11 Services That Make New Parenthood Easier

The main selling point of an Amazon Prime membership is the super-fast shipping (same day, one-day or two-day) on most items. That means when you suddenly realize you’ve swiped your last morsel of deodorant, you don’t have to pack up your baby to head to the store to replenish your stash. Just hop on Amazon and you can have a stick delivered in 24 to 72 hours. Amazon carries millions of items and top brands, and many of the essentials (like diapers, wipes and formula) are available through their Subscribe and Save service. You can also upgrade to a Prime Fresh membership, which costs an extra $9.99 per month, to get unlimited deliveries of fresh groceries. I’ve leaned on my Prime membership to panic purchase an Owlet right before being discharged after having my daughter to bars of soap I’ve ordered for my oldest son.

Squeezing in a trip to the grocery store between my daughter’s naps and mealtimes is a headache I avoid by way of Instacart. When you’re staring at an empty fridge but can’t bear the thought of loading up your baby to go grocery shopping, Instacart can help. Available in hundreds of cities nationwide, the grocery delivery service finds nearby shoppers to pick up what you need and bring it to your house the same day. You choose the grocery store and the timing (there’s an option to get your stuff in under an hour). I’ve used it for the last three years and it’s a convenient service that’s fully worth it. The minimum order is $10 plus service fees.

While I personally love a home-cooked meal, some days get away from me and DoorDash has saved many dinners (and much of my sanity). DoorDash is an app that connects you with restaurants that offer delivery near you. The homepage shows the most popular dishes ordered in your area and the eateries that deliver the fastest. You can also filter by which restaurants offer free delivery. The app is free to use, but restaurants may charge delivery fees or have minimum order amounts. You can also order other essentials from big box retailers like Target and Walmart via the app. We also have a handy list of other apps and sites you can choose from for food delivery.

Reaching for a diaper to realize you’re down to the last one sounds like the plot of a horror film. With Dyper, home of sustainably sourced, toxin-free diapers, you can set up regular doorstep deliveries so you never run out. You can choose from eight delivery cadences (their most popular is 4 weeks) to fit your family’s diaper usage. I used their charcoal diapers and I was really impressed with how well-constructed they were. My favorite part of their offerings is that you can schedule dirty diaper pick-ups and the brand will dispose of them responsibly (composting and transforming them into soil).

If it’s been far too long since you’ve had a date night or done something for yourself, it’s time to call a babysitter. But who can you trust? UrbanSitter lets you see how people in your community review nearby sitters and nannies. You can choose a local parent group, church, school and other local organization to see which caregivers are most popular among other parents in that group. All sitters are vetted to ensure their identities are real and their profiles are manually reviewed by a member of the UrbanSitter team. Many also have completed background checks, but if not, you can pay to get one done. And you can pay them through the UrbanSitter app.

Just like diapers and wipes, your baby’s formula is one of those things you don’t want to run out of and if you do, it’ll need to be replenished expeditiously. ByHeart is a modern formula brand that uses organic, grass-fed whole milk that you can set up to be delivered to your doorstep every 2, 4 or 6 weeks. You can also choose the amount of cans you need for each delivery so you can really customize your order to meet your needs. Lastly, when you subscribe to their delivery service, they’ll knock a few dollars off of the price.

If you aren’t ready to reunite with your pre-pregnancy wardrobe, that’s normal—and there is a solution (and no, you don’t have to purchase an entirely new wardrobe). You can borrow designer clothes that fit your body at every stage of your postpartum journey. Nuuly has a robust maternity section (because you’ll still have a bump—it takes time for your uterus to shrink down) with options that are nursing-friendly. You can select up to six items to wear at a time. When you’re ready, you send back whatever you don’t want anymore and wait for your next shipment. And if you try a piece that you really vibe with, you can purchase it to keep forever.

Prepare to make the speediest, best homemade meal ever with Gobble’s everything-is-done meal kits. Ingredients come chopped, peeled and measured out so there’s zero prep work for you to do. Choose from a variety of dinner options each week—chicken, beef, pork, fish and vegetarian—all designed to be cooked in one pan in 15 minutes. See our guide to other meal-kit options to find the one that’s best for your family.

Like Costco or Sam’s Club, Thrive Market cuts out the middleman and provides wholesale prices for members so you’ll get more bang for your buck. The difference? They only sell organic and non-GMO products. Here, you can purchase natural baby care and hard-to-find pantry items for 25 to 50 percent off retail prices. If you’re a regular at Whole Foods or other natural grocers, you’ll dig the stuff at Thrive Market. And, they guarantee you’ll make your membership fee back in savings.

It’s no secret that new parents have their hands full. When it starts to feel like adding one more thing to your to-do list is going to launch you into the stratosphere, it’s time to call on TaskRabbit. They have more than 60,000 fully vetted people willing to help out with almost anything from cleaning your house to assembling furniture, doing yard work and washing laundry. You create the job listing, review responses and connect with the person who seems to be the best fit. TaskRabbit is available in 47 metro areas in the U.S. Note: you’ll pay the Tasker their rate, plus the Taskers’ service and a trust and support fee that both go to TaskRabbit.

Life changes for your fur baby after you have children. Even when you have every good intention, mustering up the energy or time to walk your dog or toss around the ball at the dog park just doesn’t happen some days. To meet your dog’s needs (without running yourself ragged), Rover connects you with thousands of sitters (who’ve passed a basic background check) in cities and neighborhoods nationwide. You can check out profiles, availability and reviews for each sitter before booking and paying online. I’ve used Rover for my dog countless times and my experience has always been great (some Rovers will even groom your pup).