How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule For You

Are you struggling to figure out a stay at home mom schedule that works for you? Believe it or not, moms all around the world are right there with you. Being a stay at home mom is awesome but it also means that your entire day has to be planned from the start to be as efficient as possible. 

But even in saying that, it also means that no matter how much you plan, the day just might not always go as you imagine it to. You never know when kids are going to be sick, mornings are going to come too early, or just days, your motivation isn’t anywhere to be found. 

I’ve been there. Some days I’m still there. Even though I’ve been a stay at home mom and a work at home mom for what feels like a zillion years, there are days when I’m on the struggle bus just like you. (Move over sister, I wanna take a seat right next to you!) 

Over the years I’ve had to adjust my schedule multiple times as my family grew and my business exploded, and I’ve learned some awesome time management tips for moms.

This post is meant to give you hope and knowledge that making a schedule for you and your day can actually easily exist. I actually have a super helpful tip about creating a schedule but I’m saving that to the end of the post…To get the juicy tip, you need to read all the other helpful hints, too! 

How do stay at home moms fill their time?

Oh my goodness, this question. Stay at home moms fill their time by wearing multiple hats for multiple jobs. There isn’t a mom out there that isn’t a cook, chauffeur, counselor, housecleaner, breadwinner, mama bear, cheerleader, and nurse. 

SAHM mom’s fill their times by taking care of literally everyone else in the family. Then sometimes, that leaves a little bit of time for us to even have time to take care of ourselves.

Can we all just agree that there have been too many times to count that we’ve walked out of the house without caring or having the time to put on our makeup or even matching socks? Seriously. The mom life schedule can be a real struggle sometimes. Finding a way to simplify is key.

Is being a stay at home mom an occupation?

If you’re asking me, I think that being a stay at home mom is a full-time job. It’s literally one of the only jobs in the world that never stop. Moms are on the clock 24/7/365. Being a mom is like being on-call and on the clock all the time. Moms hustle all the time!

(and it’s one of the best “jobs” ever, too!)

What would a stay at home moms salary be?

According to all the jobs that mom does on a daily basis, it’s been averaged that if a SAHM were to actually receive a salary, it would be equivalent to over $150,000 per year. PER YEAR. 

That’s pretty amazing, right? And this is just an estimate. I’d bet it’s even higher than that but at least there is some sort of salary basis that justifies everything that a mom does on the daily. 

How can a stay at home mom be successful?

Success is different for every single person but I do believe that creating and sticking to a schedule is what is going to make your time as a stay at home the most successful it can be. 

Other ways that you’ll find success is to have open communication with your children, encourage them with love and positivity, and know at the end of every day that you’ve given them all the love and support that you possibly can. 

How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule For You

If you’ve never considered yourself to be a “scheduled” person, it really is time to give it another try. You’re going to find that scheduling out your days will allow you so much more time to do the things that you really need to do.

And even if it feels a bit foreign at first, it will absolutely get easier over time. Try out some of these different stay at home mom schedules and see which one suits you and your current lifestyle.

Stay at Home Mom Schedule of Toddlers and Babies

The stay at home mom schedule of toddlers and babies is going to be different. This is because babies really and truly don’t have a schedule of their own. Babies function at a young age to do three main things and that is eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. While they tend to do this in trends, it’s not something that happens at the same time every single day.

And toddlers…well…trying to get them on schedule can be a whole other story. There are some days where there might be a sort of schedule but other days? Not so much.

Being the stay at home mom to babies and toddlers can be hard, but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. In fact, you can try a temporary schedule and find out what works best for you. 

Below is a quick chart of how I managed my time when I had one baby and a work from home business.

If at all possible, give yourself grace. While you can have a tentative idea in place of how the day is going to go, just know that if something happens, it’s okay. Your job is to be there for your babies when they need you and that means that you can easily adjust your schedule as necessary. 

If you’re needing an example of a temporary schedule, I would suggest looking at a version of block scheduling for when your children are young.

What this means is that instead of picking out times increments of 15-20 minutes for things to happen, you’re instead setting up schedules in blocks to allow a bit of flexibility. Feedings can happen between 8-9 AM, naps can occur between 10 AM-noon…and so on so that you’re still creating a consistent schedule but it’s giving you a lot more leeway than other methods.

Stay at Home Mom Schedule of School-Age Kids

You’ve arrived at the time in life when all your kids are in school. This means that the majority of your days are “free” to do what you want. (if by “free” you’re meaning housekeeping, cleaning, prepping, bills, work, and errands) 

Creating a stay at home mom schedule when you’re kids are in school can really take on whatever form that you need it to. Have the mornings be a time where everyone gets up, gets ready for school, and loads in the car to be delivered on time and with their hair and teeth brushed. (it’s the little things in life)

Then, for the rest of your day, make a solid plan on things that you know you’re going to be able to achieve. Laundry, bills, grocery shopping, exercising, getting work done, working on your blog…all of those things are things that you can prioritize and schedule when the kids are in school.

Once they arrive home for the day, it’s time to have snacks, dinner, and get them ready for bed. The stay at home mom schedule of school-aged children is one that feels like it’s on full throttle all the time! 

One example of a stay at home schedule during this time could be split into sections as follows:

• Paying bills from 9 AM -9:30 AM
• Cleaning house from 10 AM-noon
• Lunch/break from noon – 1 PM
• Prepping dinner from 1 PM – 1:30 PM
• Working out/yoga from 1:30 PM – 2 PM
• Laundry/other household chores from 2 PM – 3 PM
• Picking up kids 3 PM

As I mentioned, that’s just a sample schedule but it’s one that you can tweak as needed. Some days will have more, some less. Just remember that you don’t have to drain your internal battery every single day. Give yourself time to have “you” time as well.

Stay at Home Mom Schedule for New Moms

Being a new mom totally rocks but it’s totally exhausting as well. There are so many things that can happen and come out that at times you’re going to feel like you don’t even know if it’s daytime or nighttime. And trust me on this one…that’s okay. 

When you’re a brand new mom, schedules can be hard. During this time you have to think about your health and the health of your baby, too. Creating a schedule might sound difficult, but keep it broad so it isn’t overwhelming. Make certain to have times to eat for yourself and times of rest for you as well. Write down positive thoughts for yourself and plan out times for you to try to do a few things around the house as well. 

I would suggest keeping your schedule broad and having very high level goals. Instead of breaking down your schedule by hour, do it by time of day.

• Morning – Throw laundry in washer, order groceries, schedule doctors appointment
• Afternoon – Pack away groceries and fold clean laundry
• Evening – Meal prep for the week

Next day

• Morning – Throw laundry in washer, set CrockPot and go to Doctors appointment
• Afternoon – Nap and fold laundry
• Evening – Rest and do something fun, like creating a baby book on Shutterfly

Above all, know that your schedule as a brand new mom means that you need to give yourself and your baby time to heal, grow and settle in together. Everything else on your list can come after that. 

Stay at Home Mom Schedule of Teenage Kids

Being a mom of teenagers is a trip. Long gone are the days when they used to need you for everything and now comes a time when they only need you for things that they just don’t know how to handle on their own.

Their days will be consumed with friends and school, so that means that your days will be consumed with things that you need to get done. 

Now that the children are grown more, you can put your time and effort back to some of the things that you might have put a hold on before. 

Starting a business is always a good plan and can be something that you easily make a daily schedule out of as well. In addition to that, you can learn new hobbies as well. Creating online courses, channeling your artistic side and creating fun printables, or even picking up some extra work online as a virtual assistant can be a great way to schedule out your day. 

When you have extra time to do so, why not use some of your skills to create your own side business or earn some extra money? 

If I were you and had teenage-aged children (soon…but not quite yet!), I would schedule my day to get my house chores or things like that out of the way and spend the rest of the day working on my business. It’s a schedule that I know I would love and be able to stick to easily, (and don’t be afraid to use a planner to get you through the day, too!)

Final thoughts on Stay at home Mom Schedules

Being a mom is really like being a yo-yo at times. Some days you’re going up, other days you’re feeling down, and sometimes, it’s a mixture of feeling as though you’re being pulled back and forth. 

What it comes down to is that if you can grasp a stay at home mom schedule that works well for you and your needs, you’re going to find out that your days will be so much more productive and positive than you ever thought possible.

Remember earlier when I said that I had a super helpful tip that made my planning a schedule as a stay at home mom so much more simple? My tip to you is this:

No one else’s schedule has to be just like yours.

I’ve learned this over time so I want you to hear it early, loud and clear. You create a schedule that works best for you, 100%. Your schedule shouldn’t be for anyone else. Period.

My second tip to share with you is this:

Your daily schedule isn’t set in stone.

You are in control of your schedule and that means that you can change it to whatever you want to change it to. This, my friends, is an awesome feeling.

Try out a schedule and see if it works, and if not? No big deal. You try again and again until you find something that works well. And then guess what? That schedule is going to change as your children get older and as your needs change as well. It’s just the way life works.

It’s better to embrace it now and be prepared than to think that there is only one way to function in life.

Being a stay at home mom is awesome so you might as well take advantage of creating an awesome stay at home mom schedule to go right along with it!

Need more help, here are more time management tips for moms!

Do you have any other stay at home mom schedule tips that you’d like to share?