Everything changed for me when I left the classroom. It changed even more when I had a second baby. Two under two may have been one of the hardest things I've ever did. Now my girls are two under three. It is not as difficult as 2 under 2 but still has it's challenges. I thrive on a schedule. Things were so chaotic the first year my second was born that I had to figure out something for myself. Of course, I relied on a schedule. Our schedule now works. It is predictable for my girls.We can plan play dates around the schedule and because of that, my second does not lose sleep during the day. My day has gone smoother because of it. I figured I'd share my schedule with you if this is something you struggle with or just enjoy reading what others do daily. I will also add, my husband is a big reason why this schedule works too. He also thrives on a schedule. He tries to be very consistent with what I do every day when he has the girls. So he usually has great days with the girls because he does exactly what I do.
7am: I wake up. I sometimes sleep later depending on if the night was difficult with one of the girls. But sleeping later is like right before the girls wake up.
7:30-8am: the girls wake up. I get my second first, and then we go to her sister's room together. My oldest picks out her outfit, we change her and then we change my second. If it's the weekend, sometimes I keep them in the PJs because why not? But lately, my almost 3 year old is adamant to pick her outfit the moment she wakes. We then use the potty, brush teeth and go to the kitchen area for breakfast.
8:15-8:30am: The girls eat their breakfast. We always start with a yogurt and then I give them some fruit and maybe a waffle, muffins, bagel or eggs. I usually ask them but they ALWAYS choose muffins so I try to mix it up.
8:30am- 10:30: Play time/read books. If the weather is nice, we will go for a walk during this time or play a little outside in our yard. If it is on the colder side, we usually play in the basement where we have a play area set up. I drink my coffee during this time. I like to play music and/or an audio book. They love it. They also (sometimes) eat a snack during this time. Usually they don't want a snack, but I always offer it. I go back and forth with playing with them or having them play independently. I don't always play with them, but I do about half the time. I also read a crap ton of books to them during this time. They will constantly bring books to me to read to them. It's really a time for play of choice!
10:30am: Clean-up time. I put on some music that is all "clean-up" songs. I help them clean-up but they love it. My almost 3 year old is obviously wayyyy better with cleaning up. My 18 month old is learning, she's just not quite there yet.
10:45am: After clean-up we go upstairs so I can prepare for lunch. I like to use this as a screen time. I put them at the table with my laptop and put on a cute show or a movie. This helps me get lunch ready pretty quickly and then they don't take out all the toys in the upstairs room.
11:00am- 11:45am: Lunch time. This part is so nice, I make their lunch. They eat together while watching their show and during their eating time, I clean up the kitchen a bit then get my lunch ready. I then join them for lunch. Sometimes I wait to eat lunch until a little later, but I try to eat with them as often as I can.
11:45am- We go to my youngest room and read books and play a little. She has a great collection of books in her room that family and friends gifted her. I change her diaper if I need to, and get her ready for nap.
12:00pm- My youngest naps. It is sometimes a little later or right at 12. It depends on her mood. If she is in a good mood and doesn't seem like she's ready for sleep, I will have them play a little longer in her room. I just judge it by her cues. If we also go to someone else's house, we aren't usually home until 1. She sometimes starts her nap at 1pm on those days. We hope for a two hour nap, but if she wakes before then, we keep her in her room until at least 1:30pm unless she's screaming. On days we come home late from a playdate, she usually naps passed 2pm. She has stuffed animals in her bed that she plays with until we get her if she has a short nap that day.
12:05pm: This time I like to put my almost 3 year old in her room for a "wind down" time. She hangs out on her tablet, sometimes read her own books, draws or colors in her notebook or coloring books, plays with blocks or does puzzles. She can also lay on her bed and nap if she wants to. She doesn't usually nap, but she does like laying in her bed. This time is when I like to switch over the laundry that I put in the morning, or if i did not put a load in yet, this is when I start it. I also like to clean up whatever needs to be cleaned up. Clean up after lunch, take care of the dog, make sure he eats, eat lunch if I didn't yet, check my email, walk on the treadmill, literally anything. I constantly go back and forth from what I'm doing to my almost 3 year old's room because I check if she needs to potty. She sometimes says yes, but most of the time she says no. There have been times that I am so tired, I take a quick nap. That is VERY rare. It depends on how well I slept the night before.
1:30pm-2pm: My second gets up from nap and we get my almost three year old from her room. I change a diaper if I need to. We then get a snack. We also like to take a walk during this time if it's nice outside.
2:30pm-4pm: Daddy comes home. He then leaves again to either run or coach, but sometimes he stays home and this time is a great buffer for me and the girls start to play with him.
4:00-5:00pm: My husband takes the girls to the basement play room, and I get an hour break. This break I did not realize how important it is. Yes, I use this time to start making dinner but it is honestly the best. I put on my podcast and I clean-up the toys/start making dinner. I also use this time to switch over laundry or fold. On days my husband coaches, I do not get the hour because he does not come home until after 5:30. These days are extremely hard for me because I feel overtired and overstimulated. I feel like this hour gives me a mental break.
5:00pm: Dinner. We are pretty good with eating dinner at the same time every night. I love this time. My husband brings the girls up from the basement playing and we get them ready for dinner.
5:45: Bath time: I take the girls for a bath while my husband stays in the kitchen. He cleans, I bathe the girls. We used to do bath time together and then I would clean up the kitchen later in the evening. We changed this when the girls got a little older and we no longer needed two adults for bath time. So one day I asked my husband if he wanted to give the girls a bath or clean the kitchen after dinner, and he chose the kitchen. He always chooses the kitchen. When I come downstairs after bath, the kitchen is nice and clean. It is one of my favorite things we do as a compromise. It benefits us both! I use this time to dry their hair, and put on their PJs. They are almost ready for bed after bath time.
6:15pm: Wind down time. We take the girls to our basement room and watch a little bit from a movie. We have all lights off except for one lamp and wind down together. The girls like to snuggle with both of us. It is so sweet. I only see this time getting sweeter too. They're just too cute.
6:40pm: We take the girls upstairs together. We alternate nights of who we are putting to bed. We make sure our almost three year old goes potty, we have both girls brush their teeth, we encourage the girls to say goodnight to each other, and then we take them to their room separately. Each girl reads a few books with the parent that is with them that night. Then, we get them tucked in with their favorite stuffed animal, turn on the white noise, and turn off the lights. Lights are off by 7pm. Both girls sleep through the night. Of course we have some nights that one may wake up, especially when they're sick but 95% of the time, when lights are off we don't see them again until the morning!
The rest of the evening my husband and I just do what makes us happy and makes us wind down. I don't usually go to bed or get ready for bed until around 11pm. It works for me. Sometimes earlier if I feel so tired. But 11pm seems to be the time almost every night.
There aren't set times that I change diapers or have my almost 3 year old use the potty. It is based on them really. I have a diaper changing station in every room in the house which is super convenient, so I'm prepared for diaper change at any time. My almost 3 year old has gotten good with telling me every time she has to use the potty, so I just take her whenever she says. I'll ask her occasionally but it's usually a no.
I obviously know this schedule will change. It has changed so many times but once it does change, it stays consistent for a while. I truly believe consistency is so important for kids. Especially young toddlers. Not only do I thrive on a schedule, but they do too.
Let me know what your days look like if you stay home with your kiddos or once did! I'd love to chat about it!
Thanks so much for reading!
Susana
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