Simple Routines That Make Mum Life Easier

Becoming a parent is one of the biggest changes you can experience in life. And no matter how much you've prepared for this moment, chances are the reality will be somewhat different from what you expected. For some, this change can be a lot to manage and requires significant adjustments. For others, the shift to becoming a parent is a smoother transition.

But one thing all new parents can agree on is that having a routine can make life so much easier for everyone. But when you're dealing with a new baby, new priorities and responsibilities, not to mention broken sleep, how exactly do you create a routine that benefits your life?

It's not about overhauling anything or even creating colour-coded charts and planning every single minute of your day. It's more about small, realistic tweaks that make our day feel easier, less overwhelming and support both mum and baby. 

With this in mind, let's take a look at some simple routines that make mum life easier, from baby clothing to productive nap times and new sleeping patterns.

Prep The Night Before

This isn't just a good tip for the newborn stage; this is a great tip for any stage of parenting. But the truth is, you'll feel the benefit of even just five minutes of prep being done before you go to bed when the next day rolls around.

The goal here is to remove some routine tasks or actions that can make things harder the next day. It’s not to organise every single thing. Just a few regular ones.

It might be restocking the nappy station before you go to bed, it could be laying out the next day's clothes for when you get up, so once you've fed your baby and changed then happily you have clean, fresh baby clothes ready to go. Or it can be making sure everything is where it's supposed to be before you go to bed, so you don't need to think, and you can just grab and do what you need to do for both you and your baby. Even getting a clean cup out and ready in front of the kettle for your morning cup of tea helps.

If you're not sure what you need to have ready, check out our list of newborn essentials for a place to start.

Set Up Your Feeding Station Properly

Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding, having everything to hand when you need it means feeds are much easier. And this makes sense because in those early days, especially, you’ll be spending a lot of time sitting in one place.

Find the perfect spot where you feel more comfortable feeding, and then have your feeding station set up there. This way, you're not running around the house at 2 a.m. looking for things; you can just go to that one place (you can have more than one spot, i.e. living room and bedroom) and get what you need.

What does a feeding station need?

• Water for you. Pop your favourite cup, flask, etc., etc., with freshly filled water or your drink of choice by your preferred spot.

• A snack. If you're breastfeeding, something to eat is a good idea when you're feeding.

• Phone charger. You could be here a while, so a phone charger is a good idea, so you can use your phone while you're sitting there.

• A muslin or two. This helps clear up any messes from feeding.

• Wipes. For both mum and baby to help clean up afterwards if required.

Like preparing what you need before you go to bed, it's a good idea to check this station after every feed so you can restock or refresh it so it's ready for your next one. Our article on the must-have items for your baby's first six months can give you some more ideas on what you need to have on hand for your feeding station.

Keep A Simple Changing Kit in Every Room You Use

Babies don't wait until they're within the vicinity of your preferred changing location to require changing. And if you're running to your nursery every ten minutes to change your baby, you're going to tire yourself out and make life a little bit harder. Because in practice, this isn't as simple as you might initially feel it will be.

The trick here is to have a small basket in each room you spend time in. This could be your living room, dining room, nursery and your bedroom. In the basket, you need a few essentials such as:

• Nappies

• Wipes

• Creams

• A change of baby clothing, i.e. sleep suits and vests.

The idea here is you have essentials handy to grab, not a stockpile of everything you think you might need. Then, at the end of the day, restock anything you have used from each basket. These simple tasks performed every day can make life so much easier, and in the early days, especially, it's one of those routines that makes mum life easier.

Build A Capsule Wardrobe for Baby

Sure, it's a lovely idea to have plenty of outfits for your baby. But if you end up with a wardrobe of items that are fiddly to get on and off, you'll just make more work for yourself. That's not to say don't have any outfits at all, after all, if someone buys your baby luxury baby clothes, you want them to wear them. Just don't have them make up the bulk of your wardrobe.

A simpler approach is to build a baby's capsule wardrobe.

You want the basics that are easy to get on and off. It's sleepsuits, a vest, one or two soft cardigans that can go over the top. That's basically your baby's capsule wardrobe. For the early days at least. This isn't for any reason other than you'll likely be changing your baby multiple times a day in the beginning, and these types of baby clothing are comfortable, easy to change, and there's no thinking involved. A clean sleepsuit and vest, and they're good to go.

When it comes to your vest and sleepsuits, it’s worth investing in ones that are easy to use and are made from soft materials that are gentle on baby's skin, like bamboo. Our bamboo baby sleepsuits are made with exactly that in mind. We have a range of affordable luxury baby clothes that are ideal as a baby shower gift or to build your capsule wardrobe with.

Sync Your Sleep To The Evening Feed

This is a much more practical option than “sleep when baby sleeps”. And while it might seem counterintuitive at first, it actually makes a lot of sense.

Let's say your baby's feed is at 7 pm. Make this your bedtime, too. You go to bed with them and get some sleep before their next feed. This way, you'll get some rest before their next feed. Because if you're going to bed after this, you won't get much sleep before their next feed, and if they have a fussy night, you'll be glad you got at least a little bit of sleep.

This won't be forever, just until their sleep window increases and they're sleeping longer between feeds or through the night.

Organise Naptimes

A good trick here is to make a list of what you can do during each naptime. Don't overfill it; just one or two tasks are plenty.

You might find that doing chores during one nap time or sterilising bottles is enough. You might need to do some life admin or use the lunchtime nap to sit down and have something to eat properly, or get some meal prep done.

It's not really about what you're doing, just that you use this time to tick off something that needs doing, and yes, that includes you getting a nap if you need it to. But the trick here is to know in advance what you're going to do so you can make the most of the time and not waste trying to figure out what to do.

Do Something For Yourself Every Day

It's not something big or for a specific amount of time; it's just doing something. And what that something is will look different for everyone. And it can be different from one day to the next.

Some days, it might be sleeping when the baby sleeps guilt-free and not stressing yourself out over what else needs to be done. Other days, you might find it’s reading a few chapters of a book or having a long, indulgent bath. You might prefer getting outside for a walk with or with your baby if someone else is able to care for them while you head out, or you might just want to sit in a quiet room for a while. It's entirely up to you. Even if it's just for ten minutes. Do it. Take the time and don't feel guilty about doing something for yourself.

Those first few early weeks as a new mum can be overwhelming, and it's so easy to get lost in motherhood. But these small changes to your life and your routine can help you to make things just that little bit easier once you're in the midst of learning to navigate life with a new baby. We hope this article gives you some ideas that help you out with the simple routines that make mum's life work for you.