Mom morning routines
In most cases, the ones managing the morning routine for the whole family are the Moms.
I was absolutely not a morning person before my Daughter was born... Well, then I did not really have the chance to wake up late 😀 It was a bit easier in terms of time management when I was still at home with her and could set up our daily routine according to her development and needs.
The whole thing became tricky when I went back to work, and she started in a nursery school...
We had to develop a totally new routine, while everything was new for us! What I did, was ask friends with a bit older kids, who already faced this transition, and tried to follow their advice.
Now I collected the best morning routine tips I got, tested, and developed the hard way 😅
Feel free to use these and let me know if you would add anything else!
Photo: pexels.com
Time Management
Luckily I love organizing, and time management is basically organizing our life around the clock 😊
And Moms willing to have a relaxed and effective morning should manage the time they have in the best possible way.
1. List the tasks
When you need to switch to a new routine due to going back to work, or kids changing schools, whatever, the first thing I would recommend is to find some peaceful minutes, grab a cup of tea or coffee, and make a list of the tasks needed to be squeezed into the morning routine (like having breakfast, brushing teeth, doing yoga, etc.).
You might make a separate list for each family member to keep it even better organized 😉
2. Check your actual routine
To make the transition easier, I would suggest checking your actual routine, when the kids wake up, how long they eat their breakfast, and whether are there any special "rituals" that are needed, in order to have a smooth morning.
Pro tip: do not forget about yourself! If you know you are a Mama Dragon before your first morning coffee, do not skip it, believe me, everything goes better if Mom is relaxed and taken care of.
3. Set up the main timing
Now here we are, we have a to-do list of tasks, and also some important milestones from the actual routine to try to keep. It is time to put the tasks in order and figure out the timing. It is especially important for working Moms!
The first tip is to start planning backward!
Eg. when you need to be at work?
Let's say it is 9 am.
How much time does it take to get there from where you leave your kid?
20 minutes - well, count with 25 just to stay on the safe side.
How much time does it take to get to the kindergarten, or school from home?
10 minutes - count with 15, and add 5 minutes for saying goodbye.
This means that you need 25+15+5 minutes for going around before you can get to work, so you all have to leave home at 8.15 am - at the latest.
If the morning routine at home according to your lists takes approximately 1 hour, you should wake your child up at 7.15.
The next step is to figure out how to organize the "at home" morning routine in detail!
Morning Routine
Each family is different, but there are some general items that all morning routines contain:
- wake up
- wake the kids up
- eat breakfast
- brush teeth
- go potty
- get dressed
Usually in a quite similar order 😊
What can be different is what you, as a Mom needs to be ready for the morning (eg. have a workout routine before the kids wake up), and what the kids need to have an easier start to the day.
My Daughter loves drawing. So if we are going fast enough with all compulsory tasks, she knows she has time for coloring or drawing before leaving. This is indeed a huge motivation for her to go on with the less-liked tasks as well.
Is it a shot story you read before leaving? Or playing a bit with a favorite toy? Some extra hugs before getting up?
Add that time to your routine, and set the alarm clock a bit earlier to let it fit too!
It makes it so much better if you have a routine that fits all of your needs!
What I also use is a timer that lets us know when it is time to get ready and leave the house. It is great, as I know without checking the clock all the time if we are late 😅 And also for my Little One that it is not me but the signal of the timer letting us know if she needs to finish drawing and start putting on her shoes and leave for school. Believe me, it is a huuuuge difference in those sensitive moments that I can blame it n the timer 😆
Mom Morning Routine
Hopefully, you also have a list of the things that make your morning a great one. Now bring that forward and check what can be fit in the awake time of the kids, and what you would prefer to do while they are still asleep 😉
It was not like that at the beginning, we woke up together, both of us sleepy and impatient...
But just waking up 20 minutes earlier became a game-changer for us! So do not underestimate your needs, whether it is time for a coffee, a special hair-do, or makeup, whatever makes your start of the day great, build it into your routine!
And what I try to avoid in the mornings is diving into social media... Unfortunately, it is not easy to feel how fast time passes when you read "just that one post", and you can find easily that you are already late - and say goodbye to the relaxed morning.
Daily Routine
Congratulations! You just set up your morning routine as a working Mom!
But do you know what makes a good morning routine even better? If you all had enough sleep... that leads us to the importance of having also an evening routine and ensuring that everyone has a good night's sleep.
A predictable daily routine is something that makes our lives easier - and especially important for kids of younger ages! If you are a busy Mom, and your child is in nursery or school most of the day, then a sort of daily routine is already given.
You can focus on the morning and evening routines, and try not to mess up fully everything during the weekends 😅
Great article with very actionable tips! Developing a solid morning routine has been incredibly beneficial for my youngest daughter. We keep it relaxed allowing enough time to leisurely complete each task to avoid frustrations and meltdowns which sets her up for a good day at school.
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