I have a 14-month-old DD, and until recently everything in her life has been dictated by her lol. I certainly don't let her have things that aren't safe or healthy for her, but what I mean is that I've always let her sleep, play, and eat when she wanted to.
I feel like at this age she needs more consistency, i.e., she knows that it is time to settle down for a nap/bed soon because I am giving her a bath, reading stories, playing soft music, etc. Or she knows it is almost lunch time because we are playing lively music and dancing, etc. DD has always been rather "high needs", so I think more consistency/familiarity will be especially helpful to her. IDK... does anyone else have a sort of routine like this, and if so, what does it involve (and in what order?).
I used to work at a daycare several years ago, and I recall that in the one-year-old room we would have breakfast as soon as the kids arrived, free play time, then "circle time" (singing and reading), more free play, lunch, snack, arts & crafts, then outside play or free play inside (weather dependent), then the kids would go home. I currently watch another LO during the day (3 month old), so our wake-up time is already pretty consistent, but he is too young to do free play, or eat solids, or even have a regular nap time obviously lol.
So I'm thinking of doing something similar, but not without being flexible to allow things to change if DD isn't feeling up to a particular activity that day. I just want to make sure I am getting a lot of quality time with her as well, and not constantly trying to clean during the day when I should be doing activities with her (though it needs to be done) lol.
I feel like this will also help DD settle down at nighttime so she won't fuss as much. We co-sleep, but sometimes getting her to actually fall asleep calmly can be a nightmare (mostly when teething, or if she didn't nap during the day).
I feel like at this age she needs more consistency, i.e., she knows that it is time to settle down for a nap/bed soon because I am giving her a bath, reading stories, playing soft music, etc. Or she knows it is almost lunch time because we are playing lively music and dancing, etc. DD has always been rather "high needs", so I think more consistency/familiarity will be especially helpful to her. IDK... does anyone else have a sort of routine like this, and if so, what does it involve (and in what order?).
I used to work at a daycare several years ago, and I recall that in the one-year-old room we would have breakfast as soon as the kids arrived, free play time, then "circle time" (singing and reading), more free play, lunch, snack, arts & crafts, then outside play or free play inside (weather dependent), then the kids would go home. I currently watch another LO during the day (3 month old), so our wake-up time is already pretty consistent, but he is too young to do free play, or eat solids, or even have a regular nap time obviously lol.
So I'm thinking of doing something similar, but not without being flexible to allow things to change if DD isn't feeling up to a particular activity that day. I just want to make sure I am getting a lot of quality time with her as well, and not constantly trying to clean during the day when I should be doing activities with her (though it needs to be done) lol.
I feel like this will also help DD settle down at nighttime so she won't fuss as much. We co-sleep, but sometimes getting her to actually fall asleep calmly can be a nightmare (mostly when teething, or if she didn't nap during the day).
