Something I get asked all the time is what H & I do day to day and I don’t know about you but I LOVE reading about other people’s daily routines with a child!
Routines make life easier.. and IMO they are ESSENTIAL if you want a contented baby, as little ones like to know what’s happening next. Our evening routine for example, is how H knows that it’s time to start winding down to go to sleep! Having said this though, ROUTINES CAN BE TWEAKED AND EVEN BROKEN! Life is wonderful because of the different things we do – and these things can be slotted in to established routines because babies bounce back & go back to their ‘usual routine’ the next day when helped by you.
Obviously no one family or baby/ toddler are the same, but I really hope by sharing our routine at 12, 18 and 24 months – it may help to provide a little inspiration for a fellow mama in need (we’ve all been there!).
OUR 12 MONTH WEEKLY ROUTINE (the weekends are for family & friends & trips out!)
BTW.. In the early days we worked on the ‘E.A.S.Y’ method.. H would Eat, do a little Activity and then Sleep, all within 2 hours (the y stands for You!).
💛 MONDAY – Baby Sensory
💚 TUESDAY – Nursery (swapped later for @mummyfit_uk and then a Phonics class!)
💙 WEDNESDAY – Nursery as mummy works in the PM
🧡 THURSDAY – Baby Sign or chill at home/walk
💜 FRIDAY – Baby Sensory Room or Lunch with Friends
6:45am – Wake up & milk time!
7:45am – Breakfast then playtime
9:00am -🤱🏻 9:45am – Nap 1
11:15am – 🤱🏻 & morning activity/walk
12:15pm – Lunch 1:30pm – 🤱🏻2:15pm – Nap 2
3:45pm – 🤱🏻
4:30pm – Dinner
6.30pm – Bedtime.. feed then bath/feed & book 📚
7:00pm – Into cot! 😴
👌🏼 We stuck to the above timings within about 30 mins.. some feeds were obviously longer than others… some were just ‘top ups’ or sometimes skipped!
OUR DAILY ROUTINE AT 16-18 MONTHS!
6am – Wake up, then milk & banana in our bed!
7:30/8am – Breakfast* at home/nursery
10am – Snack bar 11:30am – Lunch
12:00pm – Nap for 2 hours
2:30/3pm – Snack time e.g. yoghurt lolly 5:30pm – Dinner time
6:15pm – Bath time, moisturise, milk, book
6:45pm – Sleepy time (yay!)
👶🏼 When H is awake we play either inside or outside (weather dependent), read books, go for a walk or watch TV (0-20 mins a day). He has milk or water to drink during the day too.
👨👩👦 Regarding how my husband and I fit in, we usually have one hour each on a morning to shower and get ready (and workout/do some house work!) and I work during H’s nap and after he goes to bed.
🙈 The one thing that I would change about MY routine is that I go to bed WAY too late.. I try to do just ‘one more job’ and then don’t end up falling asleep until 11/12 – really I need to be asleep by 10pm as my mini alarm clock goes off at anywhere between 5:45am & 6:15am and I can’t turn it off.. does anyone else relate?!
OUR 24 MONTH ROUTINE! (written in November 2020!)
👉🏼 H thrives on a (loose) routine & it honestly makes him so much more content. Although I do usually TWEAK the timings of his routine, I rarely deviate from it massively (I learnt my lesson on his birthday when I dropped him off at nursery at snack time instead of breakfast time .. he was emotional all morning apparently until he woke up from his lunch time nap!).. the most I do is push things back a bit (eg a nap at 1:30-2pm or a 7:30/45pm bedtime!).
Below has been our daily routine since H was around 20mo – I don’t plan on his routine changing now until he is around 2.5/3 years old, however H will decide when he drops his mid-day nap (I follow the 0-3 year nap guide!)
☀️ 7am ish – Wake up, then milk & fruit in his play area or in our bed on a weekend or if he wakes early (eg if he’s ill)
😋 8-8:30am – Breakfast at home/nursery
😋 10am – Snack bar
😋 11:30am – Lunch
😴 ~ 12:00pm – Nap for 2 hours
😋 2:15/3pm – Snack e.g. crumpet
😋 4:15-5:30pm – Dinner
🛁 6:30pm – Milk, bath & moisturise
📚 6:45pm – Get dressed & books!
😴 7pm ish – Bed time
👶🏼 When H is awake we play either inside, go out (eg a trip to the park!), read books or watch TV (a few short episodes of Mr Bean or Bing a day). He has milk or water to drink during the day too.
🧐 Anything new since my last routine post? We have just bought H a toddler pillow which for now we’ve popped UNDER the bottom sheet near one end of the cot (thanks to the follower who suggested this!), in a morning instead of crying he shouts MUMMY or DADDY to get our attention & he’s loving his Apple Cake book!
👨👩👦 The toddler stage is honestly so much easier than the baby stage thanks to CONSOLIDATED SLEEP & also fewer nappy changes!
Really hope you found this post helpful!! If you’d like to read more and keep up to date with future routines, make sure you click follow on my #mummynutritionroutine hashtag over on my instagram!
