Looking after a baby is hard work. Make your life a bit easier with some of our favourite genius baby hacks!
- If your baby needs to take medicine, simply pierce a hole in the tip of an open-ended soother or use the teat from a bottle. Once your baby starts to suck, administer the medicine using a measuring syringe. Remember to only use this soother for medicine once you poke a hole in it! Fridababy Accu-Dose is a great gadget if you don’t feel like DIY-ing it.
- Swaddle bath for babies who hate the bath. Make bathtime much cosier by wrapping your baby in a light swaddle blanket. This stops them from feeling cold during their bath.
- Don’t get rid of your yoga ball after pregnancy. Sit on your yoga ball to soothe your baby, they love the bouncing motion.
- Fold the waistline of diapers inwards to help avoid blowouts. Some poo explosions can’t be helped, but at least the fold can stop some damage!
- Keep 4 shower caps in your buggy’s storage. These will protect your car or the floors in your house if you went for a muddy walk or accidentally ran over some dog poop.
- Use baby nightgowns so you don’t need to fasten poppers during the night.
- Choose zip-up onesies for quick dressing.
- Prevent baby from peeing on you during nappy changes by swiping a cold baby wipe across your baby’s tummy before opening their nappy. The cold sensation can cause them to pee.
- Keep a nappy change caddy on each floor of the house for convenient access to baby essentials.
- If you’re breastfeeding, massage your breasts and apply a warm compress to prevent mastitis.
- Put a stick-on hook on the back of your baby’s highchair and keep a stash of bibs there ready for mealtimes.
- Keep tubs from takeaway sauces to use as soother boxes. Just make sure to wash and sterilise them first.
- Keep track of doses of baby’s medicine by drawing a chart on the bottle and ticking it every time you administer a dose.
- Track your baby’s feeding, sleeping and nappies using an app like Baby Tracker by Amila or Huckleberry. This is very helpful for doctors appointments when you’re sleep-deprived. You can even log which breast you last fed from!
- Freeze breastmilk into little ice pops to help with teething pain.
- Remove a dirty vest downwards using the little flaps at your baby’s shoulders.
- Keep a spare top for yourself in your nappy bag so you’re not stuck in messy clothes.
- In the boot of your car, keep a stash of extra wipes, nappies, an outfit for the baby and a change of top for yourself so you’re never stuck.
- Use a nail file instead of nail clippers to avoid those accidental cuts.
- Place a hot water bottle in your baby’s sleep space to warm it up before you put them down to help them settle without your warmth. Remember to remove the hot water bottle before putting your baby down. Nothing should be in your baby’s sleep space with them and they could overheat.
- Get a slow cooker and find some amazing recipes to make with it. This means you can prepare a decent dinner whenever you get a quiet few minutes throughout the day instead of trying to prepare dinner in the evenings when you’re already tired from a long day.
- Keep a separate pouch in your nappy bag with wipes, nappies and bum cream. This saves you from bringing your whole nappy bag to the bathroom when out and about.
- Bring a roll of masking tape when visiting a home that isn’t baby-proofed. You can place this over electrical sockets or use it to keep your baby out of cupboards. This is great for self-catering holidays too.
- White noise on a budget: get an old radio and tune it in between stations. The crackling sounds will soothe your baby without the need for a new gadget.
- Repack your nappy bag when you get home. This will save you time getting out the door and items you need to refill are still fresh in your mind.
- Give aprons a revival. Keeping an apron wherever you dress your baby is great for when you’re already dressed and ready to go out and don’t want any spit/puke/pee on your clean clothes.
- Use nap time carefully. Prioritise tasks that you can’t do while baby is awake (like blissfully scrolling on your phone with a hot coffee!) rather than things you can get done while baby is awake, like folding clothes.
- Keep the lights off during night feeds. Use a warm-toned dim light to help you see what you’re doing (parents love salt lamps for this purpose). This helps keep the baby in sleepy mode and helps them to understand the difference between nap time and night sleeping.
- Go for footless onesies where possible, these will fit your baby for much longer without squishing their toes.
- Use a hanging shoe organiser on the inside of a wardrobe to organise your baby’s items. This is great for households that don’t have space for a dedicated wardrobe for a baby. Create their own storage system inside your wardrobe.
Common baby hacks which are unsafe
In the hunt for tips and tricks that can make your life a bit easier, you can inadvertently pick up some unsafe habits. These are some common baby hacks that you might hear which are actually unsafe for your baby.
- The weighted glove trick. This hack involves filling a glove with rice and placing it on your baby while they sleep. The goal is to make your baby feel comforted by the “hand” as they think you’re there with them. This hack can be dangerous for your baby’s breathing as the weight can make it hard for their immature lungs to expand properly. Usually, babies can wake themselves up if they’re not getting enough oxygen, but the compression may lull them into a much deeper sleep which they can’t rouse themselves from.
- Using baby nests, positioners, rolled-up blankets, heating pads, or anything that is added to your baby’s sleep space. Many parents swear by these products saying their baby sleeps so much better with them. However, many governments globally have issued warnings against the use of these products as they have been linked to suffocation and overheating.
- Layering your baby’s crib sheets for easy clean-up after accidents. Crib mattresses are highly regulated and specifically designed to be firm and breathable, so adding extra layers or padding creates a less breathable environment for your baby to sleep safely.
