Any one who knows me knows that I'm a 'planner'. I have a designated command center in our house. I make lists. I set schedules. I plan way in advance. I like structure and knowing what to expect. I also like things clean, clutter free, and well organized. I was that girl who told my mom before I had kids that my house would always be spotless and my living room would never look like a daycare with kids stuff everywhere. So naturally from the time that my kids were born we have had a very strict schedule and for us things go so much smoother when there is that structure there. It let's the kids know what to expect each day and it keeps things simple which is a luxury when you have 3+ toddlers. My children all sleep great, even as newborns, and I personally believe that is because of our strict schedule. I mean really, how does someone get lucky to have good sleepers over and over again ha? Now that they are older I see the benefits of having a schedule even more so. Not only with my biological children but also when we had our bonus babies I saw a huge difference in them once they got used to the schedule change. They were more stable and comfortable. They slept better and felt better. It just made everything easier all around so I'm going to share those schedules with you. I hope that they serve you as well as they have served me 😉
The Newborn/Infant Schedule that worked for us:
Note: Newborns tend to sleep a ton. Most likely they won't stay awake as long as I have listed here so you can just modify this to how much your baby sleeps/stays awake. That first month it's hard to determine how long they'll be awake and how long they'll sleep. I just did my best to entertain them in order to keep them awake and I made the atmosphere very calm and soothing during their times of sleep. We played womb sounds in their rooms and kept it as dark as possible. Temperature is also important to keep them comfortable.
8 am: Baby/babies woke up & ate
8:30 am: Cuddles/interaction/playing & tummy time (once age appropriate)
12:30 pm: Nap time
3:30 pm: Nursing/feeding time
4 pm: We repeat what we did at 8:30 am plus the babies had special daddy time once he got home from work. Daddy time gave me time to make dinner so it worked perfectly for us.
7 pm: They'd take a mini nap.
8 pm: At this point I'd wake the babies up because it helped set us up for a much smoother night sleep wise. We'd play and interact. I'd give them their bath with Johnson's Bedtime Routine. I'm a huge believer in that specific line of their products.
8:30 pm: Nursing/feeding time
9 pm: Bedtime
*Things change a bit at this point depending on their age. I'm a freak about safety and I woke my newborns/young infants up to eat every 4 hours. A lot of people say not to do that and to just let them sleep but our doctors told us that going too long between meals can cause babies major blood sugar issues that can lead to seizures so for me I woke them up and fed them to be safest until they were around 4-5 months old. Once they were more mobile I let them sleep 6-8 hours straight a night. Most of the time I'd have to wake them up at that 6-8 hour mark. Our kids love to sleep. They come by it honest ha.
Toddler/School Age Summer Time Schedule:
7:30 am: I got up, enjoyed the news/coffee/reading, and then I'd make breakfast.
8:30 am: I'd wake the kids up. They'd go potty, eat breakfast, brush their teeth, and get dressed.
9-9:30 am: Most days we went to my parents house. I like to help my mom clean and stuff so the kids play while I help her around the house.
1 pm: Lunch time!
1:30 pm: Nap time when they were younger but this summer we swam on pretty days and ran errands on days that weren't swimming adequate.
6 pm: Brian gets home & we eat dinner as a family
7 pm: We do a variety of things. Sometimes we all go outside and water the garden or plant flowers. Sometimes we all load up in the car and go get ice cream or slushies. Sometimes we go look at land to buy. Sometimes we go fishing. Sometimes we swim. Sometimes we visit family. And sometimes we just stay home and relax. It's our dedicated family time each day.
8:30 pm: Bath time
9 pm: The kids story/prayers/bed time. Brian and I spend one on one time together each night after the kids go to sleep. We usually watch a movie or eat an uninterrupted snack ha. After Brian goes to bed I pick up the living room and lay out his and the kids clothes for the next day while I catch up on my TV shows. This is usually when I have my 'me time'.
School Schedule:
6 am: I get up & drink coffee. Or wine. Sometimes I skip the coffee and go straight for the wine hahaha. I'm kidding. Or am I?
I get myself ready for the day after I've woken up enough to know where the bath room is.
6:45 am: I wake the kids up. They go potty, brush their teeth, and I get them all ready.
7:40 pm: I load them all up and take the girls to school. They eat breakfast at school so Hudson and I usually eat breakfast with Brian at a cafe in town.
9 am: Hudson and I either go to my moms to help her, go with Brian to work to help him, go run errands, or go home and do house chores.
12:30 pm: Lunch time
3 pm: We go pick up the girls from school.
3:30 pm: Snack time
4 pm: The kids help me do whatever household chores that are left to do and then they play while I make dinner.
6 pm: From this point we repeat our summer schedule that's listed above.
Schedules might seem over rated to some but they really aren't. Schedules have been our saving grace as a big family with a lot of young children. One of my biggest advice tips to new moms is to set a schedule and follow it as best as possible. Of course there are days when you can't keep your schedule but as long as you go right back to it the next day it'll be worth it once you and your children get into the habit of things. It makes life go so much smoother.
Happy scheduling 😊
Post a Comment