Start Thriving As A Stay At Home Mom

In order to start thriving as a stay at home mom, we have to see our value even if others don’t initially.

Some people have a way of brushing off being a stay-at-home mom as being easy or not that hard to do. Another one I hear is “You are so lucky that you don’t have to get up and go to work every day.”

Does getting up every 2 and a half hours throughout the night to breastfeed a crying newborn baby count?

The average working individual has set hours that they can clock in and out to work.

Stay at home moms are on the clock 24/7.

The average working individual gets paid on a particular date or some sort of scheduled system.

Stay at home moms get paid in spit up and 10 minute shower to their selves.

Want to switch places yet?

I transitioned to being a stay-at-home mom about a year and a half ago when my daughter was born.

My fiancé and I both made the decision that it would be better for me to stay home to take care of our daughter and live off of one income.

I did not plan on being a stay at home mom.

So I had no idea what to expect. Little did I know that I would be drowning in the continuous cycle of eating, pooping, and sleeping.

I couldn’t keep up with the time nor what day it was. Just when I thought I could catch a break, my daughter was up needing my attention all over again.

But I figured it out.

I began to find my way out of that depressive fog that had slowly settled over me. And guess what?

You can too.

I always want to make sure I’m providing encouragement for stay-at-home moms because this can be a rough and lonely journey if we try to take on this task alone.

So today, I will be diving into 8 ways that you can start thriving as a stay-at-home mom.

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The Value Of Stay At Home Mom

Before I get into how you can start thriving as a stay at home mom, lets talk about how valuable stay at home moms are.

Because we are valuable whether you feel like you are or not.

It can often feel like we are doing much because we aren’t “working” which can often lead many of us to feel a lack of fulfillment in being a stay-at-home mom.

But I can guarantee you that what you are doing at home is working.

Why else would you be exhausted everyday by the end of the day? That can’t possibly from doing nothing all day when you have little people needing your attention throughout the day.

As tough as some days are and even through the bad mom days you experience, there are so many benefits to being a stay-at-home mom.

The most obvious reason is that you will be there for every first that your child experiences.

I was there when my daughter rolled over for the first time. Had her first tooth come in. Crawled for the first time. Walked for the first time. And of course. Said momma for the first.

These are moments that I will always treasure and might not have gotten the opportunity had I not been home with her.

Another great reason for being a stay-at-home mom is the amount you will be saving by having your child home with you versus having to pay for daycare.

Because daycare is expensive. If you have more than one child, double that expense.

This played a part in why we made the decision for me to be home because we knew that it would be cheaper and that we could cut expenses elsewhere in order to still live a comfortable life.

Laura from Cool, Mom, and Collected mentions a reason that I never thought about and that was since I was home, I would always be home when my husband was home.

This is great because, on his off days, we get to spend them together as a family instead of working around one another’s schedule.

I understand that not every family has the ability for one parent to stay home, but if your family does have this opportunity, then lean into your role and be the best you can be at it.

8 Ways To Start Thriving As A Stay At Home Mom

Start Every Day At The Same Time

In order to start thriving as a stay at home mom, we have to treat this role as if it was a job and that starts with waking up at the same time everyday.

This will be a little difficult to do with a newborn baby because their feeding cues can be so sporadic.

As they get older, you will definitely begin to notice a trend in their eating and sleeping habits. This can be easily done with a phone app that tracks their eating and sleeping habits as well. Once you have started to figure that out, you can begin to build a routine that goes around your little one’s eating and sleeping schedule.

Try to start the day at the same time every day. If you notice that your little one is waking up at 7 every morning. Try to start your day before or at that time every day.

As you will learn, mornings are a big deal and have the tendency to make or break your day.

I try to get up 30 minutes before my daughter wakes up in order to get myself together. Check out these simple things that you can do every morning here that will get you in a routine of starting every day at the same time.

This will not only get you used to waking up at the same time, but it will also help your little one as well. Some babies may arrive with their days and nights mixed up. By getting them up at the same time every day, they begin to make the association that it’s morning and time to get up.

Get Dressed

If you did read my previous post on what I do every morning, then I mention this tip there as well.

You don’t have to get fully dressed up. Just change out those pajamas that you sleep in that night and look more put together. I don’t know about you, but being in my pajamas instantly puts me in a mode of being lazy and unproductive.

This all about being productive and that be tough if you are in your comfy jammies. If you can get it done in your pajamas, my hats off to you. But, if you know that you won’t get much done with them on, then you may want to get dressed.

Most days, I change into some comfortable leggings and a comfortable shirt that I can move around in and leave the house in if I need to. Getting dressed instantly puts me in a mode to start being productive. This leads to me my next point.

Get Some Fresh Air

Being stuck in the house will drive anyone insane.

Make sure that you are taking a few minutes a day to soak in the sun and breathe in that fresh air. Take your little one with you and let them bask in that fresh air.

I know some moms are against taking their babies out when they under a couple of months old. I personally would not advise taking your baby out when they are that young either.

Primarily, you are healing as well. You don’t need to be pushing yourself. After you have been cleared by your doctor is when I would consider taking your baby out.

Go on a walk and push your little one around. I would keep her in the car seat that was attached to the stroller and cover her so she wasn’t completely exposed to every element outside.

Be Present When They Are Awake

As much as I try to get something done with my daughter awake, it is likely that it won’t get down until she goes back down for a nap.

When she was much smaller, it was easy to put her in the bouncer or in her activity center. I was able to get some things done because it would keep her occupied for a little bit.

However, that changed quickly when she began to crawl and walk. I had to shift my full attention to her.

Leave that dirty laundry in the hamper a little longer if you have to. With smaller babies, that awake window is between 30 minutes to an hour. For older babies and toddlers, that window increases to an hour and a half to two and a half hours.

While they are awake, dedicate that time to being present with them. If you are looking for some activities to do with toddlers while they are awake, check out my previous post.

• Read More: 10 Early Learning Activities For Toddlers To Do At Home

Naptimes Are Go Time

Now that we covered what to do when they are awake, it is time to utilize that time when they are asleep.

If you are a new mom, my advice would be to sleep while they are sleeping. Your body is recovering and the last thing you need to be worried about are those dirty dishes in the sink.

After you have had time to recover, this will be the time of day that you can finally get things done. I use this time to clean up, fold laundry, and work on my blog.

If blogging sounds like something you want to pursue, you can use my link here with Bluehost to get started building and creating your blog today for as little as $3.95 a month.

Blogging has presented opportunities such as:

• Collaborating with some awesome brands
• Getting paid to write
• Building a small community of individuals who are focused on feeling good in order to thrive in mom-life.

Find Some Time for You

This is extremely important because it is so easy to lose yourself in being just a mom. I am so guilty of getting stuck in mom mode that I forget that I was an entire person before I became a mom.

I am more than just mom and so are you.

The title of this post is “Start Thriving As A Stay At Home Mom,” but you cannot do that if you are not taking care of yourself outside of mom mode first.

And taking care of ourselves starts with squeezing in some time for ourselves that is dedicated to what we want to do.

Make sure that you have a hobby outside of parenting.

This can be reading, writing, drawing, or even sewing. Whatever fuels your creativity and brings you joy. Set aside 30 minutes to an hour of just doing something that you love. If you are looking for some more ideas, check out these ideas in this blog post linked below.

• Read more: Self-Care Ideas for Stay At Home Moms

Sleep Is A MUST

I know that I recommended earlier for the new mommas to sleep, but even us mommas with older babies and toddlers need just as much sleep too.

Sleep has to be a priority in order to thrive as a stay-at-home mom.

If you are feeling tired throughout the day, don’t be ashamed to a nap when your little one naps

I know that it is easy to just go and keep going after you lay your little one down. But you have to set up a boundary and stick to it.

If you have to set a bedtime, then do it.

Ask For Help

Lastly, always reach out for help if it starts to become too overwhelming.

There is a lot involved with being a stay-at-home mom and I can guarantee that you are not thriving as a stay-at-home mom without calling in some reinforcements every once in a while.

If you are not ok, don’t say that you are.

I know that I didn’t expect it to be like this when I first started being home with a baby.

It can get lonely and the next thing you know, you are knee-deep in mom burnout.

We have to remember that we cannot do it all. And once you figure that out, you will have a better handle on my days.

Your Turn

Now that I have discussed how I am thriving as a stay-at-home mom, I want to hear from you all. I always want to provide encouragement for stay-at-home moms because I know what it is like. I would love to know how you all are thriving as stay-at-home moms in the comments below and while you are still here, check out this post on how I remain calm with my toddler. Until next time!

• Read More: How To Be Calmer Mom With A Toddler

Love,

Just Jass