Daily Routines with toddler

[Spooked102]

Just wondering what other sahm daily routines are with a toddler. I have one child who is a year and a half and has a set routine everyday, but I’m so bored most days at home, we do go to playgroups or soft play but playgroup is only once a week and theirs only so much soft play I can take lol. I was thinking of starting to go for an hour long walk everyday, I really need the exercise for health and weight loss benefits and I also know it’s good for my lo. I just don’t know how to fit it in/ best time of the day. Routine is wake up give lo a drink change nappy, then breakfast while I clean the kitchen, brush teeth/ wash & change for the day, I put a wash on, clean up while lo plays, then we read a book and I put lo down for a nap, I then get dressed put makeup on, I normally then sit down and have a coffee and breakfast, lo wakes up I then do lunch, play/tidy up for the afternoon, sort washing out/put clothes away. By the time that’s all done it’s time to put tea on then clean up wash dishes bath and bedtime routine, where could I squeeze in a walk?

Stop cleaning and tidying so much...

Why are you cleaning the kitchen in the morning? Why aren't you having breakfast with them?

Why aren't you getting dressed at the same time as your child?

You say you "clean up while lo plays"...what are you cleaning up?

Honestly, if they're waking at 7am and going to bed around 7/8. That's like TWELVE HOURS to get out and about.

(Assuming they naps are at 10 and 3)

Get up at 7. Both have breakfast together. Get washed and dressed. , Baby can play with toys/put in cot to contain them, whilst you get dressed etc That's...8:30...9 latest. Put the wash on then get your butt out of the house. . Time it for nap time if you want, a D Pop baby in buggy, walk through their nap. Added bonus is.If baby isn't playing with toys, they can't be making a mess. Pack bags night before (eg nappies, change of clothes, snacks/lunch/water)

Aim for park for wake up. Let them play in swings, slide etc. Have a picnic lunch, saves another round of cleaning/washing up.

Go home.

Still loads of time left in the day.

Just don't spend it tidying up all the time.

Imagine what you would do if you had a six year old that needed to be at school for 9am. What would you do? You'd crack on with it, and wouldn't spend the morning waiting until first nap to get dressed. You'd get dressed either before kids wake up, or with them. You'd be organised the night before with whatever was needed for the next day (bags packed, lunches made, shoes by door etc)

I know my cleaning is excessive, have a form of ocd I think and can’t stand coming back home to an untidy home, even if I plan to go out a certain. Day in the week I have to clean top to bottom the day before so it’s clean the day I go out. It’s just the way I am and find it hard to not be that way. I’m going to do your suggestion tomorow though! Thankyou

When do you go to soft play or play group? On the days you don’t do those things, go for a walk then. Or spend less time pottering about ‘tidying and cleaning’ first thing and get out then. Just save it up and do it all at tea time. I find that tidying can take over, so I go for the ‘tidy at one point during the day’ approach rather than tidy after each meal. I’d class getting out for a walk each day as more important that washing the breakfast dishes immediately. Or go out after lunch if that’s better around nap time, can you walk to the park and let your dc have a run around there some days?

playgroups and toddler groups were my life line when my dc were that age. I was at the extreme end of the scale, I went to a different one every day of the week for something to do!

@00100001 I wait until nap time because it’s just a lot easier lol, otherwise I have to stick lo in the cot with an iPad while I get ready which normally gives me about 15 minutes, she’s going to nursery September so I know I need to get my arse in gear with trying to get ready and out the door

Can you do it in the afternoon? All you’ve got between lunch and dinner is tidying up and putting the washing away- max an hour then you can go out and do something fun

@Cleothecat75 theirs a park near me we go to sometimes, I just seem really shit at time management since having my child. I go to a playgroup once a week, as that’s the only one closest to me, tried looking for a few more but can’t find anything close enough as I don’t drive yet.

Baby wakes up and has her morning milk, I get ready while she has this sitting chatting on my bed and then we go downstairs, have breakfast together. If there's washing to be done I put it in the washer the night before and set it off when I come to get the milk.
I do the morning dishes and then baby gets ready, we either go to a play group, shopping, park, soft play etc. If we're not doing anything we just stay and i potter around doing housework. Generally tidy the kitchen etc after we have tea and before bath.
Sometimes pop and see relatives etc.
I like to have meals with my little one and we can sit and have a chat etc

Blimey I wish I had the probleM of trying to fit in a walk. Mine are up at 5.30ish and go to bed at 7ish so have 14 hours a day to klll… and no nap!

I have an 18month old and our days look a bit like this when I’m not at work:

• wake 6/7am
• cup of milk/breakfast/brush teeth/clean breakfast dishes/stick something in the slow cooker for dinner & put a wash on
• get both of us dressed
• About 9am - head to a toddler group/out to the shops/out for a walk etc depending on what we’re doing that day then home and play for a while/read books
• 11.30/11.45ish - lunch
• 12/12.15 - 2pm DS naps and I sort out the laundry/hoover/clean up after lunch etc
• 2pm - depends on the day - bad weather we’ll play at home and good weather we’ll head back out to the park/beach or play in the garden
• 5pm - dinner at home
• 6pm - bath time
• 6.30pm - cup of milk
• 7pm - brush teeth, bedtime books, then bed for 7.30pm

I used to do the morning nap in the pram and I walked then. Usually walked to something that we wanted to do.

I have 3 year old twins on pretty much the same schedule. They start their 30 hours in September 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Realistically, that’s the routine on a good day 🤣 he’s usually up at 5am and I’m out the house by 8am trying to find things to distract him so he’s not tearing the house apart 🤣

You can get hiking backpack carriers for toddlers. They are great. Some even have little pillows for when your toddler had a nap.
You could slowly increase the length of your walks.
As the weather improves you could have breakfast/lunch outside. Means less tidying.
You could reduce your tidying by a specified amount maybe? Life is short. Too short to spend all your time on cleaning and tidying. Espically as the weather improveS.
maybe there are other local Mums who want to walk with you? That would give you an incentive to get out the house. You may even find your happiness/contentment levels go up as the amount of cleaning/tidying you do reduces

So, stick her in the cot with an iPad. It's fine.

It can't take you much more than 15m to get ready anyway, surely?

Either that,or get up a d dressed before she wakes up.

Agree with another poster that you just have to crack on.any serious cleaning can be done during naptime or after bedtime and just tidying as you go. Put clothes away once or twice a week in bulk.

DD is 22 months and up at 5.30. Milk and cuddles til 6.30, wander downstairs for a nappy change and breakfast. Back upstairs by 8 to get dressed for the day and even farting about we are both ready to leave the house by 9. Naptime is 12.30-2.30 after lunchtime and teatime is 5.30 then bedtime routine from 6. Tonnes of time to fill with fun stuff

Babies and toddlers are pretty happy wherever
You don't have it stick to "toddler activities".

And obviously, the following depends on what's available to you.

You say you read every morning, so, get out of the house and do the reading in the library. Never too young to be a library member. You might also find they have baby rhyme time, story walks etc.

Take them to Costa for a fee babycino. Get your drink to go, and stay there as long as she will tolerate. Take crayons, iPad, books, whatever. If she gets ants in her pants, scoop her up and go.

Take her for a walk anywhere. She'll be quite content just walking to and round the local newsagents. Or to Nana's or wherever tbh.At 18 months,she should be able todo 1km. Added bonus is it can take absolutely ages if you let them set the pace, let them look at every tiny thing.

Take her to look at ducks at a lake/nature reserve/river. Paddle in wellies if it's shallow, throw sticks in, look for pebbles etc

Take her swimming, easy way to use up 1-2hrs.

Take her to a garden centre and look at the plants. And animals if they have them (of not, pets at home or similar)

Take her to a bakery, choose something and walk somewhere to eat it even the bus shelter will be an adventure!

Go and spot planes/trains/cars/buses etc

I have an almost 2 year old and this is our routine when he's off nursery/I'm off uni (although they generally follow this routine at nursery too)

6/6:30am wake up

7am milk and cuddles in my bed, usually watch a bit of tv or read some books

8am breakfast then get ready (I tidy as I go, so whilst he's having breakfast I'll wash up) then we get ready and go out, park/walk/shops etc - he usually has a piece of fruit or a yoghurt at some point when we're out

Lunch at 11:30am

Nap time around 12-2/2:30 ish. I use this time to relax and get some uni work done

Then we'll usually go and see family/friends (my toddler is a nightmare if you try and keep him in the house all day😁) and he'll have a couple of snacks on the go

We're always back by about 5pm where he'll have dinner then is usually bathed, milk, teeth brushed etc by 6:30ish. Then we have cuddles until bedtime which is around 7.

Then in the evening I'll do a bit of tidying. Honestly don't put so much pressure on cleaning, it's more important to focus on your mental health and getting out with your baby, it will do you so much better.

I did put that message in paragraphs. Mumsnet needs to sort this out 😒

Here's our routine for my toddler, we are pretty flexible though!

6am...I get up, clear clean dishes away, make older ones lunches, put washing on, get myself fully ready eg makeup before the children wake up around 7.

7-8 is getting everyone ready

8-9 school run

9-930 tidy breakfast things away, pack anything we need for the day.

We try to be out by 9.30 to various activities eg playgroup, library, soft play, swimming, park z shopping. If we stay in we tend to go in the garden at this time or play indoors but either way we try to do an activity in the morning.

12ish we either head home for lunch or have lunch out.

1-3 toddler plays, general independent, I play with them but also potter around. Or we may get cosy on the couch and read stories.

3-4 school run

4-5 TV time while I empty school bags, hang a load of washing etc

5 I prepare tea they generally go in the garden

6 pm eat dinner together all of us

7pm DH does bath and supper while I do dinner clean-up, sort clothes and bag for next day

8pm.stories in bed and they are asleep by 8.30.

That sounds exhausting reading it back 🤣

I couldn’t have a set routine, it would absolutely drive me mad. We take each day as it comes. Each day is different and therefore exciting!

You must have a vague routine.

Surely you have breakfast within an hour or so of getting up. And have lunch around the same time each day.

And bedtime must be similar?

We do different things each day but still have a routine of sorts, even as adults...

Use The organised mum method to help you calm down your cleaning and to make what you do more efficient.

Have one nap each day in the pushchair and go for a walk then. I have a dog and DD had all her naps in her pushchair with a snooze shade (& rain cover) either whilst walking or parked up in the garden (or parked up inside if the weather was really terrible).

It gets easier to fit things in when they drop to one nap (which my DD did at 10 months for some crazy reason).

In term time we have gymnastics 3 times a week, 2 music classes, stay and play and sensory. We walk or get busses everywhere unless dp is off work as I can't drive 🤷‍♀️

He will only nap if we are out on a bus or in the car so we don't have nap times.

He is 15 months old.

At that age. Up dressed on the school run, then playgroup, swimming, library, park forest school or whatever was happening that day, home, quick lunch, nap, I tidy/do house work or maybe nap myself, off to school pick up, home, TV time and I make dinner, bath, supper and bed.