Morning Routine For Moms: Start Right and Stay Sane

A morning routine for moms may be the single most important routine in their day. The first hour you’re awake really sets the pace, so be intentional when creating yours!

*updated September 2023*

“I’ll just sleep for 20 more minutes.”

Then you hear it. Door creaks open. Footsteps pad across the carpet, eager to reach your bedside. Then comes the tugging of blankets as children shimmy over the mattress, over any and every part of your body, elbows in nose, knee in stomach, until they’re lying beside you.

Eyes wide. Smiles wider. Voices louder than life itself at 6 am.

You shouldn’t have slept in.

stay at home mom and daughter in morning

Should moms have a morning routine?

The answer is yes, yes they should.

The thing is, I know you’re thinking that you don’t mind your kids coming to snuggle with you in the morning. And I don’t either. I rather enjoy those first few seconds of snuggled up squishmallow bliss.

But if we’re being honest… that’s exactly what it is. Seconds.

Seconds before the demands and questions and requests roll off the tongue like waves in the ocean, crashing on the shore of my morning fogged brain.

Every time I convince myself that sleeping in is really the better option, I regret it moments later.

My kids are amazing. I’m sure yours are too.

But isn’t that first cup of coffee in the quiet of a sleeping house also pretty amazing? I mean… priorities mama.

A morning routine for moms in 3 steps:

1| Decide your priorities.

First thing’s first, lady, and that’s to decide on your priorities. What absolutely must happen each morning in order to one, get you out of bed and two, make it worthwhile?

What’s going to fill your cup at the start of every day, and I don’t mean your coffee mug, either. Although that should be included, obvi.

2| Schedule it out.

Know what time you need to wake up at in order to do all the things you want to do in your morning routine, and then pencil it in.

Actually, use a pen. Pencil is too easy to erase.

The thing is, the more consistent you can be, the more routine it becomes. It stops requiring will power, it’s just the habit you have every single morning.

3| Be flexible yet firm.

I remember being 3 weeks postpartum, waking up at 430 am to get a workout in, after being awake literally all night long with a newborn baby who decided she didn’t need to sleep. Ever.

And every morning, without fail, she would again wake up in the middle of my workout.

That’s being flexible. Tending to my child’s needs despite my desire for a morning routine.

However.

That child is now five. Still my earliest riser. Still interrupts my morning routine 5 out of 7 days a week.

I no longer stop to tend to her needs. I’m in a season where I can be more firm about my own.

Ohandalso, don’t worry about working out 3 weeks postpartum (from a c-section)… it really won’t matter five years later, trust me.

When should I wake up for my morning routine?

I believe a good schedule for a stay at home mom is one that works for her and her unique family dynamic. My kids wake up between 630-7am, which means I have to plan to be awake before that if I want to plan to be alone.

And I do want to plan to be alone.

If your kids don’t wake up until 8 o’clock, unless you really want three hours to yourself, you don’t need to get up before the sun. #lucky

It’s a matter of deciding what you want to include in your morning routine for moms, and then working backwards to make sure you give yourself enough time to get it done.

Morning Routine Ideas For Moms

Read your bible
journal
stretch
take a shower
brush your teeth
drink coffee
exercise
drink a healthy smoothie
drink a glass of water
pray before you get out of bed
pray whenever
gratitude journal
count your blessings
choose a scripture verse to meditate on all day
make your to-do list
wash your face
get dressed
put on make up
plan your schedule for the day
sip tea
step outside and enjoy your surroundings
watch the sunrise
commit to not talking for the first ten minutes
set your intentions for the day
plan your meals for the day
leave your phone plugged in and untouched for as long as possible
read some personal development
do five minute chores like unloading the dishwasher or starting laundry
pop breakfast in the oven
milk your goats
take a walk
listen to a podcast
listen to worship music

Stay at home mom daily routine tips

1| Choose how long you want to spend on a morning routine

What block of time will be considered your morning time? When will you begin? When will it end?

2| choose the top 3-5 things that will give you the most life

If those things will realistically fit into your allotted time frame, then those are the pieces to your morning routine puzzle. Don’t try to squeeze twenty things into twenty mintutes.

3| Stick to your scheduled time and resist spill over

If you’re anything like me, you could sit and read and journal and plan and contemplate and think and stretch…. basically all the things that one does in the peace of the morning… all day.

Like, all. day. long.

So it’s crazy important for me to set my boundaries and stick to them. Wake up when I say I’m going to wake up. And end my morning time when I say I’m going to end it.

4| Remember to understand yourself and your values, for maximum impact.

By this I mean, you have to know exactly what gives you life and what drains you. Always begin your day with the life giving things.

When you start by doing something that causes you to gripe and grumble, that’s going to seep into every other part of your day.

No thank you!

Your morning routine is for you to enjoy being you! Not mom you, not wife you, just you you. So do the things that bring the joy, okay?

Related posts: A Day In The Life Of A Stay At Home Mom and Align Your Life With Your Values

Morning routine for moms are unique to you!

There is no one size fits all when it comes to creating a morning routine. It’s a simple, totally unique way to set yourself up to make the most of your day.

Look, I love cuddling with my kiddos. And they love to be the ones who wake me up.