10 Working Mom Morning Routine Tips to make life easy
Life of a Working Mom is challenging, balancing work and motherhood is daunting. But as a working mom, the mornings are the most difficult. Getting everything done and leaving the house on time in peace feels like I have won the day. So in this post, I am sharing with you the Working Mom Morning Routine tips to make life easy and build a productive mom morning routine. I find this as the best morning routine for moms who work, After trying a few morning routine ideas, I have my goto morning routine schedule that I have been following as a morning routine with a baby before work for a very long time now. You can use this to make your working mom schedule with infant and toddler
Let’s get started
Working Mom Morning Schedule with Baby
Here are 10 tips to make a full-time working mom morning schedule before leaving for work with a baby.
1: Plan the night before
The best way to have an effective and productive morning routine is to have a brief plan for the next day. You need not do elaborate planning but just go through the things that you will be doing in the morning and try to make things ready for the same.
This can include things like:
- Prep for breakfast and lunch for the next day
- Soaking grains or pulses
- Laying out clothes for the next day
- Set aside lunch bags, etc.
Making things available for the morning makes work easy but more importantly, having a brief plan in your head for the next day makes the morning less overwhelming, you know exactly what needs to be done and you do not waste time thinking and running everywhere. It lets you start the morning with more calm and clarity and builds good momentum for the day.
Do not exhaust yourself to do more in the evening as after work you will be tired, just try to do anything possible without spreading yourself thin. I have a detailed post on the evening routine for working moms, you can read Working Mom evening routine: 12 Things to do for more ideas.
2: Wake up before the kids
A common question that every working mom have is when should she get up in the morning? While many suggest a 5 am morning routine for moms, I think getting enough sleep is more important to be a good mom. There is no definite answer to this, but you can estimate the time you need to get the essential morning chores to be done and find your wake-up time. I have a detailed post on 5 steps to build a morning routine before work that is best for you you can refer to it to make a morning routine that suits your lifestyle and needs.
But one thing that I highly recommend is to get up before your kids. Working with kids takes more time and distracts you too. Also, getting up before kids give you the needed quite time to clear your head and start your day calmly.
3: Awaken your mind and body
Before you head into your chores for the morning take a few moments to awaken yourself and get your mind and body ready for the day. This will avoid morning meltdowns and help you get started with your day more positively and energetically. It is also a moment to get some time for yourself before you head into the rush of the day.
Here are some ways to help your mind and body to awake:
- After you get up immediately start with your morning hygiene like brushing, taking a bath, etc. These activities awaken your mind and take you out of the sleepy mood.
- Drink some water while enjoying morning silence near the window or outside. Daylight will help you feel awakened, during seasons when the sun is not up use house light.
- Do some stretching or exercise to awaken your body and loosen fatigue
- Do some deep breathing to awaken your mind, get calm and set your intention for the day.
Performing these activities may not take a lot of your time, for morning routines ideas you can read 50 Good Morning routine ideas that suit everyone
4: Prepare Breakfast and Lunch
After feeling awake now is the time to get started with morning tasks. It is best to get started with breakfast and lunch preparation as they are most necessary. If other house chores are missed it may not impact much and can be attended at the evening. But leaving the house eating a healthy breakfast and taking lunch for school and work are nonnegotiable.
It is best if you can plan meals for the week and possibly some meal prep too on the weekends. This will make breakfast and lunch preparation easy. Meal planning and doing some preparation either the night before or on weekends will save you time in the morning.
Try to make simple meals and always have a quick meal option as a backup for days you get late.
P.S. You may like 10 Things for working mom weekend routine.
5: Get some Daily House Chores done
While the meals are getting prepared you can get started with other house chores to make the best use of your time. Mostly the other house chores are related to cleaning only.
It is best if you can make a cleaning schedule for the week and follow it. You need not make the schedule every week just make it once and follow for weeks and tweak it with changing needs or seasons. You can read my post on Realistic daily and weekly cleaning schedule to make your own cleaning schedule. You can grab your free cleaning schedule printable below.
Grab your free printable to build your own daily and weekly cleaning schedule
Some of the daily chores that you can do in the morning are:
- Unload your dishwasher.
- Put a load of laundry
- Wipe the kitchen counter
- Watering plants
- Feeding pets
6: Wake up the kids and get them ready
Wake up your kids for school, you should wake them up enough on time so they can get ready for school. If your kids are not very young and can do basic morning needs themself you can wake them up while you are doing some of your own work and keep an eye on them for any assistance they may need. But for younger kids like babies and toddlers, you must make sure to finish as much work as possible before it’s time to wake them up as you will need to spend your time completely with them to get them ready for the day.
7: Nurturing Family Bond
Before heading out of the house and starting a busy workday try to use the morning time to nurture as a family. Use breakfast time for a pep talk with your kid or express gratitude to your partner. Have fun family rituals like morning hugs and cuddles. You can also have a fun competition with kids like competing to get ready first, to lighten the morning pressure and encourage kids to get ready quickly.
Most kids of working parents spend entire days at daycare and get less time to spend with family. Spending quality time in the morning will keep them comforted for the rest of the day and help to continue building bonds with parents even though you get less time to spend with them.
P.S. To know more ways to spend quality time with kids and your partner. You can read the below posts.
Secrets to spend quality time with your kids in a busy life
Secrets To Spending Time With Your Partner When Busy
8: Pack the bags
Make sure your kids’ bag is packed with all the essentials they need. Packing your kids’ bag well will let you spend your day at work peacefully as you can be certain of all the things they need are available to them.
Ideally, you must prepare the daycare bag the night before so you will just need to pack the lunch bag for the family in the morning. I suggest putting the napkins, cutlery, and filled water bottles the night before in the bag so that in the morning you do not have to spend time on all these.
Also, keep all the bags that you need to carry either at the door or in the car in advance to avoid forgetting them. I am guilty of making the bag ready and forgetting them at home.
You can read my post How to Pack Daycare Bag Perfectly for more details.
9: Simplifying your grooming routine
It is very challenging as a working mom to find enough time in the morning to get ready but being a working professional it is necessary to look well-groomed and presentable. Hence it is better if you simplify your morning grooming routine.
You can try to follow a minimal skincare and makeup routine. And an easy hairstyle that will not take a lot of your time. Layout your outfit and accessories the night before to avoid spending time searching for things in the morning and settling for something you do not like just because you are getting late.
10: Do a quick check at the house
Finally before leaving the house do a quick check of the house for peace of mind and to ensure the security of your home. Check all the windows and doors are closed, double-checking every entry point. Turn off all electrical appliances and other power points that are not necessary.
Scan the surroundings for objects that could be dangerous if left out, especially at the entrance check for scattered toys of kids to avoid any incidents when the family returns back home. Make sure there is no open food left in the kitchen, and keep extra food in the fridge to avoid them perishing and you coming home to a foul smell. These small checks will allow you to work at the office with peace of mind.
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Conclusion
So these are the 10 things that every working mom must include in her morning routine before work to ensure that all the needs of the family are taken care of and you can head to work peacefully. Following a good morning routine will not only reduce overwhelm and chaos from the morning but all help you attain a good work-life balance.
Related posts you may like:
Real Daily Routine For Working Moms
22 working mom hacks to make life easier
