Top 5 time hacks for new dads

Because less time on the grind means more time with them.

If there’s one thing that I’ve become an expert in after aiding in the production of two babies in 14 months, it’s hacking the sh*t out of my/our time.

Spare time — strike that, ANY time — quickly became a thing of the past when our newborn son came dragged through the door by his 14-month-old sister.

Suddenly all of that precious time when the toddler was sleeping became consumed by the cry-feed-poop-keep the wife fed-go to work whirlwind that is newborn life.

And you could guarantee if the baby was sleeping, the toddler wasn’t.

Then the angel that was my daytime toddler turned into some sort of she-devil as soon as the lights went out, doing nothing to help the situation.

Between getting up to her 8-10 times a night, and my wife on hourly feeds with the newborn, it’s safe to say we needed some time hacks to claw back our sanity.

So to my fellow weary battlers, it’s only right that I empower you to take back control of your time with my top five new dad time hacks.

1. Team showers

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit this seemed a little weird in the beginning — I mean, for 30-odd years showering had been a pretty solo activity.

But once kids come along, particularly more than one, your options are often team shower, or no shower.

The added bonus of this is that it gives you a bit of bonding time with the tiny human. Those first few months it seems to be all about Mum and bub, but this is something you can do that she’s just not required for.

While she gets a break, you get that much needed time to repeatedly sing your football clubs song in their ear. (Get ‘em young, get ‘em for life!)

Hot Tip: wrap them in a tea towel first. Those little suckers are slippery!

2. If you can subscribe and deliver, subscribe and deliver

Toilet paper deliveries from Who Gives A Crap — done. Razors delivered monthly from Dollar Shave Club — sorted. Fortnightly coffee bags from The Laughing Pug — well that’s just common sense. Before the bub comes, in all that luxurious time you have on hand, google all of things you need and can subscribe to, and make it happen. The options are endless – personal hygiene products, coffee, snacks, coffee, fresh fruit. Did we mention coffee?

They’re simple, they’re quick, they’ll give you an extra hour of sleep a day.

3. Speaking of subscriptions, get your grub delivered

Look, it’s all good and well to have a freezer full of food prepped before bub arrives, but let’s face it, the freezer is only so big. And after a couple of weeks, people stop stocking your fridge.

In fact, once you’re on to popping out your second(+) kid, those fridge stockers have well and truly lost interest.

Now, I’m fortunate enough to actually own a meal delivery service (Nourish’d), so we were all over this right from the beginning.

We literally did not cook for the first few months of our kids’ lives, and it was one of the single greatest things we ever did.

Fresh meals, delivered weekly. No leaving the house for groceries, no burning whatever thrown together concoction you put in the oven and forgot about, and no dishes piling in the sink.

Added bonus, if you pick a super healthy option it’s a massive kicker for your partners post birth recovery. And even more so if they’re breastfeeding and trying to pack in the extra calories and nourishment.

4. Zippers, not studs

I repeat, zippers not studs. Anyone that gives you those bloody onesies with a thousand studs/buttons down the middle is clearly setting you up for failure.

No need to spend 20 minutes with a screaming infant trying to get your fat man fingers to work buttons, when there are perfectly good zippers in the world.

5. Pre-pay apps

These bad boys are game changers.

Let’s start with refuelling your car. No longer will you drive around searching for the cheapest fuel, rather you’ll be searching for the nearest BP Station so you can drive in, open the BPMe app to pay, fill the tank, and drive off.

No waking the baby or sitting in the car waiting to be able to get out and pay — just fuel and go.

While we’re on the topic of apps – Boppl will also be your best friend — pre-order and pay at a load of cafes/restaurants around the country and skip the queue!

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