Did someone say self-care ideas for new moms? Is that really a thing?
Welcome to Motherhood! As new moms, it’s so easy to forget the importance of self-care. We get so caught up in taking care of our new baby and our households that we set ourselves aside. We miss a few meals, can’t go to the restroom alone, and throw on our usual leggings and our husband’s tee. That’s as far as we get.
But the truth is for us to be our full selves we need to make “US” a priority too. I’m sharing some self-care ideas for new moms to have a good laugh with girlfriends, sweat a little stress away, and feel and look like a complete human. LOL.
One of my favorite quotes about motherhood is by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It speaks to the importance of self-care for mothers.
“Be a full person. Motherhood is a glorious gift, but do not define yourself solely by motherhood. Be a full person. Your child will benefit from that.”
I don’t know about you, but when I have an hour of self-care or a few hours, I feel so much happier. Like I’m a super mom and I can take on a little more of whatever motherhood throws my way for the day.
Self-Care Ideas For New Moms
Go A Little Further Than Just Taken A Shower- Let’s be really clear taking a shower is not self-care. It’s a human basic need that needs to happen no matter what. Does it feel like a luxury once you have kids? Sure.
It’s a moment to be in your own thoughts, a moment of calm and quietness.
Take a few extra steps. Self-care for mom is taking a shower, getting dressed in more than leggings, doing your hair, AND putting on makeup. Even if you have nowhere to go! Because even with the sleepless nights and a load of motherhood duties, you need to feel good about yourself, look good and smell good, too.
Will you want to do this every day? Nope, but you will feel so much better on the days you do!
Take Yourself On A Date- Take yourself on a date, mama. Hang out with yourself and think about the things you want to accomplish in life. Think about your passions, things that you may not be ready to let go of because you are a new mom now. Enjoy a good meal and go back home and love on your family.
This doesn’t have to be extravagant at all. Taking yourself on a date and ordering a few appetizers makes for an inexpensive self-care idea.
Get Together With Friends- One thing I hear often from other moms, especially SAHMs, is missing having a good adult conversation with their girlfriends. I know I felt the same way during the early months.
Once a month, set a date with your friends, maybe Sunday brunch or an early dinner, and get together and enjoy each other’s company. Nothing like a good laugh with girlfriends or even a good cry because no one told you how hard motherhood could be.
Hot Yoga- Take a hot yoga class. Spend 90 minutes giving your body some good loving. Talk about relaxing the body and mind. It feels like hell inside the yoga room (well, I’m guessing that’s what hell feels like) but it’s glorious.
My first hot yoga class was with my husband pre-kid and let’s just say he couldn’t hang. He tried to escape out the side door. The instructor had to call his name 3 times before finally getting his attention. She told him to come back and join us and the door he was trying to escape from led to the street. LOL. He wanted it to be over so badly. Later, he vowed to never return while I absolutely loved it.
Hot yoga became the perfect place for me to make time for myself as a new mom.
Eat a light snack and drink LOTS of water before going.
Related: Products To Make Mom Life Easier
This Vision Board Printable will help you keep track of your goals and dreams.
Indoor Cycle Class- A fun way to burn off some steam and move your body is by taking an indoor cycle class. My first was with Cycle Bar. You can get a sneak peek here on my Instagram page. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! I dragged one of my girlfriends with me.
Find an instructor that will keep you pumped the entire time and one that plays the type of music you enjoy listening to. It takes a little work getting coordinated with the music, but stay focused on your instructor and they will get you on track.
Go On Walks – When your partner comes home from work or before they leave for work go on a nice long walk. That may mean you have to wake up early in the morning or go out right before dinner. But self-care for new mothers is so important. It’s important to take some time for yourself even if that walk can only be 30 minutes long.
Take that time to clear your mind.
Alone Time At Home- When considering self-care ideas at home, think about a place in your home where you can hide away, watch a good movie or read a good book. Spend a little time there whenever you can and set aside your mom duties.
For me, this space is my husband’s Man Cave. His Man Cave becomes a Mom Cave a few times a month.
Postpartum Self Care- Sleep for new moms is scarce when caring for a new baby, but rest is so incredibly necessary for recovery and mental clarity.
That saying, “sleep when the baby sleeps”. It’s the hardest thing in the world to do because you’re thinking about the million and one things you need to do to take advantage of nap time.
But like I said above, getting rest is essential for your postpartum recovery and mental space. As hard as it might be, even if you only take one nap with your baby, get the extra rest.
Go Shopping- If it’s within the budget, a little retail therapy never hurts anyone. Add this to the list of new mom self-care ideas. It’s fun to try on a few items and take home a few too. It’s about looking good and feeling good.
It’s ok to buy baby a few items too because we never can resist.
Express Mani & Pedi- Me time ideas for busy moms are stopping at the nail salon for an express Mani and Pedi. For the moms that are in a rush, take advantage of those services. You can pamper yourself and get away for a bit. Ideal if you have little time to be away.
Host A Dinner- Ok, hear me out on this self-care tip for new moms! Gather your mom friends and plan a nice early dinner because they are probably thinking the same as you. They need a self-care day too.
Order a pre-made Charcuterie board or create one on your own. Each person split the cost either of the pre-made board or everything that’s needed to make your own.
Add a few cocktails or mocktails and enjoy a good few fun hours with your mom friends.
Daily Affirmations- If you are wondering how to practice self-care with a baby around, daily affirmations are a great start. It’s also outstanding self-care for busy moms. Take some time before your day gets started and say a few affirmations out loud.
Start your day with gratitude, confidence, and self-awareness!
It’s the daily self-care we need as a mom. We can be so hard on ourselves and doubt all the hard work we put into doing the best we know-how. Start your day on the right foot, mama.
I have these affirmation cards for myself and these for my son.
Eat The Cookies- My greatest self-care ideas for new moms is to eat the cookies and don’t share. LOL. Seriously, have a little sweet treat and hide while you eat it. They want all of our goodies, even when they have the same thing in front of them. They want ours.
Eat the treat and don’t share!
Coffee- Head to your local coffee shop to get coffee, tea or a cold drink whatever your preference. Bring your laptop if you want to do some work or browse the web. Don’t forget to pack your earbuds and listen to some good music.
Netflix & Chill- Put the kiddos to bed and enjoy some alone time. Binge-watch a few good episodes on Netflix and chill.
Massage- We all know how glorious massages are and during that time there is no to-do list. It’s an opportunity for full relaxation and maybe even a little snoring.
For busy moms or working moms, that may not have a lot of time on their hands, most salons have express options if you are running short on time.
Gardening- If being outdoors is something you enjoy, start a garden and plant some flowers. Something like Knock Out roses. They can take care of themselves, which is nice if you have little time on your hands.
Wake-up Early- Wake up 15-30 minutes before everyone else. Enjoy those few minutes of quiet time. You can even use this time to journal or meditate if you like. Simply just having your morning drink in peace is something special. 😉
Vacation- What I believe to be one of the most amazing self-care ideas for new moms is going on a solo trip or a weekend trip with your girlfriends. All travel is travel, so it doesn’t have to be too fancy by any means.
It could be an hour’s drive or a trip a few states over. It may take some time before you’re ready to part for a brief vacation from your babe and that’s ok.
Learn A New Language- Is there a language you’ve always wanted to learn? Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese or French! If there is, take some time throughout the day and practice. Whether it’s listening with your earbuds or writing words or phrases on flashcards. You’re doing something for yourself!
Social Media- Take a break from all social media sites. These are self-care ideas for new moms that are necessary from time to time.
Create A Vision Board- Create a Vision Board and place all your hopes and dreams on it to turn them into reality. Purchase a big poster board and go through magazines or print items off the internet.
Cut them and paste them on your Vision Board. Look at it every single day. Get inspired, stay inspired, and execute. Create the life you want to live. A Vision Board is a great reminder of the goals you’ve set for yourself.
I’m constantly adding to my vision board.
Hire Someone- If it’s within your budget, hire someone to take something off your plate. If you can hire a housekeeper every 2 weeks or once a month, do it. A good cleaning service every 2 weeks or once a month will open up some time for you to do other things.
Have your groceries delivered to free up some time as well.
Lastly, if you can enjoy the luxuries of a meal delivery service try it out. You will need to do the preparing, of course.
You won’t have to worry about planning out meals for the entire week for your family and no need to go back and forth to the grocery store for items needed. Everything you need will arrive at your doorstep.
I hope you find these self-care ideas for new moms helpful. It’s not always about just going to get a Mani/Pedi or having a spa day, even though those things are fabulous. But it’s about making slight changes in your daily habits to take care of yourself while you are trying to care for others. Mind, body, and spirit.
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