51 Crucial Resources for Moms (Some are FREE!)
Are you feeling the juggle of motherhood’s daily demands?
Trust me, I get it. As a fellow mom navigating the wonderful yet overwhelming chaos of motherhood, I understand the juggling act of balancing family, work, and personal time. In this blog post, I’m excited to share an abundance of resources for moms curated just for you. Whether you’re seeking helpful products, useful printables, freebies to help save money, or mom advice, this collection is designed to support and uplift you on your journey. Let’s dive in!
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Finding yourself again as a mom
Until you become a mom, you can’t really understand how difficult the transition can be. You go from being your own person to having a baby who is completely dependent on you, and there’s the mental load of motherhood too. Instead of thinking about what you want or need, your first thoughts are usually about what your baby needs.
I’ve struggled a lot with feeling like I lost myself, and not having the time or energy to take care of my own needs. I absolutely love being a mom but gone are the days where I can make appointments, see friends, have a date night with my husband or just relax on the couch watching mindless TV without taking care of logistics first.
When my second daughter was a newborn I remember feeling so down on myself, just thinking that I was doing so much for my kids – breastfeeding, changing diapers, switching out the girls’ closets, making sure my older daughter had enough attention…but what was I doing for myself? It’s hard to really explain but I sort of felt like I didn’t matter anymore.
Tips for finding yourself again
In case you can relate, I want to share some tips that have helped me find myself again.
Practice gratitude.
Practice gratitude for the positive ways that becoming a mom has changed you – the bonding moments, the smiles, the milestones, etc.
Prioritize self-care.
Start small with something like a 10 minute break for yourself, but gradually increase that time, making it part of your routine.
Reconnect with hobbies.
Dust off those hobbies that you enjoyed before becoming a mom such as reading, painting, or gardening.
Set boundaries.
Don’t feel like you have to say yes to every invitation or every request for a visit. It’s okay to say no.
Find your core group.
Surround yourself with supportive friends, family members, and other moms who can relate to your struggles and build you up when you need it most.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
Social media makes it especially hard not to compare yourself to other moms but just try to remind yourself that every child is different, and every mother’s journey is different too.
Don’t compare yourself to who you used to be.
I’m sure there’s a lot of things that you used to do before becoming a mom, such as exercising regularly or having an organized home, but give yourself some grace. You’re not the same person that you were before becoming a mother and that’s okay. Some things have to give. You have other priorities right now, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t get some of your old priorities back eventually.
Set a goal (or two!).
Give yourself something to work towards. Think about something you’d like to accomplish and set a realistic plan for achieving it. It could be something as simple as reading a book.
Prioritize communication.
Communication is so important. Express your needs and desires openly and honestly. Ask others for help when you need it.
Connect with your partner.
Have a date night or just spend some time at home talking about something other than parenting so you don’t lose the connection you had before becoming parents.
Seek out helpful resources.
Whether it’s newborn baby essentials, helpful self-care products, or relatable blogs, seek out resources that can help you better manage the daily grind and also feel more positive about your life.
Product Resources for Moms
The following products are helpful resources for moms, many of which I have used myself! These products cover self-care books for moms to make you feel less alone, journals and affirmations to feel some release, planners and calendars to keep you organized, and more.
The Magic of Motherhood by Ashlee Gadd
The Magic of Motherhood is a collection of very honest stories about motherhood. Some topics include loss of identity, body image and the beauty and mess of being a mom. I absolutely loved this book. It will help you see that many others are going through the same difficulties you are going through right now (and made it through!) so you will feel less alone.
Clever Fox Planner
I received the Clever Fox Planner PRO this past Christmas and absolutely love it. It really helps me keep my head straight! Prior to using it I would have so many tasks running through my head and would just feel so overwhelmed. I get my tasks down on paper and schedule out each day. I’ve also found the goal setting pages to be very helpful. You set larger scale goals and then break them down into more achievable quarterly and monthly goals.
calmbox
calmbox is monthly subscription box containing items that will bring about calmness, such as guides to relaxation, calming music, candles, organic snacks, lotions and masks. Self-care monthly subscription boxes are great resources for moms since they can force you to take some time for yourself each month.
Peloton app
The Peloton App is a great resource for moms who want thousands of workout options at their fingertips! There are classes for strength, meditation, yoga, stretching, cardio, cycling, running, walking, and rowing. When I’m traveling and away from my Peloton I use the app to help me stay active. It’s one of my favorite self-care apps for moms!
Breathe Mama, Breathe by Shonda Moralis
Breathe Mama, Breathe contains loads of five minute mindfulness breaks to include in your daily routine. I really loved this book. I try to incorporate a lot of the mindfulness tips Shonda shared in my day, such as having a mindful cup of coffee where you pay attention to the taste and feelings of your first cup of the day.
Whiteboard Calendar
I received this whiteboard calendar this past Christmas. It’s so helpful in managing everyone’s activities! I used to have to check my phone calendar, school app calendar, a daycare calendar on paper, etc. and found it so hard to keep track of everything. I have each family member in a different color on my whiteboard calendar and just have to look in one place to see what everyone has going on.
Meal Kit Subscription
A meal kit subscription is a great resource for moms to help make dinner more manageable. I’ve used Home Chef and Hello Fresh, but Green Chef, and Factor_ are some other options as well. I always choose meals where a lot of the time consuming prep work like chopping was done already, making dinner prep much less overwhelming.
The Mindfulness Journal for Anxiety by Tanja J. Peterson
I really enjoyed using The Mindfulness Journal for Anxiety. It includes writing prompts to dig into the root of anxiety as well as mindfulness exercises to reduce anxiety in the moment. Journals make great self-care gifts for moms.
Gratitude app
Gratitude provides journal prompts, affirmations, vision boards, and daily motivation content. It’s a journaling for self-care app that I use daily. I especially enjoy the morning quote of the day and daily dose of motivation.
Hatch Restore
The Hatch Restore is a great resource for moms who want to sleep better. You can personalize your sleep-wake routine and wake up naturally with a custom Sunrise Alarm. It also comes with some nature and white noise sounds. Sunrise alarm clocks are great self-care products for new moms, or any mom for that matter!
Stretched Too Thin by Jessica Turner
Stretched Too Thin helps parents work and parent without guilt, and set work boundaries and reasonable life goals. I really enjoyed this book. I think it would be useful for stay-at-home moms as well since it contains good advice about balancing everything and setting appropriate priorities.
Dumbbell set
The CAP Barbell set is a great strength-building resource for moms. It comes with pairs of 5 lb., 10 lb., 15 lb., 20 lb., and 25 lb. dumbbells plus a rack for storage. I feel so confident during strength workouts when I see how many more reps I am able to do, or how much more weight I am able to lift!
Affirmation Cards
I used these affirmation cards as a new mom. I left them around my house and would pause and read them whenever I came across them. They are a great mindful break. Add them to your postpartum essentials checklist!
Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
The mental load is one of my biggest struggles as a mom. Fair Play is an amazing resource for moms who need help splitting up domestic responsibilities. My husband and I both read this book and are following the fair play method, which has helped a lot with relieving some of my mental load. I definitely still struggle, but life is a lot more manageable.
The Home Edit by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin
Clutter and disorganization is a big anxiety trigger for me. The Home Edit is a room-by-room guide for having more order in your home. It contains tips and photographs to help declutter, organize, and maintain the system.
Printable Resources for Moms
The following printable resources for moms can be found in my Etsy shop MendingTimeMama. I hope you find them helpful!
Busy Mom Brain Dump
The Busy Mom Brain Dump will help you feel calmer and more in control of your life. It contains pages to list all the “mom life” tasks you have running through your head, organize them based on urgency and importance, and schedule them out for the week. There are also pages to brainstorm ideas and actions to take as well.
Self-Care Vision Board Planner
The Self-Care Vision Board Planner will help you transform your wellness into a tangible roadmap. It’s designed to help you set achievable self-care goals and prioritize yourself, containing pages where you brainstorm how you want to feel, what you want to do, and many other items to include in your vision board.
Goal Planner for Moms
Brainstorm goals and plan them out in detail with the Goal Planner for Moms. You will set plans for the week and month and reflect on your day, week, month, and year. This printable is a great resource for moms with a lot on their plate.
Gratitude Journal for Moms
The Gratitude Journal for Moms contains many tools to help you practice gratitude. There are daily journal pages with prompts, morning check-in pages, daily reflections, and pages to help you focus on the little things that you are grateful for. This journal is a great resource for stressed and overwhelmed moms who would like to shift to a more positive mindset.
Printable Cards Bundle
The Printable Cards Bundle contains three products: (1) Positive Affirmation Cards, (2) Self-Care Cards, and (3) Journal Prompt Cards. This bundle will give you a daily dose of positivity, self-care, and self-discovery. You can also purchase the products separately.
Mental Health Journal
The Mental Health Journal contains tools to help you check-in with yourself by logging your anxiety, worries, and thoughts to help dig into your triggers. It also contains journal prompts about self-care and self-reflection. This journal is a great resource for moms to include in your daily routine for some self-care time.
Mom Bucks
The Mom Bucks printable is a fun way to motivate and reward your children for getting their chores done. You can reward them with “reward bucks” and then your children can redeem them for rewards. No more fighting with your kids to get things done!
30-Day Digital Detox Challenge
I tend to get bogged down with mindless scrolling on social media. The 30-day Digital Detox Challenge is designed to get you to unplug, recharge, and focus on more meaningful activities and reduce your stress and anxiety.
Self-Care Checklist for Moms
The Self-Care Checklist for Moms comes with a list of 30 ideas in the various self-care categories, a weekly self-care checklist where you can plan out the activities you want to do and check off what you complete, as well as monthly and annual checklists to track certain activities in more detail. This checklist is a great daily self-care planner for moms needing more self-care time.
Self-Care Bingo for Busy Moms
Self-Care Bingo for Busy Moms is a new and trackable way to make self-care fun. Do five activities and score BINGO or go for the whole card! This bingo game is a geared towards busy moms with 25 quick and easy self-care ideas.
Mood Tracker Kit
The Mood Tracker Kit contains daily tracker pages, weekly tracker pages, monthly tracker pages and annual tracker pages for you to track your mood. Some pages include sections to journal too.
Mindful Coloring Pages for Moms
Mindful Coloring Pages for Moms contains 24 coloring pages with a different positive affirmation on each page! You’ll relax, feel calmer, and shift to a more positive mindset too. Take some time for self-care, do some coloring, and start to believe these affirmations.
Kids Flip Routine Chart
The Kids Flip Routine Chart will help your children be more engaged and excited about their daily routines and chores. It includes morning routine, afternoon routine, bedtime routine, and chore charts. No more asking your children hundreds of times to get their tasks done!
FREE Resources for Moms
The following are some great FREE resources for moms. Check them out:
- Free Welcome Box with Amazon Baby Registry
- Free Breast Pump with insurance
- Free Enfamil formula samples
- Free Similac formula samples
- Free Hey Milestone pregnancy sample box (you do have to pay for shipping)
- Free Nanobébé sample kit (you do have to pay for shipping)
- Free McGruff safety kit for kids
- Free LEGO Life Magazine subscription
- Amazon Prime free trial (if you don’t already have a membership)
- Kindle Unlimited free trial
Website Resources for Moms
The following websites are helpful resources for moms. Many are mom blogs that I follow myself:
- Postpartum Support International – a resource for postpartum challenges.
- Postpartum Resource Center of NY – another resource for postpartum challenges based in NY. I found my therapist on this site.
- Lucie’s List – a great resource for product reviews and recommendations. I used it a lot when I was setting up my baby registries.
- Kelly Mom – a really helpful resource on breastfeeding.
- Motherly – an all-encompassing website on being a mom. It covers pregnancy, parenting, life, free online classes, and a podcast.
- Scary Mommy – a very honest resource covering so many aspects of motherhood. Come here for a good laugh too.
- Baby Sleep Site – a wonderful resource on baby and toddler sleep.
- Big Little Feelings – I can’t say enough about Kristin and Deena! I’ve used their toddler and potty training classes and visit their instagram page daily. Their podcast, After Bedtime, is one of my favorite podcasts for moms. Kristin and Deena are the mom friends that every mom needs.
- Busy Toddler – Susie is one of my favorite people to follow on instagram. I did her “Playing Preschool” program with my older daughter during the pandemic and also did her “Summer Camp at Home” program with that same daughter last summer. I also read and loved her parenting book, Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting.
- New Modern Mom – a great resource for making motherhood less overwhelming.
- Mommy on Purpose – a wonderful resource for all the mom life struggles, and even starting a blog.
- Diary of an Honest Mom – a very honest resource about mom life.
- MendingTimeMama – my blog covering motherhood and self-care. My goal has been to help moms going through the same struggles as me.
Resources for Moms – a BONUS!
I’d like to offer you my free 5-day self-care challenge as a bonus resource!
Being a mom is both incredibly rewarding and undeniably challenging.
Remember, you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. By tapping into the wealth of resources available to moms today, you can find support, guidance, and inspiration along the way. From parenting books to printable tools to relatable mom blogs, there’s something out there for every mom, no matter what stage of motherhood you’re in. So take a moment to explore the resources mentioned in this blog post. I hope you find them helpful!
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