7 Ways to Make Being a Stay at Home Mom Easier (and more enjoyable!)

Inside: These are my 7 best tips to make being a stay at home mom easier – because who couldn’t use a few more *easy* days as a SAHM? We’ll cover everything from morning routines to cleaning schedules and all the things in between 🙂

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Today we’re going to chat ways to make life easier for moms, specifically stay at home moms (although I believe all parents can benefit from these tips!)

While I sort of loathe the term “stay at home mom” – it is universal, so we’ll use that here. I do believe “full-time” mom to be more accurate 🙂

If you’ve ever asked yourself: How can I make being a stay at home mom easier? You’re in the right place. 

Whether you chose to be at home with your kids or it was put upon you at some point back in 2020, just know, I’m here to provide you with support and practical solutions for your everyday life. 

If you’re an overwhelmed stay at home mom or if you’re experiencing stay at home mom burnout – first, know you’re not alone, and second, today we’re going to learn how to put systems in place that will actually ease some of the burden and reduce the overwhelm.

P.S. – If you’re ready to skip ahead and do the work, My Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course will teach you step-by-step how to put systems into place to beat the overwhelm and reign in the chaos.

7 Ways to Make Being a Stay at Home Mom Easier (and more enjoyable!)

Note: These tips can work in some capacity no matter what stage of motherhood you are in. If you’re in the newborn phase and just reading ahead, give yourself time. If you’re balancing multiple kids of different ages and their schedules, let’s get to work! My point is, whether you’re at home with an 18 month old, or you’re carting around a 5, 7, and 10 year old – there’s something here for everyone 🙂

1. Follow a Routine (for yourself & your kids)

You may have heard this one before, but it’s a popular tip for a reason.

Implementing a daily routine can help with SO many aspects of stay at home motherhood. 

I like to think of our routine as two-fold: one part is my routine for myself (what am I doing or what do I need to do at any given time), then the other part is the routine I’ve established for my girls (1, 4, and 6). 

1. Having a set routine in place ensures that you have a plan for the day.
2. A daily routine can help minimize meltdowns and encourage cooperation because everyone knows what to expect from their day.
3. This means that when you wake up in the morning, you have a road-map for the day ahead!

It’s stressful to wake up not knowing what to do with your toddler that day or how you’ll balance the baby and toddler. Instead, it’s much better to have a plan. 

Not sure where to get started? Learn how to establish a daily routine for toddlers and preschoolers. 

Quick Routine Links:

• 0-3 Months
• 6 Month Old
• 1 Year Old
• 18 Month Old
• 2 Year Old
• 3 Year Old
• 4 Year Old

2. Time Management

I recently polled my Instagram community to learn what their biggest struggles were as SAHMs.

One response that came up frequently was “guilt over not having enough time to play” or “trying to balance cleaning the house with playing” – there were many responses along these lines.

Trust me – I feel this! Your toddler is calling you to play while you’re knee-deep in laundry, with dishes still in the sink from the morning and you really wanted to have time to reorganize their toys today…

Mama, you can do anything, BUT, you can’t do everything (at once).

Instead, you may find it more helpful to block out your time. This is also part of structuring your daily routine (tip #1). 

• Set aside at least 10 minutes of one-on-one uninterrupted playtime with your toddler. If you also have a baby, try to do this during the baby’s nap. 
• Pick a time of day each day that you’ll be “all in” for play – no phone, no TV or other distractions. It doesn’t have to be long, but when you play, be “all in” – not half doing something else. 
• If your toddler or child is old enough, have them help you with daily chores like putting away laundry (even if it takes longer). 
• See Tip #4 for how to utilize cleaning systems. 
• This also works for important phone calls, to-do list items, etc. Set aside a specific time when you’ll accomplish these tasks. 

We go more in depth on how to tackle your to-do list (without being all over the place) in my Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course.

3. Early Bedtimes

My kids have always been early risers (no matter what time they go to sleep), so they’ve always had early bedtimes.

Over the years I’ve found this to be one of the most underrated tips to help make being a stay at home mom easier.

You’re with them all day, you don’t have to keep them up until 9 PM as well 🙂 

• Even if my husband is working late, I still put my girls to bed at their regular time.
• I realize not everyone is as strict with bedtimes, but I know my girls will be up at 6-6:30 AM, so I always have them in bed by 7 PM. 
• This gives me time to decompress, clean up, watch TV, and connect with my husband after a long day of taking care of little ones. 

Even if you don’t think they’ll fall asleep at 7, it’s still ultimately less work for you if they’re in bed early.

4. Cleaning Systems

In my Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course there is an entire module dedicated to Home Management. One aspect of Home Management is of course: cleaning! 

I’ve tried many different types of schedules over the years and what I’ve learned is this: it’s best to develop cleaning systems that naturally work with your daily routine.

For example: throughout the day I collect dirty laundry in the laundry bin and spray stained items in my sink. At night when my girls are in the bath (and everything is done being stained for the day), I run a load of laundry and then put it in the dryer. The next morning, I put the laundry away. 

This has become a system I do on autopilot.

I don’t have to think about when I’ll do laundry and everyone knows when they’ll have clean clothes.

My husband is also on board and will usually switch the clothes to the dryer and on the weekends he’ll put the laundry away. 

5. Independent Play

I think as stay at home moms we’re all under the impression that we need to be playing with our kids every minute of every day. 

Even if you enjoy playing with or watching your little ones play that much, you may be surprised to know, it’s actually beneficial for them to play independently, without interruptions. 

When children immerse themselves in independent play, they develop skills such as creativity and problem-solving, plus they are able to play without anyone asking questions or directing them.

Of course, independent play is often a tough sell for toddlers. 

Like anything else, this type of play is a skill that needs to be developed. 

• Start small with 5-10 minutes of independent play
• You can also start out by playing with them for some one-on-one time and then find a quick reason to step away while they continue to play
• Try a play bath with Duplos, a plastic tea set, or favorite figurines (like Paw Patrol or Disney Princess) – you can supervise or clean the bathroom/put away laundry while they play

6. Stock the Freezer

One thing about having kids is that they need to be fed, every single day.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself at the grocery store very often 🙂 

Over the years I’ve learned that my best ally is a fully-stocked freezer.

Why?

Because with 3 kids of different ages, it’s just not realistic for me to make dinner from scratch every night.

And I don’t always have time to go to the store when I’m running low on food. 

So in order to make being a stay at home mom easier, I keep a variety of prepared foods, frozen fruits & veggies, breads, and breakfast foods on hand. 

Here are some of my freezer favorites:

• Pancakes, waffles, and muffins
• Meatballs
• Fish sticks
• Chicken (nuggets, breasts, thighs, ground chicken)
• Ground turkey 
• Bread (sliced bread, rolls, Naan bread, pita bread)
• Tortillas 
• Frozen fruit: strawberries, blueberries, mango and bananas (for smoothies)
• Frozen veggies: broccoli, peas, mixed veggies, and green beans
• Popsicles (great to have on hand for when they get sick)

7. Daily Exercise

Obviously it’s no secret that exercise is good for you. 

• As a stay at home mom though, the struggle is finding time to actually squeeze a workout in. 
• Instead of waiting for a time to appear, schedule a time each day for your exercise.
• It doesn’t have to be long. Some days I only have time for a quick 10 minute video, but I ALWAYS feel better after doing it. 
• Over the years I’ve learned that daily exercise (especially in the morning), helps me feel regulated. I find that I’m less likely to lose my cool and more likely to feel calm and in control. Exercise definitely has that effect! 

In this post on my 3 year old’s daily routine I share how I find time to squeeze in my workout – or – if you’re in the baby / newborn stage, this post shares how I got back into it after baby. 

It’s important to remember that these are just 7 different suggestions.

There are many other ways to make your life less stressful as a stay at home mom, such as:

• Asking for help
• Making mom friends
• Getting out of the house
• Hiring help (cleaning, babysitter, etc.)
• Ordering takeout

But for the purpose of today’s post, we focused on the 7 main ideas above 🙂 Which of these ideas will you try?

What to Read Next:

• My Stay at Home Mom Daily Schedule
• How to Afford Being a SAHM on One Income
• My Sunday Reset Routine
• Morning Routine for Stay at Home Moms
• Simple Home Management Systems Every Mom Needs
• Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course

Follow Marla on Instagram for more practical stay at home mom tips, daily routines, and kid-friendly meal ideas