Schedule for Two
Recently I was asked about my daily schedule with two kids this summer. I have gotten several emails asking that same question, so I thought I’d do a post about it. Life with two young kids has been fun and exciting, but I’ve learned how quickly things can get out of hand when you have two. A pleasant morning or afternoon and quickly turn into a nightmare if you’re unprepared and so this summer has been a trial and error process of finding just the right balance of organized chaos.
5:00-7:00am – Gracie wakes up sometime in this time frame and gets a bottle.
7:00 – Bean wakes up, has breakfast, watches Sesame Street
8:00 – Gracie, Bean, and I all get dressed for the day (if we have plans or errands to run, which we usually do)
9:00 – I load the kids up in the car and we head out to whatever errands or activities we have to do that morning. I have found that it’s easier to get up and out in the mornings with two small ones because we still have nap time in the afternoons. Plus, it’s so hot after about 11:00am that it’s better to stay inside and be cool after that. Gracie usually naps off and on during these trips and Bean’s in a great mood in the mornings, so these trips are usually a lot of fun.
Our favorite morning adventures and errands: The library, the splash park, the post office, the bank, and grocery shopping
10:30 – Gracie gets a bottle. If we’re out somewhere, I just feed her in the car. Bean also gets hungry around this time, so I make sure if we’re on the go that I have a snack for him. His favorite go-to snack at the moment are dry roasted peanuts and string cheese.
10:30 is also the time I try to schedule play dates to start if we have one. That gives us about two hours or so of playtime with friends before lunches and naps. Gracie can’t really hang in there much longer than that, so the 10:30 start time works out really nicely because of the kids ages right now.
12:30 – Lunchtime for me and Bean
1:00 – Gracie goes down for her afternoon nap. This one is long (about 2 hours) and in her crib.
1:30 – Bean goes down for his nap. The nap time rule in our house is that he doesn’t have to go to sleep, but he has to stay in his bed. I let him bring a few toys and books with him when he lays down and usually he plays quietly for about 20 minutes before falling asleep. He very rarely skips naps right now (thank goodness!).
3:00 – Gracie usually wakes up and has a bottle.
3:30 – If Bean hasn’t already woken up himself, I wake him up. If he sleeps later than 3:30, he’s a bear! Bean gets a snack while Gracie and I play around. Then, we all play for a while.
Favorite activities right now: Building racetracks with the big blocks for matchbox cars, working puzzles, reading/playing with Bean’s LeapFrog books and reader
5:00 – I start to get dinner ready
6:00 – Chris gets home and we all eat dinner
7:00 – Bath time for Bean and Gracie. We do them together in their bathroom with Bean in the bathtub and Gracie in her infant bathtub on the counter.
7:30 – Chris reads books and puts Bean to bed while I give Gracie her bottle and put her to bed.
8:00 – Bedtime for both kids
Of course, this is the ideal schedule on perfect days when everything works out. We’re pretty flexible, but for the most part, this is the skeleton on the schedule we try to keep. Everyone is happier when we all know what’s coming next. Bean is even starting to know what’s happening next and he’ll say things when we’re out like, “Go home, take a nap?” or when it starts to get darker outside, “Bath and night night?”
Our schedules will shift a bit when I go back to work in a couple weeks, but for now, this is what most of our days look like. Well, this and about 10,000 trips to the potty…
13 Comments
Heather@keepcalmandloveon
A woman after my own heart…I love schedules! I’m getting my classroom schedule ready & recently had a giggle with a poster I saw on interest. Inspired by the “keep calm and carry on” poster (which I obviously love, by the way) and it said “Keep calm & pretend this was in the lesson plans!” I’m sure you have to do a lot of that as a mom too!
Katy @ MonsterProof
I’m so impressed! I don’t even have a schedule, and I only have one! Maybe in a couple months…
Calypso
So… when exactly are you blogging?
Natalie @ Queen of Whirled
I also give my toddler books and toys in bed before she goes to sleep. It’s adorable listening to her “read” to herself.
Heather
This is so helpful, thanks. I have a 2.5-year old and a 2-month-old and we’re just starting to get to the point where I can begin thinking about a schedule. My big question though is how do you get Bean to stay in bed? I LOVE the “you don’t have to sleep, but you have to stay in bed” rule, but the couple of times I’ve tried it with my daughter, she jumps out of bed faster than I can leave the room. Maybe it’s just her personality, but if you struggled with this at all at first and have any methods that worked well, I’d love to hear them. Thanks again!
Katie
That’s so cute that Bean will stay in bed! What do you do during their nap times?
breatheandhush.blogspot.com/
Tara
I love the schedule. Our schedule is quite a bit different in that Moose wakes up for a bottle around 7:30am and then goes back to sleep until about 11am. So we have to plan everything for the afternoon, but still have to plan around his afternoon nap. He is quite a sleeper! Also, we have that exact same jumper that Gracies has. Moose loves his! He plays with all the farm animals all the time!
Meredith
Thank you so much for posting this. My little Sweet Pea is about 2.5 months old, so it’s nice to see what you do with Gracie. As a first time mom, I feel lost sometimes. This is great! How else do you stay organized? I’m a 2nd grade teacher and I love anything involving organization!
Jenna
I had to save this post! I am such a schedule person, and with a newborn right now, it is non-existent. I am excited for when we all start to get on a schedule again…but for now, I am happy just enjoying my little monkey 🙂
Meredith
My goodness, Gracie is getting so BIG! She looks only a wee bit tinier than bean. What beautiful kids.
Kara
Just FYI,
It is recommended that kids don’t eat nuts until they are three. This isn’t for allergies, it’s because their chewing and swallowing isn’t as coordinated. They are at high risk for aspirating nut pieces into their lungs. I might be a little more concerned than average because my friend is the doctor that fishes nut chunks out of kids’ lungs when they’re choking on death’s door, and I know how often he has to do it.
britt@knewlywifed
I love seeing other people’s schedules. I’m learning that a good set schedule is a must having a baby!
Kat @ Living Like the Kings
Okay I am astounded! So Gracie naps ONCE the whole day?! Peanut still takes between 3-5! And she’s over 6 months…