How To Be A Happy Stay At Home Mom With A Baby

When I became a stay-at-home mom, I knew that I wanted to be a happy stay-at-home mom.

If you have read about me, then you know that I kind of stumbled into being a stay-at-home mom.

It did not come to me naturally.

If you want me to be completely honest, I was terrible at being a stay-at-home mom at the beginning of this journey.

The only thing I did right was keeping my daughter alive.

Which is only part of being a stay-at-home mom.

I used to think “How did other stay-at-home moms manage to get things done, keep their kids alive, and not lose themselves in the process?“

Because whatever I was doing was not working.

Instead of being that happy stay-at-home mom that I wanted to be, I was experiencing episodes of stay-at-home mom depression.

After the birth of my second baby last year, I knew that I wanted to have a different experience.

I wanted to genuinely be a happy stay-at-home mom with a baby this time.

And I feel like I really was this time around.

So of course, I want to share some of those tips that have helped me become a happy stay-at-home mom with my baby girl.

If you are interested in what I did to be a happier mom with a baby, then just keep reading.

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Why Aren’t Stay At Home Moms Happy After Having A Baby?

Before I get into how to be a happy mom with a baby, let’s talk about this.

Why aren’t stay-at-home moms happy after having a baby?

Shouldn’t they be happy?

Stay-at-home moms get to be with their babies each and every day and not miss a single moment of them growing up.

How could they not be happy?

A lot of stay-at-home moms don’t start off unhappy.

Personally, I was over the moon happy to be holding my baby girl for the first time in my arms.

She was so precious and I felt my heart swell with joy just staring at her small face.

It wasn’t until after being home with her a little while is when I started feeling not so happy.

After dealing with postpartum insomnia, random crying spells, and even angry outbursts, that was when I realized that I was not so happy anymore.

I had become completely consumed and overwhelmed with new motherhood and found myself falling into postpartum depression.

If you have never been a stay-at-home mom, then you won’t likely get it.

As amazing as it is to be able to experience every milestone that my girls hit, it often left me feeling like I was missing out on things outside of the home.

When a parent decides to become a stay-at-home mom parent, you make the decision to put a hold on some of the things that you want to pursue outside of the home.

Such as a career or further education.

Both of these things can be attained online, but it is nothing like being able to experience interacting with your coworkers and classmates.

If you are a stay-at-home mom and if you pursue these things outside of the home, you will likely miss out on the experience of interacting with others.

This is especially true if you have younger children at home who aren’t of school age.

This reason alone can be why some stay-at-home moms aren’t happy.

There is a sacrifice and commitment that is being made when a mom becomes a stay-at-home mom.

It can be tough to find fulfillment in being a stay-at-home mom, but once you do, you will be a much happier stay-at-home mom.

With that being said, let’s get into how to be a happy stay-at-home mom with a baby.

How To Be A Happy Stay At Home Mom With A Baby

Create A Morning Routine

The first thing that you have to do in order to start thriving as a stay-at-home mom with a baby is to create a solid morning routine.

After being a stay-at-home mom for almost 4 years now, the one thing that I have learned is that you need to get your mornings in order or the rest of the day can be pure chaos.

Mornings are important and you should treat them as such.

If you have been keeping up with me on the blog, you already know that I have a simple morning routine that I follow as a stay-at-home mom.

My stay at home mom morning routine consists of:

• Making the bed
• Getting dressed
• Making a simple to-do list for the day
• Have a cup of tea

I try to go through this simple routine every day before the girls wake up so I get a head start on the day before having to go into mom-mode.

This little bit of me-time in the mornings puts me in such a great headspace to start each day.

Get Dressed

As I mentioned in my morning routine above, I like to get dressed every day.

When I say I “get dressed,” I’m not talking about getting really dressed up or anything super fancy.

The goal should be to look put together as a stay-at-home mom so that it motivates you to be more productive during the day to take care of your baby.

Something casual and comfortable will do such as leggings and a nice shirt.

I aim for an outfit that I can leave the house in if I needed to.

I know that I feel good when I look good so I make it a point to get dressed every day in order to feel my best.

This was something that I struggled with as a first-time mom with a baby but it has become a habit now as I have become a second-time mom.

Plan Your Days

The next thing I recommend is having a plan or an idea of what your day will look like.

If you want to be a more organized stay-at-home mom, it is beneficial to have a routine or schedule that you can follow every day.

You don’t have to have to be super strict about it, but it can come in handy to guide you through your days.

As most of you know, I currently have an 11-month-old and a 3-year-old.

Once my younger baby turned 6 months, we had a daily routine down of what our days mostly looked like.

My daily routine with an 11-month-old and 3-year-old consists of waking up, eating meals, getting out of the house, and some family time before bed.

I did have a routine that I created when my older daughter was younger so if you are looking for a routine for your baby, you can check out her old routine here.

Let Your Baby Play By Themselves Sometimes

A tip that I picked up from The Pragmatic Parent is to let your baby and kids play themselves sometimes.

Some stay-at-home moms feel obligated to play with their babies during their wake times since they are home with them the majority of the time.

This can feel really draining and make you feel tethered to your baby all day long.

But what I have learned is that babies are capable of playing by themselves for a little while in a babyproofed environment.

In fact, it is important that children learn to play independently.

It allows them to explore, learn, and expand the new skills that they are developing.

And the best part is you can get a bit of a breather since your baby is not tied to you at all times.

As my baby became more mobile, I started incorporating some developmental activities and floor activities that would keep her occupied for a little while I was able to tidy up the house or cook dinner without having to hold her.

My baby girl was occupied and happy and I didn’t have to have a baby constantly attached to me.

It’s a win-win and I’m a much more productive stay-at-home mom this way.

Get Out Of The House

Another thing I struggled with as a first-time mom was getting out of the house.

When I became a new mom, I had to adjust to moving around with a baby.

Because it is completely different.

There is no just get up and go once you have a baby.

You have to make sure you pack the necessities in your diaper bag, load them in the car seat, and take them in and out of the car whenever you go somewhere.

Not to mention if you get something at the store, you have to unload whatever you got into the house while carrying the baby.

It can be a lot.

But the only way that you are going to learn how to move around with a baby is by doing it.

Whether it is grocery shopping or just simply taking a walk around your neighborhood, find a way to get out of the house.

Since I do have a 3-year-old that I also have to entertain, we try to get out of the house every day.

Sometimes it is to run errands and other times, it is to go somewhere fun.

It could just be me, but I don’t do well being confined in the house all day and it showed when I was a first-time mom.

If you are like me, find a way to get out of the house every day if you can.

You will be a much happier stay-at-home mom because of it.

Nurture Friendships

When you become a new stay-at-home mom, you immediately realize how lonely it can be.

Especially if your friends don’t have children or are working parents.

This was me.

Most of my friends and family worked outside of the home or didn’t have children of their own.

My friends who don’t have children had to learn that since I do have a kid, I’m not going to always be available to go places.

Since I’m with the girls the majority of the time by myself, the places that I can go have to be kid-friendly so I can bring them with me.

If not, then I’m going to have to find someone to watch them and that is not always guaranteed.

And my friends who are working parents aren’t always available either because they value family time since they only get to see their children when they are off work.

So this can put many stay-at-home moms in a tough position with their friendships.

But instead of abandoning all hope, get creative.

Find ways to still connect with your friends by inviting them over for a play date or meeting up somewhere that is kid-friendly.

I know with my circle of friends with kids, we try to meet up every couple of months or so to reconnect with one another and let our kids play with each other.

For my friends without kids, we will do brunch or dinner when my husband is available to watch the girls.

Sometimes, you do have to turn down your friends because of your obligations as a parent, but if there is an opportunity to spend time with them(and it’s kid-friendly), then try to.

Friendships are still important to maintain in motherhood.

Have Your Own Thing

As important as friendships and social interactions are, it is also important to have your own thing.

Something outside of being a mother.

A hobby, an activity, or even a side hustle that you do that takes you out of mom mode momentarily.

It needs to be something that makes you happy and brings you joy when you do it.

If your thing is crafting, reading, or working out, then make sure you do it.

It is easy to forget about the things that we enjoyed doing before becoming moms, but we can’t forget about them.

We just have to be more intentional about doing them.

My hobbies consist of reading and writing.

Which ultimately manifested itself in me starting this blog.

I started this blog as a way to document my experiences as a first-time mom and a stay-at-home mom, but it has turned into something much more.

Not only do other stay-at-home moms relate to my content, but they can also gain some productivity tips and positive mental habits along the way.

It is also helpful that it makes me a little bit of money too.

So if you are struggling with being happy as a stay-at-home mom, then start with finding something that you enjoy doing outside of being a mom.

Ask For Help

And the last thing that you need to do in order to be a happy stay-at-home mom is to ask for help when it becomes too much.

You will not make it on this journey without support from those around you.

I have talked about how supportive my husband is to me as a stay-at-home mom on here many times.

And it is because it is true.

We make a great team when it comes to our family.

When he is off work, he does his best to help out with the girls and housework as much as he can.

He will even take the girls off my hands for a couple of hours at a time so I can get some much-needed alone time.

If you have a partner or a loved one who is willing to help and provide those breaks that you need every once, then use them.

Don’t wait until you burn out and are exhausted.

You deserve to have help so if it’s available, take the help.

Your Turn

Well, those are my tips on how to be a happy stay-at-home mom with a baby. I want to hear from you all now. What are some of the things that you do that make you happy as a stay-at-home mom? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Preventing Postpartum Depression For The Second Time

Love,

Just Jass