Creating a Morning Routine as a Stay at Home Mom

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanHealthyBold​

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanHealthyBold​

Before I was a stay at home mom/work from home mom (and now preschool homeschooling mom), I was a teacher. Life started at the same time every day, and a morning routine was as easy to create as it was necessary.

Plus, I thrive on routine. I feel better, I’m more productive, and I’m an all-around more pleasant person when I follow a routine. Want to know a secret? My toddler is happier when he has a routine as well. If you’re struggling to create a routine that works for you, here are some ideas to help you find what you need to be functional and productive (with a bit of fun and without too much structure).

My secret to a delicious morning routine? LISTERINE®​ has new zero-alcohol Coconut + Lime Blend Mouthwash​ mouthwash. It’s 100% alcohol free – which means a less intense, but oh-so-delicious taste – and 4 essential oils work to neutralize bad breath! Read on to see how it makes my morning amazing!

Morning Routine Tip 1: Choose a time to get up and stick to it.

You can start your morning off on the right foot by setting an alarm. I get up at 6:30 every morning, and then spend 30 minutes or so working from bed. I recommend making sure you have at least 30 minutes before the kids get up, and at least an hour total before you’re going to have to be out the door.

If your kids are a little bit older, even when they’re not in school, you can set a wake up time for them too. Click on the image below to purchase online at Walmart.com. 

Morning Routine Tip 2: Prep the night before/ahead of time.

Decide what breakfast is going to be for the next day and have it ready.

Pick out your clothes and the kids’ outfits.

If you’re going to leave the house in the morning, have the diaper bag/snacks/etc packed the night before.

Set out learning activities the night before to engage the kids the next day.

It takes me 15 minutes to get everything ready for the next day, but it makes my morning routine as a stay at home mom so much smoother.

I also make sure that I stay stocked up on everything I use. There is nothing worse than going to grab a new bottle of LISTERINE® Green Tea + Mint Blend Mouthwash​ from the cabinet and finding out I’m completely out! I grab mine from Walmart – you can find it in the Health & Beauty/Dental aisle! Bonus: Buy multiple bottles of mouthwash, shampoo, hair spray, toothpaste, etc when it’s on sale – you’ll save $ and be stocked up!

Morning Routine Tip 3: Plan how and when you are going to get ready.

Will you shower in the morning – and before the kids wake up or will you wait until they’re up? I prefer to shower when I hear Camden starting to wake up – because he is still in the crib – but if he’s up before I go shower, we make it work. I keep a small chair for him in our bathroom, and he watches a show and eats a pouch while I take a shower.

Will the kids get dressed while you get ready? Or will you already be ready so you can help them?

Morning Routine Tip 4: Choose which tasks you’ll share with your kids.

In our house, we get breakfast ready together. My son helps me pour milk and put plates on the table. Then we sit down to eat together as much as we can.

After breakfast, we do teeth routines together. My toddler tries to brush his teeth independently while I take a swig of LISTERINE® Coconut + Lime Blend Mouthwash​ which is a new zero-alcohol mouthwash. It’s like a 30 second me-time break, even though my toddler is right here next to me. I have always struggled to use mouthwash, because the adult ones are strong, due to the alcohol and the strong minty flavor. This LISTERINE® Coconut + Lime Blend Mouthwash​, though? It is amazing. I love brushing my teeth before breakfast and then freshening everything up with this mouthwash; it contains 4 essential oils to help kill all the bad breath germs trying to take up residence.

Once I’m done indulging in my mouthwash break, I brush my toddler’s teeth.

Together, we pick out his clothes, get him dressed, and then we feed the cat and dog.

Morning Routine Tip 5: Make time for you.

That’s what part of that wake-up-before-your-kids time is: time for yourself to do what it is you want to do. For me, that’s to get in a little work in peace before I’m trying to multitask the toddler and work. For you, it might be time to work out, journal, read a book, or find another way to focus yourself.

Now that Camden is sleeping a little bit later in the morning, I’m using the first 10 minutes of my morning to read a chapter of whatever book I’m reading. It makes me feel like I’m enjoying my day already, because reading is a passion of mine.

But, also, after we finish getting ready for the day, Camden has independent learning/play time for a bit. That’s also my time for myself: I start laundry, fold clothes, respond to emails, drink my coffee, etc.

A Morning in My Life:

Here’s what my morning routine looks like as a stay at home mom:

6:30 I wake up (toddler is still sleeping). I read for 10 minutes and then work for about 30 minutes.

7:00 I take a shower (if Camden is awake, he watches a show on the tablet on the chair in the bathroom) and I get dressed/do my makeup/brush my teeth

7:30 Breakfast time – we make breakfast, milk and coffee together.

8:00 Teeth Time! Camden brushes his teeth while I enjoy my #cleanhealthybold LISTERINE® Coconut + Lime Blend Mouthwash​. I brush his teeth.

8:10 Camden and I pick out his clothes. We talk about what we’re going to do today and we feed the cat and dog.

8:30 Independent play time: Camden does an independent activity while I do housework or work.

9:00 We head outside to play. The next two hours are for Camden and me to play and learn together or to run errands.

The best part about a morning routine as a stay at home mom is that we often have more time to make it through the morning routine. I have a goal to wash, dry and fold one load of laundry every day, and the slow moving mornings help with that. Even if you have to get kids up and out the door to school, you can always come back and finish your morning routine.

But at the same time, the idea of being home all the time can make it hard to feel lost without a routine. Your whole day doesn’t have to have a strict set routine, but it is so helpful to create a simple morning routine.