Tell me your 2+ year olds routine

[ParentalGuidances]

Hi

I have a 2.5 year old and recently have been feeling like I’m getting it all wrong. She’s very clingy, cranky, whiney and overbearing.

She goes to bed around 9pm and is up at 9am. Doesn’t start nursery until the afternoon so there is no real need to be up too early. On the weekends she naps but nursery days she doesn’t as by the time she gets home at 4pm and takes a nap, she’d then struggle to sleep at night.

Is this where I’m going wrong? Should I put her down for a nap even for an hour after nursery so she can rest up rather than annoying me because perhaps she’s overtired?

Please tell me what your day is like and if you have any tips which have made life easier. I’m really struggling to enjoy her if im honest. I don’t want to feel this way hence the thread.

Thanks

Similar to above, nursery 5 days all day as I work full time.
She's 2.5 also.

Up between 7 and 7.30am, in nursery by 8.20, there all day with no nap, pick up at 5.30, home, tea, bath at 6.30 and lights out by 6.50. At weekends the wake up and sleep is similar, maybe a bit less rigid on bed time but never later than 7/7.15 and she naps 1.30-3pm both days usually (with a bit of encouragement)

At that age DD was up at 7:15, nursery 8:15 to 5:30 with a lunchtime nap (1-1.5 hours) then bed at 7:30pm.

She dropped her nap at 3yo, literally the day of her birthday, and never napped again. Ever. No matter how tired she is.

My dd turned 2 in December and her daily routine is:

7am-8am - wake up & breakfast
11:30am/1pm - goes down for a 2 hours nap
Afternoons - lunch (on days she hasn't been to nursery) plays with her toys, goes to softplay, visits grandad, we all go for a walk somewhere.
5:30-6pm - dinner
7pm - bathtime
7:30pm-8pm - pjs on, story & down in her cot

We generally have things to do in the morning, so afternoons are flexible.

Monday 9am - swimming lesson
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:30-12:30 - nursery
Friday 9:30-10:30 - toddler music/dance class thing

I'd think she needs to be up earlier and going to bed earlier. She could then nap before nursery.
Is the whining boredom-related? Is she sufficiently challenged?
Mine does whine when tired/hungry though.

I found once my DD dropped her nap around 2.5 years, she went to asleep A LOT easier and earlier, around 7pm and a better routine formed naturally.

It sounds as if on a nursery day she is just desperate to sleep when she gets home. I'd very gradually bring her bedtime earlier, aiming for around 7PM - that way you will be kept busy by the hometime/bedtime/bathtime routine in between nursery and bed. If she gets up earlier then I wouldn't worry too much: either she will be so tired she will decide to nap before or at nursery (and they are usually wizards at getting tired toddlers to sleep even where they won't at home!) or the busy-ness of nursery will keep her going through the afternoon and she will be ready to crash much earlier. I would not even think about getting into 4PM naps unless you want to extend the current cycle even further. This way you should hopefully find that she will have more energy during the mornings for you to do nice things together and that the evening will fly by much more quickly and you get some time to yourself after she is in bed.

Similar to you.. bed 9.30 gets up at 9.30. nap from 3.30 til 5.30

Works for us. I don't necessarily think anyone's routine is helpful, you do what works for you and your little one. Don't forget there's probably a bit of a regression round about now too.