The common misperception of SAHMs is we must have it easy. With no boss to dictate our schedule, we’re free to make up our own schedule. Heck, we can watch TV all day, read a book or even nap during the day. It sounds like the perfect dream job.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Being a SAHM is the most rewarding job and it’s also a challenging job. Like any other job, it doesn’t come without its struggles. Having a screaming toddler, demanding your constant attention every minute of the day will wreak havoc on your sanity. Any SAHM will have hundreds of stories and comments to share on this topic.
To tell you the truth, before I became a stay-at-home mom (SAHM), I made this same assumption.
On the day I was notified of my job layoff, I was jumping for joy. I saw it as a gift to spend all my time with my then 1-year old son without the stresses and distractions of a full-time job. I envisioned my son and I bonding and having fun together going out on playdates and taking him to all the local museums, parks and zoo. I also expected I could get so much more done now that I was no longer working. I had goals to start my own business, get back into a regular workout routine, and learn a new skill through an online class.
Well, it turns out that being a SAHM was much more challenging than my full-time job. It took up more time than I had expected, leaving me with barely any time to take care of myself at the end of the day.
Six months into the job as a SAHM, I soon realized I wasn’t going to meet my goals. I felt emotionally and physically depleted. At the end of the day when my son went down for bed, I found myself with no energy left to do anything else.
This article is not meant to be a list of complaints for SAHMs. To the contrary, I really enjoyed being a SAHM and still do! My point is being a SAHM is much more work than most full-time jobs out there. It’s physically and emotionally demanding. You don’t get scheduled breaks because your schedule revolves around this tiny human and making sure their needs are met first.
All of this is to say that if you’re a SAHM and feel like you’re constantly running around picking up after your child, cleaning, trying to keep up with life, you’re not alone.
I have a tremendous amount respect for SAHMs, more so now than I did before.
This article is will give you a glimpse into a realistic day in the life of a stay-at-home mom. While there are definitely a lot of highlights, I will share the real and honest version from my personal perspective.
A Day In the Life of a Stay-at-Home Mom
6:30am: Wake up
My day usually starts off around 6:30-7:00am, or whenever our son decides it’s time to wake up for the day. This can be as early as 6:00am or as late as 7:30am.
7:00am: Morning routine
The first thing we do when Nathan wakes up is change his diaper and clothes. Now that he’s older, this has become a battle but he usually will cooperate most of the time. Another big battle is brushing his teeth. This is my least favorite part of his morning routine! He fights us tooth and nail. Does any toddler like getting their teeth brushed? If so, you need to share your secrets! We’ve tried reading, singing, and letting him brush his own teeth first. I will say about 40% of the time he will cooperate. The other 60% is a battle and requires two people to get the job done.
8:00am: Breakfast time
Typically, Nathan will eat breakfast right after brushing his teeth. My husband and I usually skip breakfast in the morning since we aren’t hungry enough to eat this early. Breakfast typically consists of egg omelette with mushroom, spinach and cheese, apple muffins and mixed fruit.
9:00am: Independent play
After breakfast, Nathan will play on his own with his toys. While he’s playing, I will use this time to clean up, pack his snacks and lunch for our morning outing.
10:00am: Outdoor playtime
I will take Nathan outside for a couple hours of playtime every morning before his nap. This helps provide him some structure to his day and I have found that he does so much better when he’s playing outside with fresh air. We will usually go to a nearby playground, museum or our local zoo. We like to maximize our time outside because research has shown kids spending time outdoor is great for their health and they love it! We both go a little stir crazy when we’re indoor for too long so it’s a win-win for the both of us.
12:00pm: Lunch
I will usually pack Nathan’s lunch on-the-go so we can maximize our time outside. Lunch is usually sandwiches served with some of his favorite snacks and a pouch.
Pro-tip: I have experimented with serving lunch on-the-go vs. lunch at home after our outings and have found that feeding lunch before we get home helps to avoid meltdowns and tantrums once we get home. This ensures that he’s not hangry when we get home, which often triggers those tantrums. You also want to time your transition appropriately to avoid an overtired baby or toddler.
1:00pm: Nap time
Nathan sleeps around 1:00-1:30pm depending on how early he woke up in the morning. He’s usually a good sleeper. We have his nap routine which includes reading him a book in his bedroom, turning on his sound machine and then singing him a quick lullaby. Lately, he’s been climbing out of his crib which makes it tough to keep him in bed so we’re now considering whether it’s a good time to start transitioning him to a toddler bed.
During his nap, I’m usually cleaning, running errands or doing a quick grocery run. If I have time afterward, I will either read a book or relax listening to a podcast but honestly this is rare because it feels like this time goes by so quick and I’m usually filling it with a productive task.
3:00pm: Afternoon snack
After his nap, Nathan usually wakes up hungry and asks for a snack so I’ll offer him a little snack before we get ready to head outdoors for the playground.
4:00pm: Outdoor playtime
We head out in the afternoon to the playground for outdoor play time. We have found that maximizing time outdoors with Nathan allows him to get all his energy out and promotes better sleep during the night so we try to aim to get him outdoor everyday, rain or shine. We’ll bring his scooter or bike to change things up and get him active at the playground.
6:00pm: Dinner
After the playground, we’ll have dinner as a family. Dinner is a rotation of our favorite meals including chicken teriyaki, tuna onigiri and pasta. We have our favorite family recipes that we rotate each week so it makes it easier and predictable for us! We also are a huge fan of Hellofresh meal delivery kits. Use my discount code here for $60 credit on your first meal delivery. It helps create variety in our weekly meals without the planning and grocery shopping.
7:00pm: Indoor playtime
Once we’re done eating dinner, Nathan will play with his toys indoor while we clean up our dishes. This is free time for us so sometimes we’ll give Nathan 30 minutes of screen time or if we have the energy for it, we’ll do an activity together.
To be honest, this hour feels the longest for me. Towards the end of the day, all I really want is to relax after being on my feet all day. This is the hardest hour for me to muster energy to play so my husband and I switch off.
8:00pm: Bedtime routine
At 8:00pm, we kick off Nathan’s bedtime routine with a bath to prepare him for bedtime. If you’re having trouble with transitioning your toddler for bedtime, check out my post on the easiest bedtime routine to end the struggles for more details.
His bedtime routine consists of a bath, pajamas, reading a book, and singing a short lullaby. We’ve been doing this same bedtime routine since he was a newborn and it’s been a great way to ease the transition into bedtime to prevent those night time battles.
9:00pm: Lights out
We put Nathan down in his bed by 9:00pm at the latest. The bedtime varies between 8:30-9:00pm depending on how much nap he got that day and how active he was throughout the day.
After Nathan goes down for bed, I will do one last round of cleaning and tidying around the house. I love to end the day with a clean home so I can start the next day with a clean home!
Then, I shower and wind down myself. This is the only true “me time” that I get during the day so I try to spend this last hour of my day relaxing, meditating, catching up on my favorite TV series. I aim to go to bed around 10:00pm but realistically don’t end up falling asleep until 10:30pm-11:00pm.
And that’s a wrap on a day in the life of a stay-at-home mom!
I would love to hear in the comments below, what does your day look like as a SAHM?
