How to start your day – morning routine for first time mom
How I start my day makes a huge difference on how my day will go. Read along on how to start your day well. A complete morning routine guide for a first time stay at home mom.
Write down a plan
Frist things first: sit down and think about what you actually want in your morning routine. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I want to accomplish in my morning routine?
- How much time do I need to do all those things?
- Do I get up before or with the kids?
- Do I have to be done with my morning routine at a certain time?
If you know what you want to do before a certain time you can count back. When would you have to get up to do all things you want to do? Is it a better choice to get up before your baby wakes up or is it fine to wake up when your baby awakes?
Write down a little plan for your perfect morning routine as a first time mom.
Plan your morning routine as a first time mom realistically
Look at your list. Often times we want to do so many things. There are 100 things important or healthy or trendy to do but I want you to think about it in a realistic way. If you try to include all the things in your morning routine there are good chances that you will get overwhelmed quickly and drop the routine two days in.
What does actually fit? Which components of your morning routine as a first time mom have to happen every morning and which ones are more flexible?
Examples of a healthy morning routine for a first time mom
For myself it was realistic to wake up with my baby. My nights aren’t always great and every bit of sleep is much welcome. I mostly don’t leave the house at a certain time as a stay at home mom so I don’t have the pressure to wake up at a consistent time every day.
After a while of being a first time mom I choose to fit those elements into my morning routine:
- Breastfeed my baby
- Diaper change and cloth her
- Cloth me
- Hydrate
- Take my supplements
- Care for our chicken
- Prepare and eat breakfast
- Read in the bible
- Clear up breakfast
Because I don’t wake up before my baby I cannot read my bible first thing in the morning. I struggled with it for a while and didn’t know where to fit it into my day. For me the solution was to read my bible out loud at breakfast to my baby. I figured that it would be helpful for her language development and both our spiritual journeys as she will grow to understand more over the years. I also very much enjoy reading aloud from her children’s bible.
My day starts differently every day but I want to accomplish all the things mentioned above before my baby’s first nap 2 hours after she woke up.
Encouragement and tips for bad days
Sometimes we wake up and everything is already going wrong. The diaper blew out, a family member is sick, or we just don’t have the energy to stick to it all. If you feel overwhelmed know: you are not alone!
Give yourself grace in times where things don’t go as planned. Use it as an opportunity to acces your morning routine. What’s the reason why things aren’t going well? Do you have unrealistic expectations or do you need help from someone to work things out?
I once heard such an encouraging quote:
Look at what you accomplished in a bay day and imagine what you can do on a good day.
This quote helped me so much when I got overwhelmed or discouraged when having a bad day or even a bad week or month. Read more about how to feel less overwhelmed as a new homemaker right here.
Top 5 tips for a great morning routine for first time mom
After I started to implement those five tips as a first time mom my morning routine improved quickly.
- Close your kitchen at night
In my first year as a homemaker I would leave things for the next day if I felt too tired in the evenings. But it doesn’t take great wisdom to realize that those chores would not be more fun to do the next morning. As a first time mom it is essential to me to tidy everything up before I go to bed so that I can get going right away when I wake up. This was most true for my kitchen. I now aim to clean the kitchen before or even during bedtime (if I have help from my husband we split chores). This way I have my evening to relax but also a clean kitchen in the morning.
- Go to bed earlier
The evenings can feel like the only time you really got to yourself as a first time mom. But in order to have a successful morning routine I needed to learn to go to bed earlier than I was used to. That way I felt more rested in the mornings and could work quicker and more efficient.
- Use the evenings for self-care
In my morning routine there is not much time for self-care. I try to have my self-care moments as much as possible in the evenings. That way I stay saint as a fist time mom but still have a quick and easy morning routine that actually works. Things I never skip in my morning routine is getting dressed, hydrated and taking my supplements. Decide for yourself what you really can’t skip and make time for it. Happy mom means happy children too!
- Include exercise into your day
I don’t have time to exercise in the morning. Not that I don’t admire people that get up at 5am to go to the gym. It will just never be realistic for me. Therefore I include exercise into my daily routine together with my baby. As she grows she will learn from me that exercise is important and fun as she watches me and joins me as possible.
Read more on about how I lost my baby weight here.
- Use a baby carrier
If nothing works and you cannot even prepare breakfast without your child clinching unto your legs, use a baby carrier. Our baby loved to be on first my belly and later my back. That way I could get things done in the mornings even if she doesn’t want to play until breakfast is ready.
Adjust as you go
It can be challenging to get into a routine – especially with little children and no mom experience! Something might work for now and seems impossible a few months down the line. There is no shame in dropping something out of your morning routine and add it back in again, in a later season.
The most important thing for your morning routine as a first time mom is that it works for you in your day. You can do it and you will get better with it every year into homemaking and motherhood. Good luck!
Leave a comment below and share what you can’t miss in your morning routine as a first time mom. I would love to hear all about it!
