It’s no surprise that evenings are a little chaotic when you have kids, especially an infant. There is so much to do and so little time to get it all done. Here is a list of things to do to help improve evening routine for working moms.
I believe the key to helping decrease stress levels with kids is organization. You never know exactly how much sleep you are going to get and what time the kids will wake up. Being organized ahead of time can help decrease some chaos! These items won’t apply to everyone, but they did work for me.
I know it is sometimes hard to try to get all this done after a long day at work. Often you are tired after working all day and sometimes the kids are crabby and don’t cooperate. It can just be plain old hard to stay motivated.
I usually try to do some of these things while the kids are awake and some of them once they go to bed. I also like to remind myself that each of these tasks takes about 5 minutes or less. It just seems more feasible if tasks can get done in less than 5 minutes.
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Here is how you can improve evening routine for working moms:
- Clean pump parts from the day and set them out to dry.
- I have 2 sets of pump parts. Then I have a dry set that I can pack for the next day as soon as I get home from work.
2. Pack the clean and dry pump parts in a bag/cooler.
- I find it much easier if I can pack dry pump parts the night before. Then I don’t have to worry about forgetting something in the morning.
3. Get the coffee ready to brew for the next morning (if you are a coffee drinker).
- I have my pot set to brew 5 minutes before I get up. Then I can get my coffee as soon as I get up and enjoy it while I get ready for work.
4. Pack lunches for the next day and put them in the fridge.
- It’s much easier to just grab them and go in the morning.
- If I don’t pack my lunch the night before, it’s about a 50/50 shot if I will actually do it in the morning. So, I feel like this step helps me to eat healthier as well.
5. Start 1 load of laundry in the washer.
- I usually do this as soon as I get home and then I can put it in the drier before bed.
- Here are some great cleaning hacks easily to keep your house clean and organized.
6. Fold 1 load of laundry every night before bed.
- The laundry adds up fast if you don’t stay on top of it. This is one of my least favorite tasks… there are so many baby clothes in each load!
- Usually I will try to fold and put away a few things every time I walk by the basket of laundry in the evenings. It doesn’t take long to fold 3-5 items and it seems to be less of a daunting task to break it up into smaller chunks.
7. Make sure to spend some time with the kids before they go to bed.
- On good nights I try to spend some time with each of them individually, but that doesn’t always work out like that.
- I think this is the second most important item (behind taking a few minutes for yourself each night). So, if you are running short on time, make sure to get this in. Even if it’s something as simple as having a small one-on-one conversation or reading a book.
- One thing I do every night, is read a chapter of the Boxcar Children. It’s a great book series that I read as a child and my kids look forward to this every night.
8. Do some cleaning and dishes around the house.
- I try to clean in 5-minute time chunks and I do that 2-3 times during the evening before bed. 5 minutes seems like a feasible amount of time to allot after a busy work day.
- You might be amazed how much you can get done in a 5-minute power clean. Set the timer and clean as fast as you can until it goes off. I also make the older kids help with at least 1 of the power cleaning sessions.
9. Start my Roomba
- I love my Roomba. It does occasionally get stuck but it helps me keep my floor reasonably clean during the week.
- I start it almost every night before bed and let it do it’s thing. It’s certainly not perfect, but it helps save me time and sanity!
- This is the Roomba I have. If you don’t have a robotic vacuum, I would highly recommend you get one.
10. Take at least 5 minutes of quiet time to yourself.
- I always do this after the kids go to bed. I think it important to do a little something for yourself every day. I would argue this is one of the most important things to do.
- You can’t fill other cups if your cup isn’t full. So take care of yourself too!
- I usually spend this time reading or just drinking a glass of wine and enjoying the silence. Occasionally I will watch a show that I cannot watch when my children are awake. But you need to find something you enjoy and do it for at least 5 minutes a day!
This is by no means a perfect list and it won’t work for everyone… but after 3 kids I finally found a good routine that works for our family. Hopefully, you found a few tips that will help improve evening routine as a working mom.
If you are having a hard time getting everything done in the evenings, I suggest trying a few different routines to experiment with what works best for your family. Also, make sure to give yourself some grace and time when working on this. Even the best plans and routines don’t always go as planned. It can take time to find a good evening routine for working moms.
It took me 3 kids to come up with a routine that works great for my family. Even after all that time and trial and error, it still isn’t perfect every day. It can be stressful, but the challenges can add to the beauty of life!
Don’t give up and make sure to trust yourself and your judgement. You can do it!
I did create a sample schedule for our evenings. This post breaks down exactly how and when I do these items in the evening.
What routines have you found that help your evenings flow more smoothly?
Check out this post on how to save money for moms on a budget.
Being a mom is stressful. We often get caught up in motherhood and forget to take care of ourselves. Here is a 14 Day Self Care Email Series that a fellow blogger has created. This email series is designed to help women take 10-15 minutes a day to take care of themselves and do something each day for themselves. Check out this email series to see if it can help you!