City mom hacks for everyone
- The Car Seat. Admission: I still know very little about car seats. I only just recently learned that they are not just for babies. But here’s the thing – I don’t have a car, and I hate driving and riding in them. I would prefer to take the subway at two in the morning than hail a cab. So, we don’t own a car seat. Turns out, babies travel really well on trains, planes, and buses. And, if you really need a ride in a car, that opportunity exists too. Staying steadfast on our refusal to rent a car anywhere, my husband and I hired a car from an app called Kid Car to take us to the airport once, which comes with a car seat appropriate to your child’s size and a driver that knows how to use it.
- Babysitters. If I never hear the phrases “date night” or “mommy’s night out” ever again it will be too soon. There don’t need to be special, vomit-inducing words for this. It should happen frequently enough that it doesn’t feel like a THING. The magic about babysitters is that they are there for one reason – to watch your kid. So they work with your timeframe and they leave when you come home. One of my best discoveries was Urban Sitter. This is an on-demand babysitter app – kind of like Uber for babysitters. The sitters come vetted and there are lengthy profiles and reviews. The first one I hired literally handed me her CPR certification card when she walked in. You can even type in your child’s school and see who other parents from that school are hiring. If you’re really in a pinch (like last Friday when my husband and I had an, um, emergency need to go out to dinner with friends?) you can post a job and babysitters will apply to it. We even used it on vacation once.
- You don’t need a lot of stuff. In addition to a car seat, there were a lot of common baby items that I intentionally did not bring into my apartment. A glider? No, I have a couch and a bed. A bassinet? She has a crib. You’ll never complain about your space being too small if you don’t clutter it – even visually. I made sure not to buy things that could not be stowed away when we were finished. If I only have one room to hang out in, I’d rather it not look like a preschool.
- Do a sweep once every month. I sold a stroller (did I really need three?) on craigslist and I have given bags and bags to a charity called the GOOD+ Foundation, which collects baby-specific items for families in need. They also take maternity clothes, although I happily gave most of those to one of my daughter’s teachers. Also toys – you really don’t need that many. If there’s something you bought or received that they don’t play with, donate it to someone who will or sell it and buy yourself a drink. Can’t have too many books, though!
- But some stuff is critical. Just a list of things I am so happy I got: ergobaby carrier (again, no car), baby brezza, baby bjorn bouncer, bob revolution jogging stroller. There are more, but I am keeping this to top of mind.
- A few 9-5 hacks. My husband and I both work full time and our daughter goes to daycare. My first working parent secret is really not a secret: your child has to sleep through the night if you want to perform reasonably at your job. I won’t go into all the tricks I used, but my daughter was doing it consistently at four months, mostly using the ideas from the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, MD. Second tip, if you like to work out, do it in the morning. You’ll be too tired at the end of the day and you’re going to want that time with your kid before bed. I jog with the baby in the stroller and my husband does an in-home routine. Third, use your weekday lunch time wisely; this is when I shop, get my nails done, or make appointments.
- Use your city. I can get away with not having a ton of activities in my apartment because we live in such an activity-filled place. Parks, museums, zoos, and indoor art centers are all within walking distance. And do what you would enjoy – brunch, beer gardens, and dog parks are all kid-friendly activities.
Kayla and her husband Scott have been together for 9 years and have a one-year-old daughter and a three-year-old fur child. She works in development at an education nonprofit and lives in Manhattan.
