Homemaking Tips for a Smooth Start to the Day

Maybe it is just me, but when I added a kid to our household mix, I really struggled in the homemaking area for quite some time.  Still do, in some areas…and our youngest is 20 months old!

So, I will just put it out there…parenting is more important to me than doing the dishes most days.  And a nap can take precedence over almost anything.  But I still wake up and get frustrated with the fact that our home never seems to be as clean as I want it to be, and there are always more things that need to be done!

And I don’t have it all figured out yet, for sure.  But I did discover that keeping my home with kids is almost always easier when I set up some simple (I mean really simple) routines.  I loved the way our home felt at the end of our 28 Days to Clean Challenge. And the simple steps we did made a HUGE difference in our daily lives.

So, I slowly worked on adding a few extra steps for moms of little ones.  Here are some SIMPLE homemaking tips for a smooth start to the day.

Clean/wipe down the high chair and set out a cup and plate for breakfast in the morning.

If your little one is still using bottles, make sure you have all the bottles you will need for the day cleaned and lined up, ready to go at feeding times.  Sometimes this quick chore can be ignored for days at a time, leading to a big mess when it comes time to clean up.  Getting into all those crevices of the chair and removing all those crumbs on a daily basis will keep this chore from getting out of hand.  Having breakfast dishes ready to go first thing in the morning will give you one less thing to do in the morning before you have had your first cup of coffee.

Run a load of laundry and fold it.

Set the laundry basket  with folded clothes outside the door to baby’s room so you can quickly put it away with them in the morning.  Staying on top of laundry and putting it away quickly just makes getting dressed easier.  You can get out of the house a lot faster on the mornings you need to if you already have clean clothes ready to go and in their proper place.

Plan a simple and quick activity for baby to do while you are getting one small thing done.

Thinking ahead with very basic activities for your little one to enjoy can make preparing meals much easier.  These activities don’t have to be elaborate – something as simple as getting a couple of bowls out of the pantry with some spoons and letting little ones at it.  Every activity we do around here is what I would call simple, requiring very little preparation.  One of our most popular ideas is the What’s in the Bag? bag. And we have a ton more activities for little ones under the Growing Up tab over at Simple.Home.Blessings.  I will also be sharing a simple summer activity every weeknight this summer on my Facebook page (give it a “Like” to get some inspiration every evening).

Go to bed early!

I don’t take advantage of this as often as I should!  Getting the rest we need as parents definitely affects the day ahead of us.  When I don’t get the sleep my body needs, I run low on energy and patience with our kids.  When I do get my rest, my day is noticeably easier!

What do you do to set you and your little one up for success each day?