Being a mom is a full-time job. Between cooking meals, running errands, and cleaning, it’s easy to feel like there’s no time left for yourself. However, there are a host of appliances specifically designed to make life easier. 

Here are five appliances that can transform a household with chaotic routines into a smoother, less stressful experience.

1. An upgraded oven

Cooking several meals a day for your family can feel like a never-ending chore if you’re still using older kitchen appliances. When you upgrade to an oven with warming drawers, a built-in microwave, or even a double oven, cooking meals will be a breeze. 

With warming drawers, you’ll be able to prepare several dishes and keep all the food warm until it’s ready to be served. With a double oven, you can cook meals faster for family gatherings and holidays. Better yet, if you have a disability that makes it difficult to use a standard oven, an ADA-compliant oven will be a game-changer.

2. An Instant Pot

When you don’t have time to think about what to cook for dinner, you’re running late, or you’ve run out of a key ingredient, you can do a lot with an instant pot. You can steam, sauté, slow cook, and pressure cook, all in the same pot. If you don’t have time to babysit food on the stove, you can make a tasty dish like chili and let it cook while you help your kids do their homework. After dinner is done, cleanup is easy because you don’t have to wash multiple pots and pans.

Pressure cookers are a game-changer when you’re busy. They cut down the total amount of time it takes to cook hearty meals (like pot roast) by hours while maintaining full flavor.

3. A high-capacity dishwasher

After every meal comes the dreaded cleanup. Having a high-capacity dishwasher can drastically cut down on the time it takes to wash your dishes. For example, with a standard dishwasher, if someone forgot to run it and there’s not enough room for more dishes, you’ll either have to run two loads or wash dishes by hand. 

A high-capacity dishwasher accommodates more dishes than a standard dishwasher. This not only makes it easy to wash dishes after big gatherings, but it makes you less likely to overload the dishwasher.

Today’s newer dishwashers also offer higher-temperature sanitation cycles and noise control features if you want to run them at night without disrupting the rest of your household.

4. A smart refrigerator

You’ve probably heard about smart refrigerators, but you may not realize how practical they are. Depending on what model you choose, you can get some of the following features:

·  Inventory management. Some refrigerators will track the items in your fridge along with their expiration dates and send you a notification when you’re low on staple items. If you happen to be at work when one of your kids finishes the milk, you’ll be notified and can grab some on the way home.

·  Generated shopping lists. In addition to getting notifications for low stock, some smart refrigerators can be synced to scheduled meal plans and will generate shopping lists for you.

·  Peek inside your fridge from anywhere. When you buy a refrigerator with built-in cameras and Wi-Fi, you can use an app to see what’s in your fridge from anywhere. With this feature, you can stop by the store on a whim without having to go home first to see what you need to buy. And if you get to the grocery store and realize you forgot your shopping list, a quick look will ensure you don’t forget any perishables.

Smart refrigerators are fun, but the practicality will support all those times you want to make an unplanned detour to the grocery store on your way home from work.

5. A cordless stick vacuum

Having a full-sized vacuum is nice, but sometimes you don’t want to drag it around the house, especially when you have stairs. Often, this can lead to ignoring small messes. Having a lightweight, cordless stick vacuum makes it possible to clean up those small messes anywhere in the house with ease. For instance, if you brush your cat and your couch gets covered in that sticky undercoat fur, you can grab the stick vacuum and clean it up more easily.

Invest in yourself with convenient tools

With these time-saving appliances, you can spend more time on things that really matter, like hanging out with your family and pursuing your hobbies. Whether it’s a high-tech oven or a fridge that makes your grocery lists, these tools will help you thrive.