If ur the parent of one child, what is ur routine?

[Neera]

I guess the title says it all. I'd like to hear from moms with one toddler. I am sure two or more must be a lot more work.

Wrote this in a great hurry yest. so adding that we are going to be moving next month and want to have a more organized life with my 3 1/2 yr old dd. Where we are right now we live close to her grandparent's place and sometimes she is there sometimes at home. Right now there is no routine for bath time or sleep time and various things like that.

TIA

[Holiztic]

We have a very solid routine here with me, SAHM and 3.5 yo DS. DH works a regular schedule--gone from 7:30 to 5, give or take.

6:30 Wake up, make beds (DS sleeps in toddler bed in our room). DS gets himself dressed and brushes his teeth while DH gets ready for work--I start breakfast and pack DH's lunch.

7:30 DH leaves for work, DS and I eat breakfast. I do dishes (after he clears his place) while he plays in playroom--open to our kitchen.

8:30 I get myself showered/dressed while DS plays in our room.

9:00 or 9:30 we head out for the morning. Gymnastics, farm pickups, shopping, playground, long walk, etc.

11:00 Back home to make lunch, eat lunch, clean up lunch

12:00 or 12:30 upstairs to our room for rest time. First I read to him for 20 minutes or so, then he plays by himself (sitting, quietly!) for 40 minutes--sometimes listens to book on CD. I read in bed.

1:00 or 1:30 Housework time. I clean/do laundry while he helps or plays by himself (usually a combo of both).

2:30 ish we do one of the following: play outside at our house, go to a close-by playground (if we didn't in the morning), or stay in and play games, do puzzles, etc. If I am worn out by then I read in a chair in our driveway or on bench at the playground while he plays outside, or on the couch in the playroom while he plays.

3:30 or 4:00 Bath time, he gets his PJs

4:30 I start dinner--he helps or plays in his playroom.

5:00 DH gets home, we eat dinner, I do dishes while they play after dinner.

6:00 We all go upstairs for DS' bedtime (with no nap he is asleep by 7!) We have a very solid routine: last pee, DH does his toothbrushing and flossing. They meet me on the "big bed" for a story or two, then he gets into his bed--we talk about our day (listing what we've done and each one of us picks our favorite part), then we sing to DS for a few minutes. After hugs and kisses, DH leaves the room, but lately I have gone back to staying with him due to nighttime fears (he was fine to fall asleep alone from 3-3.5). I read by lantern in the big bed while he falls asleep a few feet away in his bed--it takes about 15-20 minutes usually.

I love our rhythm, and it makes DS so calm and well-behaved to know what is coming and how everything is done! He's much more likely to get fussy or throw tantrums when we have no schedule or we're outside of our rhythm!

[Neera]

Thanks and I have to say wow. Our life is like one big circus in comparison. My big question is how does he let u do work - washing dishes, cleaning, cooking? I can do some work while she watches some recorded tv programs but, if she is playing she always wants to do something messy. Get felt pen on her hands and mouth or paint or if I ask her to help water the plants, she'll manage to get some dirt outside the pots. She used to push her Radio Flyer wagon around and hit the tables and chairs until we got rid of it. She does the same with her doll's stroller. Also, when she's watching tv I am sometimes interrupted constantly. She needs water (I tried giving her a bottle to pour by herself -- we got pieces of crayon inside the bottle), then she wants a snack. I sometimes finish washing her cereal bowl and just then she'll ask for more. She is not able to wipe herself in the bathroom so, needs me for that etc. I am used to the interruptions and not finishing things or not fiinshing on time.

I had some after thoughts. At present I'm waking up at about 7.45. If I were to wake up as early as 6.30 I'd definetly need a nap myself. How do u manage that? Dd would be totally falling apart without a nap. Dh doesn't have a fixed time of returning home and usually is v. tired anyway. He ends up helping because she will demand his attention or might be having a tantrum I can't handle. I like the idea that you talk about your day.

One last question is do u go to a gym for gymnastics and what kind is it?

Thks.

[Tway]

I'm copying this from another thread. DD is 11 months, so will only officially be a toddler in a month or so, but FWIW I thought I'd re-post here. Note that this is our general schedule, with lots of fluctuation.

Here's what our routine generally looks like (at least Monday-Friday)

8:30/9:00 Up for the day (DH has already left for work)
9:00 - 10:00 Breakfast for DD and I
10:00 - 10:45 Shower for me, dry hair, dress DD
10:45 - 12:00 Playtime/Check email/Browse MDC
12:00 - 12:40 DD naps, I put on makeup/fix snack/finish checking emails
12:40 - 1:00 Pack bag, put DD in stroller
1:00 - 2:00 Walk through park, play on swing, see ducks
2:00 - 3:00 Stop at Starbucks for coffee, people watching
3:00 - 3:30 Walk home through park, run errands
3:30/4:10 DD naps for 40 minutes, bathroom & computer break for me
4:10 - 5:00 I prepare supper wile DD plays (sometimes I just play with her)
5:00 - 6:00 Walk around outside and explore and wait for DH to come home
6:00 - 7:00 Eat
7:00 - 8:00 Family walk
8:00 - 8:40 Bathtime, story, bed
8:40 - 11:00 ME TIME!
1:30 - 2:00 (or when I can get back to sleep) Feed
4:30 - 5:00 ( " ") Feed

I also feed when she wakes, before naps, and before bed.

[Harmony08]

We don't have a very set schedule. We just follow our own little routines. Like we "drink tea" (he has water in a mug) and read in the mornings and then have some breakfast. We generally then go on an outing (classes, playdates, etc). Then home and lunch, playing, reading, nap. Up. Then playing, or walk, or project, or baking but we often do those things in the mornings too if we have no planned outing that day. We have dinner when DH gets home, play with him, bath time for ds. I generally shower in the evenings at some point. We brush teeth and then all read in bed and then ds goes to sleep. So I guess we do have a schedule of sorts. I love it.

[Neera]

Thanks. I get up earlier than dd. She wakes up late. She goes to bed q. late. Usually not bfor 11.00 am. After we get up we have some breakfast and if we were to go out to a store or for an outing she is ravenous by the time we get back and there's no time for me to cook if I don't already have something cooked. I forgot to say that her grandparents r only available at nights, when she sometimes has tantrums to go there. So, the bath, dinner is chaotic. Many times I have stuff cooked (not that she eats a large variety of foods) and I throw it out because she is not around to eat it. She will reject foods at lunch that she usually eats for dinner. Well, hopefully, I will be able to set up a decent routine and not get overwhelmed.

Thanks all.