The best stay at home mom schedule is going to be one that allows you to balance your responsibilities around the house, time with your kids, time with your partner, time for yourself, AND your side hustle/business (if you have one). 

You may have decided that being a stay-at-home mom was best for you and your family for one reason or another, but what you may have not predicted is that it’s not as glamorous as it appears on tv. 

If you’re finding yourself ready to throw in the towel due to not feeling like you don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done or it’s causing your added stress, check out this stay at home mom schedule first that you can actually follow every day AND avoid feeling burnt out. 

Read Also: Morning Routine For Moms: 5 Ways to Be More Productive

What is a good schedule for a stay-at-home mom?

A good schedule for a stay-at-home mom consists of having a set time to do specific tasks each day. 

You’ll be able to chip away at high-priority items from your to-do list each day, spend time with your family, and also find time for self-care daily. 

Each mom’s schedule is going to be different, but by having a set block of the day to do specific tasks each day you’ll find that stay at home mom life becomes a lot more enjoyable for you.  

How do stay-at-home moms organize their day?

The best way to organize your day as a stay-at-home mom is to start with the most important tasks first and use nights to prep for the next day. 

These two things alone will help you conquer each day AND be able to fit in some time for yourself so you don’t find yourself constantly experiencing stay-at-home mom burnout. 

What do stay-at-home moms do with time?

As a stay-at-home mom, it’s easy to fall into the trap of perfectionism, especially if you don’t bring in an income. 

The key to being a successful stay-at-home mom is to understand that it is your job. 

Your schedule helps you get the most out of your “working hours” and when you’re off the clock you’re free to do whatever you want with your time.

How do stay-at-home moms avoid burnout?

To avoid burnout as a stay-at-home mom you have to put yourself first. 

This means making time for hygiene, doing something for self-care each day, getting an adequate amount of sleep, and avoiding negative energy. 

Most importantly, it also means making your partner and your kids help out around the house. 

One of the main reasons of stay at home mom burnout, in my opinion, is because mom is doing everything and not asking/letting anyone else help. 

Yes, your job is to stay at home and take care of the home and the kids, but it does not mean that it is the only thing you’re allowed to do. If you worked an out-of-the-home job, like your partner, you’d both be expected to do chores and child rearing and the same applies here. 

How often should a stay-at-home mom get a break?

At a minimum, you should allow yourself at least three breaks a day (more if you have toddlers). 

Ideally, you’d be able to have some time to yourself first thing in the morning, in the afternoon, and before your partner gets home from work. 

Now, I know this may sound impossible at the moment, but once we dive into my recommended stay at home mom schedule below, you’ll wonder why you haven’t started taking multiple breaks daily sooner. 

Stay at Home Mom Schedule

The first step to creating your personalized stay at home mom schedule is to write out all of the tasks that you have to do each day. 

Since everyone has specific tasks for their family I’m sharing my personal stay at home mom schedule that I use on weekdays (on weekends I don’t follow a schedule for the most part), but also will keep it as vague as possible for tasks so it doesn’t become too overwhelming for you. I will use times so you can see examples of in-depth scheduling inside of block scheduling, but you don’t have to follow my times to a “t” (I don’t, lol). 

The key is to create the perfect stay at home mom schedule for you so that you can actually follow it each day and avoid burnout. 

Now, let’s get started!

Read Also: SAHM Cleaning Schedule

Morning Routine

Your morning routine will make or break your day. My boys are older and I prep for them at night so they don’t need much from me in the mornings so my morning routine consists of “me time” and my toddler for the most part. 

• 6 am – 6:45 am – Hygiene, get dressed, and 10 minutes of “me time”.
• 6:45 am – 7 am – Emails and check the calendar. 
• 7am – 8am – Work.
• 8 am – 9 am – Chat with kids, do chores, and about 15 minutes of “me time”. 
• 9 am – 10 am – Work and transition to toddler mode.
• 10 am – 11 am – Breakfast and playtime. 
• 11 am – 12 pm –  Educational TV and work.

If you don’t do any type of work from home, you could use those times to start a side hustle or solely focus on another activity. I like to multitask, but I understand not everyone finds multitasking to be productive. 

Afternoon Routine

Your afternoon routine should be very chill for the most part as a stay-at-home mom. This time can be spent playing with your toddler while also multi-tasking and fitting in chores. 

For those with older kids, this time can be spread across chores, “me time”, and prepping for the kids to get home from school.

• 12 pm – 2 pm – Playtime and chores.
• 2 pm – 3 pm – Snack prep for older kids, lunch for Ellie, nap preparations, and 10 minutes of “me time”.

Evening Routine

Your stay-at-home mom evening routine will be fairly busy with dinner, homework, work (if applicable), and starting to mentally prepare for the bedtime routine. 

I typically do one 15-minute workout in this block of the day, which I consider “me time”, but I definitely recommend taking some me time in this block of your day to avoid becoming overwhelmed. 

• 3 pm – 4 pm – Nap time for Ellie and work.
• 4 pm – 5 pm – Playtime and catch-up with older kids. 
• 6 pm – 7 pm – Kid’s dinner time, work/workout time for me.

Nighttime Routine

Nighttime is probably your most hectic part of the day. Night prep consists of so much and you have to make sure the kids and yourself are ready for the next day. 

You may have started to feel tired at this point and it’s also the time of day that you have to fit connecting with your partner in to. 

In my case, I’m typically able to fit in a lot more work, as my partner takes on a few hours of kid duties, and I just pop in when switching tasks at work. 

• 7 pm – 8 pm – Family time.
• 8 pm – 9 pm – Showertime for me and bath time prep for Ellie.
• 9 pm – 10 pm – Bath time for Ellie and bedtime for all kids.
• 10 pm – 1 am – Night prep, adult dinner time, work (if needed), partner time, relaxation time, and bedtime. 

Closing Thoughts

Every stay at home mom’s schedule is going to be different AND it’s possible that you won’t keep it the same each day. 

The most important thing about creating your stay at home mom schedule is to schedule certain things for certain blocks of the day and then have a loose schedule around the time that you want to get it done.

My times above is my ideal stay at home mom schedule, but most days my timing is all over the place (and that’s okay). I’m able to get everything done within the block of the day it’s scheduled for, stay sane, keep the house organized, and most importantly not burn myself out. 

To leave you with one closing thought to succeed as a stay-at-home mom – “do what you can when you can”.