Schedule - Orem, UT

don't really know what it's like to be a SAHM but i did just have month off of work. i have three kids aged 4, 2, and 1 and it really helped to keep them on a schedule, harder to do with a new born. but here's what we did(roughly)
7am out of bed...around there any way...
8am breakfast for all the kids...
9-11am let them watch tv and play with them intermittently,(gotta do the household chores sometime)
11am, play with the kids
12am lunch
1230 let the kids play
1-3 kids nap, i usually rest, read, watch tv, or clean when their asleep,
3 or so they wake up and we snuggled cause they don't like to do anything until they really wake up
then we play or watch tv til dinner
5or 530 we have dinner
then we watch a movie with daddy, have some type of healthy snack with the movie, and
the kids usually go to bed between 8 and 9
good luck

You're lucky! My DD wouldn't let me stay in the house after DS was born...we were on the go 1 week after DS came home (after a c-section no less). She had her preschool, play groups, storytimes at the library and play dates that couldn't be missed. Yes, she's quite the social bug. Truth be told though, it was nice having at least some activities planned for her just so she wouldn't crawl all over me looking for attention.

Find some storytimes at the library. Join a moms group with activities that you can all attend. Join MOPS. And hang in there!

For my kids we have to work around getting older kids off to school and such so we start our day early. We are up and running about 6:30 with breakfast and I make the younger kids get up and eat too. The older ones get dressed,eat and do their morning stuff--they have to leave to catch the bus by 7. The younger ones have a little more time as we don't have to take one to preschool until 8:15. The TV will stay off until all the kids are gone for school too. Once the kids all get off (around 8:30) we come home and do chores. I make my 2 1/2 yr old DS help in picking up the house, sorting laundry, anything of that sort that he can do. We have to pick up DD from preschool at noon, so we eat lunch around 11ish and because we eat early, we don't do a morning snack. After lunch we change diapers, wash and go get sister from school. When we get home we lay down for a rest. They usually sleep until older siblings come home from school. While the older ones do homework, I let the younger ones watch some TV. Then it is dinner, some TV with dad, pjs, and bed. I have found that if I get up before the kids and shower, then I am in a much better mood for them, than if I don't shower until they are all at school and such. Besides if I do it before they get up then DH is there to catch the kids before they walk in on me. I think more importantly what matter when you think about a schedule, think about the needs of your son--take the next few days and see when he is getting hungry, when he is playing, when he wants to watch TV that type of thing and then develop from there. I feed my kids 3 meals with the family and then 1 snack after school. Good luck
J.--SAHM of 6

I'm horrible about sticking to a rigid schedule but the benefits of schedules is that children find a sense of security in knowing 'what comes next'.

For me scheduling is an -ish factor (dinner is 6-ish) because there is always something that throws a wrench in the cog... a doctor's apt, and unscheduled illness, vacations, school programs, time change, all nighters, the end of tumbling classes, the beginning of swim lessons.

So instead of by the clock it is more of what comes next. After waking comes breakfast.
After breakfast comes dressing.
After lunch comes playtime and after playtime comes naptime.

Then there is the bedtime routine which may start as early as 6:30 or as late as 10pm:
Pick up toys
Put PJ's on
Brush teeth
Sippy cup of water
Post Activity chart (which will be a chore chart in a few years)
Story time
Lights out

Your day is going to look different from anyone else's, based most of all on your son's internal clock. Don't expect your newborn to follow any kind of routine for a couple more months. Feed her when she is hungry, put her down when she is tired and hold her when she wants to be held. My babies were 12 weeks old before I started observing any pattern in their behavior. Eventually that pattern settled into a routine, which became a (loose) schedule. The scheduling is for you and your toddler, NOT for the baby!

I don't think it's the best idea to have a set-in-stone schedule; however, routine is really important, especially for toddlers. My best advice is to write down what you guys are doing for a couple days and see what kind of pattern you notice. Once you have a routine, try it for a week or so and see how it goes. If it doesn't work for your family, tweak it until you figure out something that works.

One thing I have noticed with my girls is that if I wait for them to tell me that they are hungry, they are already acting like little monsters. The best way I have found to head off defiance, temper tantrums and whining is to have well-fed, well-rested kids. We still have plenty of defiance, temper tantrums and whining, but it's better than when they are hungry! I get breakfast ready first thing when we get up. I try to make sure that it is a high-protein breakfast whenever I can. "Cooking" breakfast (instead of pouring cereal) is more work, but starting the day with protein in their bellies makes a world of difference for everyone. (Protein is broken down slower than carbs, so it provides a steadier, more reliable source of energy without rapid swings and dips in blood sugar.) Two hours later, I try to offer a carb snack like some fruit and crackers. For lunch, we usually have sandwiches, fruit and cheese. After lunch, everyone rests for an hour or two. The baby takes a nap, the 4 year old stays in her bed to rest or read, and I stay either in bed or on the couch reading, knitting or napping. Two to three hours after lunch, we have another snack. They might or might not watch a movie in the afternoon. I try to limit TV time to a few movies a week (or equivalent TV time). I try to get a nutritious dinner into them by 6/6:30pm, then cleaning up toys, bathtime, books, snuggles and bed.

Truthfully, sometimes our day looks NOTHING like this! Some days we sleep until 10, eat cereal for breakfast, don't have lunch until 3 in the afternoon, and don't go to bed until 9 at night. Life happens, and I think you have to be flexible enough to live it. That being said, I try to keep my kids needs in mind. If we are going to run around all day, I try to make sure we have snacks in the car, including some fruit and protein, rather than all crackers. I try to have some knitting or a book in the car, so that if they fall asleep between errands I can park the car somewhere and read/knit while they nap in the van. I know people who are so tied to their schedule that they miss out on any fun spontenaeity in their lives. Like everything else, I think it's a balance. Try out a routine for a week and see how it works for your family. If it doesn't work, change it! Sooner or later you will figure out something that makes your day easier rather than harder.

Best of luck,
S.

7 am wake up
breakfast immediately
sometimes 30 minute recorded show like Curious George or Cailuo.
get dressed, brush teeth
pick up house and self entertainment
8:30 or 9:30 (depending on plans) head out to car
or if a stay at home day, take a walk, play together, etc.
10-12 is usual playdate or errand time.
11:30/12 lunch
12:30 clean up
1 nap time
3/3:30 wake up
go for walk or play inside together...good time to start school activities like learning the ABC and counting on fingers.
4:30 can turn in a 30 minute show while you prepare dinner, finish laundry, etc.
5 dinner
6 bath time
read one book
talk about the day and review plans for tomorrow
7 pm bed time, lights out.
(one of mine had trouble geting to sleep at tha age and played in her room in the dark until 8 or 9, but we are "done" being parents at that time).

Hi L.,
Well lets start with the T.V. We don't watch it here in our home but we do have family movie afternoons, usually Sunday. On occasion our kids (girl 4, boy 2.5)will watch a half hour video at some other time during the week. Our personal opinion of t.v is that there is rarely anything decent enough to watch and that it does tend to lead to obesity and add/adhd
Your children won't miss what they don't have so if you shut the t.v. off and find some fun and refreshing things to do you too will be the better off for it. Regarding our eating habits..We are and always will be very family oriented in this area. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at our dining room table as well as any daytime snacks. This allows us "family time". We visit and get "reconnected" and find out how Dad's day was and the kids tell Dad what we did for the day. The kids are not allowed to roam around with food and they DO NOT tell us what they will or won't eat or when to fix it for them. We as parents run the show in our home not our children. Do you want your son telling you when he's a strapping 15 year old (or 30 for that matter) what and when to fix his meals? L., all of their bad habits are formulated at a very early stage of life. The good news is that you control that and can help them learn some healthy habits and it's obvious you'd like to start in a couple of areas or you wouldn't have ask. One side note to all of this is that you can get them involved in whatever Mom is doing for the day since you're home with them. As an example..going back to eating at the table, both of our kids know how to properly set the table because it has become a regular scheduled event for them. They both help us cook our meals as well as clean up. They are being trained to be responsible, "self-supportive" people and they don't even know it. They think all this is fun because we've made it more fun then a chore for them. There are so many ways we form our little people and it can be for the good or the bad. It all starts with you Mom. Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless! L.

I work full time but here is our weekend schedule, my daughter is almost 2. When she gets up we change her diaper and get dressed for the day. Then we go down and make breakfast. She does watch disney while I make breakfast. We eat breakfast then play for a while. Her nap time is around 11am. She usually sleeps for 1 1/2 hours. When she wakes up I make her lunch. After lunch we read books for a half hour. Then we play. Around 4pm I give her a snack. Then we play and watch signing times. We eat dinner between 6 and 7pm, then she gets her bath, bedtime routine, and she is in bed by 8pm. On Sunday's(my cleaning day) I put the tv on the kids music station and let her play by herself. If she gets sick of that then I put on the cartoons. Don't feel bad about the tv, sometimes you need to do what you need to do to help keep your sanity.

We home school so our schedule is a bit flexible. Kids are up around 7 thanks to the baby being in the same room. I nurse baby, and then everybody eats breakfast together. Often I shower while the kids are eating and occupied. Then everyone gets dressed for the day and school starts for the oldest. The babies (2 and 4 mos.) play. Baby takes a nap for about an hour before every feeding. Baby eats at 11:00 and we all eat lunch together. Nap time for the 2yo until he wakes up, baby to sleep around 1:30. She's working into a longer afternoon nap. 3:00 feed baby. Watch educational TV sometimes. Only one show. Usually play outside until dinner at 6:00. Baby eats cereal at dinner if awake otherwise after 7:00 feeding. Boys get bath at 7:30 and to bed by 8:00. Baby goes to bed with them and wakes up either on her own, or when I go to bed to nurse one last time. I don't necessarily have a problem with TV, but I do try to keep it educational. Even then, not everything that's labelled educational teaches much. Hope that helps. Our 2yo is more self entertaining as an individual, but he also self-entertains by observing school. You'd probably need more structured play with your 2yo. I don't schedule that in, although we do a lot.

Don't worry, it is okay that you have been "lazy" lately, you have a newborn! As your baby gets a little older it will be easier to get on a schedule with your older one that includes learning times and outing times. Just remember that staying flexible is also a good thing. I like the schedule laid out by Sara B. My day is very similar to that, but of course there are days where the tv is on more so I can get more done around the house or sleep if I am not feeling well. I had my second baby a year ago and I got lax on eating times, play times, tv time for a while after the baby was born. It is OK! You three will get into a new groove soon.

Hey there! I have a 13 month old and this is our schedule: wake (btwn 7 and 8a), eat breakfast after diaper change, she plays while I clean up and get some breakfast for myself for about an hour; then we play together or run some errands ( we also use this time for storytime at the library, a visit to the mall playyard or a walk); at 1030a (or so) she gets a light, easy-to-digest snack; because we are transitioning from 2 naps to 1, she sometimes gets cranky by now, so I put her in her crib w the lights on and a few toys to calm down; noon she eats lunch and then gets her nap (usually 1.5 to 3 hrs - always preceded w a story); after she wakes up we play w different toys in another room -sometimes I will have the tv on then, but she doesnt watch it; 3p is an energy-full snack followed by more playtime, sometimes outside and really interactive w me; 430 my husband comes home and she plays w him while I make dinner and we eat by 5/530p; she starts getting ready for by bed by 6/630p (bath, bottle, book!) and is in bed by 7p or so. Hope this helps!

Bad mommy? I think NOT. You have a newborn and a Mommy proclaimed wild 2 year old...you have survived the first 5 weeks of being a mother of 2.
Don't jump into a routine...you could get major mutiny. I would start by interrupting his playtime with regular meals. Say, at wake up before you start play I would offer him a breakfast and a cup to tote along (just the cup....) and then turn the TV on and watch a show with him...he will bore of this quickly.....
then at lunchtime turn it off and have a "picnic" in his playroom. Afternoon nap anymore????
ALso, if your biggest concern is the TV...try switching to one of those music channels. My kids like noise when they play alone. You also ought to find a story time or something to do with them once a week so that you don't go stir crazy....the lazy days of early lactating get hum drum for the milk producer after a while...
I have SO been there.
Good luck!

I usually limit tv to an hour and a half a day, maximum, and try to watch some with my son to interact with him a little. If you have satellite, Noggin is a great preschool channel so you won't feel so bad letting them watch much, they learn while they watch. Also consider you are not lazy but tired! A one month old and 2 year old is a lot of work, mentally and physically! My son is 2 as well, and they can be wild and crazy guys! But there is a way to tame them a bit, and schedules help.

As for our schedule, we eat breakfast around 8, play, get ready for the day, go on an outing mid-morning, sometimes just to mall to walk around or even the pet store, have a snack around 10, run some errands for me, which I let my son help with, he learns a lot in a grocery store, have lunch out or come home for it, sometimes play a bit or read together, nap (he does, I rest or do chores, have me time), he wakes up and has a snack, we go outside to play if weather is nice, come inside, he typically watches tv while I cook dinner, a great distraction, eat dinner, play, bath, one 30 minute program, then stories in bed, night night at 8 pm. Whew! Sounds like a full day, and it is, but the schedule works great for us. I would just encourage you to start by trying to get out of the house at least once a day, and whatever time of day works for you, do it consistently every day, even on the weekends, and this will really help your toddler always know what's coming. And you too! Best of luck to you, and don't be so h*** o* yourself!

First of all, cut yourself some slack. You have a newborn that will definately take some getting used to. Biggest help for me is www.flylady.com and www.savingdinner.com

half an hour of tv should be sufficent enough. i try to let my kid have two to three hours of outside time. other than that, i wake up, eat, scripture study and family time, dress, play with baby, read, check email, write (i'm a writer), clean, take a break when i need to and read or play with my son, clean, etc. breakfast happens at 5, 7, and 8 or 9:am. snack at 10 if he's hungry. lunch at 10, 11, or noon. snack at 1 or 2:pm, dinner at 5 or 6, bath after dinner, baby play time with sippy of milk, bedtime at 7, or as close to seven as we can. sometimes he doesn't get to bed that soon because of grandparents, date night, etc.

For my sanity it is necessary for me to get out of the house at least once in a day. So we go out and do something in the morning after we all get ready, then we come home and have lunch and then nap. My kids still take naps,if yours don't you can call it quite time. After nap time it just depends on how late it is when they wake up, we may play together for awhile, and then often times while I am making dinner I let my daughter (almost 3) watch a movie and my 1 year old will wander around between her and me doing whatever. If you are wondering how to get cleaning in, sometimes I will have my little girl "help me" clean up the kitchen. Even if it isn't the best help it is actually fun sometimes. Otherwise I do the cleaning during their naptime. Hope this helps.

I'm all for schedule, but remember too - once your first hits kindergarten, the schedule will come to you. Until then, enjoy the flow of life. Kids will show you their schedule, and I think you're doing the right thing. Eat when they're hungry, not at O-whatever'thirty, and watch tv when you need to get the laundry folded. *thumbs up!*

Just like getting older, life with kids will get nice and regimented all on it's own, until you are running around between brownies, soccer practice and scouts.