Looking for practical tips for making life easy as a young family

[Namechsnger]

I am looking for practical tips on making lives easier as a young family when both DH and I work full time but I can do compressed hours meaning 4 days longer hours. Dh works from home mostly. We have a newborn and toddler. We have a weekly cleaner and a robovac for cleaning.
DH does laundry and I do cooking. He loads and unloads dishwasher and does toddler's nursery pickup and drop-off.
We seem to feel quite tired overall as parents and wondering what can we do to make our lives easier while bringing up young DC.
Any practical tips are appreciated which might have made your lives easier.

Right now I am on maternity but looking to make some changes and new routines before going back to work.

Batch cooking, inc get an extra freezer if you have space
Use slow cooker

Tumble dry everything you can, if you can afford! We can't really afford but have decided this is the only way to stay on top of the mountains of washing in winter!

Lay kids clothes out for the week in full outfits

Seperate basket (coloured) for each persons washing for quick delivery to correct room, and we have stopped folding washing until it's actually going into the drawers. So in those baskets it's just thrown in and then (when we inevitably take a week to put it away and start rummaging through it) we haven't wasted time folding it!

De clutter the house massively as then makes so much easier to clean tidy and find things

Try to all eat the same meal, and try to always cook enough for leftovers too
Big pots of curry, chilli, spag Bol etc are great

Also seperate baskets for each wash load you will put on (lights, darks, etc) as then when you find 2 seconds to throw a load on you're not spending ages raking through, the load is ready to go on

Strict routines (especiallymeal times/bedtimes).
Everything in its place.
Toys out on rotation.
Teach dc to tidy up as young as possible.
Sling for baby so you have both hands free.
it's ok to let dc cry if you need to do something.
Teach dc to self settle (no rocking to sleep).
Online grocery shopping.
Repeated meal plan.
Lower your standards (beans on toast is ok for tea once a week).
Kids can wear clothes for more than one day if not mucky.
Bath alternate nights max.
Always have a nappy bag packed with snacks as well.
Changing area upstairs and downstairs so you can watch toddler.

I was a single parent to 3 under 4 so I probably needed more in place than most.

Online shopping for everything, haven’t got the time or energy to be traipsing round shops with small kids in tow. I do bulk orders from a few places

• the works or similar for craft bits, activity books, plain paper, sellotape and other random crap
• boots - free home delivery over £25 and you can order nappies and wipes and get points as well as the parenting club promotions. Keep stock of calpol, shampoo, creams etc and first aid supplies
• whistlefish or similar for kids birthday cards, in fact just general birthday stuff, wrapping paper etc but in particular when you get into the stage of having loads of kids parties you don’t want to have to go out to buy a card and present for every invite
• at the start of the year in the January sales I buy some generic gifts for adults and kids that can be used either for kids friends bdays or to bulk out a family members gifts eg at Xmas I’ll often add a candle or some smellies or socks to my mums gifts
• By contrast I don’t ever bother going round places like B&M or TKMaxx, you spend so much time in there and find so many @bargains” but actually it’s mainly crap you don’t need

relating to the point above, try to constantly declutter as it will save time on tidying and cleaning if you have less crap in the house!

Thank you so much for detailed suggestions above, much appreciated.
I need to get better at batch cooking and freezing really as that would save us so much effort and time.

Insist that kids hands are always wiped before they leave the table.
Have set places for key things like coat shoes and bags that always get put in the same place so even a toddler can get ready to leave the house.
lower your standards - there is nothing wrong with pasta pesto or beans / scrambled eggs on toast.
buy in bulk a unisex present and card for a 4 year old / then 4 year old as it makes it easier to remember who you have what.
clothes can be work multiple times - use bibs or an apron that can be wiped even for pre schoolers at mealtime.

I second the buying generic gifts throughout the year. Reduces mental load of gift giving!

Frozen veg - pre-chopped and use what you need with no waste.

Less stuff, especially kids clothing. Having more outfits didn’t mean less washing.

Fabric hankies mean that if one gets left in a pocket the load of washing isn’t covered in tissue snow.

Put a load of washing on every morning - don’t think about it, just do it. If there is not a loadsworth to do, then you have a happy day off. But just remove the thinking about it. Decide the schedule that works for you- when/how will you dry it, fold it, put it away?

Amazon subscription for boring things like toothbrushes, dishwasher tablets, loo roll. Emergency milk in the freezer. Part baked rolls in the cupboard. Emergency tenner and change in the salad drawer of the fridge. Frozen pizza always lurking (and quicker/cheaper than a takeaway). Anticipate the emergencies.

Batch cooking of versatile basics.
Buy a freezer and good quality plastic storage bowls/ containers.

Don't do 'kids' food' that is separate from what you and DH eat. Everyone eats the same meal together. It's far better for the family in the long run.

It's not necessary to bathe babies and toddlers every night. Once potty training commences, and especially when DCs start wiping themselves, you do need to bathe them nightly.

Buy items like nappies, loo paper, and boxes of tissues in bulk if you can.

Buy packets of white socks, not fancy coloured ones. They're easier to launder.

Pick up as you go along - get disciplined about this.

Go through clothes and toys regularly and get rid of torn, stained, or broken items. Don't allow little 'happy meal' type clutter across your threshold.

Take time every day for you and DH to sit together and chat about your day.

Find a reliable babysitter so you can gonoht together sometimes. Nursery staff sometimes have friends they could recommend.

Agree wrt tumble dryer. So efficient. And they cut down on ironing.

Keep a white board in the kitchen so everyone can see what's going on during the week, write grocery items that need to be replenished, etc. This can also be done on phones, but somehow, having a central, visible list reminds people that their individual lists and calendars exist.

As soon as they can stand, give the kids a quick shower rather than bathe them. Saves so much time and is cheaper.
Shoes off at the front door and food only at the table - hugely reduces cleaning.