Tips to Help Transition from Working Mom to Stay-At-Home Mom
If you like this blog post about How to Transition from Working Mom to Stay-At-Home Mom, Pin it to Pinterest!
Please note, this blog post contains affiliate links. This means I will receive commissions for any qualifying purchases made through links found on this page.
I was about 8 years into my professional career when I got pregnant and I thought I was going to just balance it all. Fast forward a couple more years, when I was 4 months postpartum with my second baby and just before my son’s second birthday, I ended up taking the leap and leaving my job to become a full-time, stay-at-home mom. Becoming a stay-at-home mom took some getting used to, but it was by far, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. When I used to work, I would often leave after breakfast and get home at or after my kids’ bedtime. Though I knew there were many other days that I could spend the whole day with my kids, I just felt incredibly affected by the days that I missed during their young, formative years. Though my decision was clear, understandably, taking a break from your career to be a stay-at-home mom is not an easy decision for everyone. So, if you are on the fence about whether you should take the plunge, I’m going to share a few things to help you make your final decision and ways to help ease the transition from working mom to stay-at-home mom.
Crunch the Numbers
First thing’s first, you need to be able to afford to be a stay-at-home mom. Though staying home to raise your children will benefit your family in countless ways, in this day and age, it is a privilege. Before taking a blind, leap of faith, you should have an honest discussion with your partner whether being a stay-at-home mom would be a viable option for your family. And even if you find that your partner’s income can cover your family’s expenses, you can still look at other ways you can further trim spending. It is also worth saving a hefty emergency fund to cover expenses in the case that your partner loses their job for a period of time. These are scary discussions to have, but when you and your partner are open and honest about money, you will both feel secure in this decision. When you’re not always thinking about the financial consequences of dropping down to one income, that’s when you can really focus on how staying at home to take care of your family will benefit all of you, guilt-free. If you are looking for other ways to help trim your overall expenses, check out my blog post on “How to Afford Being a Stay-At-Home Mom.”
Create Routines
I remember the first day I was on my own with my first-born, while my husband returned to work after his paternity leave ended. It felt odd, like I had a lot of time and no time, all at the same time (if that makes any sense). There was so much to be done, but I found that I needed to have a routine to feel productive and to also make sure that my son got everything he needed. When I eventually became a full-time stay-at-home mom with two under two, I knew I needed to build on my kids’ schedules and get organized in more ways than one. I ended up making a morning routine to get myself ready before the kids wake up, a system for me to keep up with meal planning and grocery shopping, and a very loose chore schedule. I thrived on routines because I found that it was the only way to consistently get things done. It was my way of being my own boss. There was no one enforcing deadlines or proposing projects. This was my time to take charge and make sure my family and household was operating in tip top shape. If you don’t know where to start and need help figuring out an uncomplicated way to structure your kids’ day, you can check out my blog, “How to Make a Stay-At-Home Mom Schedule with Toddlers.”
Make Goals
Even though routines will help you adjust to the amount of work set out for you as a homemaker and mother, sometimes it can feel like you are reliving the same day over and over again. To prevent getting bored of your daily routines, you can refresh your days by having different goals to focus on! Making goals is an aspect of the working environment that can still be applied to homemaking and can actually help ease the transition to being a stay-at-home mom. There is so much to do and learn as a homemaker that it can easily overwhelm someone who is just getting started as a stay-at-home mom. By setting small, measurable goals, you will feel more ambitious while doing your important work at home. Whether your current goal is for you and your kids to decrease screen time and play outside more during the summer, or that you’re new to meal planning and you want to try to cook 5 home cooked dinners per week, you just need to start somewhere! Just because you are no longer required to make quarterly workplace goals doesn’t mean you can’t continue to make personal goals to find growth and success as a homemaker.
Know Your Worth
When I reflect back on my life, so much of it was geared towards making money. So, it felt very different when I became a stay-at-home mom. Some may think that being a stay-at-home mom is a break, but it doesn’t feel like much of a break to me. I put in a lot of time and effort towards taking care of my children and our household, which sometimes feels like it goes unnoticed by the general public. Unfortunately, society doesn’t always place as much value on non-paid work as the individual that makes money. However, ignoring any kind of negativity and really focusing on what value you are bringing to your family will keep you motivated. When my husband and I started to grow our family, the thing that became the most valuable to us was our time together. As a stay-at-home mom, I spend most of my time with my children and I’m able to get more household chores done throughout the week, which allows my husband to spend more quality time with the family when he is not working. I also found that staying at home allowed me to prepare more home cooked meals, which in turn reduced our spending on food and improved our overall health. Whenever you are feeling down about not making as much money, if any at all, don’t sell yourself short; you are a valuable asset to your family whether you are the breadwinner or not!
Live Below Your Means
Sometimes becoming a stay-at-home mom may mean changing your lifestyle a bit. Something that will help ease the financial transition your family will be going through when dropping down to one income is learning how to live below your means. This may naturally occur with certain things, such as not needing a new workplace wardrobe, or not needing to eat out as much since you spend most of your time at home. This doesn’t mean that you have to drastically change your life and live under a rock to save pennies; just be aware of your new income and make sure adjustments are made accordingly to certain areas of your budget. We found that there are always ways to be conscious of your spending while still doing and purchasing things that mean the most to you! For example, since I own a Kindle, I like to borrow e-books from the library, so I’m not spending money on physical books or on the gas it takes to get to a bookstore or library. I also started practicing more homemaking skills, such as home cooking and baking, that eventually led to lower grocery bills. Finding ways to live below your means will only help your family feel more safe and secure in the long run.
Remember Self-Care
Transitioning to being a stay-at-home mom means no clocking out. It is an opportunity I am so thankful to have, but man does it get tiring. With no one really enforcing breaks and a task list that is more like a revolving door, it can be hard to find time to reset. Self-care during this period of your life is necessary in order to be the best version of yourself for your family. Doing something as simple as doing one thing you enjoy for yourself everyday will help fill your cup. Whether it is reading a chapter of a good book before bed, putting on makeup everyday, or trying a new cookie recipe when the kids are asleep, if it sounds fun and not too stressful to fit into your life, do it! If you need some realistic self-care ideas that are easy to do with small children, you can check out my blog post, “Self-Care for Busy Moms.”
Make Mom Friends
Unlike when you go to work everyday, you don’t see a lot of adult peers when you’re a stay-at-home mom. I thought I was ready for that challenge. But, for being a self-declared homebody, who used to love spending time alone before having kids, I started to crave conversation. I missed seeing people outside of our family. I knew that since I couldn’t naturally get this kind of interaction from work, I needed to be more intentional about staying in touch with friends. One of my favorite things to do to stay in touch with friends is schedule play dates because it’s like hitting two birds with one stone. I know that my kids will have fun and no one understands you in this stage of life more than your fellow mom friends. Mom friends can relate to you on a different level and offer a supportive ear on the days that you need it. Though conversations may be short, while you’re all running around, chasing your kids, they tend to always be meaningful and fun!
There really isn’t a right way to transition from being a working mom to a stay-at-home mom, but I think we can all agree that it’s a big life change and needs some preparation to adjust. In my own experience, this meant that I was going to let go of some things that I used to think were important, in order to live out a dream I’ve had for a long time. I’m not sure what life has in store for me later in life, but I know that right now, my focus is on my family and I have no regrets. No matter what ultimately drives your choice to become a stay-at-home mom, I hope that these simple tips will help to ease your transition!
