Once you become a Mom, many changes take place, but a not so obvious one is your style. And it can’t be helped – new born babies require a lot of maintenance, and you’re lucky if you find time to wash your face!! But that stage too passes and then you have no reason to be wandering around the house in pajamas and messy hair!

 When Moms give up their jobs to become Stay At Home Moms or Work At Home Moms, most of them miss not dressing up for work. The solution is simple – Get Dressed!! If you’re still not convinced, here are some more reasons to ditch those pajamas once you wake up:

 1. Both you and your spouse work hard to maintain your home; but your efforts are probably not as obvious. However, when the two of you get ready together in the morning, it drives home the point that both of you are getting dressed for the day’s work.

 2. When you’re well dressed and groomed, you feel better about yourself, your confidence soars and your creative juices start flowing better. Also you are better prepared for most events like picking up or dropping off the kids, quick trips to the grocery store or receiving sudden guests.

 3. When you take the trouble to dress well and look good, it shows that you care for yourself. Your partner will appreciate it and your kids will learn a valuable lesson about self-esteem.

 4. Research shows that faking a smile even when you’re upset ups the feeling of happiness. Similarly, dressing well even when you’re feeling down will brighten a dull day and make it productive.

         So how does a stay at home Mom add some style to her life? The basics have to be in place first – workout, sleep well and eat right. Go to the salon once a month and get a facial and mani-pedi along with getting your eyebrows done. I don’t dare suggest spas and massages, but if you have the time, go for it!

 9 Essential Style Tips for Stay at Home Moms

1. Well fitting lingerie – Unless your foundation is right, your entire outfit will look misshapen. Get fitted and get good quality stuff – this is not an area to skimp on!!

If you’re going to be doing work that requires a lot of vigorous movement, consider it a workout and wear a sports bra.

2. Comfortable footwear – It’s a good idea to get a nice pair of comfy sandals or shoes exclusively to wear at home, especially if it’s cold or you are prone to foot problems. Get a pair of comfortable plain sandals with a slight wedge heel – in black and beige – to wear for quick errands.

3. Practical and versatile bottoms – Tights and cotton or linen pants are great for pairing with a variety of tops – kurtas, Tshirts or tunics. If going for jeans, soft and stretchy are your best bet, considering comfort and ease of laundry. In ethnic wear, salwars along with harem pants and bright leggings are super comfortable and easy to move and work in.

4. Dresses and skirts – I personally think these are great for summer, since they offer breezy and cool comfort. But they can offer some limitation in movement, especially for household chores like deep cleaning. Also, long skirts and maxis might end up getting too dirty during monsoons.

5. Accessories – Getting dressed at home is a great opportunity to try out various trends that you would be wary of wearing otherwise. It obviously wouldn’t be practical to wear a lot of bracelets and rings when you have work to do, but a pair of small to medium earrings or a simple pendant will help you feel more ‘polished’.

 6. Bags – Be sure to have a good sized bag to hold all your essentials, without being so big as to turn into a dumping ground. Try to make it classy without being too casual like a canvas tote. By avoiding fads like skull prints, you can make it last season after season. Be sure to have some folded cloth bags inside, so you can avoid plastic.

 7. Makeup – You’re going to be at home for most of the day, so do you really need any makeup?? Well, you certainly don’t need all the warpaint, but some kohl and a tinted lip balm is enough to perk you up. Don’t forget the sunscreen, even when you’re indoors!

 8. Household gloves and aprons – When doing chores of any kind, ensure you’re wearing household gloves. It might feel cumbersome at first, but trust me, when you see your hands still soft and smooth after 20 years, you’ll be glad you took the trouble!

 9. Nightwear – Bedtime routines are not just for kids, Moms need them too! Remove makeup, slather on some night cream, hand cream and foot cream as per your needs. Throw out all the sloppy, faded night wear and get some cute sets. And most importantly, please don’t wear your nightwear throughout the day – it looks lazy!! Just as the experts say that using your bed only for sleep will help you snooze better at night, using your night wear only for bed will signal your brain that it’s now bedtime.

What would be the one style tip you are going to adapt to your stay-at-home mom life? I am definitely going to take the accessorize and hand glove tips very seriously. Tell me in comments your favorite tip. 

This post is by Fabida Abdulla, the regular contributor to The Mom Views and blogger at Shocks and Shoes. Fab writes about parenting, baking, shopping and all the little joys in life.