There’s no doubt about it, being a Mom is HARD WORK. From the pregnancy aches to the toddler tantrums, there’s always a million things to do and just not enough hours in the day to get them done. Luckily, there are ways to lighten the load. Good organization and careful planning can make pre and post-natal life so much easier.
But how to go about it? What are the key things you need when starting out on the Mom planner journey?
From pregnancy nutrition to your baby shower registry to birthday party planning, chore scheduling and self-care, keeping a planner is not only a wonderful way of charting your journey to motherhood, but also of staying in control once you get there! Just remember: Not all superheros wear capes. Some of them also wear maternity pants and carry planners!
Pregnancy Planning
Personal planners are highly adaptable things and you’ll find yourself needing one for very different reasons through the different phases of your life. The ‘Mom Planner’ first comes into its own when you discover you’re expecting. You can use it for:
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Organizing your pre-baby spending
Babies, bless them - they’re expensive little things. When you’re expecting, the ‘to-buy’ list suddenly becomes vast and you’re hit with wave after wave of expenses - from nursery decoration to baby clothes to car seats and everything in between. Spacing out your spending and planning your pregnancy budget will help a lot with pre-baby nerves and ensure you enjoy a calmer, more pocket-friendly pregnancy.
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Tracking key appointments and milestones
Ah pregnancy - that nine month march to and from medical appointments and the ever-changing baby development milestones you’re supposed to be keeping up with. Never miss a thing by writing it all down! Taking appointments out of your head and recording them in one central place will be the biggest relief - just give it a try and you’ll see!
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Your prenatal fitness planning
Keeping fit during your pregnancy is important - it will help you to manage aches and pains, will lower your stress levels, and help you to maintain strength and mobility. But creating a schedule off the top of your head can be difficult when you have other things occupying your mind. A fitness planner is the perfect way to set goals for your physical health during pregnancy - and to stick to them too.
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Watch your pregnancy nutrition
Just as you need to keep your physical fitness up during pregnancy, you should also watch what you eat and make sure it’s good for both you and for baby. Working meal plans and nutritional guidelines into your personal planner or fitness planner is an excellent way of keeping track of your eating habits throughout your pregnancy.
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Take note of questions for your doctor
Do you ever come out of a visit with your OB-GYN wishing you’d asked a bunch more pressing questions? Relying on your memory to get the most out of your medical appointments isn’t a great idea - important issues and questions are likely to fall through the cracks. Use your planner to keep notes of concerns and questions that may arise across the month, then bring out your list when your appointments roll around.
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Keep a baby name list
Just like that list of questions, all your best and brightest baby name ideas will vanish into thin air when you try and remember them days later! If you and your significant other are tossing name ideas around and one takes your fancy - pop it in your planner notes! Future you will be grateful for the reminder!
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Plan your baby shower
Perhaps the most plan-heavy part of pregnancy is the baby shower - so many moving parts to organize! From invitation lists to catering to budgets - your personal planner or budget planner will no doubt be your best friend as you’re bringing the exciting event together.
Mom Planning
So you’re a Mom. Congratulations! Now that you’ve moved past the pregnancy phase and into real-life motherhood you’ll find that you’re faced with a whole new group of challenges. What better way to tackle them than with a planner in hand? After your little bundle of joy is earthside, your Mom planner can help with:
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Meal planning
Here’s a pro-tip: As a new Mom, meal planning is going to be your new favorite thing on the planet. Getting all your shopping, chopping, cooking, and containing done in one big kick is the best secret all the other Moms are keeping to themselves. Plan out your meals for the whole week then kick back and relax knowing that everyone has healthy meals lined up and ready to wolf down.
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Family budgeting
Let’s face it - kids are money pits. No doubt by this point you’re already wondering what on earth you spent your money on before! Keeping a family budget will help you maintain financial stability and ensure you don’t go over the top with baby-related impulse buys.
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Becoming the ultimate birthday party planner
If Moms had one alternate title, it would have to be Chief Birthday Party Planner. Planning your kids’ birthdays is a joy and a military operation all rolled into one. Keeping track of all the aspects of your little one’s special day requires some serious organization. Turn your personal planner into a birthday party planner and ace the birthday party planning game year after year.
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Keeping track of sports and hobbies
When your kids get a little older, this will be the movie title that describes your life. Chrissy has ballet on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every second Saturday. Hannah goes to baseball on Mondays, Tuesdays, and chess club on the first Friday of each month. It’s a logistical nightmare, and - trust us - you’re going to need to write it all down.
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Chores and homework
When the kids have grown a few inches taller your planner will take on a whole new role, becoming a handy place to manage their movements as well as your own. Keeping track of important homework deadlines and the all-important chore roster is a great way of maintaining some military precision at home!
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Looking after yourself
Hey Momma! In this whirlwind that is Mom-life, don’t forget to schedule in some ‘you time’, ok? Even when that seems an impossible ask, blocking out some time in your daily planner for a bit of yoga, a walk, some reading, or even just a bit of TV with the feet up is just as important, if not more, than all the errands and work-related information you’ve got in there.
Become the Ultimate Mom Planner with BOSS
Want to get 5 Gold Mom Stars by being the most organized pregnant lady in your Lamaze class or the most switched-on parent at the playground? You can try and ‘go it alone’ with only your baby brain to help you - but why would you do that to yourself? Downloading a digital planner or getting your hands on a paper planner is the best way to breeze through parenthood. Easy, right?!