My Night Time Method: The Simple Nighttime Routine and Reset I Use as a Mom of 3 

After becoming a mom of three, I realized that my mornings didn’t start when I woke up… they actually started the night before. I’ve always been a high sleep needs girl and after having my first son I learned quickly how important a nighttime routine was needed for both of us. I started the infrastructure then, 7 years ago, to create my night time method. 

For a long time my evenings felt chaotic. Toys everywhere, dishes piled up, and kids asking for one more snack. Even though I was diligent about sleep training and my kids slept well once they were in bed, my house was still a disaster and it left me going to bed already overwhelmed for the next day. 

That’s when I started using a simple nighttime routine method to reset my home and mind before bed. 

Nothing complicated. 
Nothing Pinterest-perfect. 

Just a short evening system that helps my house feel calm and makes mornings so much easier. 

In this post, I’m sharing the night time method I follow as a mom of three, plus the simple nighttime routine that helps me stay consistent even on busy days. 

Why a Nighttime Routine Matters More Than You Think 

How you end your night is exactly how you will start your morning. This is why I’m such a huge advocate for making your sleep and your families sleep a huge priority. I had three very differentjourneys in sleep training my boys but I knew from my first born how important it was for them to learn to sleep independently. I knew I needed to get quality, unbroken sleep and that they did too. You can read all about these journeys and methods here! 

They all have turned into great sleepers but I was still just collapsing at the end of the day and melting into the couch with my phone after they went to bed. I would then wake up the next morning so overwhelmed by the mess from the day before. That started the whole roll off of my morning setting a bad tone for my day. You can read about my morning method and our morning routine homeschooling here. 

This is when I knew I had to make a night time method and evening reset so our nights went smoother and I didn’t wake up to a circus. 

Why Moms Feel Overwhelmed at Night and How to Help “future you” 

Let’s be honest, at the end of the day, whether you are a working mom or stay at home; by 8 pm you’ve lived at least a 12-13 hour day. Nonstop. Full mental load on. We all want to sleep but also want to have a minute to ourselves but also want to catch up on shows but also want to sleep, again. 

 I know all too well walking downstairs after getting the kids down, looking at my house and saying “screw it, that’s tomorrow ME’s problem.” Then tomorrow ME hated last night ME but it felt too overwhelming to take on the house at night. Having a night time method for your kids and an evening reset routine planned out takes the guess work out and makes it doable. It really can be just 10-15 minutes. 

My Simple Night Time Method 

We have had almost the same nighttime routine for the kids since our oldest was 4 months old. We’ve now added two more boys and have adjusted as needed, but keeping the steps almost thesame has made our nights go much smoother. This is about what it looks like; give or take 3 sippy refills and  few potty trips. 

7/7:15 pm- We do baths and showers every night or every other night (depending on how much dirt is in their hair, haha!) 

7:30– I have a chart hanging in the boys’ bathroom that has a checklist of what they must do to “Get Ready for Bed”      I have a free printable you can download here to help your kids get all the things done more independantly. 

7:45– If they get all their stuff done in a timely manner I will come read to each of them.  

8:00– Lights out and they go to sleep til about 7/7:30 am 

Having the boys able to sleep independently through the night since they were babies has saved my sanity and marriage. Being able to have a few hours to do my house reset, talk about important things with the hubby, and maybe even watch a show gives me something to look forward to after a long day of keeping humans alive. 

My Nighttime Reset Routine 

Once I get downstairs from putting the kids down, I really try to make myself jump into my reset. My husband usually gathers all the dishes and put dinner away while I’m tucking the kids in or visaversa. The next steps of my simple routine are: 

• Check if the dishwasher has room and load what I can in and start it (the boys unload the dishwasher every morning as a apart of our morning routine method) 

• Put any extra dishes in the sink. Walk away 😂 

• Wipe down the counters 

• Put throw pillows back on the couch and blankets away 

• Throw all the toys in the toy room. Again, walk away.  

• Make sure there’s no wet laundry in the washer and switch it if needed 

• Check animals food and water 

• Lock doors 

This realistically takes me 10-15 min max a night and makes all the difference in waking up to a clean house. Your nighttime routine doesn’t need to be long or perfect. 

Just a few intentional minutes in the evening can completely change how your mornings feel. 

For me, this simple night time method is the difference between waking up overwhelmed… and waking up ready for the day.