Your family is the most important thing in this world. You want to safeguard them and keep them healthy so you can all live happy, long lives together — you just need to know where you can make subtle changes to reap the most benefits. How exactly you keep your family happy may look different from another household though, and that's perfectly OK.
As long as you're doing your best to keep them healthy, it doesn't matter what your routine looks like. But we do have some tips to share that are super easy to implement and are totally doable and even affordable.
You may choose to implement one of these changes or all of them, depending on how ambitious your household is. Just try not to put too much on your shoulders — you still have a life to live outside of your responsibilities.
Use a Security System
Having a smart home might make your life easier while safeguarding your family. Around 40 million houses in the US have smart devices. Whether you have a whole hub for your home or just rely on smart locks to keep out whomever you don't want there, you should know your house can be much safer when you use devices to help secure it.
Even if you want to avoid installing a complete smart home, you should still opt for a simple home security system. It can help you rest easy and it's an excellent choice to arm it whenever you're away or asleep — when you're not expecting visitors. There are so many different options today, and many of them are quite affordable.
Keeping your house secure is the main way to keep your family safe, whether you're away from home or spending time together in another room.
Make a Weekly Meal Plan
Preparing meals for the week or having a plan can save you time and help reduce stress, as you won't worry about what will be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Meal prep can also be more cost-efficient, as you'll spend less on a week's worth of groceries than a week's worth of meals at most restaurants.
You can mix "fun" meals with healthier meals if you have picky eaters in your household. Don’t feel ashamed to build in some flexible room for easy-to-make foods that may have less nutritional value — like hot dogs — if you’re in a hurry one evening or find yourself short on time. Ultimately, try to cater to your family's tastes while keeping their health at the forefront.
Adopt Indoor Plants
You may feel less stress when surrounded by green spaces, which can encourage you to get your family outside more. But with hectic schedules, you may not have the time to get out together. In that case, you can always bring plants into your home. They can also lead to cleaner air in your living room, bedroom, bathroom, or wherever you place them.
Child-Proof Everything
One of the best things you can do for your home is to child-proof everything. You can potentially proof your whole home one night after work or after your children are asleep. Most importantly, you want to keep dangerous things out of reach.
Consider putting away knives or getting rid of plants that are poisonous to your animals. Once you child-proof your home, you'll feel like it's much safer for the kids and pets who live with you.
Use Safe Cleaning Products
When you have kids and pets in your home, you're bound to see messes caused by accidents as well as from daily life. Floor cleaners are a staple of any household, but you should ensure they don't include harmful chemicals that can hurt your family's health. Fumes from cleaners can irritate both eyes and airways, making it difficult for children or pets to breathe. The best thing to do is to find a cleaner that works well and is safe for your family.
You can use a mixture or water and vinegar to clean areas like countertops and tables. Toilets and other bathroom areas can be cleaned with baking soda or vinegar, too. Look for multipurpose surface cleaners that will keep your family feeling healthy and you should be able to clean your floors, countertops, and other surfaces without fear of hurting anyone.
Create a Cleaning Routine
Routines are a crucial part of bringing yourself back to stability when you feel like there may be none. During the first few months of parenthood, it might be easier to stray from your schedule.
Once things fall back into place, you may find adhering to a routine is the best way to make you feel like yourself again. It'll also help you keep your home clean by rotating a few chores out every day. Plus, having solid routines in place as your kids grow and get older will help your household run more smoothly once you're doing school runs and daily extracurricular activities.
Get an Air Purifier
When colds and viruses abound, you need to figure out a way to keep your family safe indoors — and to keep something from spreading. Simply having an air purifier can reduce the presence of viral particles, which means your family is more likely to stay happy and healthy throughout the seasons. It's also great to have one even if you're not worried about illnesses, as you never know what you could pick up outside the home.
