Your Typical Day with Your Toddler/baby

i worked when my babies were toddlers so we didn't get to do baby-led, but i love that you do! ideally i think it's good to have naps and meals at predictable (but flexible!) times and keep the rest open. a lot of folks are dynamic in the morning and would do best to do their errands and running around then. i don't come out of a coma until afternoon so that would work better for me. but i think it's awesome to be opportunistic about when to play with babies, when to let them do solitary play, when to engage them in helping with chores, and when to wisely use tv to occupy them so you can focus on something else.
:) khairete
S.

I can tell you about our day but I think I'd rather cheer you on about your "unconventional" methods. If you and your children are thriving then I say what you're doing is working!

But I can tell you that we do have a routine-ish sort of day but mostly we work on baselines. For example, if our daughter wants to come into our room to wake us up, that's all good with us...as long as she sleeps past 6am. We do have a pattern to our day. Chores in the morning, snack, playtime, lunch, nap, errands, dinner, bath & bed. But it's not a set routine, but more like just where we've settled over time.

I wouldn't call us strict but there are a few things that simply aren't okay. Like biting. Or pulling all our books off the shelves. Otherwise, we roll with it.

I do try very, very hard to lay her down consistently around 11:45-Noon but today we didn't get to naptime until almost 1pm. No worries.

I've found that if I'm engaged with my daughter (harder to do since our second baby is due Wednesday) and make sure to get some good play in the day we're pretty solid. Oh, and for us not letting her go too long between snacks/meals went a long way to dealing with any "bad" or "bumpy" days. She eats something about every 1.5 to 2 hours. (We discovered this when I developed gestational diabetes and had to keep myself on a schedule.)

ENJOY YOUR BABIES! (PS: My little one is just under 18 months.)

We have 2 kiddos - 2.5 and 14 months. I work from home FT and have a babysitter come in during the week, so we aren't under any schedule to wake up and get out of the house.

I'm not big on having to have a set schedule, but we really do the same things at around the same time every day...so they have kind of made their own schedule. The only thing I am pretty strict about is the 2.5 year olds nap time, dinner and bed time.

Wake up is between 6:30-8:00
Breakfast about a half hour to A. hour after wake up
Nap for 14 month old between 10-11
Lunch for 2.5 year old around noon
Lunch for 14 month old when he gets up from nap
Nap for 2.5 year old at 1:30
Maybe a second nap for 14 month old around 3
Dinner around 6
Bath around 7
Bed around 8

Our kiddos are really good independent players! Which is great because hubby works a crazy schedule and I'm home alone a lot, so I need to be able to make dinner, do laundry and clean up. I do chores while they are up, but I also spend a bunch of time playing with them. I just play with the tons of toys they have (cars, ball pit, etc), we will also play with play dough, draw, paint, bake.

Errands are tough because between the both of them, someone always seems to be napping. I try to either go first thing or after lunch (and skip formal nap that day for 2.5 year old...he'll just sleep in the car).

My 2 year old gets up around 6 or 7. If she's up before 7 she's supposed to play quietly till 7. Once we get up I get her some milk and she plays or watches some Sesame Street or Sprout while I check email etc... We both eat breakfast and the go to the gym for A. hour or 2. When we get home it's time for lunch and then nap at noon. I usually shower and have some quiet time or take a nap while she's sleeping. If she sleeps she wakes around 2. We then go do our errands or chores around the house. She plays while I clean. Around 4 we might color together for a little bit or read for a while before my husband gets home. Once he arrives I start dinner and my daughter and husband play together until dinner. After dinner we all hang out together and usually watch Wheel of Fortune together (my daughter loves it!) and then it's time for bath, book and bed. Hopefully she falls asleep right away but that's not a given lately. If not then we're up till she falls asleep. Usually she'll fall asleep by 10 at the latest. Then we're off to bed.

I have A. almost six year old, which I am homeschooling through A. online program (although 90% of the work is offline) and A. eight month old.

Because I have a baby that wakes multiple times a night, I value my sleep, so I sleep until the baby wakes up. Still, that's usually 7 or 8. I get up and feed her, while my six year old gets dressed, picks up her room, and brushes hair/teeth.

Then, I stick baby in the swing (it's great to have a swing that can carry up to 30 lbs!), give the 6 year old breakfast on a tray table, plop them in front of the TV, and take my shower. No, I do not feel guilty about this...it's 20 min of TV a day, usually PBS or Let's Make a Deal/Price is Right, and I would never get clean if I didn't do it.

After my 10 minute shower/hair/teeth/dress routine, we go to the kitchen and begin school while I feed the baby her breakfast. She's usually content in the high chair for 60-90 minutes, which allows us to get quite a bit of work done.

When she gets tired of the high chair, we go to the living room and continue school while the baby plays, nurses, etc. By the way, the baby is very, very mobile.

By now, it's lunch, and I wake my husband up and he makes us lunch. After lunch, it's pretty much a free for all. That's when activities, games, playing, errands, naps, etc take place.

Dinner is between 5-6 every night. I love to cook, but my husband has been doing most of it since the baby was born, because she's such a demanding baby (not at all like her big sis!) Also, my husband works from home, so it really is nice for now.

After dinner I do the dishes while they play, then there are baths, Wheel of Fortune, reading books, snacks, bed.

Then I have 3-4 hours to myself, which I use to do laundry, fold, and put away, clean the house, answer emails, check mamapedia :), get school ready for the next day, etc. I try to do at least a couple hours of cleaning/chores each night, so my time each day can be dedicated to my children.

It's pretty much the same, every day.

I would definitely say that I am a creature of habit and we certainly have a routine. Our girl goes to bed at 7 and she wakes daily at 713. She's like clockwork. I let her wake me up, but eventually I am going to have to start to get up before she does as she will potentially be cutting her morning nap in the next few months.

My daughter is 13-months-old (I felt I should say that so you would know what age you were dealing with. She goes back down for her morning nap at 9 a.m. and sleeps until 10 or 1030. Regardless, she always eats her first snack at 1030 or as soon as she wakes up from her morning nap. Typically, she wakes from her nap, I change her diaper and get her out of her pajamas and into her clothes for the day. After her snack, we usually run errands if we have any for the day and get home for lunch around 1230.

After lunch, and dependent upon whether or not she woke up closer to 10 or 1030, she takes her nap around 1 or 130. Generally, she sleeps until between 3 and 330 and then wakes up and has her second snack. Dinner is usually between 530 and 6 with bath time immediately following. My husband does her bath during the week so that way he can have some Daddy-Daughter time as he doesn't usually get home until 6 or 630 and she goes to bed at 7. After her bath she comes out and plays for a little while. About 10 minutes to 7, we put her in her pajamas and one or the other of us takes her to her room where we read her devotions and Bible verse before bedtime. We then say a prayer for her (eventually she will do this on her own once she is talking), turn the lights off and say goodnight.

Most days, I don't really go anywhere with her. The only chores I typically do while she is awake is laundry, although I don't usually fold it until she is napping. All other household chores (i.e. vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathroom, etc.) typically are done when she is awake. I would say about 50% of her play is independent and the other 50% I am down on the floor with her. As you can see our schedule is pretty firm, but I think structure is good. It lets them know that they have stability and there are things they can count on.

She also still lets me know if she's ready too. If she wakes at 1030 and is tired at 1, she'll get her lovey that she sleeps with out of her crib, come to me and then lead me back to her crib while she tries to climb in. So that's why I say there is flexibility. If it's early and she's tired then I am not going to keep her awake just for my own sake or anything.

I have 2 kids, a 3 year old and a 19 month old. They wake up like clockwork when my husband gets home from work at 7am, he works nights, if they happen to not wake up when he gets home I don't wake them...I cherish the quiet time with my husband. Within 30 minutes of waking they have breakfast, after breakfast we brush teeth and sometimes they both stay in pj's, if we don't go anywhere that day why dirty more clothes? My 19 month old naps at 10:00 am, when she wakes around noon we have lunch, after lunch we play until 1:00 or 2:00, depending on how tired and grouchy my 3 year old is, then it's nap time again for both of them. My 19 month old takes a short 30-45 minute nap in the afternoon, my 3 year old naps anywhere from 1-2.5 hours. When he wakes up they play alone while I make dinner because my husband is sleeping by this time. After dinner I let one play alone while I bathe the other, they don't get baths every night in the winter because they both have eczema and very dry skin. I play with them after dinner, sometimes they play alone while I do laundry or dishes. I really can't leave them both alone together, my 3 year old is going through a jealous phase with his toys, so while I am cooking or cleaning I put my 19 month old in her playpen, she has yet to ever try and climb out of it. She goes to bed at 7:00-7:30, so once she goes to bed I get one on one time with my 3 year old, and since she takes a longer afternoon nap then her big brother, I get the one on one time with her when she wakes up and he is still napping. He goes to bed at 8:00-8:30. It's pretty impossible for me to do any housework during the day, I sit and relax after they have gone to bed and spend time with my husband before he leaqves for work. Once he is at work, I stay up and clean...it's not wonderfull being up until midnight or 1:00am everynight, but it's what works for us right now.

My almost 6 month old wakes up anywhere between 5 and 7am, plays during the morning on her own usually while I wake myself up! She then wants to have a nap between 9 and 11am (usually lasting A. hour).

She can then stay up until mid afternoon which is when she wants/needs another nap. I usually try to get it done before Daddy gets home because as soon as he is home is party time for her!

She likes to eat a lot at nighttime. She'll have a feed around 5pm and then tries to have a sleep, but if I keep her awake, she'll feed again near 8 o'clock and then go to sleep after that.

She'll wake up around midnight for a feed, and then not again until 5am ish!

She's pretty awesome.

I have a 2 yr old and a 7 yr old. Wake up is between 7 and 7:30. 7:30 i get into the shower while my kids watch Cat in the hat on PBS. Breakfast is 8 to 8:30. The we get dressed, brush teeth, and hair. We are done by 9 and then take 7 yr old to school. 2 yr old and i go home at 9:15- 9:30. She watches sesame street for 1/2 A. hour. I get some laundry going. Then we play for half A. hour. Puzzles, coloring, and sesamestreet.org. I like the online games ofr teaching her numbers and letters, ect. Then i do more laundry. She plays in her room. I vacume or do whatever need to be done. At 12 we have lunch. Then she watches a movie. I do dishes and clean kitchen. Check my email other computer stuff. 1- 1:30 she goes down for nap. I do my cleaning like bathrooms. She wakes up at 3:30 and we go pick up big sissy from school. Home by 4. Snack time then homework. Dinner by 6. Baths at 7:30. 8 is story and snack. 9 is bedtime.

Great question, its been fun reading others days since I wonder the same thing. I don't have a real rountine for most things throughout the day but nap and bed times. Because I don't get a whole night sleep I am so tired in the morning that I don't wake until one wakes me up, I do want to change that because I would love time in the morning to myself. After we get out of bed it is breakfast and a movie, I start laundry and make beds, then play time, the girls (3 yrs old and 18 mos old) go play with eachother and I start whatever project I am working on that day like cleaning or organizing something since I do love to do these things, a little too much to be honest. At 10:30am it is my 18 mos olds nap time, I then try to shower and get some things done that I may not be able to get done while she is awake. At 12:30 she wakes up and we all have lunch then back to playing, sometimes we do crafts also but since my 18 mos isn't great with some of the craft ideas we don't do as much as we would like to. Then there is dinner time, this is a hard time of night for me, dinner, cleaning up, bath time and bed times then trying to find time with hubby before bed time. I do need to get on the ground and play harder with the girls and as soon as it warms up I would like to start taking daily walks, we all need the excersise here at our house. I think the girls would sleep better at night as well.

I do have to say that both girls have put themselves on the sleeping rountine which was nice. My 3 year old has just started not sleeping through the night so that hasn't been fun.

This is my typical day if we stay home. There is a lot I woud like to change though, with two at this age I just find it easier to run the ship like this but it is getting easier and I would like to do something different.

Do whatever is best for you and your little ones, sounds like you are a wonderful mommy.

I have a 14-month old daughter, and we are relatively scheduled. She goes to daycare during the week, so alot of her schedule is derived from that, but we tend to follow a similar 'schedule' on the weekend. During the week, we wake her up at 6:15am to start the day, drink her milk and get ready for school, and we are leaving before 7. When she gets to school, she has breakfast with the other kids around 7:30-8am, lunch at 11:30am, then naps/quiet time from 12-3. During the day, they have alot of free play. I pick her up around 5:30, and she eats dinner at home between 6 and 6:30. She then plays and is usually asleep by 7:30. Her bedtime isn't really scheduled as she doesn't go down on her own without already being asleep, so we hold her and have quiet time until she actually falls asleep. On the weekends, she wakes us up around 7-7:30am, and we start our day. I have her on bottles every 4hrs, breakfast around 8:30, she falls asleep for her nap around 11 so we do lunch afterwards, but we keep dinner consistent at 6. She does well playing by herself, so in those moments, I'll get a few simple chores done (empty dishwasher, wash bottles, throw in some laundry), but the more time consuming chores I save for nap time. We have a mix of playtime where she'll play by herself, or my husband or I will play with her. But we don't have structured play - she does whatever she likes. As for running errands - on weeknights we've taken her out for a quick trip to Target after she eats, and she does okay, but she falls asleep fast on the car ride home. On the weekends, we don't leave the house until after her nap and she eats lunch, since getting out in the morning before nap is hectic. It bums me out sometimes not to leave the house on Sat/Sun until 3 since I feel like the day is wasted, but it is what it is. Sometimes her naps are 2hrs, sometimes 3 - we just let her get her sleep. When we have mid-day plans (birthday parties, etc) our schedule changes a bit, and I try to get her to nap earlier, and only keep her down for 2hrs.
I find that our schedule works for us since it isn't too strict, and we make it flexible. I like to have some order in life, so when I tried doing baby-led before, it just didn't work for us. But everyone has their thing, so if you want to have more of a schedule, ease into it, and make it work for you by incorporating a little of this and a little of that.

Ah, I have tried and failed to set schedules with both of my babies. The oldest is on somewhat of schedule but that just happened about a year ago, he's 2.5 he goes to bed at 9, and naps between 12-1. But he gets up at 6,7, sometimes 8. As a baby he was all over the place. And his baby brother is the same way. I try and try to "get on a schedule" but it doesn't work, AND you have to live your life. Things come up, they burn more energy one day compared to the next and need more sleep. I just go with the flow. It's easier on my sanity that way lol. I know some moms whose kids fell easily into a schedule. mine don't and thats fine. Kids are different. Go with what works for you!

My little one just turned 1 and she is into everything! We have always been on somewhat of a schedule since she was born. I tried to keep her bottles and naps at regular intervals, but now that she is older, she has a mind of her own! We still go through our normal routine, but I am more flexible on exact times now...i.e. her naps....sometimes she is less tired than others, so I read her cues. Typically our day starts around 6:30 and I give her a bottle and share a banana with her. Sometimes she will have some mixed grains with fruit, but other times she doesn't want to eat more. Then I change her diaper and she will play in her play pen or walker in the bathroom while I brush my teeth, etc. Then I will go downstairs with her and play with her toys - legos, learning kitchen, balls, etc. I have to work from home, so I will log on to the computer and let her play by herself sometimes too....she will go down for a nap around 8:30 and sleep on the couch next to me longer than she would in the crib, so I let her. She will nap for about A. hour and a half and then wake up and we will have a snack - yogurt or fruit snacks...sometimes a biter biscuit or something and then we will get ready...get dressed, another diaper change, and then usually take off to have a play date or run errands, etc. I like to go out when she is awake so she will see everything and she loves being friendly with strangers and waving to everyone. If we stay at home we will eat lunch or play or she roams around exploring the house. We have lunch around 12:30 and she has just started eating PB&J....or else she will eat a portion of whatever I am eating or a baby food jar. And then she will nap again whenever we are coming home or she is getting tired...usually anywhere between 1-3....and will nap again for 1-1.5 hours. Then she will have another bottle around 4 and I will start dinner or help with homework, etc with the older kids while she plays or eats a snack. Then dinner around 6 and bath then bedtime. We don't do bath every night...and some times we have things in the evening, like church on Wednesday nights, so she will sometimes fall asleep at 7:30 even if we are out, or else I will lay her upstairs in the nursery...she will have another bottle if she has not had a big dinner and usually wake up when I go to bed and want to sleep with me. :) I do chores when she is awake because I think she should be able to see what it is I do...when she was younger I would do chores while she was sleeping, but now I am working, so I work while she is napping and her naps are less and shorter, so I HAVE to do chores while she is awake or else they won't get done....so she will usually watch me and if she is fussy I will put her in the high chair and let her have some fruit snacks or something to chew on - or she will play in the living room while I fold laundry and play peek-a-boo with her. I try to incorporate her as much as possible...she if she wants, she can follow me around the house while I vacuum, etc...and she loves it. If she is unusually fussy I will stop whatever I am doing and play with her or take a nap with her or whatever she needs - as long as she is happy and healthy, I don't think I should entertain her all the time or she won't learn to play by herself, but I do think it's important to spend time with her every day in just free play time so she will have that special time with me and learn things like colors, shapes, etc...and I also help her with walking, etc...and we are on the go a lot with play dates, church, lunch time with friends, errands, and playing with sister. I love spending time with her no matter what we are doing.