Survival Tricks for Life with Kids

A day in the life of a mom can feel a lot longer than 24 hours. Literally anything can happen. Our family routine can go smoothly and everyone is cozy, happy and reading books together on the couch. Or disaster happens. Just yesterday I woke up to an unbelievable number of messes; diaper messes in the crib, food messes on the table, toy messes on the floor. My morning clean up efforts kick-started my day into action! Here are a few things that help me stay sane within mommy life.

Washable Crib Mattresses

I literally hosed my son’s crib mattress down yesterday after he chose to repeat his new personal hobby — taking off his own diaper. Our Newton crib mattress is awesome because it’s completely breathable and also incidentally washable. If you rinse this crib mattress off, the water runs straight though to the other side. I sprayed my son’s mattress down with some Eco-friendly cleaner, rinsed it off in the tub with our shower wand, and the mattress quickly dried within a few hours. I just put the crib mattress in front of our electric fireplace.

Flip-Top Drinking Cups

After some damage control in the nursery, my morning quickly filled up with breakfast, preschool activities, cleaning up toys and doing laundry. My kids preschool routine usually includes reading books on the couch, singing several songs, and completing some pages in my girls’ preschool and kindergarten workbooks. Next we enjoyed snack time! Toddler drinking cups can be tricky. Many can leak or spill or can be hard for kids to open. My kids love their b.box drinking cups, which have a weighted straw and easy-to-open flip-top. The thinner straw is a bit tricky to clean but I can scrub it out with a pipe cleaner. You can also buy extra straws + straw cleaner. We don’ t put milk in these cups but they are a great kids’ drinking cup for water and juice.

Indoor Energy-Burning Play Activities

This inflatable Bouncer Pool from The Shrunks is so fun! It’s a decent sized inflatable trampoline that kids can bounce on to burn energy indoors and use as a pool in warmer weather. The external ring is easily inflated with the foot pump and the inner area stays empty as the bouncy trampoline space. Our inflatable bouncer easily stays inflated for several days before we have to top it off. The instructions recommend against using a electric pump because the Bouncer Pool is designed to hold large volumes of air at low pressure. This fun kids’ trampoline is perfect or a basement or playroom where kids can bounce around and you can easily deflate it and store it away after play time.

All-Weather Supportive Kids Shoes

When the weather gets cold, it’s helpful for kids to wear high-quality shoes that will protect their feet on crunchy leaves and icy surfaces. Sturdy boots are helpful for playing outside on snowy days and kids can run around in all weather wearing sneakers that have good grip. Most importantly, kids’ shoes should protect their feet by providing support and room to grow.  pediped footwear offers all sorts of comfy shoe styles for kids, from baby slippers and cozy boots to big kid sneakers, street shoes, cold weather boots and athletic shoes.

My little man can easily explore our yard and run down the driveway wearing his pediped Flex shoes and I know his feet are protected within a flexible shoe design and supportive rubber sole. pediped kid’s shoes are approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association for promoting healthy foot development!

Ultimately I love and appreciate my kids despite all that can happen during the day. My time with young kiddos is short even if the hours seem long. What are some of the things that help you within mommy life?

Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!