Time (or the lack of it) will probably be the most precious commodity for you, once you have that new baby you have been expecting in your arms.  You won’t be able to recognize your life from what it once was to what it now is.  Things that took you just five minutes now take you fifteen minutes or longer.  Here are a few tips that might help retain sanity in your lives or salvage most of what is left of it. 

Use your answering machine. It is most likely that you will be too exhausted to answer every call that comes in to congratulate you after you have had a new baby.  Putting the details of the birth announcement (sex, name, birth weight, length etc) on your answering machine greeting and encourage everyone to leave a message because you might not be answering your phone for several weeks.   

Invest in speaker phones or cordless phones with headsets. These things allow you mobility as otherwise you will quickly get frustrated just sitting in one location for any period of time. 

Make sure you keep your baby’s diaper bag always ready to go at all times.  Use a checklist to make sure you have picked up everything needed.   

In case you have older children, keep a backpack with things need for an outing ready for them too.  This may include things like snacks, personal items, toys to keep them busy and anything else your older children may need. 

Keep your own bag ready.  Most parents end up shoving their things into the diaper bag (which in itself is not a bad idea) but if it’s a separate bag that you want, make sure you keep filled with all things you need whilst on a short outing. 

Add at least one hour to your preparation time before you leave home.  Though preschoolers may get take just thirty minutes to get fully groomed, equipped and are ready to go.  It may take longer to get an infant fed, cleaned and dressed; there could be a last minute emergency to be taken care of such as a diaper leak or a throw-up. 

Stick to slip-ons.  As a new mother, you never know when you will need to run outside for one reason or another.  Chances are you will have a baby in your arms and won’t be able to sit down to put on your shoes or perhaps even have a hand free to slip them on while standing up.  It’s during such times that it helps to have a pair of shoes that you can slip into without having to use your hands at all.   

Keep an emergency baby supply station in the room you most use.  Whether it’s the living room or family room, find yourself a decorative bag, box or other container that you can throw burp clothes, pacifiers, favourite toys and other necessities into, so you don’t have to run around the house wasting valuable seconds. Trust me; the emergency stash will be the handiest thing around. 

Avoid using clothes that show stains.  Clothes with patterns and dark colours don’t need to be dry cleaned and don’t give away the stains.  A little planning with your outfits help you just wipe off the mess and get on with your day and nobody will even know it was ever there. 

Always have a supply of energy or meal replacement bars or shakes available.You may not get to eat as often as you want or need to, so having these on hand will ensure that you get some nourishment even when you don’t have time to sit down for a meal. 

Keep a safe, entertaining spot for baby in every room (including the bathroom).  A bouncer in the bathroom, a play pillow in the living room, the crib in the bedroom, and so forth are ways to reserve a place in every room for the baby.  This way, if I have to put the little one down for a moment, she’ll have a safe place to sit and something to keep her busy.  

Cover your furniture with slip covers you can easily wash. Okay, so if you can’t afford such luxuries, at least get yourself a nice blanket or sheets to do the job.  It will catch a variety of messes, saving you from having to scrub the couch, and you can just pull it off before unexpected guests come through the front door, so they’ll think your place looks fashionably decorated all the time.