7 Things To Make Summer Momlife Easier

Summertime and the parenting (ain’t) easy! (Please sing that last sentence. Ha!) I’m always on the lookout for things to make #momlife just a touch easier. These seven have been summertime gold for my 3 and 5 year olds, and better yet they’ve stood the test of time as we have been using all but one of these for at least a year.

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1.Water Jug With Spout. I got this idea from our Tinkergarten classes (love those, by the way!). I fill this baby up once a day, and they have water for endless uses! It is a (nearly) permanent fixture in our mud kitchen. It’s a great way to avoid the endless cycle of (“Mom, can you fill up this bucket for me?” “Just once more.” Repeat 87 times.). You can easily set a limit with this as it won’t be dumped out in one fell swoop and 3ish gallons ought to last a while. Ought. 😉 I purchased mine at Walmart.

2. Seek & Find Books/Interactive Books. Okay, so this is definitely not summertime specific, but we are finding so many windows of time in our days when an interactive book is perfection. Our two new favorites are The Walkabout Orchestra and On the Spot.

These pack a lot of punch in one book– meaning I can pack fewer items in our roadtrip bags! My boys both pore over The Walkabout Orchestra, searching for the missing instruments in each scene around the world. In Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s On the Spot, readers select objects (or the reusable stickers that come with the book) to place on a spot of each page, and that object is read into the story. It’s rather hilarious and kind of like mad libs for the younger set– and means that the story can be read endless ways as you change up the objects. You can find our other favorite books of this type in my post here, Books We Pack for Waiting Rooms and Restaurants.

3. Dome Climber. Last year our barren backyard was in need of SOMETHING for the kids, but we weren’t quite sure what. We had been hesitant to make a big purchase that wouldn’t get used, or that would be outgrown quickly. In my crowd sourcing (i.e. polling parents in my facebook groups!), this kept popping up. Now I see why! We installed it exactly one year ago, and I think it has been used about 350 days. It is a catalyst to endless imaginative play– we have covered it with tarps and made forts/submarines/vacation houses; we have hung an inexpensive hammock (we love this one! fits perfectly in the climber, durable, safe to leave out in the rain, and also easy to hang between trees) from the sides and nestled in for snuggly reading time; we have hung a disc swing (we snagged ours at Aldi, but this one isn’t much more $) and expanded the fun even more!  We’re also currently using bungee cords to create a pulley system. I love that it was about 10% of the cost of a swing set, and only took my (genius accountant, i.e. NOT an engineer) husband about half a day to assemble. We’ve had kids of a wide variety of ages come to visit and they all enjoy it. My 2.5yo last year was frustrated at first (he’s on the short side, okay 5th percentile), but he has grown into it quickly and can climb to the top now.

4. Buckle Bee car seat buckle release handle. This clever contraption gives a little assist for unbuckling carseats. Clearly, only use this with a mature child who is ready for the responsibility of unbuckling at the proper time! But, when you’ve got a mature little one who doesn’t quite have the strength to unbuckle, this is a lifesaver! My first was able to strap himself in, but couldn’t quite muster the bottom unbuckling until we discovered the Buckle Bee. We started this at age 4. I don’t think I need to elaborate on the profound joy of having a child fully able to enter and exit their car seat independently!  Every second saved from struggling with car seats in extreme temps is a #parentingwin!

5. Water bottles. Duh, right? But we love these which are double insulated, and have a cute yet functional strap and carabiner clip. I pour water in the morning and it stays cold all day, following the boys outside, in the car, to the pool, etc. They have used the strap to hang it on their bikes, on the climber, etc. I have also had great customer service from the company– our lid broke just outside of the return window, but they sent me a brand new one within a few days, no problem! That is rare these days.

6. ‘OK to Wake’ Clock. A gadget to help keep the kids in bed during the summer hours?! Yup! We have actually used this with our kids since they were toddlers and continue to use it with the 5yo who can tell time. It’s a fully functional clock that glows green when you set it to– which can be a specific time or an interval of time. So, we have ours set for 7:15am daily, and also a “nap” timer set for 1 hour 30 minutes which starts when we press the Nap button. My kids know that they are not allowed out of bed before “green go!” in the morning (except for potty! Have I mentioned they’re both potty trained?! Cue the confetti! If you’re in the throes, my heart goes out to you! Here are our favorite potty learning books.), and we have a timed “quiet time” each afternoon which ends only when the clock glows.

7. The Short Books Basket. (I’ve shared about this concept before in my Short on Time or Patience? post and my Heirloom Board Books booklist.) This little bin of “short books” (mainly board books) has had a bit of a resurgence in the summer as bedtime is pushed back by sunlight and full schedules. But, we don’t want to skip that settling time of reading before bed. Enter the Short Books Basket, from which Preschool Bookworm can select a book.  Okay, two books. Okay, three. But that’s IT. This provides him freedom within our boundaries and time (and energy and patience) constraints.

I sincerely hope you found something helpful in that little roundup! Enjoy the summer, mamas! Do you have any hacks or tips to pass along? Connect with me on social media: Instagram, Facebook.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.