The Ultimate Mom Morning Routine for the Best Day!

Are your mornings chaotic and stressful as a mom? Follow this routine for a peaceful morning and a successful day as a busy mom!

I am not a morning person, but over time as a busy mom, I have realized the importance of having an effective mom morning routine. The rest of the day is always so much better when I make myself a priority first thing in the morning. 

As busy moms we are tired and often don’t value or prioritize a good morning routine. Let’s be honest, those extra few minutes of sleep seem so priceless after a night of interruptions. 

I’ve been there and lived in those seasons for so many years.

But whether you get great sleep, or it was a night of interruptions, creating a daily routine has lots of benefits for moms. The benefits of waking up before your kids, squeezing in some quiet time and making yourself a priority, are things most moms will tell you they “never regret”. 

Now, there are seasons where a mom morning routine may just not be possible, and that is ok. But sometime (hopefully soon) you will be able to make small changes towards the perfect morning routine for you.

Why have a morning routine as a mom?

Whether you are a working mom, a single mom, a stay at home mom, or a working from home mom, every mom needs a mom morning routine so your day will be more productive. A great day starts with a great morning routine. 

You will notice that you have a better attitude, more energy and will feel more prepared. 

While it took me a little bit to refine my morning routine, I now look forward to it, and crave my morning routine each day.

A morning routine should serve you and fit your personality and lifestyle. It should not be rigid, if it’s too rigid it will be harder to stick to. 

It should be fluid, you should enjoy your morning routine so much you don’t want to miss it. My soul craves it and I’m excited about it each morning. 

Your mom morning routine can be flexible and change from season to season or look a little different each day. Your morning routine should motivate you, serve you and help start your day.

First ask yourself. What do I need to do to have a good (successful) day?

• Maybe it’s something you need to do to get out of the way so you have a lighter easier day.
• Exercise / move your body
• Journal & reflect
• Drink coffee or have a healthy breakfast

While you might not include all of these every day, here are 9 must do’s in a morning routine for busy mom’s to set your day for success:

1. Have an Evening Routine

Yup, that may sound weird, but the success of your morning, starts the night before, with a powerful evening routine. Spend some time before you go to bed doing the following items to reduce what needs to be done the next morning:

1. Pick up the house 
2. Load the dishwasher
3. Clean the kitchen post dinner 
4. Pick out your clothes and your younger kids clothes (I do this on Sunday in my Sunday Reset Routine),
5. Pack bags
6. Get lunches started
7. Make sure homework is in backpacks
8. Set the coffee maker so it’s ready for the next morning
9. Don’t be a night owl and instead make sure you are getting the correct hours of sleep 
10. Lay your workout clothes out so you will eliminate excuses to not exercise in the morning

If you feel like you have no time in your evening to get any of the above items completed because you spend your entire evening trying to get your kids down for bed. 

I would highly encourage you to look in to sleep training.

The benefits of sleep training your newborn is essential for a baby’s physical, mental and emotional development, not to mention the extra sleep gained by everyone!

2. Have a set wake-up time 

(Bonus points: wake-up before your kids)

Do you wake up to the sound of your young children asking “what is for breakfast?” or a baby crying? How exhausting to be woken up with a smack in the face of needing to attend to someone else without even given the opportunity to take care of yourself.

We chuck this up to, “this is motherhood,” but it doesn’t have to be that way. 

You set the wake up time, set your alarm clock to go off before your kids will be awake. Make sure it is enough time where you don’t feel rushed. I like to give myself an hour before my kids wake up. My alarm is set for 5:45am.

Even for my stay-at-home moms, wake up before your kids and have a productive morning routine with some alone time, drink a hot cup of coffee in peace and quiet.

Sometimes starting cold turkey with a new wake up time is sooo hard. Start by changing your wake up time by 15 minutes each day until you are at the new wake up time you want. You will want to start going to bed earlier too so you still get enough sleep and can feel rested for the next day.

Another idea is to wake up super early, like 4:30am for the first week. The next week you set your alarm for your new wake time, let’s say 5:30am, and now it will feel a lot easier. Like doing the polar plunge, shocking the system. 

But I have early risers!

If you feel it’s impossible to wake up early because you’ve spent all night being woken up several times with your little one, sleep training can really help!

Or you have early risers who want your immediate attention once they wake up. I taught my little early risers the gift and skill Individual Play, and it has been game changing for our family and my morning routine. It is a priceless skill! 

Years later and my kids still use Individual Play.  

Check out my Smoother Morning Guide, If you want to learn how to start Individual Play, get my sleep hacks, my BEST morning routine for busy moms, and my kid morning routine tips. ALL of this is included in my Smoother Morning Guide and it will transform your mornings with toddlers and babies at home!

Mama, you deserve to have a peaceful morning and a productive next day.

3. Start with Gratitude and Reflection

This doesn’t need to be long. I think many feel this has to be a laborious exercise, but it can be short and sweet. The focus is to adjust your mindset for the day ahead. 

It is a time to either pray, have positive thoughts, write down some motivational thoughts or scripture in your gratitude journal. You can even say several gratitudes and things you are thankful for, or read an affirmation. This will set your tone and mood for the day and is very helpful.

Try to limit screen time and the amount of time on social media in the morning. Too much time on social media can start your day off discouraged and not filled with a heart of gratitude. 

4. Drink a glass of water, coffee, tea or all three

I like to drink my morning coffee as I slowly and peacefully wake up to start my day. 

Get a head start on your water and drink a glass before starting your day. There are many benefits to making sure you get your recommended water in each day such as, good health, prolong signs of aging, and helps energy and brain function. 

5. Move your body

Photo by Jonathan UnSplash

Movement is exercise, it all adds up. 

I’m a firm believer in a little goes a long way and you don’t have to do a long workout at a gym to feel healthy and get the results you are looking for. 

There are many great benefits to being consistent in your morning workout. 

I have a very doable daily exercise routine for busy moms that you will surely love and get the results you are looking for!

If you are struggling as a mom, exercise is great self-care. And if done regularly can help with your mental and physical wellbeing. For more details on self care and what self care items I should be doing daily, click here.

6. Set your priorities 

Create your tasks and make lists to set your priorities for your day. Look ahead and plan out your day to be the most productive and efficient. 

I use my phone to manage my calendar, tasks, priorities, errands, and to do list. Drop the paper and go paperless for a more productive day. 

7. Pick up / clean your home

Before your day gets too busy, go through and tidy up the house. 

Get a load of laundry started, load the dishwasher, pick up clothes, toys and stuff on the floor and run the robot vacuum.

Start your day with a home that feels clean and organized. It will have a huge impact to the success and productivity of your day. 

Clean your home and bathrooms daily. These steps are easy, quick and will give you the jump start to having a clean home. 

Here’s an easy cleaning schedule if you are a stay at home mom. 

8. Beauty Routine

Establish a quick everyday beauty routine that is simple, easy, and makes you feel beautiful and confidence. 

Mine is simple. Sunscreen, tinted moisturizer, blush, eye liner, mascara, quick eye brow. Done in 10 min.

Even if you are a stay at home mom, dress to feel good. You don’t have to wear professional work clothes to feel cute and look good. I can feel amazing in a cute workout outfit or shorts and a tee shirt.

If you stay in your pajamas or grungy clothes all day you are more likely going to feel negative about yourself and will not be as productive in your day. 

Related post: Getting Ready hacks for busy moms

9. Eat a healthy Breakfast / Brunch & Supplements

Jump start the day with a healthy meal and vitamins. Don’t feel you need to get creative here. 

Eat the same thing for breakfast all week long if it means an easier morning for you. 

Some of my favorite morning foods:

• A daily smoothie – I love using a smoothie book! Then you know your smoothies are packed with healthy weight lost ingredients and will taste delicious.
• Yogurt + Granola
• Banana + Peanut Butter
• Avacado on whole grain toast
• Protein bar 

Your Mom Morning Routine is supposed to support YOU!

Take a minute and define what a successful day looks like for you. 

Then start a morning routine that energizes you, excites you and leads you to having a good and successful day. Tweak it and change it as needed. Nothing rigid last. 

I know for myself when I’m consistent in my morning routine my day is more productive, and I feel more confident and happy. 

I’m a happier mom and have less thoughts and feelings of “I hate being a mom”.

Your Mom morning routine is a kid-free time

Once you’ve decided what you want in your Morning routine, decide how long that will take (1 hr? 1.5 hrs?), and make sure you can get everything done without feeling rushed, before your kids are awake. 

Daily Schedule as a Mom of FOUR kids 

My morning routine starts at 5:45am and my kids don’t wake up until 7:10am. If they wake before that they start their own morning routine of getting themselves ready (clothes are already picked out), and they are to stay in their rooms till 7:10. 

But honestly, I have great sleepers, and majority of the time I’m going in to all of their rooms waking them up with singing or music to start the day. 

Here is what my daily mom morning routine looks like:

1. Alarm goes off at 5:45am
2. Husband brings me coffee in bed (he gets HUGE points each morning, and yes, he does this every day for me!)
3. We drink our coffee together in our bedroom as we both read, say our gratitudes and chat with each other
4. While still in bed I grab my phone and set my To-Do list for the day and look at my calendar. I remind myself of the day’s activities, meetings, appointments, etc.
5. Do a quick workout routine (20 minutes or less and I do my exercises in my closet – nothing glamorous over here!)
6. Shower and get ready
7. Make bed and go through my house making sure it’s picked up, start a load of laundry, dishes, etc
8. 7:10am – Wake kids up – get started on breakfast and get kids out the door
9. Leave house by 7:52am

Once you are done with your morning routine, then it’s time to focus on the kids and attending to their needs to get their day started and out the door.

Busy Mom Morning Routine Checklist

Now that you have all of the tips to create a great and successful morning for you as a busy mom, here’s an easy to follow checklist that you can tape to your mirror or save on your phone.

My daily morning habits:

• Wake up early before kids
• Start with gratitude & reflection (not your phone!)
• Drink water, coffee, tea
• Make your bed
• Move your body
• Set your priorities for the day
• Quick pick up of the house (start one load of laundry & start robot vacuum)
• Beauty routine / get ready
• Eat a healthy breakfast (not gourmet & same food all week is great!)
• Kids get up
• Head out the door

Having a successful week and morning routine STARTS on Sunday

If you are relying on the early mornings to get all of your lunches made, meals prepped, clothes ready for the each day, you will continue to feel very chaotic in the mornings. 

Having The Perfect Sunday Routine to Reset your week, will help you get a jump start to a more organized week! Making your morning routine even more enjoyable!

Mom morning routine Recap

If you are looking to create a new morning routine, make sure you start small. Small changes over time as your create new habits is the first step to creating a lasting and effective morning routine. 

As a mom, your morning routine is your opportunity to set the tone for you day. It doesn’t matter if you get up at five in the morning to get an extra hour of productivity or just fifteen minutes earlier than usual, it can make all the difference between feeling accomplished and overwhelmed. 

Whether you are a working mom, stay at home mom or working from home mom, this mom morning routine is great for every mom. 

Make sure that you add something each day that gives you a sense of joy, such as exercise, gratitude, and good nutrition. 

While it may seem difficult to find time to stick to a routine at first, eventually these steps will become second nature, allowing for more energy throughout the day. 

Now that you have a better understanding of how to create and maintain a mom morning routine what are you going to add? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!

Check out 13 Important Routines that every busy mom should do!

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