Let's be honest; being a mom is one of the most difficult full-time jobs out there. You don't get any breaks, the work is non-stop, and many busy mothers actually have another full-time job on top of being a mom! And while some lucky moms have partners and family members that can help with nursing the baby and changing a toddler's diapers, there's no doubt about the fact that most moms out there need a push in the right direction. After all, what some moms don't realize is that you can work smarter rather than harder when you have a child. Just check out these mom hacks that will make the lives of busy mothers so much easier.
How to Get Kids to Eat Fruit
You probably don't need us to tell you that kids would rather eat chicken nuggets over some fruit all day, every day. Trying to get them to eat healthily is often a nightmare, but there are some mom hacks that can help you out in that department. Of course, this does involve a bit of trickery - but how else are you supposed to get them to eat a piece of fruit?
This mom hack involves popping a strawberry on top of an ice cream cone. This way, your kids think that they're eating something naughty and delicious, but they're still eating fruit.
Let the Kids Fill Their Own Cups
How many times a day does your kid say, 'Mooooooom, can you bring me a drink?' We're going to assume that you hear that question more than you'd like, which is why this mom hack can really help you out. All you need to bring this mom hack to life is a water cooler and some Command strips. Then, you can attach your child's favorite cup to the water cooler and let the kids fill up their own cups!
It's this kind of novelty hack that encourages kids to do things for themselves, and most kids love the idea of having their own dedicated water cooler. So, that means fewer trips to the kitchen for you!
How to Keep Crumbs at Bay
Most busy moms will agree that crumbs are the bane of their existence. It seems as though they're constantly vacuuming up crumbs that their children create, and they seem to fall into every nook and cranny imaginable. But you don't have to deal with crumbs if you add genius inventions into the mix, and this burrito funnel is one of those inventions. In fact, we want to buy ten of them!
This burrito funnel ensures that all of the crumbs and food that fall out of the burrito end up in the funnel rather than on the floor, and whoever invented this deserves a Nobel Prize.
Keep the Glitter Mess to a Minimum
Glitter is a busy mom's nemesis. And while most moms appreciate how happy glitter makes their children, they don't appreciate how this glitter gets into every nook and cranny - especially when their children decide to throw their glitter over their artwork without a care in the world. There is a mom hack to solve this problem, though, and it involves some salt and pepper shakers you can pick up from the dollar store.
Not only do these salt and pepper shakers allow you to separate the glitter colors and keep them organized, but it also means that kids can decorate their pictures without throwing glitter all over the place.
A Quick Way to Test Out a Hobby
Kids are pretty fickle. One minute, they're asking to take dance lessons, and the next minute, they're bored of dance lessons and want to try swimming instead. This can be irritating for busy moms who spend a fortune on the things needed for this hobby, which is why we have to admire this mom hack. When her daughter decided that she wanted to start tap dancing, she decided to save some cash on her shoes.
By sticking coins to some normal black shoes, she was able to create the same effect. And if her daughter stuck it out with the tap dancing, she'd upgrade to proper shoes!
A Genius Way to Clean LEGOs
If you're a busy mother, there's a high chance that you're constantly cleaning. Whether it's cleaning your house, cleaning your child and changing their diaper, or cleaning their dirty and sticky toys, it's a never-ending job that can strip you of any remaining sanity and leave you feeling deflated. In fact, anyone who has ever tried to individually clean LEGO blocks will know that it's absolutely soul-crushing. So, you might be interested to see this mom hack.
If you want to make your life so much easier, place the dirty LEGO bricks in a washing bag and shove them in the washing machine! Just make sure you use a delicate wash to protect your machine and the LEGOs themselves.
Turn Old Toys Into Practical Solutions
When you're a busy mom dealing with nursing babies and full diapers, your house can often fall into disarray. But if you don't have the money to replace your wobbly furniture, this mom hack could help. That's because you can turn these old toys into practical solutions that will solve your furniture woes, just like this toy rollerskate, for example. In fact, this solution is pretty genius, and does the job perfectly.
We bet that one look through your kids' toy box will provide you with a toy that they no longer use. But with a bit of creativity, you could use it to your advantage instead!
A Sneaky Way to Have Something Sweet
When you live in a house with children, you must be careful about the food you buy - and where you store it. Most importantly, you need to limit how much candy you buy, and you need to keep it in a cupboard that's away from prying eyes and hands. But what happens when busy mothers need a little pick-me-up? Well, that's where having a secret adults stash comes in handy.
This woman even found a way to eat her candy in plain sight of her children, too. It turns out that all you have to do is hide them in a coffee cup!
Keep Your Cold Hands Warm
After late nights and early mornings with a baby, busy mothers are allowed to do something that makes them happy. And for many moms, that's grabbing an iced coffee to-go while on the school run! But those who love iced coffees will know that these things can make your hands extremely cold. There is a way to prevent that, though, and that's with the help of one of the best mom hacks we've ever seen.
The likelihood is that you have a few spare diapers in your car, so why not wrap that around your iced coffee? This will protect your hands from the cold, without affecting the taste of the drink in any way.
Creatively Cover Your Sockets
Having a baby means that you need to be extra on top of the safety of your home. You need to make sure that your child won't bang their head on corners, you need to make sure that they can't pull down cabinets, and you need to make sure that they don't stick their fingers in electrical sockets. And while you could spend money on proper socket covers, this mom hack might suit you better.
Instead of spending money on these things, you can simply use the covers you'll find on wet wipe packages. These will still protect your children, but for a fraction of the price.
An Innovative Way to Heat the Milk
While the world has celebrated the likes of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking for being geniuses, not enough attention is given to the busy mothers of the world who are able to adapt and overcome all of the problems that stand in their way. And the busy mom who came up with this mom hack truly is one of the smartest people we've ever encountered - especially as she didn't know whether she'd be able to feed her baby.
With no microwave at her disposal on their road trip, she had to think fast and come up with a way to heat the milk. And we think this is one of the smartest things we've ever seen.
Attach a Freezer Bag of Fun
You probably don't need us to tell you that products aimed towards children aren't cheap, and when you've already spent your monthly wages on diapers, food, and childcare, there's a high chance that you don't have a lot left for anything else. But how are you supposed to entertain your rear-facing babies in the car? Well, you don't need to spend a fortune on a proper car iPad case. All you need is a freezer bag instead.
Simply slip the iPad into the freezer bag and hang it from the headrest for the ultimate peace-keeper in the car. It might even give you the chance to listen to your favorite podcast for a while.
Re-Use Those Old Masks at Christmas
While most children love 'Elf on the Shelf,' there's no doubt about the fact that busy moms hate this elf with a passion. Sure, seeing your kids happy makes you happy for a few seconds, but then it's replaced with pure fear and desperation when you realize that you have to think of another 24 days' worth of ideas before you can finally retire his silly elf for the year.
If you're stuck for ideas, why not give this one a try? We're sure you probably have at least one spare face mask lying around the house, so let him hang out on the Christmas tree.
Never Lose Your Remote Again
Busy mothers like to know where everything is in their house at all times, but this can seem impossible when you have a child who likes to hide things. Because of this, you could spend at least half an hour every single day trying to find the remote that's hidden in the washing machine or under the dog's bed. There is a mom hack that can help with this problem, though.
If you want to know where your remote is at all times, just attach it to a ruler! Bonus points if you choose a brightly-colored ruler, as there's no way that can get lost in the mess.
Keep Your Wrapping Paper Intact
When you're a mom, you should always have a stockpile of wrapping paper in your home. After all, there's always going to be a kids' birthday party on the horizon. But if you're fed up seeing wrinkled wrapping paper every time you head to your craft cupboard, this mom hack can solve everything. Plus, you can re-use one of your old socks while you're at it! So, it's a win-win situation.
Instead of throwing old socks in the trash, cut off the toes and wrap them around your wrapping paper to keep them intact and to keep the wrinkles at bay. It's simple but effective.
Hide Cookies in a Tampon Box
Moms teach their children that sharing is caring, but there's no doubt about the fact that having to share your favorite cookies with kids who want to eat all in one go is pretty annoying. So, why can't parents have their own stash? This mom decided to hide her favorite cookies away from the prying eyes of her children, and she found the perfect place to hide them; an empty tampon box.
She knew that her kids wouldn't touch the box, so it was the safest place for her to keep her secret stash. And we think this might be our favorite mom hack so far.
Use Diapers as a Comfortable Buffer
As a busy mom, there's a high chance that you're fed up with changing diapers. By this point, you can probably change diapers in your sleep - and you may have even done that! But what you might not realize is that your stockpile of diapers can actually have another use. That's because these soft and pliable diapers can serve as the comfortable buffers between something sharp and your baby's head.
On this occasion, this family bought some materials from the hardware store and wanted to get them home without an incident. So, this genius mom decided to wrap the sharp ends in a diaper to prevent any bumped heads.
Use LEGO Blocks to Save Money
Busy moms have so much going on in their lives, and it can be overwhelming when your child comes to you with another request for another product that will cost you a fortune. One minute, they want toy cars, and the next minute, they want a stand for their iPad or phone. It's a constant battle between wanting them to be happy and staying out of debt, but one mom hack every busy mom should know is that LEGO blocks can almost always save the day.
This mom saved $10 by making her own phone stand out of LEGO blocks, and we bet her child loved this even more than the plastic thing she would have bought from the store.
Telling a White Lie at Dinnertime
Trying to get kids to eat proper meals should be an Olympic sport. Kids have very strong opinions on whether food is the right shade of green or whether the crusts of bread feel spiky in their mouths, and this can stop them from eating anything. Of course, most busy moms have to come up with mom hacks to make sure that their kids actually eat - and sometimes that involves white lies.
This mom decided to tell her kids that this was how you eat French fries in Europe, but in reality, it was just bits of wholemeal bread with seeds. But, amazingly, it actually did the trick.
Stop the Socks From Disappearing
If you live in a house full of humans and children, there's a high chance that you have a lot of socks under your roof. And while you can try everything to keep these socks in their pairs, most of the time, they end up separating and getting lost. This basically renders the whole pair useless and forces you to go to the store to buy more. But if you're a busy mom, there's a way to prevent that.
By adding snaps to your socks, you can snap the socks together, making it physically impossible for them to get separated from each other. Worst case scenario? You'll lose the whole pair.
Add a Divider to Help Twins Sleep
Parents of twins will know that having two babies at once isn't easy. Although you might be able to get one of the twins to sleep, the crying of the other twin will wake them up instantly and stomp on all of your hard work. This can leave twin moms extremely sleep-deprived, which is why finding a product that can help those sleepless nights is something some moms can only dream of.
This twin mom found a large cot with a divider in the middle so that both twins could have their own separate space while still being close to each other. And it worked wonders.
Fixing Cooking Disasters With Toys
Keeping your children entertained over the weekends and during school breaks can be a full-time job, which is why many moms decide to head into the kitchen and cook up a storm with their children. Of course, these meals and bakes aren't going to be perfect when there are kids in the mix, but this mom hack allows you to turn these cooking disasters into a fun and entertaining moment for the kids.
Although their gingerbread house wasn't as structurally sound as she had hoped, this mom fixed the whole situation with a toy dinosaur. And we bet that was even more fun for the kids.
Make Nursing More Comfortable
Nursing your baby can be extremely uncomfortable. And while it's a beautiful thing to do, the process of breastfeeding and pumping can be painful and time-consuming. In fact, anyone who has pumped during the winter months will know that there's nothing worse than pulling down your nursing bra and putting cold pumps onto your skin. This mom hack can change the way you pump, though, and make things a little warmer.
This woman decided to warm up the pump on a portable heater, and we bet this mom hack is going to help many other women while they're nursing after they see this.
Build Independence With a Montessori Bed
There's nothing more heartwarming than your baby wanting your love and attention, but there comes a time when you need to teach your child independence. One of the best ways to do this is to give your child a Montessori bed. This bed is low to the ground and offers your child the chance to get in and out of it on their own, and it's known to be extremely effective.
Some busy mothers swear by this mom hack, but it's important to note that every child is different - so this might not necessarily work for you and your child.
Turning Old Toys Into Gardening Tools
Does your child have a whole box of toys they no longer want or use? Kids grow out of their toys extremely fast, and most of the time, this means that there's a whole host of plastic making its way to landfill. But what you might not realize is that these toys can be repurposed - and one mom hack is to turn an old toboggan into the coolest garden planter out there.
That's what this mom did. And while her kids wondered where the toboggan had gone, they had no idea that their mom had used it to plant her tiny seedlings.
DIY-Ing a Makeup Pad
Busy mothers often fail to look after themselves, and this often means that their skin suffers as a result. But having a baby makes you resilient beyond belief, and this was proven when this mom realized that she didn't have any makeup remover pads to take off her makeup after a long day. That didn't stop her from cleaning her face, though. She was going to wipe off her mascara if it was the last thing she did.
To do this, she found the closest thing to a makeup pad - a period pad! In the grand scheme of things, they're basically the same product. They just have two very different uses.
Save a Trip to the Store
When you're a busy mother, the last thing you want to do is take time out of your day to head to the store. This is especially true if you accidentally throw out the container that you put the opened cat food in. This mom found herself in the same predicament, but she decided to save herself some time and a trip to the store by using what she had at home.
So, she decided to cover the opened cat food packet with a coffee lid. And if that's not the sign of a resourceful and busy mother, then we don't know what is.
An Quick Alternative to the Diaper
Every busy mother on this planet is doing her best to provide for her child, but there's no doubt that things can slip her mind occasionally. So, hands up if you've ever run out of diapers for your baby? We're going to assume that most of you have put your hands up, as nipping out to the corner store probably isn't something that's at the top of your priority list.
But if you ever find yourself in need of a diaper and don't have any left in the pack, might we suggest this mom hack? It definitely shouldn't be a permanent solution, but a grocery bag could do the trick while you head out to the store.
A Way to Keep the Caffeine Flowing
Having a baby changes your whole life. Suddenly, you're destined for a life with sleepless nights and eye bags, and you're relying on caffeine to get you through the day. But if you're a busy mother who needs more than one cup of coffee in the morning, you might be interested to see this mom hack. Yes, that is a straw in the coffee pot! But why would the hole be there if it wasn't meant to be used this way?
Instead of refilling your cup time and time again, you can just drink the whole pot and get on with your day. And we bet you'll have a spring in your step while you do it.
Ditch the Extra Dishes
Let's be honest; most adults feel as though they're constantly doing the dishes. But when you become a mom, the amount of plates, bowls, and bottles you need to wash up seems to quadruple. This mom obviously didn't want to add another bowl to the mix when she had a craving for popcorn, though. So, she decided to make her own bowl from the popcorn wrapper - and we have to admire her creativity.
This way, she could just eat out of the bag and give in to her craving instead of getting another bowl dirty. And that's the reason why moms should run the world.
Use Diapers When Nursing
Moms will know that nursing can be tough. While a mom's main aim is to feed their baby, there's no doubt about the fact that this doesn't always happen like clockwork. Sometimes, you can spring a leak when you least expect it - and when you're not prepared for it. Most moms have a supply of breast pads on hand for when they need them, but they don't have a constant supply.
This woman decided to work with what she had at her disposal, and what she had was a huge bag of diapers. Thankfully, it worked a treat and she wasn't left with any embarrassing stains.
Keep Your Chips Nice and Fresh
Is there anything worse than stale chips? Those without children would say no, but those with children would say that, yes, there is something that's worse than stale chips - and that's realizing that you have stale chips after a long day of looking after tired and grumpy kids. But this mom has found an inventive way to stop her chips from going stale, and we think we might have to steal it.
If you have a spare pants hanger lying around, you can simply break off the clips and use them to keep your chips fresh. This won't cost you a dime, either.
A Genius Way to Turn the Lights off
Hands up if your kids constantly leave the lights on? With life becoming more and more expensive, the last thing you want is a huge electric bill. But how do you encourage your kids to turn the lights out? Well, this busy mom managed to figure out a way to ensure all of her kids could reach the light switch, and a way to make it fun for the whole family.
By attaching a large straw to the switch, her kids were able to do what they were told and they were able to save some money on their electric at the same time. It was a win-win.
Make Grocery Shopping a Breeze
Trips to the grocery store just aren't the same when you're a mom. As well as buying all of the food you need, you also need to make sure that your kids don't run off. Then, you have to try and carry all of the groceries from the car to your house without knocking your children over in the process! It can be a real nightmare, but this mom hack can make it easier.
By putting your groceries into your kid's toy cart or car, you can carry all of them at once. You could even trick your kids into pulling it for you as a fun new game.
Don't Let the Wine Go to Waste
Busy moms like to unwind at the end of the day. Some like to eat a whole bar of chocolate, others like to go for a run to clear their heads, and some like to have a glass of wine! But if moms are nursing, they need to limit how much alcohol they drink - which can be difficult when you've just opened a wine bottle with a cork in it.
This mom hack solves that problem, though. By stuffing a string cheese into the hole, it'll act as your very own cork. Plus, when you get to the end of the bottle you can have a cheese and wine night!
Keep the Kids Entertained in the Car
Driving anywhere with kids is a bit of a nightmare. If they don't fall asleep, they need to be entertained the whole way - otherwise, they'll be kicking the back of your chair and asking, 'Are we there yet?' five hundred times before you get to your destination. This mom hack keeps them entertained in the best ways possible, though. All you need is a shoe organizer, like the ones you'd buy from Target.
You can then fill this organizer with snacks, games, pencils and paper, and even an iPad if you don't mind them watching a film for the journey. It'll be a real lifesaver.
Using the Elf to Teach a Lesson
It's no secret that most parents hate Elf on the Shelf, but it can come in handy if you want to teach your kids a lesson and get them to do something they don't want to do. And when this mom's kids were scared of having their vacation vaccinations, she decided to use the elf to her advantage. So, she made the elf his very own vaccination card to show them that they shouldn't be scared.
This mom hack just goes to show that sometimes using things you don't like can actually work in your favor, as these kids were happy to have their vaccinations after this.
How to Never Waste Food Again
Busy moms will know the struggle when it comes to wasting food. After all, kids can be incredibly fussy and waste their food as a result - and that's not something they want to spread throughout the rest of the house. But in order to keep her own food fresh, this mom knew that she needed to come up with a cheap solution that wouldn't involve a trip to the store.
In the end, she managed to grab a sticker from a new T-shirt to stick down this packaging. And as you can see, it worked absolute wonders to keep everything fresh.
Keeping the Fries Warm
Being a busy mom means that you're constantly drinking your iced coffee at a watery room temperature, and you're eating your food cold. And while most moms are content with that, it seems as though this mom didn't want to ruin her takeout French fries by letting them get cold. So, she decided to stick them into the heater vents in her car to keep them warm. This is genius.
What we love about this mom hack is that we bet they were much easier to eat like this. We're definitely going to have to steal this one next time we get takeout.
Super Glue Those Tiny Shoes
Being a mom is basically like being a search and rescue team. At least once a day, your child will lose something that you have to try and find - and in most cases, this is a tiny shoe of a doll or action figure. These can often be impossible to find, and it seems as though this mom just didn't have the time to search the house for Tinkerbell's shoe on a daily basis.
So, she came up with a hack we're surprised we haven't seen before. She superglued the shoes to the dolls and suddenly had way more time on her hands than she'd had previously!