Mom Time – 6 Ways to Make Time For Yourself

Mom, do you make time for yourself?  Once you have become a mom, it’s difficult to find mom time to do non-child-related activities. We all get busy with the challenges of motherhood while managing household chores.
Finding time for mom is challenging, but with good time management tactics you will be able to manage it. We all need some mommy time away from the kids to do grown-up activities, relax and recharge.  Here are some tips to find time for mom.

6 Ways to Make Time for Mom

1.  Use the baby naptime effectively: Baby’s naptime is the perfect time to spend time your way. If you like reading, writing or painting, this is a good time to pick up a book or brush without having your baby in one arm. Try to avoid using this time to cleaning up the house or do other chores. You can enjoy a bubble bath or shower during this time or even take a short nap.
2.  Have a different sleeping time than your baby: If your baby sleeps until late mornings, then make it a habit to wake up early. You get more time for yourself and also for your spouse. If you baby sleeps early in the evenings, you can be awake until later to enjoy some parents-only time.
3.  Plan your grocery shopping to save time: Plan your grocery shopping well. Make a list of needed items for at least one week and purchase them all in one visit to the grocery store. This way you will not have to worry about having things for your cooking and household chores and will save you the time which you can have for yourself.
4.  Hunt for child-friendly shops: Many stores now offer supervised playrooms for children while you go about your shopping, ticking off items on your shopping list. You will love this concept so much that you will look for opportunities to visit such stores! Your child is in safe hands while you enjoy your shopping time, looking for great deals.
5.  Team up with other moms: You are not the only one who has to face these challenges of motherhood. Team up with other moms, plan outings together, and share the responsibility of the children while you find mommy time for all of you! You can pick dates for each of you to look after the children, while the others get time off to spend doing whatever they like.
6.  Try multitasking:  Try multitasking to finish your scheduled work faster and get the free time to yourself. Once your baby has an established feeding routine, you can read a book or prepare your grocery list while feeding. If you have started feeding your baby with baby food, then complete the cooking for the baby and the rest of the family together.
You can also mix childcare and mommy time at the same time: take your baby out for a walk in the pram or stroller, while listening to an audio book on your iPod or MP3 player. You get your exercise and listen to something non-Sesame Street-related in the process!
Spending time with your baby is surely a pleasant part of motherhood, but it is also important to spend some time relaxing and de-stressing yourself from time to time.  For those unavoidable tired mom mornings, read our article Don’t Look Like a Tired Mom: 13 Quick Mini Makeovers.
How do you make mommy time, and what activities do you do during your mom time?  Do you exercise, have a cup of coffee, or read blogs?   Let us know in the comments below!