My Daily Schedule with a Toddler and Newborn

I wish I knew what it was like to genuinely enjoy going with the flow. I’ve never been that type of person. I love structure, schedules, goals, and checklists. Raised by a military father, I learned the difference between 10:30 and 10:27 very early on in life, and those three minutes mean a heck of a lot to me. Just ask Aaron when we agreed to leave the house at 7:15 and the clock reads 7:17. Oh the stress. 

I think we all handle responsibilities and pleasures in life differently, depending a bit on personality and a lot on how we’re raised. When it comes to motherhood, I’ve seen vast differences in how people operate at their best. It’s truly not about better or worse at ALL (though moms are big fans of competition)—it’s about what parenting style keeps everyone as healthy and happy as possible. And that can look wildly different from family to family.

I know quite a few moms whose stress levels would go through the roof if they planned out their days like mine. Instead, they function much much better just seeing where the hours take them, letting their kids fall asleep when and where they want to, and having very loose plans to finish up things around the house whenever they can get to it. Honestly, that sounds so nice and I often find myself wishing I was a more Type B mom.

That style doesn’t work for me, though. I find myself to be in a much better mood when I stick to a clearly carved path. It brings me satisfaction, helping me accomplish my goals on both the mom front and the personal project front so I don’t end my days feeling like I was lost inside some weird tornado of toddler language and breastmilk.

Since I’ve shared bits and pieces of my schedule-oriented lifestyle on Instagram, I’ve had dozens of people ask what our daily schedule looks like, so I figured I’d share! The trick with a schedule + kids is knowing that during the baby stage, it’s never exactly the same. I can’t force my newborn to nap X amount of hours, so things fluctuate based on how she sleeps. Oh, and she’s also the slowest eater of all time. Anyway, just remember to keep in mind that this is a schedule involving an 8 week old baby and a 2 year old toddler. We send our toddler to daycare from 8am-12:30pm MWF. I’m going to be pretty specific because I know that helps when I’ve read other mom’s schedule for inspiration in the past, so here you have the basic structure that brings me sanity (more days than not):

6:45am:

Mom wakes up, brushes teeth, & puts on leggings (all day e’rry day!). (Meanwhile Dad has already showered/is getting coffee/breakfast in kitchen.)

7:00am:

Mom wakes up Baby, 30 minute nursing session.

Dad gets Toddler when his Hatch light turns green at 7, gets him ready for the day including banana + snack for the car, and walks the dog.

7:30am:

Everybody leaves the house. Dad goes to work. Mom takes Baby + Toddler to Toddler’s daycare on MWF, then continues on to grocery story with Baby to buy whatever is needed for pre-planned dinner. On Tues/Thurs, Mom takes both kids straight to the grocery store.

8:15/8:45am:

Get home from grocery store, attempt to help sleeping Baby (Nap 1) transfer to bassinet (can require quite a bit of rocking) while simultaneously letting Toddler quietly “help”, or playing with Toddler if Baby goes down relatively easily. If Toddler is at daycare, use this time to unload dishwasher and clean the kitchen.

9:00/9:30am:

30-45 minute nursing session for Baby. If Toddler home, talk him through doing a puzzle and ask him a million questions about ABCs, colors, numbers, etc. to keep his jealousy or destruction to a minimum.

9:30/10:00am:

Non-daycare days, feed Toddler quick breakfast & clean kitchen while he eats, then usually pack everyone in the car for morning excursion to the lake, beach, rock field, etc. Baby takes second nap while we’re out and about.

10:30am:

Daycare days, put Baby down for Nap 2. Non-daycare days, still out and about with Toddler.

11:30am:

Daycare days, wake Baby from nap to nurse 30-45 minutes before having to drive to daycare. Non-daycare days, arrive home from excursion to nurse Baby.

12:00/12:15pm:

Daycare days, leave to get Toddler from daycare. Non-daycare days, feed Toddler lunch.

12:30/12:45pm:

Arrive home from daycare, Toddler straight down for nap. Non-daycare days, Toddler down for nap at the same time. Baby is usually asleep from the drive (Nap 3), so transfer her with lots of rocking once Toddler is in bed, or begin process of putting her down on non-daycare days.

1:00/1:30pm:

Usually both kids are asleep, so Mom spends 1 hour writing daily word count for the book I’m working on + cleaning up living room from toys. I avoid mindlessly watching TV unless I’m truly having a bad day and need to zone out. If I finish word count and cleaning quickly, I pick up a self-development book. Just finished The Impossible First, and about to start Daring Greatly! These books help me stay in a non-drowning frame of mind even during this child-oriented stage in my life.

2:00/2:30pm:

30-45 minute nursing session for Baby. Toddler wakes up at 2:30 every day when his HATCH green light says he can get up. Immediately start his 1 hour of allotted TV time per day while finish nursing baby, then doing tummy time with Baby during her awake time.

3:30pm:

Baby goes back down for Nap 4. TV turns off, and Mom plays with Anders one-on-one.

4:00pm:

Dad gets home from work. (Early, I know! Trust me we put in our time when he was gone half the year for 3 years straight, and never got home before 7pm even when he wasn’t gone.) Daddy/Toddler playtime while Mom takes a moment to breathe until Baby wakes up (can be 30 seconds to 30 mins).

4:30pm:

Usually when Baby wakes up or needs to be woken up for 30-45 minute nursing session. Mom nurses in kitchen while Dad starts making dinner.

5:00pm:

Mom/Dad tag team finishing dinner until time to eat.

5:30pm:

Dinnertime.

5:45pm:

Baby back down for Nap 5. She sucks at evening naps so this is always a crapshoot.

6:30/6:45pm:

Mom nurses Baby for 30-45 minutes.

7:00pm:

Dad gives Toddler bath. Mom quickly picks up living room toys when Baby finishes nursing.

7:30pm:

Mom and Dad read Toddler book, say prayers, sing songs, then bedtime.

7:30/7:45pm:

Attempt to get Baby back down for last nap (Nap 6), then Mom & Dad watch 1ish hour of TV together.

8:30/9:00pm:

Nurse baby one last time before down for the night.

9:30/9:45pm:

Everybody goes to sleep.

2:30-4:30am:

Baby wakes up sometime in this window for nighttime nursing session. Straight back down until 7am. Usually she only wakes this one time, but obviously subject to change.

Since things are always bound to hit roadblocks and swerves, these are the general rules we go by (even on weekends):

–       Always leave the house by 7:30 to kickstart the day

–       Anders nap 12:30-2:30 (Hatch nightlight makes this happen almost flawlessly)

–       No TV before 2:30 (reasons below)

o   That way he doesn’t ask for it at random times—he only expects it after his nap, and other than that, he doesn’t really think about it

o   The afternoon is when I’m most tired, so it’s a good time for some easy distraction for him

o   We don’t use portable devices, so he only gets screen time on the big TV

–       Dinner at 5:30

–       Bath at 7

–       Bedtime 7:30

–       Jo gets 7-8 feedings and 5-6 naps between 7am and 9pm

–       Get kitchen clean in the morning

–       Finish laundry/writing in the afternoon

Whether we skip a morning excursion, or Jo’s naps go up in flames and she eats at weird times, if I stick to the general rules, I can usually end the day feeling proud and satisfied. I also like that Anders knows what to expect, like asking for his favorite barista at Starbucks (no joke) and saying “shhhh rocking chair” when it’s Baby Jo’s naptime. Like I mentioned, this kind of life certainly wouldn’t work for everyone, but it does for me. Once in a while—we’re talking maybe 4-6 week intervals—I feel like I’m drowning and I just turn on the TV in the morning and pray he watches it, or I go hide in the bathtub while Aaron makes dinner. But if you’re a mom and DON’T ever have days where you feel like you can’t keep going, then PLEASE teach me your ways. Also, nice to meet you. You’re the first.

For goal-oriented, clock-sensitive people like me who want to feel in control of days—or just weekend days if you’re a working mom—then I hope this schedule gave you some ideas!