How to Create a Successful Routine When You Have a Toddler
Just when you thought you finally had your stay-at-home mom routine down to a science, you woke up and found a toddler living in your home. Now what? I’m here to tell you that it’s possible to have both a toddler and a routine. At the same time. Read on to see how.
When my oldest went back to school last year, it took be about half an hour to realize how much he entertains his younger brother. Not only do they play together, the oldest answers a lot of my youngest son’s questions. Now, he asks me all of them.
Over and over again.
I try to keep to a daily routine with my housework and tasks. But it’s not easy to do when someone is standing by your side asking what you’re doing the entire time. Have you ever tried to make a bed with a 30 pound body laying on it? Not easy.
Also read: How Every SAHM Can Keep a Clean House in 30 Minutes a Day (+free cleaning schedule)
Building a new routine
It took me about a day to realize my old way of doing things just isn’t going to work anymore. I love being a stay-at-home mom, but I still need time to accomplish my daily tasks.
I’m keeping my routine in place as much as possible, because I have found what works best for me. But in this season of life I’m making a few tweaks to make the most of my time, and still let my baby (I know, he’s not really a baby!) know that he’s important to his mama!
Now that it’s just me and him alone during the day, I need to find new, creative ways to keep him occupied.
TODDLER ROUTINE TIP #1: GIVE THEM ONE-ON-ONE TIME
We all know the jokes about the difference between the first child and the second child. It’s true that we do learn a lot between the first and second.
By the time our second kid comes along, we really know what we need, and what we don’t. We’re more comfortable as a mom, and have figured out what works best for our family.
The second child may seem less pampered, but it doesn’t mean they are loved any less. But the truth is we cannot dedicate quite as much time to the second as we could to the first.
This is one reason I love having my little guy home while my older son is at school. Until his brother started school he had never spent a lot of one-on-one time with me. (Aside from all those late-night nursing moments hours.)
I don’t think he suffered any from it…he generally makes himself the center of attention wherever he goes because he’s so doggone adorable. But he still needs some time with me.
I’ve been trying to focus more on doing things with him that he may not need me to do when Jax is at home. Sometimes we drive cars around the floor or read a book that he gets to pick out himself. (This is a big deal in our house since big brother usually does the choosing!)
It’s just a few minutes of my day, but I’ve found that it helps him to be more content when I have to be occupied on something else.
Playing with blocks or cars probably isn’t on the list of things you love to do. But I promise you’ll never regret time spend playing with your baby.
TODDLER ROUTINE TIP #2: GIVE THEM CHORES
Toddlers want to help. Sometimes their kind of helping doesn’t work out, and they just gets in the way. (Don’t get annoyed–you know it’s true!) I’ve found that giving him little chores to do can go a long way in getting my to-do list done.
One part of my morning routine is to put away all the dishes in the sink that I washed the night before. (I do not dry dishes!) I like to give him the spoons, forks and butter knives to put away. We keep them in a caddy near the table, so he can do this without getting my way while I put away the other things.
Another thing he loves to do is help put away laundry. (I hope he still enjoys that when he’s older, since it is my most-hated chore.) I let him put away things like socks and underwear, and sometimes he can do his shirts with some help.
- A few other ideas might be:
- Sorting socks by color
- Dusting furniture
- Putting pillows on the bed
- Removing clothes from the dryer
All of the little things my toddler “helps” with are things that I can do faster and easier on my own. But allowing him to help keeps him occupied, as well as teaches him about responsibility and work.
TODDLER ROUTINE TIP #3: GIVE THEM SPECIAL SCREEN TIME
I try to be careful of my boys’ screen time. I don’t want to be guilty of using the television as a babysitter. But there are times when I do let them watch shows on DVDs that we usually borrow from the library.
They usually agree on shows they want to watch, but not always. When Jase is home alone, I make a big deal about him being allowed to choose the show or movie.
The great thing (or maybe not-so-great) about this age is that they can watch the same DVD over and over again. You have no idea how many times I have watched Machines Go to School already this week!
I know that kids don’t learn a lot from even “educational” television shows. But in my opinion they are better than watching silly cartoons, so that’s generally what we watch. Kids learn a lot from the things they see and hear, so we try to guard what they watch.
While I definitely don’t recommend letting kids watch unlimited television all day, there are a lot of great shows to occupy them when you’ve built your last LEGO “house.”
I do want to note that we don’t take screen time lightly in our home. The world uses children’s programs to indoctrinate our kids with ideas that go against our beliefs. It is our job as parents to protect our kids from these influences. We never let our kids watch shows or movies that we haven’t screened or aren’t familiar with. It may not seem like a big deal while they are young, but it only takes a little seed to start them thinking wrong.
Our Daytime Faves:
TODDLER ROUTINE TIP #4: GIVE THEM SPECIAL TOYS
Since I have two boys, the lines are sometimes blurred between “your toys” and “my toys.” They both like to play with the same things, so there are a lot of fights over who is playing with what. When my youngest is home alone I remind him that he can play uninterrupted without having to share
Another favorite toy is play dough. Yes, it’s every mother’s worst nightmare. But it provides hours of entertainment. I love giving my boys a lap desk where they can play with play dough to their hearts’ content without making a disaster area in the kitchen.
I like to have a basket filled with little craft things my toddler can play with when he’s not able to go outside. It’s stocked with fresh crayons, fun coloring books, stickers, play dough, paper, and washable paint. These aren’t toys he has access to every day, so it’s a nice change for him when I let him use them.
Also read: Zoning Your Time: Time Management for Busy Moms (+ book review)
Learn to make little tweaks to your routine
No two days are ever the same. You can wake up at the exact same time, eat the same breakfast and wear the same shoes, but today will be different from yesterday. That’s why the key to a successful routine is flexibility.
One day your toddler may be satisfied entertaining himself. The next day he only wants to sit on your lap all day. That’s okay. A flexible routine can allow you to be successful in both situations.
I believe that you should start every day with a plan. I use my bullet journal to make a to-do list. (It’s color-coded. I’m such a nerd.) I love checking all those little bullets off during the day. But very few things are set in stone. I know that if something comes up, my schedule allows me to roll with the punches.
Know what you need to do in a day. But be ready to make little tweaks along the way. Don’t be so rigid that you can’t snuggle and watch Mickey Mouse or read a book for 15 minutes. I promise that to-do list will still be there tomorrow, but that toddler will soon be walking out the door to kindergarten.
Set your routine so that the important stuff gets done, but make time for what matters most every day.
