5 Sanity Savers for Moms to Save Time and Stay Organized

All moms need a little help now and then. In Helpful Tips for the Busy Family, writer Skye Blue offers many good strategies that moms can use to organize their homes and schedules so their lives run more smoothly. And in Balloons to Hair Spray: Some Useful Tools for Moms to Have on Hand, writer Miranda Marquit makes some excellent suggestions for products moms should keep with them at all times, in their purses or handbags, to help in handling life's little crisis situations.

In this article, I'd like to recommend five more items that can make life a little easier and a lot less stressful for busy moms. These products can help moms retain their mental health while dealing with such sanity busters as discipline time-outs, noisy toys, dirty restaurant tabletops and annoying Muzak. The final item gives moms a much-needed 15-minute window to take care of business. Interested? Read on ...

1.The Williams-Sonoma Triple Kitchen Timer ($18). Sure, busy moms can use this timer as it was intended-to ensure nothing burns when cooking multiple dishes. But if you get creative, like Ana, the mother of a 5-year-old, you'll discover other uses. "You can time a couple of things you're cooking and put your kid in time out and have the timer going for all of them at once," Ana says. "I have used this timer every day since I received it as a gift. Using the timer makes time-outs more effective for us because there are no debates about when time is up. Gone are the days of 'Can I come out yet?'"

2. Packing Tape ($2). Moms have probably devised many other uses for packing tape, but I recommend that you use it to silence or at least lower the volume on noisy toys that are driving you crazy or putting your child's hearing at risk. I've toned down the obnoxiousness of several toys simply by covering their speaker areas with pieces of clear tape. Moms who take this advice should just be sure the tape is securely fastened so that your children can't remove it and choke on it.

3.T he Tiny Diner Portable Placemat by Kiddopotamus ($10.99). If you've read Planning Family Vacations with Toddlers, you know why moms should love this washable, reusable placemat. It gives small children a clean surface to eat on when dining out at restaurants. Other disposable placemats on the market are so flimsy that they are easily pulled off the table. The Tiny Diner has suction cups that secure it rather well. Another helpful feature is a "crumb tray" that hangs off the edge of the table that catches dropped food. The Tiny Diner Portable Placement is made of a flexible rubbery material, so it rolls up to the size of a paper towel roll that fits easily in a mom's purse or diaper bag. This placemat works especially well for travel.

4. Lullaby CDs Moms (and Dads) Love, Too. Moms who regularly rock their little ones to sleep know that most lullaby CDs, once listened to for the thousandth time, become tiresome. Who says baby should be the only one rocking at bedtime? Moms who are Beatles fans will love Bedtime With The Beatles ($13.99). It includes instrumental versions of 11 classic Beatles songs, including "Blackbird," "And I Love Her," and "In My Life." Other options include Lullabies for Little Dreamers: Soft Rock Classics From Your Favorite Stars ($34.98) and Punk Rock Baby ($18.70).

5. A DVD Distraction. Sometimes moms need just 15 minutes to make a phone call, start dinner or accomplish some other task. It's not child abuse to allow your child to watch a favorite video during that short period. And if you limit TV watching the rest of the time, "video time" will be even more of a special, and enthralling, treat. For small children, DVDs with simple animation such as those featuring Bob the Builder or Dora the Explorer (prices vary) are great choices. If you don't have a DVD player, simply switch the TV to PBS or another channel that shows cartoons. Even The Learning Channel has animated programming for children.

These products are just a few of the sanity savers available to busy moms. Is there another item you can't live without? Share it in the comments section below.

See also Planning Family Vacations With Toddlers