What do you do all day every day?!

[Elsraspberry]

I have 3 children - 5yo, 3yo and just turned 1yo. Obviously 5yo is at full time school so we all get out for both school runs each day!

I am just struggling to fill the days with the younger 2! Especially when the weather is miserable. 3yo doesnt nap or go to nursery yet. I feel like we watch so much TV and eat so many snacks just to break up the day which I know isnt the way to be spending this time. Not sure why I am finding it so much harder than when I had the oldest at home!

So really I am asking what is your routine day to day, and how do you fill your days? Thankyou!

I would make a weekly plan of groups, activities (doesn’t have to be ‘fun’ - weekly shops, visiting family etc. and stick to it. I hide the tv remote when I go to bed at night and they know it doesn’t come out till after tea (and now they are older reading also has to be done first). Having a vague plan helped me feel in control and took away the decision fatigue of figuring what each day would look like.

My kids are all older now but I filled out days with library trips for story time, play groups at churches/community centres, baking cakes and making rice crispy cakestreats. Off the tv was on it was for 1 hour of educational stuff like razzle dazzle, Steve backshalls deadly 60 or add they got older how it’s made, mythbusters , anything by Attenborough . We did plenty of crafting and imagination play too. Good weather was park trips and picnics or paddling pools at home. Lots of woodland walks pretending we were on a bear hunt!

Miss those days 🥰

Not a SAHM but am part time. I try to structure days as morning for an activity (out of the house come rain or shine), home for lunch and a nap, and the afternoon for playing at home with toys / crafts / baking etc. Try to limit TV to every other day. Obviously it’s easier for us though as we do have nursery some days!

I have a 3 year old and a 10month old and there are some days I struggle with knowing what to do with them too. Thankfully my toddler does do a couple of mornings at nursery which really helps. If nursery isn’t an option for your toddler then if you have family nearby can they take your toddler for an afternoon?
Could someone go swimming with you?
I find that the library is quite good as they usually have a children’s play section or story and craft sessions.
Garden centres can also be great - grab a coffee and cake, they tend to have a playground too.
Can you take them both with you to do the weekly food shop? I don’t do this yet, but I do take them to the shop to do little top ups and that usually takes up a good chunk of time - especially if you let them help unpack it all.
We also bake at least once a week.
Quite often walk round to the local park, even if it’s raining. Pop puddle suits on, wellies etc. Hunt for worms and bugs.
Then there’s always mums and tots groups usually in a church or village hall and not expensive. Or there’s proper classes for toddlers (though I found this to be tricky with a baby as well as a toddler).
I guess it’s probably tricky with school drop off and pick up as you have those time constraints to stick to as well.

Parks, soft play, play groups, swimming, role play centres, the library. I categorically don't do full days spent at home with my toddler for my own mental health (kiddo had far too much energy for 4 walls 😬).

When we're back home it's a mixture of activities like crafts, baking, helping with cleaning, stories, and free play with toys.

I don’t struggle to fill it at all. Mornings are getting ready then walking DC to nursery, back home with toddler. We do an activity, or potter around the shops, or do a job in the house then collect other DC before lunch time.
Kids play, I make lunch, tidy up from lunch and then half the days or so toddler will nap and I have some time with older DC.
Then some times we go out to the beach, play in the garden, other days I have things to get on with in the house, DIY to do etc and they just play around me.
Then it’s cooking dinner and DH returns.

Other days we’re out out the house most of the day between a food shop, collecting DC and then visiting friends and relatives.

I have four who are older now but we used to drop dd1 at school then head straight to a toddler group/ soft play/ park/ play date (not very often as most people don’t fancy 3 preschooler not surprisingly!). Then either lunch where we were or home. The nappers then went down 12.30- 2 and the one that didn’t nap watched tv/ drawing/ craft.
I would do jobs, prep dinner, washing or just chill with the older one.
Then school run and after school activities or sometimes we would go to the park on the way home.

I had a habit that we would do something in the morning involving a group or a going somewhere thing and then after lunch we would hang out at home a bit and sometimes head to the beach/park/supermarket/shops if required. Sometimes we would just have an afternoon at home playing.

We didn't watch much TV. She started preschool at 2.5 and I made sure we weren't rushing from that to another activity all the time. My DD did amuse herself pretty well with an audience: we whiled away many afternoons playing with a train set/balloon/playdough.

I did ask her once what she fancied doing one day when she was 2 and she suggested a trip to the doctor. Turns out she was fine and didn't have some alarming malingering syndrome but quite fancied playing with the toys in the medical centre with me close by.

I think if I got some time to sit down with a cup of tea and she played with her toys we were both happy. They just need your attention and time. I never felt under pressure to do too much 'stuff' unless I fancied it.

I always used to plan a week ahead - schedule with toddler groups, park visits etc. otherwise I’d have gone mad.

I’m a SAHM and we have to get out or I’d loose my mind. I e love gymboree, great for both ages if you have one near you.. local playgroups etc

And meet up with friends with kids same age!

Like others I had structure of groups or activities plus self imposed rules.
So no tv until quiet time after lunch.

We did 2 toddler group mornings, swimming, a music session, shopping and cafe.

I also made lists of activities that helped different areas of child development that I referred to for ideas, so motor skills gross and fine, science etc.
Eg kicking a ball, throw and catch, playing with water, painting, crafts etc etc.

I used to book activities and classes for the term so I'd have a weekly routine planned out - one class/group every morning, some days had an afternoon activity as well. Mine continued to nap in the afternoons until she started preschool. Then the rest of the time was whatever was convenient and nearby for the morning activity, eg a park or library between the class and home, and we'd have a picnic lunch so I wouldn't have to rush home. I didn't find it hard to fill the days. I never felt pressure to do lots of "stuff" but we both enjoyed it and it was good for social skills.

When mine were that age we had a planned routine that typically involved a morning outing - playgroup/ meet friends/ park/ visit grandparents/ shopping etc. usually home for 12 ish then lunch and nap. Followed by playing in garden/ baking/ play dough/ toys. Then tv while I make tea.

i have a 2 year old and a baby and our routine is similar to those above:

8am breakfast
9am leave for a playgroup
12pm lunch
1pm down for a nap
3pm wake up and have a snack
3.30pm leave the house for the playground, park or library
5.30pm home to cook while toddler plays independently or watches TV
6pm dinner
7pm bath and bed by 8pm

obviously the timings are never that precise, but the day feels busy and full and the predictability means no endless requests for snacks etc

We’re very blessed to have parks, the library and playgroups 4 days a week nearby