How to Get Things Done With a Baby

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As moms, we are forever balancing the task of how to get things done with a baby.

Whether it is your first baby or you already have several children, it takes work to be able to be productive around your home while also caring for your baby.

I think the more you have the better you get at it, but not all of us find it to be that way.

Regardless of whether you have one baby or 7, I believe that the tips in this post will help you to get the things done that you’d like to.

Just a reminder before you keep scrolling…these tips aren’t so that you can be supermom. Remember that not everything will get done and that is okay.

Sometimes you’re just gonna have to stop and hold your baby. That’s okay and that’s the way it should be.

However, these tips will definitely help you if you have a baby and still want to get things done.

How to Get Things Done With a Baby or Toddler

#1 Establish a Schedule

Getting your baby on a schedule is so beneficial to both your baby and the rest of the family. It means that you can plan outings and appointments ahead of time.

It also means that you will have fairly regular times throughout the day when you know you’ll be able to get things done.

You can see the baby schedules that I’ve used with my kids right here.

While I know that scheduling is not something that every mom is going to want to do, I can tell you that it lends itself to productivity.

Routine coupled with intuitive parenting is of great benefit to your child.

#2 Work on Independent Sleep Skills

Hear me out…there is NOTHING wrong with holding your baby and rocking them to sleep if that is what you would like to do. Seriously.

I held my newborns A LOT and I loved it very much.

Here’s the catch though…it does become time-consuming and if you’d like to be able to get stuff done when you have a baby then working on independent sleep skills is a great thing to do.

My favorite resources for this are Moms on Call & Babywise.

Teaching independent sleep skills doesn’t mean that you’ll never rock your baby, but it does mean that you don’t HAVE to and that makes all the difference.

#3 Meal Plan

Getting dinner on the table was one of the biggest challenges I faced as a first-time mom.

You see, that’s when my baby’s witching hour fell and I just struggled to please him while also making sure we had something to eat.

The answer? Honestly, it will be challenging regardless but something that made a big difference was meal planning.

Knowing what we were going to eat that night meant I could be better prepared and just take all the mental load out of the factor.

If you’d like to know about the system that I use to both meal plan and shop monthly in under 20 minutes…you can find The Meal Planning Blueprint here.

#4 Use Nap Times

Generally speaking, I like to encourage moms to rest during their baby’s nap times. However, sometimes it is just a necessity to use that time to get things done.

If your baby is sleeping, then use that time to get things done like taking a shower or unpacking the dishwasher.

If you have a toddler then this is a great time to get the things done that are just super difficult to do when they’re around. For instance…making phone calls.

#5 Work On Independent Play

Independent play is something that I harp on about a lot but it is for good reason.

The benefits that it offers to the entire family are overwhelming. Your child will get so much out of it and you can use that time to get things done.

You may be thinking that this isn’t something that you can do with a baby, but in fact, you can.

Their independent playtime won’t be very long at first, but over time you can gently extend it and you’ll find they do really well.

If Independent Playtime is a completely new concept to you then you’ll want to start by reading this post first.

#6 Make a Priority List

You’re not gonna get it all done, mama so stop trying.

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get all the things done. It is impossible.

Instead, make a list of priorities and focus on achieving those.

In the very early days of motherhood that list might consist of:

• Eat
• Shower
• Sleep

That’s perfect.

As you get accustomed to motherhood and your baby gets a little older you will be able to extend your expectations of what you can get done.

A great method is to just write down three things and focus on those each day. It’ll be a lot more encouraging than looking over the page-long list of things you didn’t get ticked off.

#7 Use a Baby Carrier

There are times, especially during those early newborn days where you NEED to get certain things done (like make lunch) but you also NEED to hold your baby.

This is when a baby carrier is perfect. There are so many out there on the market to choose from, but I personally loved a soft carrier like the Moby wrap.

You’ll also find using a carrier very useful when shopping with a newborn as it’ll give you more space in the shopping cart while also allowing you to be handsfree.

And of course, there will be those days when your baby is teething or overtired and they just need to be close to you.

Trust me, a baby carrier is well worth the investment.

#8 Use a Playpen

Once babies start moving it can really start to make getting things done hard. Using a playpen is a clever way to keep them contained.

If you can fit one in your living room then the baby will still be able to see you while you work away at whatever it is that needs doing.

I’ve also been known to put my babies in their highchair while I cook dinner. It means I can get dinner done without a baby climbing up my legs.

It is safer, more productive, and happier for everyone.

#9 Set a Timer

This is something I talk about in this post about cleaning your house fast. It’s a clever way of getting more done in short amounts of time.

The reality of being a mother is that you don’t often have long stretches of time to get things done. Usually, it is more like 5-10 minutes.

Learning how best to use that time will really make a difference.

Set a timer for however long you have to work and it’ll motivate you to stay on task and be more productive.

#10 Be Realistic

Please realize that you’re almost certainly going to expect too much of yourself.

One of the steepest learning curves moms have to go through is coming to terms with what is realistic.

Your home isn’t going to be spotless, heck, sometimes it will look like a tornado went through it a couple of times over (I’m lookin’ at you 3-year old).

The state of your home does not determine your worth as a mom.

Remember to focus on your priorities. Write down your list and refer to it when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

You’ve got this mama.

How to Get Things Done With a Clingy Baby

Before I end off this post I would be remiss in not mentioning the clingy baby.

One of my children clung to me for the entire first year of her life and my other two have also had their stages of clinginess.

I’ve got a post specifically dedicated to that which you can read here. Many of the tips there are things I’ve already mentioned, but there are some extra goodies that you won’t want to miss out on.