Tuesday, 28 January 2020

PARENTHOOD: 5 Ways to Stay Organised as a Busy Parent

5 Ways to Stay Organised as a Busy Parent
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As soon as you become a parent it is quickly evident quite how difficult it can be to stay organised and on top of that ever expanding to-do list. A baby doesn't leave you with two hands free very often, toddler's need watching constantly and pre-schoolers are all about the adventure. Then they go off to school and it is the juggle of school runs, doing homework, practicing phonics, organising play dates, keeping up with birthday party invitations and going to any after-school clubs. Throughout all of these stages staying organised is key as a busy parent, which in turn helps to reduce stress. We play so many roles in our children's lives: carer, feeder, councillor, party organiser, gift buyer, magic maker, driver, security keeper, cleaner, hugger and so much more. Balancing it all is never going to be easy, but these five tips make life that little bit easier and more organised. 



1) Lists, lists and more lists. Have them on your phone, on pieces of paper around your house, neatly in notebooks, on the calendar, essentially anywhere and everywhere. It is so easy to let something accidently slip your mind when you're busy and juggling so many things, but by keeping lists it makes it a less frequent occurrence. 


2) Use Wicked Uncle when it comes to present buying throughout the year. Their unique range of gifts for babies and children of all ages makes present buying exciting and it is easy to find something perfectly suited to the lucky recipient. There is a gift perfect for every child on their website, whether they are interested in playing outdoors, being creative, engineering, role play, sensory, reading, games... the list could go on. They also have various different ways you can search through their range of gifts, including by age or interest, which saves so much time for us busy parents. To save even more time and be extra organised you can choose for your purchases to be gift wrapped (an extra £2.50 for the first gift and then £1.50 each additional gift after that) by the Wicked Uncle team. They have an impressive array of fun wrapping paper designs to choose from, so again you can choose one that will appeal to the recipient. For that extra level of ease and organisation Wicked Uncle also have the option to add a free gift message or for £2.50 you can choose a greetings card from over thirty different designs. It takes just one visit to one website and you can tick off choosing, buying, wrapping and sending someone a unique present that they will be sure to love! 
Pocket Kite (£6.99)
3) Use a Family Calendar - Keeping on top of everyone's different schedules is tricky in any family, especially when you have multiple children. If gone have the days when everyone's plans/meetings/appointments etc. could fit onto a regular calendar it may be time to upgrade to a family calendar. They often have five separate columns that helps to keep everyone's plans separate, yet easy to see where and when each person should be on any one day. Also, in order to prevent your children from constantly asking what day/week/month/year it is and what they're doing on each day you could get them the My Magnetic Daily Wooden Calendar. It is the perfect way to teach them about the date, months of the year, seasons, weather, talk about how they're feeding, identify their activities for the day, and encourage independence too. 
My Magnetic Daily Calendar
4) Meal Planning - This is one that seems like a never ending task to begin with, but you'll thank yourself later. If you're anything like me, then it can take a while to decide on the meals for the week but once you have then that's it done. It makes food shopping quicker, cheaper, reduces waste and everyone knows what they're eating for dinner each day. I have found it easier to do meal planning on my phone, which is also where I keep a list of everything we have in the freezer. That way I can plan meals around what we already have and we don't end up with multiples. Some of our family favourites are spaghetti bolognese, fajitas, cottage pie, pasta bake, homemade burgers, curry and sausages & mashed potato. 
5) Birthday Reminder Service from Wicked Uncle - How many times have you released last minute that it is someone's birthday or forgotten until a couple of days later? It's an awful feeling, but luckily one that can be prevented with Wicked Uncle's Birthday Reminder Service. When you purchase a gift from their website they will assume it is for a child's imminent birthday and will send you a reminder in a year's time, along with present inspiration for the next age bracket up. For example, if you bought a present from the three year old girls section, then next year they'd send you a reminder as well as gift ideas aimed at four year old girls. You can also log in to your account and add in all of the significant children's birthday's you would like reminding about throughout the year. It is one less thing to think about, which is what we all need. 
What are your top organisational tips?


Feel free to leave a comment - I love reading every single one :)


Helen x
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8 comments

  1. Lists and family calendars I could never been without. Love the idea of a birthday reminder service - I need that in my life!

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  2. It is so easy to get overwhelmed and find it all too much. There is always more to do and more distractions on the way to doing them. Amazing the difference a list can make. Excellent guide!

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  3. I honestly couldn't do anything without a family calendar. It gets so jam packed with appointments that I know I would forget. Oooh I have to try wicked uncle.

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  4. I love Wicked Uncle, they seem to have the best ideas for presents

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  5. I have always been an organised person and after my first child I was fine getting on with things and never really forgot anything. After my second child however I forget everything! She is only 6 months old and honestly I have never put more reminders on my phone! meal planning is a massive help as well but I find if i haven't prepared it in the morning ready for cooking then it doesn't get cooked as I seem to be on the last minute when it comes to tea time

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  6. I love a list or 2 or 3 lol! I have a family calendar with a column for every family member and a whiteboard in the kitchen too! I have never heard of wicked uncle, I will check out the website.

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  7. The one of the keys to to surviving parenthood is being organised. Meal planning is always good when you have kids as they get into a routine of eating certain foods plus it can be a great way to save space and money.

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  8. I keep meaning to start meal planning. Love the idea of the birthday reminders I always forget all the boys friends and end up scrabbling around at the last minute.

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