Describe a typical day with your toddler

[Pointlessfan]

I just wondered what others do all day with their toddlers, partly so I can nick some good activity ideas but mainly because I'm not sure how much time she should spend doing more structured type things and how much time chilling out/doing her own thing.
Tomorrow is my day off with her, typically we will:
Get up, Cbeebies for half an hour while DH and I get dressed make breakfast etc.
Breakfast then either supermarket or a few jobs e.g. dusting, sorting washing that she likes to help with.
DD loves Mr Tumble so she watches him while I have a coffee then we will do puzzles/read stories/drawing etc until lunchtime.
Nap after lunch then we usually go out for a walk/to the park.
Come home, have a snack and potter about/play until DH gets home around 5. He then plays with her while I cook tea.
After tea bath, story and bed.
Sometimes we do baking or painting and we often have a day out at the weekend. She goes to nursery when I'm at work.
Does that seem like a good day for her or should I be doing more structured things, toddler groups etc?

I find groups easier! Our typical day is :-

Get up, breakfast, dressed etc and ready to go out by 9.30am. Some kind of group / meeting someone from 10am to lunchtime. Lunch around 12.30, 1pm. Nap 2-4pm. Used to go for a walk, run errands, do chores together after nap, but now we have a 3 month old so we tend to stay in the house. Most of the afternoon now is toddler helping with cooking and has an episode of In The Night Garden when I feed DS2. DH is home 6.30pm, we all have dinner together and then bedtime. In bed by 7.15pm.

Our week is pretty structured. Monday, arrange to meet a friend for a play date. Tuesday, toddler group. Weds, he's at nursery. Thurs, toddler group. Friday, meet a group of local mums.

On the flip side I'd hate my week being so structured. Our days are much more like the OPs. Horses for courses etc.

I do group type things in the morning if I can. Gives DD different things to do with no mess for me! She's refusing naps so I usually put a film on after lunch. Otherwise pretty similar. There are some great toddler activities where I live so I'm not sure what's usual as I live in a city.

Oooh, I love a bit of structure!!! It just seems to happen to me.

I'd like to do some groups but DD is ready for a nap by midday which seems to clash with them all.

We get up and have breakfast, get dressed and are out for 9 for a group activity. That finishes at 10:15 and we walk into town and have a coffee & snack / get some shopping. Dd then falls asleep in her pushchair and sleeps until about 1:30. She will then have lunch and then we do something in the afternoon ; park, play date, coffee (if we haven't been in the morning). Come home around 5, play for an hour and then get dinner ready. Dinner, bath, story, bed.

Weekends we take her swimming or other activities.

Watching with interest as sometimes I feel like I'm stuck for ideas and we get into a rut.

Get up at 7am, plays for a bit in my bedroom (puts on my shoes, brushes her hair, plays with the dog) while I get ready, get her dressed and downstairs for breakfast. 8am plays with her toys/watches peppa pig. Generally out the house by 9am to go to a group (gym, music, dance, or soft play/park), 11am any errands we need to do or just back home for more playing with toys, 12pm lunch, 12.30pm nap time (although she doesn't nap anymore she lays in her cot and relaxes/sings/chatters to teddy), 2pm up and more playing toys, something more substantial like painting or crafts! 4pm Daddy home, 4.30pm tea, 5pm tv time, 5.30pm bath, 6pm bed
This is our typical day but obviously some days we will have big trips out and be out all day.

I have a 17 month old. Today is my day off with him but he's not well so we lazed about the house all day (ie lots of CBeebies...) but normally on a Monday it's a toddler music class in the morning ( he'll potter around with me while we get ready), home for lunch, nap, then in the afternoon we'll go shopping, park or supermarket...all depends on weather and if I have the car. He's with my mum on Tuesday who takes him to soft play in the afternoon and then nursery for next 3 days. At weekend he's out with DH and I doing whatever we'r e doing, bit of soft play, swimming etc. I don't do any structured craft things or anything like that...partly because I'm not creative and partly because he's a bit young. I think at their age they're happy pottering around at home as much as they are doing 'structured' stuff.

That's how I feel lostinloz, would also like some new ideas. There are some good toddler craft ideas on Pinterest but DD is happy to play with stickers or glue pictures I've cut out of magazines onto paper.

We don't have any structure apart from the days DS is in nursery. On my days off work we just do whatever we feel like, or stuff I need to do like shopping, appointments, etc.

Now he's 3 we don't do any toddler groups as they tend to be for younger children but we used to do lots of free sessions in local libraries and museums. Our local art gallery does a great, free toddler art club with loads of messy play. (I don't do messy play at home, too messy.) There are lots of museums that are great for toddlers.
We also did a few paid classes - music, dance, football. I never liked the stay and play type toddler sessions. Now he's 3 we just do football and swimming lessons.
Other than that we do playdates, park, feeding ducks at duck pond, lunch out, garden centre - when he was younger we spent ages in garden centre smelling all the different flowers, herbs and candles and looking at the fish, then having cake in the coffee shop.
Now he's a bit older we do stuff like mini golf, cinema or have movie time at home where we make it like the cinema. Sometimes we put music on and dance in the living room.

I fucking hate crafts and I don't like stay and play. I'll happily take DD to swimming and gymnastics, and I want to sign her up for football if I can. Some days I drag my arse to stay and play because I have the guilt that she's not spending enough time with other children. Otherwise we go to soft play, different playgrounds, just walking round the streets, out in the garden, to the supermarket, garden centre (and Homebase, she lover Homebase). At home we read books, do colouring, play with the farm animals, or do water play if I'm feeling relaxed about the kitchen getting submerged. No fucking crafts though.

Good thread op! I have two 15 months olds and wonder when the structured play will really start being a thing for us. I love crafty stuff but just not sure when to start to try and introduce it. They're not really talking yet so no way could they follow instructions and the thought of a free for all with glue and paint is terrifying!!! They also still eat evrhthing so crayons would mostly be ingested. I'd love some ideas on simple play and crafts to provide some focus and structure.

Get up, get ready for work, drop at nursery, go to work.

Come home, dinner, bath, bed, sit on sofa.

Sorry, you did ask.....

Dd wakes at 8:30am, I have a shower and get dressed and we have breakfast at about 9am. I get dd dressed and most mornings we head to a group, some start at 10am, some at 11am, we aren't ready for the 9:30am ones currently go to sure start stay and play, outdoor toddler group and church toddler group most weeks and occasionally have friend over or go to soft play. Back home for lunch at midday and ideally she naps 1pm until 3pm or sometimes 2pm until 4pm. Then we play at home until I cook at about 5:30pm for dinner around 6:30pm, depending on when dp is due home. Bath then bed anytime between 8pm and 10pm depending on naps and what time she wakes.

During the day Dd plays with her kitchen, Duplo, playmobil 123, trains, musical instruments or her babies. We sometimes make cards for birthdays, read books, do puzzles or drawing and we go to the shops, the park or the library every now and then. I don't have any particular activities for at home, that's why we go to groups. We also go to see friends and so dd can play with different toys and with other children. I struggle to get out unless there is something to go to, so it's for my benefit too. I think now dd is two she enjoys seeing her "friends" and going to familiar activities, plus the opportunity to do more messy, outdoor and water play that we don't tend to do much of at home. I'm hoping I'll feel more like spending outside, as it gets warmer and lighter outside. When dd stops having a nap we'll have more time for play doh and craft at home.

at all the napping toddlers!

DD is 23mo. She wakes around 7.30 and we have breakfast, play, read, get dressed etc then go to groups or classes 10-12. I have to get out in the morning or I feel exhausted.

I'd say 2 or 3x a week we have lunch and spend the afternoon with friends; on the other days we have lunch at home then spend the afternoons however we fancy... Park, soft play, museum, supermarket... If I know we're going to be spending the whole afternoon at home then I usually offer some painting, messy play etc but tbh DD prefers just reading and playing with her toys.

I would definitely say that friends are very important to her now - mine and hers - and she always asks who we're going to see that day.

From 5pm she helps me cook supper then we eat, bath, stories etc and bed around 8pm.

Thanks for all the replies.
I actually don't mind crafts or baking but find role play type things a real effort. There is a limit to how many times I can pretend to drink pretend tea or pretend to eat pretend food! I feel bad about this as I'm sure it's good for DD, I just don't have the imagination for it.
Mine loves the garden centre too, when they had all the Xmas lights and things we went about twice a week, I think she thought she was at a lovely party!

Dc3 is 22mo. On Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays we usually go to toddler groups in the morning, home for lunch, nap and a short play before collecting siblings from school. He gets up at about 6:45am and goes to bed at 7:00pm. At home he likes to play with trains and animals, read or watch paw patrol! We see friends a few times a week too.

DD is 22mo. Up at 7:30, play in my bed until 8ish. Then up, breakfast, bath and Peppa whilst getting dressed (plus it's the only way I can untangle her hair!). We go downstairs and play until 11 when DD has a snack. She has a nap from 11:30-1:30 (sometimes much less), then a bit of Cbeebies whilst we have lunch.

After that it's fair game until dinner at 5:30! Sometimes we go out (library, park, walk, shops, farm in the nice weather - we don't do groups yet (ever)), and sometimes we stay home. When we do, DD likes colouring and stickers, teddies, play kitchen, blocks, books, puzzles, emptying her toy box, playing her games on my phone... We do a mix of these.

DH comes home at 6pm and she follows him around for a bit, then ITNG, milk and story with DH (my time to do the washing up!) and bed at 7:30.

It's sort of routine but DD thrives on it. We do lots of different things in the afternoon so it's varied every day.

DD goes to nursery when I'm at work so I don't feel so much need to go to groups, we went to loads when you was on mat leave but she sees other children at nursery and I see other adults at work!
I think it will be a lot easier when the weather warms up and she can play in the garden.

DD is 2.5. She is with family 3 days a week when I am at work but on our days together we normally go out in the mornings either to a group, supermarket, run errands or I have a season ticket for a local theme park. Nap after lunch, either in the car on our way home or at home. Nip out to feed my horse/play in his field after nap or tv on and toys everywhere if the weather is pants. Dinner around 6 when DH gets home. Bath, story and in bed by 7.30. I like to get out and do something of a morning so that I don't feel bad having lazy afternoons!

I hate toddler groups. Your day sounds perfect to me! DD and I generally go out in the morning to the park or for a scoot around, or to the library or the station to watch the trains. Sometimes swimming if I'm feeling adventurous. We might do this with friends with other little ones, or on our own. Then its home for lunch and nap. In the afternoon we tend to stay in. I'm a big believer in the importance of independent play, so I don't particularly try to entertain DD while we're at home. She plays with her toys or runs around like a lunatic while I do some stuff around the house and also chat and play with her. We might go out again briefly to the shops or for a scoot. Tea is at 6 then bath and bed by 8. DP gets home about 7.30 so we try to get some time in with him before she goes to bed. DD goes to a cm 3 days a week and goes to toddler groups and plays with the bigger kids, so a quieter time when she's with me suits us both.

DD1 is 2y8m and I'm on mat leave. She has dancing once a week but that's the only class I take her to.

Generally I have one day a week of tv all morning then walking down to the end of the road to see the diggers. Then more tv while I cook tea. These are not Supermum days!

Today we went to the park with her scooter in the morning and then an RHS garden this afternoon.

I take her to a local farm place quite a lot. Avoid soft play / swimming because I've got dd2 as well but if I only had dd1 I would probably go a lot more. I'm considering membership for a local country park next year, it's got a farm, playground, sandpit and a train.