf thinking "If other mums can do this, so can I!"

• Miranda Kerr: She's happy and calm whenever I see her with her son. She makes me feel less guilty about wanting to spend time on my hair and make up (not that I get to every day, but I'm working on it), and she's so positive. I love positive. I just want to live in a happy little bubble every day and not let anything negative in.

• Jessica Alba: I really relate to the way Jessica Alba loved her career before she had kids, and still loves it now - alongside running her own mum related business. As I move back into the corporate world myself this month (don't worry, I'll still be here too!) I find comfort in knowing others have juggled 2 different career passions and still adored family life, and had no problem keeping it real and not putting pressure on themselves to do it all perfectly (one of my favourite FB pics from Jessica has posted is one of her family in the dining room - and her table was just as messy as mine is some days!).

• My Mum: My Mum is awesome. She's the reason I believe the bond a family has with each other is stronger than anything else in life. I've been so lucky to be brought up in a family that knows without a doubt we're there for each other, we'll support each other without a second thought and we don't even need to explain what we need or why we need it, it's always going to be a 'yes, we can help' from all of us. She's inspired me to teach my kids the same values and I should really let her know how much she means to me more often.

So that's four of them, there are many more :)

Now over to you - If life as a busy mum is getting overwhelming for you, try it - pick a mummy role model and have a go at 'being them' and handling it the way you think they would.  

Do you do this already? Comment below and let me know who your current mum role model is!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE AS A GUEST POST ON YOUR BLOG OR IN YOUR NEWSLETTER? Of course you can - just make sure to include this bio and picture with it:

Marissa Roberts helps busy mothers find more time in the day to do everything. She teaches family friendly organising and time management techniques to mums looking for more work, life and family balance. Get her FREE ebook “5 Steps to an Easy Morning" at www.beautifullyorganised.com

Credits:

• Picture by me (and Sophie)

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3 simple steps to get you past overwhelm & declutter your home

Today's post is for anyone who is currently trying to declutter / clear out / tidy their home and can't get started.

• You may be looking around your house, feeling totally overwhelmed, wanting a neat & tidy space but just can't figure out where to begin.

• You may be motivated to get started but the job just seems too BIG.

• You may only have a few minutes and think that's not enough time to accomplish anything.

If that sounds like you, read on - I have 3 steps that will take you from overwhelm to action and give you some clear space today, along with answers to some questions I get asked regularly by my clients.

1. Pick ONE part of your home. Just one. Pick either the part of the house that frustrates you the most, or the part of the house you love to be in the most - and make a conscious decision that this is the space you'll declutter today.

2. Take a step back and look at that area as a whole. While you're doing that, take a full minute to think about what you'll be using this space for when it's clear. Picture it as clearly as possible - what will you do when you're in here? What does that look like? Think of how good you'll feel and let yourself feel that way right now.

3. Begin. Focus on one part and start there. Pick up one thing and put it where it belongs. A plate, a shoe, a toy, a magazine. Then pick up the next thing and put it where it belongs. Continue. It sounds almost too easy - but this close up focus is what takes away the overwhelm, breaks the task into manageable steps and gets you motivated to clar and organise your space.

Real Life Questions From Clients:

What if you're not sure where something belongs? Then it's time to decide if you really need to keep it. Here's a tip from my simple decluttering post:

If you can't live without it, decide where it will live and put it there. Just go with your intuition - it's the act of making the decision to put it in an assigned home that will give you the result, not whether you find the perfect place for it.

If you don't know whether to keep it or not, put it in a box with a lid on it (one you can't see through). Write the date 6 months from now on a post it and stick it on the box - then put the box somewhere you won't see it easily (in a cupboard, or in the garage). If you don't open the box in 6 months, it's safe to say you don't need what's inside - so donate the box without opening it again.

What if I don't have time to do the whole room? Break it down further. Only have a spare 20 minutes? Set your phone or oven timer, pick one corner of that space and start there. Keep going for that 20 minutes, then stop. Come back tomorrow when you have another 20 minutes. But make a conscious decision that nothing else enters the space in the meantime. Bit by bit, step by step - that's how you organise without overwhelm.

What if my family mess it up again while I'm working on it? Now is the time to sit down with your family and explain how important this is to you. How you feel right now with your home the way it is, how you'd like to feel instead, and how you're going to get there. Tell them you love them and appreciate that they'll support you, help you, or just let you be while you do this.

If you have questions, I'd love to answer them for you. Comment below or click the contact box at the bottom right of this page to chat with me personally - I'd love to help xx

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE AS A GUEST POST ON YOUR BLOG OR IN YOUR NEWSLETTER? Of course you can - just make sure to include this bio and picture with it:

Marissa Roberts helps busy mothers find more time in the day to do everything. She teaches family friendly organising and time management techniques to mums looking for more work, life and family balance. Get her FREE ebook “5 Steps to an Easy Morning" at www.beautifullyorganised.com

Credits:

• Image courtesy of Bill Longshaw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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