Toddler Hacks To Make Parenting Easier For Busy Moms
From their unpredictable tantrums to their never-ending energy, it can be tough to keep up with a toddler! Here are dozens of toddler hacks that can make your life easier for busy moms.
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As parents, we all know that raising a toddler can be a challenging experience. Often just barely getting through the day, praying for bedtime. But there are many toddler hacks that can make your life easier and help you enjoy this phase of parenting even more.
Toddler Morning Hacks
Once your toddler is up and out of bed, the day ahead will be busy with lots of activity, so make sure you are ready for the day before getting your toddler out of their crib or bed. A morning routine helps start your morning for a productive day ahead.
Use a Wake up clock to let the young toddler know when it is time to come out of their room once they have transitioned out of their crib. Most wake up clocks can serve as a white noice machine too, which is very helpful for staying asleep.
Immediately change your toddlers diaper and clothes. To minimize the wiggles and protest (tantrum), have milk or a pouch ready in hand they can have while you are changing their diaper.
Related: A Morning Routine For Kids That Works, With A Daily Checklist!
Toddler Bedtime Hacks
Getting your toddler to sleep through the night can be a struggle, but there are various hacks you can try to make bedtime smoother.
Try establishing a consistent bedtime routine and sleep schedule, keeping the room dark and quiet with black out curtains, or using soothing music or lullabies to put your toddler to sleep.
You can dress your toddler in their clothes for the next day to eliminate the battle of getting dressed.
Size up in their diaper or use pad liners to eliminate waking up at night due to a wet diaper.
Have several paci’s in their crib during the night so you don’t get woken up to the “I can’t find my paci” cry.
Brush teeth either while watching a show, in the bath or laying down on their bed to avoid the meltdowns around brushing their teeth. Distractions help greatly.
Has your young toddler ever taken their pants off? What about their diaper? It only takes one time walking in to a crib with pooh everywhere to get smarter than the toddler.
Snap the onesie over the pants and you can assure those pants (or diaper!) are not coming off.
Toddler Routine Hacks
Toddlers thrive on routine. Having consistent daily routine for your toddler is very important.
This will give your little one a sense of security and make them feel more in control, which can reduce tantrums and meltdowns.
Sleep training is a great way to have a consistent daily routine.
As a mom who sleep trained all four of her babies, including twins, giving my entire family the gift of sleep was and is priceless.
It provided a rhythm and routine to our day that kids thrive with. Plus, still to this day, we have four great and amazing sleepers! We’ve been a 7pm – 7am family for years.
Individual play is another way to provide a consistent rhythm and routine to their day and toddlers love getting lost in their own play.
Teaching toddlers Individual Play (or Solitary play) is a great skill to learn.
Through Individual Play (AKA, Solitary Play), children learn to trust themselves, build self-confidence, have increased creativity, better problem-solving skills, and improved concentration and develop their fine motor skills.
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.
This learned ability stays with them and helps them so much in adolescence and in school.
The child learns to entertain themselves without the need of an adult or someone else feeding them entertainment.
When the child is young, they might only last for a few minutes, but with consistency and age, the time will increase.
Sample Daily Toddler Schedule
For a 18 month old:
7:00 am: Wake up & eat breakfast
11:30 am: Lunch
12:00-2:30 pm: Nap
3:00 pm: Snack
5:30 pm: Dinner
6:30 pm: Feeding / Start Bedtime Routine
7:00/7:30 pm: Bedtime
For a 2 & 3 year old:
7:00 am: Wake up and eat breakfast
9:00 am: Snack time
12:30 pm: Lunch time
1:00-2:30/3:00 pm: Nap
2:30/3:00 pm: Snack
5:30 pm: Dinner
7:00/7:30 pm: Bedtime
Toddlers Love Choices
Toddlers love to feel independent and in control. Give them choices whenever possible, whether it’s choosing between two outfits or helping decide what activity to do.
Ask “yes” or “no” questions. Toddlers will respond better with yes or no then multiple choice.
It takes a lot of energy to keep toddlers entertained. Check out these Fun Youth Indoor Activities for Your Kids, which will definitely inspire easy ways to keep your toddlers entertained.
Use a timer with toddlers for everything.
Toddlers respond better when given a heads up about the next transition. I have an apple watch, which makes it so easy to tell Siri to “set timer for 2 minutes”. I use it for:
- Sharing toys
- Cleaning up
- To start bedtime routine
- Warning prior to leaving a location (park, play date)
Toddlers love racing & competing! Use the timer to see how fast they can do something.
Ask your child to put their clothes away and say “let’s see how fast you can do it in”. Or “let’s see if you can beat your 1 minute record”.
Watch them sprint to and complete their chores or your request in record time.
The power of a blanket!
Toddlers actually prefer boundaries. They love to push them, but it helps their brains if they can see and understand “their” space. Blankets do that for little kids.
Put down a blanket, even in the house, for play time. Put a handful of toys on the blanket and watch as your child will stay in their space and focus on the toys in front of them.
This is very useful with multiple kids. Can eliminate fighting over toys and getting in each others “spaces”. Its powerful, give it a try!
Toddler Bath Hacks
Toddlers can have a love / hate relationship with bath time. Many of them love making bath time an activity, but then can get very frustrated with the bath toys.
The rubber toys with the holes where water has a hard time coming out grows black mold and are so gross and hard to keep clean.
If you have some or still want to buy some, close the hole with hot glue so water does not get in.
But there are many other great bath toys out there where you don’t have to worry about mold collecting on the inside of the toy.
Buy these instead:
- Washable bath markers
- Foam letters and numbers
- Hard plastic bath toys
Have a bath toy holder that suctions to the wall. Then the toys can dry and not be in the way. Toddlers will get frustrated if they don’t have space in the bath tub for their creative play or if their toys “float away”, so having a bath toy holder is very helpful.
Bath time can be magical.
Bath time is not just for getting clean. It’s great to use as a during the day activity for kids. Great for raining days, filling up time, keeping them confined. Add some fun bath markers, bath bombs and other toys, and this can be the perfect activity.
Toddler Eating / Meal Hacks For Busy Moms
Who hasn’t met a toddler who wasn’t a picky eater? Not only on what foods they will and will not eat, but how their bread must be cut, or if they want YOU to open something or if they want to do it. The finicky toddler, especially around feeding, can make a mom go crazy.
Then I learned about Baby Led Weaning (BLW). BLW helped my twins explore and love food. We didn’t do BLW with our older two boys but learned about it in time to introduce it to our twins, and we saw and felt a huge difference in meal time.
Toddlers and babies are very sensory at this age. Everything is learned through touch and food is no different. Giving toddlers the option and environment to self feed helps them to enjoy eating more and reduces the picky eater.
Get creative and make it fun by creating fun shapes out of food, using colorful plates or even playing games with the food.
Toddlers are more likely to try new foods or foods they previous said they didn’t like if you involve them in the food prep. Use these safe kid knives and this safe toddler kitchen step stool to safely include them in the process.
While it can slow down the process and require lots of patience, I have seen the results in my kids. All of my children are more excited to try new foods when they are involved in the prepping process.
For the messy eater (trust me I have one!), especially if you are doing Baby Led Weening, these two different options are great. Waterproof baby apron or a long sleeve bib.
Laundry Hacks
After all of that messy eating and active playing, the toddler stage is known for lots of laundry, multiple outfit changes and stained clothes.
Use these laundry hacks to stay up on laundry and preserve the clothes you have.
Use a mesh bag for socks to keep them all together. It is easier and quicker to fold them too. You can also use a mesh bag to wash toys.
Have the RIGHT stain removers always on hand.
Carry a Tide stick in your purse or diaper bag for the stain you will eventually get. Children love to leave their dirty “paw prints” all over a nice clean shirt while out in public. Quickly remove the stain with this magical Tide stick.
Amazing Stain removers for your laundry:
- Folex – this product will literally get blood, ketchup, red nail polish and red wine all out of white carpet with no residual stain remaining. AMAZING STUFF!! I buy bulk.
Toddler On-The-Go Hacks for Busy Moms
When at the store doing errands, toddlers love to be included. Give them their own list and include them in the shopping experience. Or if possible, let them have their own shopping cart so they can put a few items in their own cart.
Toddlers are hands on and this little participation goes a long way. I would bring this shopping cart from home and allow my toddler to push it around the grocery store as I did my shopping.
Toddlers seem to have a never-ending appetite and thirst. Keep a variety of healthy snacks and drinks with you to make errands, doctor appointments and play dates easier and more enjoyable. This is the perfect snack bag for errands or park play.
Have treats and rewards immediately available and on hand. I am not above a good bribery or earned treat after demonstrating good behavior. Dum Dums are my go-to and motivate my kids to act kindly and listen during trips to the doctors, stores or play dates at the park. Toddlers are highly motivated by rewards.
Car Hacks
If already potty trained, always have the toddler do a bathroom visit prior to leaving the house. And also have a portable toilet in the back of your trunk for those emergencies. I can’t tell you how many times this saved me, especially in the pick up line at my older sons school.
Another hack, if you don’t have a toilet in the back of your car, have extra diapers. Even if the toddler is already potty trained, they can easily use a diaper for those emergencies.
Have an emergency bag that is fully stocked with diapers, wipes, change of clothes, extra shoes, milk on-the-go, and first aide kit. All of these items saved me more then once during our toddler seasons.
Have a fully stocked and frequently rotated activity bag available in the car at all times. I feel having an activity bag goes without saying, but I see so many moms doing errands and didn’t bring any activities. It is not worth the hassle. Great on-the-go activities include paint by stickers, coloring books, and cars.
Lastly, store a case of water in the trunk of your car. This is a hack that will continue for years to come as you venture in to sports. It is very convenient to have water available for when at the park and thirsty after hours of outdoor play and their water bottle is empty and you can’t find a drinking fountain. In line at pick up, or out doing errands.
Toddler Cleaning Hacks For Busy Moms
Keeping your home clean and tidy with a toddler around can be challenging, but there are hacks to make the task easier.
For instance, consider investing in child-friendly cleaning products, use baby gates or playpens to designate boundary areas, or involve your little one in the cleaning process by giving them toy mops, brooms, or dustpans.
Give them a baby wipe and ask them to clean the baseboards or walls of your house.
Turn cleaning into a game. Toddlers love to be helpful, so turn cleaning up into a game. Make it a race to see who can pick up toys the quickest or turn sweeping into a dance party.
Teach your kids to clean their rooms in ten to fifteen minuets. We tried this clean up time system – it REALLY works! And it works for both younger and older kids!
Limit the crumbs from snacks. Have your toddler sit in a box while they eat their crackers. Keeps the crumbs contained and your toddler will be very happy. Put the box in front of the tv or add crayons for double the fun.
Other Toddler Hacks for Busy Moms
- Place tape over toy speakers to lower the volume.
- Child proof cabinets with a hair tie.
- Put sippy cups in a drawer that toddlers can reach.
- Use tape on the floor for a toddler floor activity. Your toddler can stage any kind of parade or race for hours of imaginary play.
- Keep them entertained with sensory activities. Little ones love sensory activities – from playing with finger paint to squishing play dough. Sensory activities provide endless entertainment while also helping with their development and learning.
- Store toys in containers and then rotate the containers. One container of toys will be up in the closet not being played with, while the other container is out available for play. After a month or so, rotate the two containers. Your kids will forget about the toys and then when they are pulled back out to play with they will have new excitement for them.
Toddler Behavior Hacks For Busy Moms
As a busy mom dealing with temper tantrums, defiance, and disobedience is so frustrating and exhausting. However, there are hacks you can use to shape your toddler’s behavior and instill positive habits.
Try using positive reinforcement, setting clear boundaries and consequences, practicing patience and empathy.
Toddlers respond well to positive reinforcement. Praise them for good behavior or the accomplishments they achieve, and celebrate those moments with little rewards.
Toddler Hacks for Busy Moms Recap
By following these toddler hacks for busy moms tips, and relying on your own parental instincts, you can raise a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted toddler. Remember to be consistent, patient, and loving in your approach, and don’t forget to enjoy the precious moments of toddlerhood while they last.
These are just a few of the toddler hacks for busy moms we’ve discovered over the years. Remember, there’s no one right way to parent, and every child is different. Do what works best for you and your family, and enjoy this special time with your little one.
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