Top Time Management Tips for New Parents Needing 'Me' Time

There’s never enough time in the day to complete the errands that that come with parenthood. When you have children, the simplest of tasks can take forever. Popping to the post office? What used to be a 10-minute job, now takes twice as long just to get the family out of the house…

Sound familiar? With only 24 hours to tick off your to-do-list, while somehow finding time to relax and focus on yourself, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed at times. “Is it possible?” we hear you ask.

Yes! Here at Mitosyl HQ, we’ve comprised a list of five simple time management tips, tricks and techniques to help busy parents feel less stressed.

Our first top time management tip is to ask yourself how you could make the small things easier and once you’ve figured that out, you’ll be surprised how much time you save. For example, you can get apps to pay for your petrol without leaving the car, which means a ’no fuss’ stop at a petrol station. Consider other simple solutions, such as buying nappies in bulk, or buying necessities online to save you time and effort from going to the shops. Perhaps you can look for a local milkman or buy washable crayons for drawing to minimise the clean-up time. These little things can make a world of difference!

It’s important to remember that all parents get stressed sometimes - it’s completely normal! For the times when things get a bit too much, have a look at our visit our everyday advice hub for reassuring tips from our Mitosyl experts. You can also check out our Facebook and Instagram for more helpful hacks from parents who know what it’s really like to raise a family.

As tricky as it is to juggle all your daily tasks, mealtimes are a whole different story when it comes to challenges – especially if you want to prepare healthy and nutritious meals for your little one. One of our Mitosyl Mums recommended cooking double the amount to keep in the freezer for future emergencies. You could even blitz their favourite food in a blender and store it in ice cube trays, ready to defrost as needed; this is a great time-management technique for working mums and dads. 

Fed up of battling with your little one to eat their veggies? Is it making dinner time stressful?

Here at Mitosyl HQ, we understand how tricky mealtimes can be. A positive way to encourage healthy eating is by making dinnertime more exciting and fun for your child. Why not try adding a selection of different sauces to your meals? Toddlers will enjoy playing with their food by dipping vegetables into hummus, tomato sauce or cream cheese! Also, why not try purchasing baby-sized veg, or chopping your baby’s food into quirky shapes or smaller pieces, so that it matches the size of their plate? Doing so will make the food seem less overwhelming - and we all know that a happy child equals a happy parent!

It can be hard to put tasks into a clear order of importance when there are so many to juggle at once.

Start by giving your child easy tasks to do alongside you, such as putting their toys away, hanging their coat or helping put the groceries in the right place. Why not make the jobs into a game? For example, you could set a timer and challenge your toddler to put as many toys into the box as they can before the timer goes off.

At the same time, if you are struggling to get through your to-do list, try picking which two tasks are the most important ones for you and start with those. If you don’t manage to get absolutely everything done, that’s okay! They can wait till another day.

It’s a joy being a parent, but everyone needs some time off occasionally. We know it can be hard to find the time to relax and think about yourself, but it’s important for your mental health, your relationship and your children that you take time off to unwind from the many stresses of life. If you can, drop your little ones off at a friend’s house or at the grandparents (which they will love too!), and take some time off to spend only on yourself - you’re doing a great job and you deserve it.

We hope you’ve found our top time management tips for parents helpful. If you’re looking for more tried-and-tested advice from a mix of Mitosyl experts and real parents, read our latest articles on our Everyday Advice Hub.