6 life hacks that give you extra energy in your day
Life as a parent of babies and toddlers is wonderful but also exhausting and hectic: Sleep is a faraway dream. You need to take your little one to baby swimming and other activities. Every day you need to prepare healthy food from scratch. The house needs to be spotless. And then there’s your career and all the hobbies you had before you became a parent that also need attention…
Presence and peace in the family should be a priority, otherwise it drowns in the many chores daily life throws at us.
Here are 6 great tips on how you as a family can create moments of calm in a busy day:
2. INVOLVE YOUR CHILDREN IN EVERYDAY CHORES
Quality time with the children can be many things – often your child will be happier to take part in everyday chores with you than to go on big excursions and events. For example, if you involve your child in the cooking, he/she will feel like they are contributing to the family while also giving you both the peace and closeness you need – and so what if it messes up the kitchen a bit?
3. AVOID MAKING TOO MANY PLANS
Your toddler doesn’t need the same busy schedule that you may be used to. When your toddler has been surrounded by other children and adults for an entire day in daycare, they need peace and to feel close to their family. It is therefore perfectly ok to say no thanks to dinner invitations and play dates.
4. BE GOOD AT SHARING THE RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN YOU
Throughout the pregnancy, the father is placed in the spectator seats of your parenting, and during the newborn phase, there are also good, biological reasons why the mother takes out a patent on some of the jobs. But it is precisely for these reasons that a skewed division of responsibilities can arise between the mother and father.
If you are mindful that you both take part on equal terms, it will give you all an everyday life that works more smoothly.
Also read: Why the father plays an important role in baby’s life
5. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF
When you haven’t slept several nights in a row and the only thing you dream of is to see the inside of your eyelids, it’s important to remember to reach out to your network. Maybe you have some parents or a mother-in-law nearby? There’s nothing wrong with asking if they would like to spend a few hours with their grandchild while you get some much-needed rest. If you don’t have family nearby that you can draw on, you can ally yourself with some friends or a nanny that your child feels happy and comfortable with.
6. LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR YOURSELF
Remember that all parents struggle with the feeling of not doing enough, and everyone makes mistakes. It’s part of the ‘job description’ for parents. But we all do the best we can. It sounds banal, but if you can lower your own expectations of yourself and find peace in the imperfect, it will give you much more mental and physical energy in your everyday life.
