Time-Saving Tips for Parents
Increase Efficiency with Daily Parenting Chores
Mar 5, 2009 Rosana Vollmerhausen
Save Time with Laundry
Never-ending laundry is the most common complaint from parents, says Scott Roewer of Solutions by Scott during a March 5, 2009 phone interview. Buy a small laundry bag (one appropriate for lingerie) to wash and dry socks. When the laundry is done, instead of spending time picking through the entire load, quickly go through the sock bag (or bags - one bag for each child). If the child is old enough, have him do it himself.
Try using separate bins for lights, darks and whites, adds Lauren Halagarda of Arlington, Va.-based Organization Connection during a March 14, 2009 e-mail interview. Family members can have their own bins or there can be a communal sorting section for laundry. "This way, when it's time to actually do laundry, no one family member is stuck spending all his or her time sorting," Halagarda says. "While there may be a need to double-check, half the work is already done."
Wash only dirty clothes and dedicate an area in everyone's room for "clirty" clothes, says professional organizer C. Lee Cawley of Arlington, Va.-based Simplify You during a March 14, 2009 e-mail interview.
"These are the clothes that are not clean and not dirty," she explains. Install a simple peg rack that is hung on the inside of a closet door or on the back of a bedroom door. When kids take off play clothes that have only been worn a few hours and may have another wear in them, "air" them out on the peg rack. This saves in the weekly volume of laundry.
Save Time Grocery Shopping
Create a standing grocery list of basics."Type one on your computer and print a bunch out. Or there are also prefab ones online," Roewer suggests. "Then, when you are out of something, you can put a mark by it so you'll know to buy it. "Halagarda takes the idea one step further, and greener, telling parents to sort the list by category, alphabetize, then laminate and use a wet-erase marker on a string attached to the list. Hang the list on the refrigerator and "when anyone in the family notices you are out of something, they can be directed to 'circle it on the list,'" she says.
Roewer also encourages signing up for a grocery delivery service, which saves all lists online, further streamlining the process.
Save Time With Snacks and Meals
A little planning and organization when it comes to meals and snacks can go a long way.
Keep some kid-size cups on the lower shelf of the fridge with juice or water already poured in them, Roewer suggests. When Junior gets thirsty, he can help himself. For smaller children, no need to juggle the kid-on-the-hip maneuver with pouring...just grab and go.
Also, have a section of your refrigerator and cabinet for snacks, says Halagarda. Prepare and portion out "snacks on the go," such as apple slices with peanut butter, carrots and light dressing, yogurt, granola bars, trail mix, etc.
Not time to eat yet? Set the table anyway. Instead of unloading the dishwasher and putting dishes away in cupboards, just go ahead and set the table for the next meal. "It saves one step," Roewer says. "Why bother putting it in the cabinet when you have to bring it out again in an hour?"
Save Time Searching for Things Around the House
Listen to the rhythm of your household and create a "home" for all those necessary items. For families with babies, don't just have one diapering station in the nursery, says Bethesda, Md.-based Rachel Rosenthal Strisik of Rosey's Urban Style during a March 11, 2009 phone interview. Create a station - with diapers, wipes, onesies, etc. - on each floor in an easily accessible areas. "This saves time running up and down the stairs every time the baby needs a diaper change."
Along the same lines, create a "to go" basket that lives by the door. Clothes for the dry cleaners, library books, etc. all go in the basket. Then, when it's errand day, instead of hunting around the house for all those items, simply grab the "to go" basket and...go.
"My house is not always perfect, but if things get unruly, I know where things go," says Strisik, mother to one-year-old twin girls. "I never have to run around the house looking for the girls' shoes or my keys because they are always in the same place."
Make the Most of a 24-Hour Day
There are always small pockets of time during the day that don't get utilized because they are so brief. Create a to-do list of list of chores, activities, etc. that can be accomplished in 10 minutes. "It can include everything from sewing a button back on that pair of pants in the laundry room to reading this month's Entertainment Weekly," Roewer says. Next time there is a window, pull out the list.
Buy more than one when it comes to clothes, shoes, and birthday gifts. For example, don't be afraid to purchase two pairs of the same shoe - one to use now and one a size up, Roewer suggests. Or, purchase multiple age-appropriate gifts for several boys and girls and create a gift closet. It will never go to waste and can be used for the family as well.
Parenting will always be hard work and parents will always wish there were more hours in a day, but by taking these quick, easy steps, some of the more time-consuming chores can be made more manageable.
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