Stay At Home Mom Schedule: Structure Your Day Like A Boss!
Updated Oct 9, 2024 | Published May 11, 2023 | 10 min read
Putting together a stay-at-home mom schedule is essential for sticking to a structured daily routine and optimizing your time.
Stay-at-home moms face various challenges, from keeping up with housework to ensuring their children are educated and entertained.
Continue reading for a breakdown of how to compile a stay-at-home mom schedule while finding time to take care of yourself.
While a stay-at-home mom schedule provides clarity and structure to your day, unforeseen circumstances can often intervene at a moment’s notice.
That’s why building flexibility into your home routine is important to allow for unexpected things like doctor’s appointments and other events.
Weekend routines should also be approached with more flexibility than those for school days, allowing for spontaneous activities and outings.
Creating a stay-at-home mom schedule should be done to understand which tasks are essential and which are less frequent.
While brushing teeth and rest time for toddlers are unavoidable, other tasks can be relegated in terms of priorities if things become too hectic.
If you’re earning money through one of the best stay-at-home jobs for moms, this needs to be clearly structured into your day.
Any other personal projects and mama time should also be prioritized; otherwise, you’ll lack the energy to keep on top of the big stuff.
Breaking the core elements of your stay-at-home mom schedule into a detailed plan of action effectively clarifies how long each task will take.
This could include compiling a chronological chart of your morning routine and chores, which you keep on the fridge to check off as you go.
If you have one-off events coming up, such as days out with the kids, keeping a diary to note these down will help you plan ahead.
Remember, your schedule should be clear and concise, whether you’re a new mom raising your first child or have three children to contend with.
You can also write up child-friendly activities for the kids, which they can refer to for their bedtime routine to ensure everything is covered.
Setting aside time for rest and your own projects and hobbies is another essential element of any stay-at-home mom routine.
Whether you enjoy catching up with mom influencers on Instagram or getting on with a hobby you enjoy, it’s crucial you find time for yourself.
This doesn’t have to be productive, so if you’re exhausted and need a little time for recovery, take a break and rest up.
You can also use this time to catch up with your husband or partner, for instance, by arranging a date night and getting a babysitter to watch the kids.
Whether you’re a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, burnout can be a real issue, particularly if you’re dealing with toddlers on a daily basis.
To offset burnout, make sure you include at least thirty minutes each day for personal time and self-care.
Physical and mental health suffer the most when a person doesn’t get enough rest, so quality sleep should be another priority.
While this can be tricky, particularly for mothers with newborns, you should try getting to bed as early as possible and fitting in naps when necessary.
With associations between sleep and stress long-established, getting enough quality sleep is one of the most important factors for optimal performance.
That’s why a stay-at-home mom schedule should always factor in nap times for the kids and yourself.
Now that we’ve covered some of the general rules of thumb you need to consider, let’s move on to our stay-at-home mom schedule.
Being a stay-at-home mom can often feel like there needs to be more hours in the day, juggling doctor’s appointments, getting the kids ready, and clearing chores.
You must also find time for personal projects, whether building a blog, developing an arts and crafts project, or reading a new novel.
We’ve compiled this schedule to cover everything from making the most of early mornings to scheduling meal times and bedtime routines.
Without further ado, here’s our stay-at-home mom schedule in chronological order:
Starting the day as you mean to go on is essential for setting the stage for a fun and productive day.
This means putting together a morning routine covering the essential chores and activities to keep the family primed for the day.
Here’s how we recommend you start your day on the right foot.
Your daily schedule should begin with waking up early, taking a shower, and getting dressed before the kids get out of bed.
First thing in the morning is also a great time to work on personal projects when you’re free from distractions around the home.
This could be anything from exploring how to start a mom blog to running an online business to generate additional income.
Once you’re ready, it’s time to wake up the kids and ensure they get through their simple to-do list before breakfast.
Making their beds, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed for school are some tasks they can do before eating.
Next, it’s time to eat breakfast, and while it can be tempting to skip this, this important meal is crucial for setting you up for the day.
Eating breakfast as a family is a great way to run through the day’s events and activities so everyone is on the same page.
If you’re a stay-at-home mom with school-age children, it’s time to drop them off at school or walk them to your local bus stop.
Double-check that they have everything they need, such as a packed lunch, before the bus departs.
After returning from the school drop-off, you can make time to clear some of your household chores and wash the dishes from breakfast.
Mothers with young children and toddlers who aren’t at school can also use this time to relax or watch age-appropriate TV.
Small but regular meals are optimal for a strong metabolism, so include a mid-morning snack in your stay-at-home mom schedule.
With the kids energized after their snack, now is an excellent time to dive into learning activities such as reading and math.
Check out some of the best mom blogs for exciting ideas and approaches to educating preschool and kindergarten kids.
Once the morning routine is out of the way, you can work through the items in your stay-at-home mom schedule template for the afternoon.
Here are some routine ideas to balance the afternoon hours with a combination of chores, creative activities, and family time.
Eating lunch is a daily feature of any stay-at-home mom routine, with a good rule of thumb of keeping it simple and saving the main meal for later.
Sandwiches and cold snacks that don’t require lengthy prep times are ideal lunches that can be prepared and eaten in minutes.
After eating, work through a few chores, such as washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and taking a short break to recharge if needed.
Having made sure the kids eat lunch and are ready for an activity-packed afternoon, it’s time to explore and play for an hour or so.
If the weather is good, taking them to the park will improve their health with fresh air and sunlight while teaching them about wildlife.
You can also give them some independent play time while you clear chores, and if all your children are at school, run errands.
After spending time outside using energy during playtime, toddlers will likely be ready for nap time.
This is a great opportunity to finish all the tasks on your stay-at-home schedule, get a little rest yourself, and enjoy the quiet moment.
Once the younger children wake up from their afternoon nap, you can prepare them to pick up the older kids from school.
You can use the school run to catch up on how their day has gone and what homework they need to do that evening.
Once all the kids are back home, sit down with them and ensure they get their homework out of the way before heading out to play.
When they’ve cleared any assignments, let the kids play together or with local friends while you make a start on dinner.
With the entire family back in the house, you’re ready to begin your stay-at-home mom schedule’s third and final time block.
By now, most, if not all, the chores will be out of the way, opening up more time for self-care and a few hours to yourself before heading to bed.
Once the family is back together after outdoor play, it’s time to eat dinner together and catch up with one another on the day’s events.
Meal prep is an excellent technique for saving time, so you should cook dinner beforehand to ensure it’s ready to heat up later.
Cooking bulk batches of meals that are suitable for freezing is an effective method for getting dinner ready efficiently.
Once you’ve cleaned up the kitchen, you can clear any other tasks from your to-do list, such as folding laundry and tidying the living room.
Ideally, you’ll want to wake up with the bare minimum of tasks in the morning to focus on the new day ahead.
You can also get the kids to help with chores to teach them about responsibility and earn a little pocket money for their efforts.
Once dinner is out of the way and all the remaining chores completed, you’re ready to enjoy some quality family time.
Whether watching a movie together or playing board games and puzzles, spending time with the family is essential for any daily routine.
A great bedtime routine is similar to a morning routine, getting the kids to wash, brush their teeth, and get to bed early.
Getting an early night yourself is also essential for avoiding sleep deprivation and ensuring you have enough energy when you wake up the next day.
This means making sure you head to bed early enough to get a whole night’s sleep and be up before the kids in the morning.
Once the kids are in bed, it’s time to enjoy some quiet time and company with your partner before getting a good night’s sleep.
If you’re earning additional income with blogging as a side hustle or have any other freelance work, now is an ideal opportunity to take care of that.
There are plenty of excellent services you can use for blogging, with Friday’s Blog Builder among the most popular for mom bloggers just starting.
Mothers often struggle with a long list of responsibilities, so we hope this stay-at-home mom schedule helps you become more organized.
Making the most of the waking hours to fit in chores, self-care, and any revenue streams you have in place is significantly easier with a clear plan of action.
While everyone has their spin on their daily routine, the basic structure outlined here is a great starting point for any schedule.