The Ultimate SAHM Guide
How to manage everything without losing it.
I've been a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom for two years now. I treat this like a job and consider myself the executive manager of our house. This is the system that works for us. Please don’t get overwhelmed, this is years of trial and testing to get to a system that works for us. I can’t give you an instruction manual, but hopefully this can be a helpful jumping-off point.
Cleaning
Spend little time cleaning each day to keep your house clean. Do this while your babies are awake.
Daily:
Sweep
Mop (if needed). I love this vacuum mop to help clean quickly
Dishes
Trash (if needed)
Weekly Breakdown:
Mon – Kitchen & dining
Tues – Deep clean rotation (either by room or by thing)
Wed – Bathroom
Thurs – Vacuum
Fri – Clean car
Sat – meal plan
Sun – Change bedding
Laundry
Mon – My clothes + child’s clothes (If you have multiples, you might need to split this differently.)
Tues – Towels
Wed – Living room pillows & blankets
Thurs – Kitchen towels & rugs
Fri – Catch-up day
Sat – Husband’s clothes / work uniforms
Sun – Bedding (all rooms) Pro tip: Have 2 sets for each bed so you can make it right after taking the dirty set off.
Weekly Schedule
General weekly schedule I follow, some weeks we just go to the park or an open area. If it’s too hot or cold, I go to indoor places where we can run around.
Mon – Meal prep
Tues – Park, gymnastics, free play, free groups
Wed – Hike or walk (sometimes with a mom group or friend)
Thurs – Library story time
Fri – Mom meet-up group at the park
Sat – Free day, personal time trade-off between my husband and me, explore local events
Sun – Family day or down day
Closing Shift
Every night I do my “closing shift”: clean the kitchen, pick up toys, sweep, mop, and take out the trash. Takes about 45 minutes — my husband does bath time during this.
If you’re solo, clean before the bedtime routine starts so you can have personal time after the kids go down.
Meals
Dinners are together, and I always take my toddler into account when meal planning. When I make something I don’t think he’ll eat, I always offer something he likes with it or make it deconstructed. Example: If we’re having curry, I’ll also make mac and cheese and sausage on the side. My meal planning system
Mon – Mexican
Tues – Asian
Wed – Olive Garden (soup/pasta, salad, bread)
Thurs – One dish dinners
Fri – Pizza
Sat/Sun – Leftovers or slow cooker
Toddler meals: Keep it simple — protein, carb, veg or fruit. Doesn’t have to be homemade or fancy. My toddler meal formula
You need to eat too. Prep things that are easy: overnight oats, breakfast burritos, etc. Plan lunches that are quick to heat or take minimal effort — salads, leftovers, sandwiches, whatever works.
Nap Time
Mine takes one 2-hour-long nap a day. This is my time to do hobbies, work on my laptop, or watch TV. Don’t feel guilty for taking this time — even if you haven’t “done anything else.” You deserve breaks just like any other job. If your toddler has dropped or skipped a nap, use quiet time.
ScreenTime
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no more than 60 minutes of screen time. I have a slightly more realistic approach. Phones are not for kids, and don't play videos, anywhere, at any time. No YouTube- it's too easy to go down weird, inappropriate rabbit holes, even on kidstube. My toddler is allowed to watch movies, max at 2 a day. He used to watch Bluey and other short TV shows, and I find his attention span isn't as good. He will still play while a movie is on and stop during the parts he likes. The TV isn't the toddler's; he doesn't control it, and I decide if it's okay to turn it on and what we watch. iPads and tablets are only for travel day, and only when everything else has been tried or we need some chill time. I find the kids who never watch TV end up glued to it whenever they see it; mine has a much easier time leaving it or even ignoring it.
Toy Rotation
Everyone talks about it — but why?
Kids don’t need a ton of stuff. Go deep not wide with your toy categories. It’s more fun to play with a lot of LEGOs than one set.
Categories depend on your kid and what they play with. Ours include:
Cars
Kitchen/pretend play
Building
Tonies/Yoto (too many options can be overwhelming)
Books
Little People
ride on toys
The more the toy does, the less the child does, so avoid singing and talking toys.
Hobbies
You need hobbies — things off your phone that make you feel like you again.
It might take some trial and error but have fun with it. Find things that you want to do on your own but also thing you can do with or in proximity of your toddler. The ultimate hobbies list
Personal Time
You need time to be a person without your kid. Take a day or a half day to do something alone. It could start small — a solo grocery trip, lunch at the park, a haircut.
You might have to get creative with the budget. Trade weekends or days with your partner. If possible, have a trusted person watch your child while you and your partner have some time together.
Lean Into the Chaos
Your life looks different now. Stop fighting it. This is your motherhood just as much as it’s their childhood. Do things now while they’re hard so they can be easier later.
Tired? Pretend to be a crab on the floor, drink your coffee, and let the toddler run past you. Think about what kind of mom you want to be and how you want your kids to remember you.
Stop Saying No All the Time
I’m not saying don’t discipline — just rebrand or rephrase it.
Instead of saying, “No, don’t do that,” try redirecting or offering options for what you do want to see. Their brains are still developing and don't understand contractions and other language. Like, don't stand on the table, they just hear stand on table. Instead, let’s make an obstacle course.
They will still test boundaries. That’s normal. We save “no” for when we really need it.
Babies Don’t Get Embarrassed
Start being weird. Do unexpected things. Who cares if you’re talking to your 3-month-old at Target? They’ll be better off because of it. Make monkey noises on the way to the car instead of fighting the kicking and screaming.
Take Things Off Your Plate
If you start doing a routine and it still feels like too much, you might just have too much on your plate.
Declutter so it’s easier to clean and maintain. Simplify where you can.
You don’t have to throw everything out — store it and revisit it later. If you don’t miss it, you probably don’t need it.
Overwhelmed?
Use your phone calendar, to-do list app, Notion, paper, or a planner to manage and track everything. Write your daily tasks and put them on the fridge as a reminder. Start small and take it piece by piece.