This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Huggies Little Snugglers and Latina Bloggers Connect.
The following accounts are based on my personal experiences as a mom to two under the age of two. Your experience may differ greatly, or may be just as chaotic. 
My little ones are now 2 and a half and 17 months. The girls are 14 months apart and that made for some interesting times. I can’t say things have changed a whole lot, in fact, in some ways it’s harder, now that the little one is walking. Before I had to chase one around the house and now I have two going in different directions and I find myself trying to figure the balance between taking care of my littles, working from home and keeping the house clean.
Here are a few tips that have helped me manage my life better and helps keep everyone happy.
1. Hire Help – You may feel guilty of, if I’m a work at home/stay at home mom why can’t I keep the house clean on my own? Trust me, don’t feel bad. Unless you want every waking moment of your life cleaning, doing the laundry, washing dishes, sweeping or mopping, then hire someone to come and help out with the house chores. Even if it’s just once a month, it will help you feel less overwhelmed. You can’t be expected to do it all, it’s too much.
2. Pick your battles – If you were to stress or freak out about everything your children did you will be one stressed out mama. Just today I had one writing on the walls with colors while the other was trying to paint it. This, while I was trying to make lunch. Pick your battles, don’t sweat the small stuff, let them make a mess, get dirty and have fun. You can clean it up later. If they aren’t hurting themselves, doing something dangerous or hurting each other….it’s can’t be that bad can it?
3. Teach – “wait your turn” early – My girls will fight each other over toys the other one has. A toy can be sitting on the floor in the playroom for days with no one playing with it. As soon as one picks it up, the other one thinks it’s the only toy on earth. Teaching ‘wait your turn’ will help the tugging, pulling and crying that comes along with not wanting to share toys. My 2 year old is starting to get it…the other is slowly catching on.
4. Take nap time seriously – It’s the only time of the day where you will get some quiet time to yourself, a way to refresh and relax for a tiny bit. Try to get them on the same nap schedule. We utilized two things to help achieve this. One sleeps in her Rock n’ Play Sleeper and the other sleeps in her Snugabunny Swing.
5. Order Take-out – There will be easy days and there will be days where you feel like you just finished a marathon and exhausted from trying to do everything. Don’t feel bad about not having dinner ready when the hubby gets home. When I have those crazy, busy, chaotic days, hubby either brings something home for all of us or we order take out.
6. Get a good night’s sleep – I cannot tell you how important this is. As a work-from-home mom there are days where I find myself up until 4AM working. Waking up at 8Am after just 4 hours of sleep will not do anyone any good. You will be too exhausted to want to do anything. Get a good night’s early sleep if possible. It helps when you wake up well rested and ready for whatever the day may bring.
7. Take a vitamin – I am bad about taking them regularly, but I do still have prenatals that I take occasionally but when I do I feel a world of difference. Vitamins, especially while breastfeeding, will help keep your energy level up during the day.
8. Take a nap – This does not happen everyday but it does happen once in a while. If the girls fall asleep at the same time and I don’t have a ton of things on my plate, I will skip the work and the housework for a nap. Moms you need this, if possible, try to take naps occasionally when your kids go down for a nap. I used to use my nap-time when my oldest daughter was a baby for craft time, relaxation time and all sorts of things, but with 2 now, these days are few and far between so take advantage of it!
9. Teach independent play – You don’talways have to be the main source of entertainment. When I first decided to stay at home with my girls this was one of my biggest fears. How on earth was I going to keep two kids entertained for all hours of the day…well the truth is that you don’t, and you shouldn’t… Your little ones should have some quiet time during the day where they play together or alone. I have read so much on this lately about teaching independent play/quiet time. It helps with their creativity, independence and confidence in being able to do things by themselves. Sit them down with, show them what to do and then leave them to play and experiment on their own.
10. Forget your To-Do list – Yes, forget it all every now and then. Leave the dishes in the sink, the laundry in the dryer and let the work sit. Your little ones won’t be little forever, so don’t worry so much about everything you have to do and just be with them. It doesn’t have to be a set time or day, but whenever you feel like it, just go sit with them, play with them, hold them, kiss them, just sit and look at them. Just be with them and give them 100% mom. My husband bought me a Mother’s Day card earlier this year that said something that really hit home for me… it said…
Fifty years from now, no one will care how clean the kitchens were or if all the laundry got folded. What will matter then is what has always mattered most…the love that filled our homes and the people who filled our lives…
Get the free printable here. “Fifty Years From Now Free Printable”
This is the third installment sponsored by Huggies in the “New Mom” series. Huggies is our go-to brand of diapers for my little ones. We have been using Huggies since both my girls were born. Here are some of the things we love about Huggies Little Snugglers and Natural Care wipes and why I think they are a must have for new moms.
Diapers
Features include:
■ New GentleAbsorb* Liner to provide a cushiony layer of protection with hundreds of tiny absorbent pillows to help draw mess away from your baby’s delicate newborn skin
■ Cottony-soft inside and out to help keep new baby comfy
■ Wetness indicator lets you know when it’s time to change
■ Umbilical cord cut-out to help protect sensitive belly buttons
■ Flexible, pocketed waistband to help keep in mess
■ Unique stretchy SnugFit* Waistband provides a gentle, secure fit
● Give your baby’s delicate skin a soft, sensitive clean with Huggies® Natural Care
Wipes
Features include:
■ Our simplest formula ever for a gentle clean
■ Triple Clean* Layers – strong, soft and absorbent layers that are gentle on baby’s skin, yet thick enough to clean the mess
■ They contain Aloe & Vitamin E
■ They are hypoallergenic, fragrance free and alcohol free
You can try the unbeatable skin care of Huggies Little Snugglers and Natural Care Wipes yourself by visiting Huggies.com/SampleHug for a free sample.
Huggies recognizes there are some things you can’t add to your baby registry – is there something you wish you could add, but simply can’t? Register your wish at Huggies.com/RegisterWish for your chance to make it a reality. If you’re selected as a winner, Huggies will do everything they can to make your wish come true. Good luck!!
I can’t thank Huggies enough for allowing me to reach other moms and talk about things that are important to us as new mothers. Huggies is our go-to brand of diapers for my little ones. We have been using Huggies since both my girls were born. Here are some of the things we love about Huggies Little Snugglers and Natural Care wipes and why I think they are a must have for new moms.
Diapers
Features include:
■ New GentleAbsorb* Liner to provide a cushiony layer of protection with hundreds of tiny absorbent pillows to help draw mess away from your baby’s delicate newborn skin
■ Cottony-soft inside and out to help keep new baby comfy
■ Wetness indicator lets you know when it’s time to change
■ Umbilical cord cut-out to help protect sensitive belly buttons
■ Flexible, pocketed waistband to help keep in mess
■ Unique stretchy SnugFit* Waistband provides a gentle, secure fit
● Give your baby’s delicate skin a soft, sensitive clean with Huggies® Natural Care
Wipes
Features include:
■ Our simplest formula ever for a gentle clean
■ Triple Clean* Layers – strong, soft and absorbent layers that are gentle on baby’s skin, yet thick enough to clean the mess
■ They contain Aloe & Vitamin E
■ They are hypoallergenic, fragrance free and alcohol free
You can try the unbeatable skin care of Huggies Little Snugglers and Natural Care Wipes yourself by visiting Huggies.com/SampleHug for a free sample.
Huggies recognizes there are some things you can’t add to your baby registry – is there something you wish you could add, but simply can’t? Register your wish at Huggies.com/RegisterWish for your chance to make it a reality. If you’re selected as a winner, Huggies will do everything they can to make your wish come true. Good luck!!