I’ve been a mom for 5 years, and I just recently started doing a few things that have made my life so much easier. If only I’d been so smart 3 kids ago!

1. Instead of paper towels, use a washcloth to clean up the baby’s face, high chair and floor. I’m 3 kids in, and I just started doing this. I never wanted a gross, stinky cotton washcloth in my sink, but now I embrace it because it’s so much better than using a million paper towels and taking 5 trips to the sink and kitchen trash to clean up after little guy. And I change it once a day, so it doesn’t feel super gross.

2. Buy a Summer Infant Bibbity bib. This isn’t a sponsored post, but this bib is seriously the best, and I’m only sad I didn’t find it earlier. I love it for 3 reasons. First, it’s not velcro, so the baby can’t tear it off. Second, it’s made of a thick plastic, so it’s easy-to-clean, dries easily and won’t get mildewy. And third, it has a little shelf that catches all the food. It’s amazing. I have 2 and use them everyday. I just wash them like I would a dish, and they’re done.

3. Wear the baby on your back. It took me 3 kids to learn that I can still wear a 15-month-old, thanks to the back-wearing Tula technique. This comes in most handy when it’s dinnertime, and I have a fussy baby chase-crawling me around the house. Warning: This trick will tend to make you feel like a bada$$, and should be photographed as much as possible.

4. Use WubbaNub pacifiers. Again, the company isn’t paying me to say this, but these are literally the best pacis ever. Since each one has a little stuffed animal attached to it, the baby is less likely to drop it. And they’re also easier to find. Another hack: I keep all our pacis in a colander in a kitchen shelf, so they’re easy to find.

5. Invest in great accessories for yourself. After having 3 babies in 4 years, my weight has fluctuated a lot. But, whether I’m feeling fit or fluffy, I love having a great statement necklace or bright pair of shoes to punch up my outfit and make me feel a little more put-together. (You know I also love dry shampoo and painting my nails at home.) The thing about a great accessory is it catches the eye and draws the focus away from what you don’t want to be focused on. You can be wearing a wrinkled, baggy nursing top and dirty khakis, but throw on a bright statement necklace and no one sees it. Trust.

6. Feed the baby the older kids’ leftovers. Yes, I know. I’m the classiest mom you know. But seriously, toddlers are the biggest food-wasters, and why throw those sandwich crusts away? The baby does not know better. Enjoy it while it lasts.

7. Keep kid cups in a low drawer. It’s an obvious one, but again, it took me 4 years to figure this out. Put half of all your plastics in a low drawer, so the kids can get to them themselves. I still keep some items up high, so I can reach them, but this is a simple hack that will save your back and your sanity. You know, so you can focus on picking up a zillion Legos and a teething baby during the witching hour instead.

7 Mom Hacks It Took Me 3 Kids to Learn SheJustGlows.com

What are your favorite hacks or mom products? I’d love to know.

(Unlike a sponsored post where a company pays me directly and asks me to talk about their product, this post contains affiliate links, which means that I make a few pennies for sharing a link to a product on Amazon on my own. It doesn’t cost you any more. Every bit helps me keep my site up and running, so thank you!)