If you are a single parent working fulltime with a reception age child

[duffybeatmetoit]

Please tell me about your evening routine. I don't get to pick up DD until 6pm and she is desperate to have playtime with me so I don't do any housework or get a meal for myself until she is asleep. (She eats at the childminder's). She is always wideawake and raring to go until at least 7.30 and finds it difficult to get off to sleep. By the end of the week she is obviously really tired.

What routines work for you as I'm tearing my hair out trying to get a balance between time with her (she's finding XH walking out very difficult at the moment) and making sure she gets enough sleep.

I'm not a single mum but DH works long hours Monday-Friday and I do it all myself. I get home at 5.30/6, cook and eat with kids so I have some calm time to talk to them about their day, then baths followed by one on one reading and cuddle time, then bed for Reception DS at 7.30 and the other at 8. I find the bath followed by reading is really calming for them. They do like a proper naked run through the house before bathtime though!

I totally sympathise. I am a single parent too but lucky enough to only have to work four days/week. In our case no ex husband/partner in the mix at all. My DD is Year 1 and does a mixture of childminder and afterschool club. We get home about 6pm and I usually give her a small snack with a glass of milk whilst she watches TV and/or we play. By about 6:40pm she's in the bath and in bed by 7pm when we do reading (her to me and me to her). We have a chat about the day (best bits, worst bits - hers are normally about who got which class "rewards" and mine are about my commute or job!) and then "lights out" at 7.30pm. She's usually asleep 5-10 mins after. I'm lucky that I can take her to school most mornings which gives us precious time with each other and our weekends are very much together...albeit sometimes also with my parents or friends.
Good luck, I never feel I am giving enough time to my DD but she seems to be thriving so I'm just keeping doing what I can.

On the days that I work and DD (YR) is with me I collect her from CM and we are home around 5.45pm.

We have a little play for about 30mins. Then we sit together and watch 1 program (today it was 'Let's Play'). She will eat fruit or sometimes some crackers whilst watching. She eats at CM so not really hungry.

We go up, she has a bath. Then stories. I stay upstairs working in my office until she falls asleep (her door is closed by she tells me that she looks for my light on).

So usually in bed 7.30pm and asleep by 8pm.