The Best Stay At Home Mom Schedule You’ll Actually Enjoy

Alessandra | Posted on January 10, 2023 |

In this blog I’m sharing the stay at home mom schedule I use everyday with three kids that helps me thrive and be a successful SAHM! So, if you’re a stay at home mom who is feeling burnt out and unmotivated, then you’ve come to the right place!

A stay at home mom schedule is a must for me! Keeping a daily schedule and some really easy (but great) daily routines as part of my everyday has helped me immensely as a stay at home mom. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or difficult either. Let me tell you a little secret…

My Stay at Home Mom schedule doesn’t include:

Waking up before my kids/at the crack of dawn (because who wants that?)
Cleaning all day long
Doing any fancy Pinterest projects

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A stay at home mom schedule is important part of the day, for not only me, but my kids as well. Keep reading to learn how you can set up your days for success with just a little bit of structure and motivation. But first, get my free Morning Routine checklist to help mornings go smoother with your kids:

Why are Schedules and Routines important?

As someone who comes from an early childhood background (hello daycare!) I have seen the difference between kids with structure at home and those without it. Kids who have routines at home, tend to have less anxiety, they are happier, and overall behave better than those who don’t.

That’s because schedules and routines provide a sense of security and safety for children. (And adults really…think about when you get to the parking lot of the grocery store…you probably park in the same area and always use the same door.) We are creatures of habit.

When kids know what to expect each day, they feel safe. They don’t feel anxious about doing things right or wrong. They know what is coming next and that helps them transition, feel confident about themselves, and know they live in a secure environment.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can switch up your schedule or go off the beaten path. If *MOST* days are the same, your child will still thrive if you do something different one day. That’s because they know they can come home to their safe spot.

Your Stay At Home Mom Schedule

Your schedule might look completely different than my schedule, or the next SAHMs schedule. And that’s totally ok. That’s what is so great about schedules and routines. They are meant to work for YOU and your family only. And if you find an old routine isn’t working out anymore, you can change it!

In this blog I will share my daily schedule with you so you can get an idea of what my day at home looks like with 3 kids. This is basically the same schedule I have used since my first baby was born back in 2015. Of course some things have changed because school pick up and drop off is part of our day and sports and activities are added too. But you get the gist of it!

First things first. I want you to write down the things you NEED to do each day. Here are some examples:

Go grocery shopping
Vaccuum
Do laundry
Run errands
Make dinner
School drop off/pick up

Make sure to write down everything that needs to be done and time stamp it. This allows you to visualize your day and keep up with everything.

Now that we have that set up, let’s go through a day in the life of a stay at home mom (my daily schedule) from morning to night!

Morning Routine for Your Stay at Home Mom Schedule

Alarm goes off at 7:00
Make breakfast
Put last night’s clean dishes away
Drink coffee
Help big kids get ready for school
Bus comes at 7:50

My alarm goes off at 7 AM. I do not wake up before my kids (in fact my older 2 kids wake up before me and usually get their breakfast started on their own.) You don’t need a fancy pre-kid wakeup routine or Up-Before-The-Sun Routine to be successful!

8:00-9:00

After my two older kids are on the bus, I spend time with my youngest, who is 2. She wakes up around 8 AM. I give her breakfast, put in a load of laundry, clean up the kitchen from breakfast time, put any clean dishes away from the night before and then it’s time for me to get ready.

I can’t stress this enough, if you want to feel motivated and be more successful: GET YOURSELF READY. Take a shower (even if it’s 5 minutes) then get dressed, put on some makeup, and do something with your hair. This can take 10-20 minutes and it will make all the difference in your mood and day. My toddler watches TV while I get myself ready. No mom guilt allowed!

9:00-10:00

Time to get out of the house. This can be as simple as playing outside or going for a neighborhood walk. Or this might be running errands, going grocery shopping, head to the library or playground, etc. What ever you do, get out of the house for a bit!

10:00-12:00

Snack time for my toddler, play time, I might blog a little bit, then first school pick up of the day is 11:00. My daughter is in half day kindergarten so I pick her up right before lunch. When she gets home, she decompresses which means she plays for a bit (or in all honesty – tortures her little sister 😉 ha!) I unpack her bag from school, file everything, and put it away.

When you do these things right away, they actually get done! I don’t know about you, but if we get home and I just toss her bag aside for “later” I will forget about it and the next day I’ll be scrambling around wondering where her back pack is. So just do it, right away, and then you can forget and relax.

We have lunch around 11:30. Then my two little ones play or watch a TV show. If the weather is nice I might have them go outside for a little bit. I try to cut down on TV as much as I can, but I’m realistic and I’m not too hard on myself for screen time.

12:30

Nap time for my toddler! And relaxing time for my kindergartener (she plays, colors, and/or watches TV.) Here’s what I do:

Clean up from lunch/wash dishes
Tidy up anything from the morning (pick up toys, shoes, blankets, etc.)
Eat my lunch
Switch the laundry
Do a couple chores (Doing 1 to 2 chores each day will help you stay on top of things and keep your home tidy!)
Spend 1 on 1 time with my kindergartener (We might read books, do a simple craft, or simply just cuddle up on the couch.)

3:00

Toddler wakes up from nap. School pick up for my oldest. And the afternoon craziness begins! 🙂

After School/Afternoon Routine for Your Stay At Home Mom Schedule

Spend 5 minutes with my son to reconnect
Unpack his backpack/lunch box
Relax!! (Yes it’s ok to do this)

I typically have my son have a snack and play before he can watch TV after school. But once he watches TV, I sit down for a few minutes and read a book or check my phone. Then I start dinner.

Trying to cut down on TV time and need your child to stay busy while you cook dinner? Check out an Activity Pack Here.

4:30 – 5:30

This is when I start dinner. My kids usually play or watch TV at this time. If my husband isn’t too busy working, he hangs out with them. Quick dinner tip: I cook dinner 3 or 4 times a night. The other nights we have left overs or take out. Or even a frozen pizza. But easy meals are always on our menu, such as baked chicken, lots of pasta, meatloaf, burgers, etc.

We always sit together at the dinner table to eat, TV is turned off and no tablets or phones are allowed at the table.

Evening Routine for Stay at Home Moms

Clean up the kitchen after dinner (wipe down the table, counters, sweep)
Wash dishes/start dishwasher
Pack lunches for the next day
Tidy up the house
Prep coffee for the next day (obviously the important thing😉)

6:00 – 7:00

Our bedtime routine for the kids begins fairly early. With 3 kids, baths, brushing teeth, getting pajamas on, etc. can take some time. This is also our time to spend together as a family. We will sometimes play games during this time or my husband will rough house our kids. But typically it’s a time to relax, read books, and talk about our day.

Once my kids are in bed, it’s time for me! Between 7:30 and 11 I fold a load of laundry, read a book, do yoga, and watch some TV. Try to have a set bedtime for yourself, too! I’m typically in bed around 11. Which is fine, since I don’t wake up before my kids.

This schedule allows me to spend quality times with my kids, get chores done around the house, keep up with laundry, and have time for myself at the end of the day. If you’re ready to be more productive and be a happier, successful stay at home mom, then I would definitely give this SAHM schedule a try! You’ve got this, mama.

Save your new Stay At Home Mom Schedule to Pinterest:

Follow me on Instagram @justabasicmama where I share my stay at home mom schedule in real time and for more SAHM tips!

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