We are always being bombarded with the advantages of undertaking a solid morning routine when we are heading out of the door to work, but what about those who stay at home during the day? What about the millions of stay at home parents? What is to say that such routines can’t be used by people other than those who head to the office or factory for the remainder of the working day?

I had a morning routine in place all through my working life as it was essential if I was to get out of bed on time. It also helped me to get into the right frame of mind and to turn up refreshed and vitalized ready for the busy day ahead. However, when I became a parent and decided to stay at home to raise my family, I mistakenly believed that I could dispense with the idea of needing any such routine and that myself and the kids could just get up whenever we wanted and work to our own times as the days progressed. How very wrong I was!

Why Routines for Stay at Home Moms Are Crucial

For many parents, the need to get their babies established into a routine from the very beginning is often the one aspect they concentrate on the most during those first few months of becoming parents. As it becomes vital to get your baby to begin sleeping more and more during the nights, to let you as the adult get some quality sleep as well, it is perhaps one of the most desired of routines parents strive to get right.

So, once this method is in place, why then waste all of that hard work and effort winning the bedtime battle only to go and throw it all away? When you decide to lay off the idea of implementing routines into your family life, you run the risk of undoing everything you strived for in those early stages – and that, unfortunately, includes a good night’s sleep!

The Morning Routine Can Be Key to The Remainder of Your Family’s Day

You may be wondering then, why focus on the idea of a morning routine? The reason is merely that if you get the morning routine right, you set yourself and all your other family members up for the most productive day which ultimately makes the night time routine much more straightforward to follow. You see, just as we are told an excellent hearty breakfast sets us up for the day, so too does getting off to the right start.

So, why is it crucial for a stay at home parent to instill a routine, after all, I hear many people say, they can always return to those dishes and leftovers on the breakfast table once the kids have been delivered to school on time, can’t they? But that is precisely why a morning routine is crucial – because why should a stay at home parent have to return to such a chore, thus losing valuable time that could be spent on themselves and something more worthwhile than dishes?

How to Begin Implementing a Simple Morning Routine

When you begin to put a morning routine in place, it may be a little difficult for some members of the family to get to grips with during the early days of its implementation. This is just because it is new, and change takes time. Yet, that is not to say that change is not achievable and if you allow for some tension and disagreement over the first few times of the new routine you will eventually find things will, in fact, settle down and become much more accessible as the weeks go on.

The point to remember is that by establishing a morning routine you allow yourself to recuperate back some me time and, as a stay at home parent, this time is essential if you are to continue functioning as a happy one!

Tips for Beginning a Basic Morning Routine

• First things first, get the routine written down – this is crucial if you are all to work towards the same times and goals as one another and stops any misunderstanding in its tracks (if it is necessary, get all family members to sign it!)
• Secondly, get the routine pinned up for all to see. If the kitchen is the social hub of the morning make sure it is displayed in clear view so once again every member knows what they must be doing and when. Alternatively, if you need to print out additional copies of the routine and pin them up in every necessary room, that way no one can say that they were unaware of the schedule!
• Thirdly, make your routine practical. This isn’t the time to start adding a routine that you have wished for a long time but know it would never be useful for your own family circumstances. This is merely the time to establish the most basic and practical of routines to get you all used to working towards one common goal – that is getting up, and out of the house on time and with the least amount of stress, so you all remain calm and focused. Perhaps in time if the routine is a success you can then look at producing a more elaborate schedule, but for now, keep it to the basics to ensure everyone gets a chance to play a part in making it a success.
• Finally, implement the routine as soon as you have it committed to paper. There’s no time like the present. Do not be tempted to keep putting it off. Instead, if you are apprehensive about bringing in a more structured routine to your family’s mornings, why not try a time when you are all more relaxed and open to the idea. Could you try it on the weekend or even a school break? You may find this gets you all off to a better start!

Ultimately, just give it a go. The point with a new routine is that you will never get to know if it works or not if you don’t at least try to attempt it. It may turn out to be the best thing for your family, or you may decide that routines are merely not your kind of thing. Either way, give it a go and find out for yourself.