Whether you are a parent of one or a parent of four, life with kids can become pretty hectic. From a never-ending list of chores to driving them to all of their extracurricular activities, it can be hard to keep up with everything that parenthood involves. That is why we created this list to help give you ideas of ways to help simplify your life with kids.
Keep Everything on One Calendar
As new practices, meetings, and recitals come up, it will be nice to be able to view it all on one calendar. This way, you only have to check one place when someone asks for your availability. With having everything on one calendar, you can also be sure to leave enough time in between activities, so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Teach Self-sufficiency
Teaching your child how to handle their responsibilities on their own not only sets them up for success, it also gives you more free time. As they get older with the ability to do more, you can teach them simple tasks, like how to do their own laundry, help with dinner, and other household chores. Your child is likely to complain about doing chores now, but they will be grateful to know how to do these things when they are out on their own.
Stick to Routines
Sticking to different routines throughout the day and week can make it easier for your child to accomplish things and reduce the amount of stress on them. For example, making a certain day of the week a dedicated time to clean their room can eliminate the surprise of you asking them to do it. Creating a bedtime routine for them helps to wind them down and can make them less fussy about having to go to bed.
Spend Quiet Time at Home
Trying to balance out everyone’s busy schedules can leave you with barely any time spent together as a family. A way to fix this is to block out a specific time of the week where you will all spend time as a family playing board games or watching movies together at home. Although this might not seem like something to make a priority when trying to fit extra curriculars and meetings into your schedule, in the future you will be glad you did.
Find a Pediatrician You Can Trust
Not having a provider you can trust with all of your child’s health needs can be a big stressor. This is why it’s important to do extensive research when you are first looking for a pediatrician so you can stick with them throughout the rest of your child’s life. If you are looking for a pediatrician in Beverly Hills, for example, search ‘top pediatrician Beverly Hills, CA’ to get a list of the most trusted in your area. Some pediatricians offer a mobile app and other ways to further simplify taking care of your child’s health.
Reduce Commitments
This applies to both you and your child’s commitments. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to things that are not necessary. Taking as much of these unnecessary things off of your calendar will greatly reduce the amount of stress on you and your child. This allows for you to add more fun activities to your schedule and create a better balance for you and your family.
Cut Down on Clutter
With toys and clothes accumulating over the years, you should make time to go through all of it and donate anything your child no longer needs. Another way to cut back is to only buy clothing for them in a certain color scheme. This way they can put together their own outfits that will match and prevent clothes never being worn because they do not match with anything.
The hectic life of parenthood can become extremely stressful when you don’t cut back and balance your activities. We hope this list gives you some ideas about how to reduce stress on yourself by simplifying parenthood and therefore being a better parent for your child.
