50 Genius Baby Hacks From A Mom of Four Kids!
These baby hacks are game changing & will make your life easier as a new mom (AND EVEN AFTER). I guarantee that some of these baby hacks will even have the most seasoned mom surprised!
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The newborn stage can be very challenging and hard, and not every mom feels ready, but having some game changing hacks and tips make things easier. With lots of different options and opinions out there, it can feel overwhelming deciding what to do.
Here are the best product and baby hacks to help you survive your first year with your little one.
You will fill more ready for your little ones arrival with these great newborn tips and tricks. You’ll wish you knew them sooner!
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Table of contents:
- Baby sleep hacks
- Nursery organization hacks
- Baby Laundry hacks
- Bath time hacks
- Feeding hacks
- Car hacks for baby
- Other baby hacks to make life easier
If you don’t have time to read all 50 in this long post, email it to yourself or pin it for later! There are some genius baby hacks in here that you DON’T want to miss!
Check out these other amazing mom hacks:
Diaper Bag Newborn Hacks
I documented the first time I left the house with all four kids, ages 3 and under all by myself. It was a walking miracle that we made it anywhere in those early days. Use these diaper bag newborn hacks to make sure you have everything you need while you’re on-the-go.
One of the items that will get used daily is your diaper bag, so it’s important it is functional, comfortable, has enough pockets and compartments and is easy to wear, and must be hands free.
Most moms prefer the backpack verses the shoulder strap as it is easier to carry and is not in the way when bending over.
This was my favorite diaper bag that I used with my twins. It’s a Fawn dupe, very affordable, and great quality.
Make sure your diaper bag has these MUST – USE items
Pack your diaper bag in the evening to make mornings less stressful and chaotic when trying to get out of the house.
Make sure you have extra diapers to avoid being out and about without a diaper. Store a whole pack of diapers in the back of your car for safe measures.
Buy baby wipes in bulk and have them stored everywhere. I no longer have babies at home, as my children are now 9, 7 and twin 5 years old and I STILL buy bulk in baby wipes and have them all throughout my house and my car.
Related post: 63 genius way to use baby wipes here.
I loved having the Similac pre-made 2oz formula in my diaper bag at all times. While I breastfed mostly, I liked having options and a back up plan if for some reason we were in a place that wasn’t conducive to breast-feeding or baby was being way too distracted to nurse.
Use Keep it Kleen pacifiers as a great hack to keep pacifiers from getting dirty when they accidentally fall on the ground.
Most moms agree it’s a good idea to have an extra change of clothes for baby and an extra shirt for you. It’s only a matter of time before the accidental baby spit up or blow out occurs.
Use disposable diaper bags to keep stinky diapers in while on the go.
Baby Sleep Hacks
Eliminate day and night confusion by establishing nighttime and nap routines.
Establishing a consistent routine for your baby can help them to distinguish between day and night, which is important for regulating their sleep schedule.
The best thing you can do for your whole family is use a sleep schedule and introduce sleep training early. We used Babywise, which I loved. You can read more about the Babywise schedule here.
Make sure you lay your baby flat on their back to sleep and use a baby tracker app OR use your notes app on your phone, to track your baby sleep habits, poops, and awake times. Very helpful in those first couple of months as you are establishing sleep routines and focusing on baby growth and weight gain.
At 2am in the morning you don’t want to think through the steps on how to burrito swaddle your baby with a blanket, instead use swaddle sacks.
Halo and SwaddleMeEasy were my favorite brands that worked the best and my babies had the hardest time getting out of them.
Swaddling can help your baby to stay warm and feel secure, but make sure you always use a swaddle that is loose enough so that your baby’s hips can move.
Pacifiers can help to soothe your baby and reduce the risk of SIDS when used for naps and nighttime sleep. WubbaNub pacifier and Philips AVENT Soothie Pacifier were some of my favorite.
After having four babies, I still don’t understand why babies do this, but trust me, it will happen. Snap the onesie over the pants to keep those clothes on and little hands from having access to their pooh and from taking their pants and diaper off. From a seasoned mom, just trust me on this one!
Baby Hacks To Encourage Sleep
White noise machine mimics the sound infants heard in the womb. Helps them sleep and will block out other noises in the house or when out and about.
Have a portable sound machine and attach it to the stroller or infant carrier when baby is sleeping. Or download a white noise app on your phone and have it playing near baby while baby is sleeping when you are out and about.
Blackout curtains can help your baby sleep longer, avoid an early wake up time, and to encourage sleep over play. Use black out curtains to block out light from the outside and make it easier for your baby to differentiate between day and night.
Who wants to change sheets at 2am in the morning? No one. Layer up the sheets and use waterproof sleep protector pad/liners.
- Crib mattress Protector liner
- Regular mattress protector liners for sizes twin+
That’s 10 of my favorite baby hacks… 40 more to go!
Email this to yourself for later if you don’t have time to read the remaining baby hacks now!
Baby Changing Hacks
It is very helpful to have multiple changing stations throughout your home in the most visited areas. Such as baby’s room, master bedroom, family room, upstairs and downstairs if you have a two-story home.
Have a basket at the foot of the stairs to put dirty clothes and other items that you can carry back up later.
Have diapers, baby wipes, rash cream, burp cloths and a re-usable changing pad in a little basket or diaper caddy to quickly grab to change baby on the floor or the couch, verses having to go all the way back to the nursery.
Buy a bulk pack of changing pad liners and use these on top of your cute changing pad cover and in your diaper caddy. Change out the liner once it gets dirty verses having to change out the whole changing pad cover. These are the changing pad liners I used for years and loved them!
Use onsies with zippers or baby gowns / sleep sack with the bottoms open for quick and easy changes. Buttons or snaps get frustrating in the middle of the night changes as they are more difficult to undo.
Stop a baby from peeing on you by wiping a baby wipe across baby’s belly before changing the diaper to keep your baby from peeing on you.
The science behind this, is that the baby wipe triggers baby to pee, so now your baby will pee in the diaper instead of on you.
Make sure you are ready with the new diaper prior to changing the dirty diaper. The faster the better when it comes to diaper changing. This trick is great for when out in public to have extra space between baby and changing surface.
Once your baby starts sleeping through the night size up in diaper, use a diaper liner or switch to overnight diapers sooner to keep from having to change a wet diaper in the middle of the night.
Nursery Organization Hacks
A Diaper Genie is hands down one of the best purchases, a must have in your babies nursery. To manage the smell of the dozens of dirty diapers you will change daily, use a Diaper Genie to lock in the smell.
To save time every morning, organize your baby clothes by outfits, using a shoe hanger or over the door mesh shoe organizer. Blow outs, spit up and food will keep you busy changing your baby several times a day. Having clothes that are washed, folded and ready to go can be a life saver for those 2am changes.
I still use shoe hangers with my four kids, and it is still one of my most recommended laundry hacks to keep laundry managed and to avoid piles of laundry.
Babies grow quickly, have a few outfits in the next size ready to go for when that growth spurt surprises you.
The clothes can start to feel like they are taking over, especially if you have the opportunity to get hand me downs. So make sure everything is labeled and you keep all the tags on so you can exchange or re-gift if you don’t get to wearing them in time.
This is a hack that you will use for years to come. Always have a tote or container labeled with the current size and throw the clothes in there as your baby (and kids) grow out of them.
Here’s a list of the most-used products that you will want on your changing table, in your diaper caddy and in your diaper bag.
- Thermometer (my favorite!!!)
You will spend a lot of time in your rocking chair nursing or feeding your little one, so make sure you have a table next to you with a drawer to hold your phone, favorite water bottle, and snack, all available for a quick grab while feeding baby.
That’s 20 of my favorite baby hacks… 30 more to go!
Pin these hacks so you have them for later!
Baby Laundry Hacks
These laundry hacks will save you hours in doing your laundry each week. These hacks can continue with you as you grow your family and are some of the best laundry hacks around. For even more laundry hacks, check out 7 Genius Laundry hacks for busy moms.
This is a hack you will love for years to come. Little baby socks are so easy to lose in the pile of clothes. Wash them separate in a mesh bag so you can quickly match them up and put them away (in your shoe hanger with your baby’s outfit).
Wash each child’s clothes individually to make it easy to put away afterwards. No more making piles and having to sort through socks and who’s who.
Babies have sensitive skin and to avoid any skin rashes, use gentle non-fragrant detergent. I switched to ALL after my first child and we still continue to love and use it.
The stains that babies make on their clothes require the best products on the market to get the stains out.
Trust me, from a veteran mom, these products WORK!
Stock up, schedule subscription, you will need these for beyond baby land, toddlers and kids, they all make messes.
- Oxi Clean stain remover powder
Folex is not for clothes, but for carpet, couches, rugs, etc… anything with fabric and you will use it a ton and it’s amazing. It will get red wine, blood, ketchup and red finger nail polish completely out! no problems! hands down one of my most favorite cleaning products. I have given this as a gift at a “Favorite Things” party. Ever been to one?
Newborn Bath time hacks
If your baby is not loving bath time place a wash cloth on the belly and use warm running water over the wash cloth. Your baby will start to enjoy bath time more.
Once your baby out grows the sink bath, use a laundry basket in the bath tub, so easy and fun for everyone.
The rubber toys with the holes black mold grows and are gross and hard to keep clean. Many other blogs will suggests taking hot glue and closing the hole to the rubber bath toys, but there are so many other great bath toys options.
If you don’t want to deal with all of the glueing, mold, and maintenance, I’m right there with you. Ditch the bath toys with the holes and chose these instead.
Buy these instead:
Have a bath toy holder that suctions to the wall. Then the toys can dry and not be in the way with the bath is not in use.
That’s 30 of my favorite baby hacks… 20 more to go!
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Feeding Hacks For Baby’s First Year
If breastfeeding, make sure to stock up on all the necessary things like nursing pads, nursing bras, and nipple cream, which all can be a huge lifesaver!
For formula feeding, I loved this container when I was on-the-go and didn’t want to bring the huge container of formula with me.
Shop around and find a nursing shirt you love as they help make nursing at home and in public so much easier.
You will be surprisingly extra thirsty after having a baby, especially if you are breastfeeding or pumping for bottle feeding. Make sure your favorite water bottle is near by.
We switched to BLW when we had the twins, and this was a game changer! So much easier, way less food to prep, and all of my kids were able to eat the same foods. Ditch the purees and introduce foods with Baby Led Weaning (BLW)
“You just hand them the food in a suitably-sized piece and if they like it they eat it and if they don’t they won’t.” That’s the essence of Baby Led Weaning.
These bibs are a life saver! Especially, if you do Baby Led Weening (BLW), use a mess proof baby bib or at a minimum a silicone bibs. They catch food, keep babies clean and are easy to clean.
Great to use whether at home or when at restaurants. Silicone Placemats catch food, suction to tables and easy to wipe down.
Put a command hook on the back of high chair to hang the bibs, which makes it very convenient to grab a bib quickly.
To keep your baby from constantly dropping the sippy cup to the ground, use a SippyPal Sippy Cup holder strap.
That’s 40 of my favorite baby hacks… 10 more to go!
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Car Hacks For Baby
Make sure to have a sturdy tote in the trunk of your car that has all of the essentials you will want to have on hand.
Keep the following items in your tote:
- Diapers
- Baby wipes
- First Aide kit
- Blanket
- Change of clothes for baby (and other kids)
- Formula
- Case of bottled water
Related post: 6 Easy Car Organization Hacks – The Ultimate Guide
A mommy Stroller clip / hook is one of the most used accessories for your stroller, a must have! Great for clipping your diaper bag and other needed items.
We used these for YEARS! By using these Seat Savers, our leather car seats from getting ruined or having permanent dents in them.
Keep your baby entertained during car rides with car seat toys.
Have access to easily see your baby in their rear facing infant carrier with the use of a mirror attached to the back seat in front of them. This mirror will come in handy so much with babies in infant carriers.
There are so many options, I personally loved this cover that I could also use as a breastfeeding cover. Having things that had dual purposes was right up my alley, as it cut down on baby gear, and there is a lot of it, so even just one less items is amazing.
Other Baby and Newborn Hacks To Make Life Easier
Clip nails when sleeping in their infant carrier it’s the easiest way to clip baby’s nails.
It is only a matter of time before you are dealing with your first infant cold or sickness. Make sure you have all of the hacks to feel confident in taking care of your baby when sick.
Check out this post: 15 Genius Sick Kid Hacks For Parents To Try ASAP
Still to this day I have baby wipes everywhere in my house. In all of my bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, car, and snack bags. Baby wipes have so many uses and are great to have as an Amazon recurring subscription item to buy bulk.
Related post: 63 Genius ways to use baby wipes
If you haven’t made the switch yet, having a newborn is a great time to start. Switch to online grocery shopping, amazon prime, and target pickup. Going to the store with a newborn is hard, add recurring subscriptions for all of your regularly used items such as diapers, baby wipes, and stain removers..
Related post: Benefits of Online Grocery Shopping – Especially for Moms
As early as 6 months you can start introducing Individual Play (or Solitary play).
The child learns to entertain themselves without the need of an adult or someone else feeding them entertainment.
At 6 months old, they might only last for a few minutes, but with consistency and age, the time will increase.
This gives you so much extra time in your day to get a few more uninterrupted tasks, chores, work done, or just relax and read a good book.
Lastly, wear your baby. I found during the 5 o’clock witching hour, I was able to be more productive and have a quiet baby if I wore him during that time. And helps with baby bonding.
There you have it! 50 baby hacks that will help you survive your first year. As a new mom it is very hard to transition to having a new baby and all of the responsibility it brings, but rest assured, you will learn what your baby likes and and fall into a rhythm that works for you and baby.
And before you know it, you will be potty training your little one. Are you ready? Grab these potty training hacks and tips for a stress-free and easy potty training experience!
Looking for more genius hacks? Don’t forget to check out…
Want other amazing mom routines to help you stay on top of mom life?
Check out 13 Important Routines for Moms
What’s your favorite newborn hack? Leave it in the comments and I’ll add to this list!
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