My Stay At Home Infant and Toddler Schedule

Do you ever want to be a fly on the wall in other families' homes? To peek at what's working for others (and to commiserate with what’s not)? I know I do, especially when it comes to daily schedules and routines. Our family eventually settles into a good rhythm with each age and stage but somehow I’m always anxious about what the NEXT season will look like and eager to see a day in the life of others.

Since adding a second kiddo to our family, I've had more and more readers inquire about our daily schedule and routines. So I thought I’d share a peek into our days right now (which look very little like they did 2 months ago or 6 months ago). I'm not big on scheduling by the clock, but we definitely all do best with a sense of rhythm and routine in our days. The times listed are approximate but they are surprisingly consistent for us...right now.

I know full well that this schedule WON’T work for everyone and I don't suggest it as the best way. But perhaps it will offer you a little nugget that you can incorporate into your days or spark an idea for something that could work for your family. In fact, we have some unique factors that may or may not resemble your life… we have 2 kids under 2 (21 months and 3 months at the time of writing this), allow no screen time, have no Baby Holding Devices in the house, I’m home full-time with the kids, I have a helpful co-parent who works typical hours and I work from home 10-20 hours a week. I’ll share a typical weekday, since weekends tend to be a bit more variable (translation: chaotic).

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2 Kids Under 2 Daily Schedule

6:30 Daddy wakes up with toddler

They bring in the newspaper, make mommy’s (unfortunately decaf) coffee together (coffee-making is my love language), change a diaper and play. Often Daddy preps toddler's breakfast. I snag an extra few minutes of shuteye or start getting dressed and ready for the day - a guarantee that baby will wake up early.

7:30 Baby wakes up

I change baby's diaper and get her dressed for the day, then nurse both kids (often at the same time). Daddy heads upstairs to get ready for his day. Toddler plays - usually with little vehicles - in the kitchen. I prep breakfast while baby plays with baby toys in her nearby Pack ’n Play™ {affiliate}. During breakfast prep, I intermittently stop my toddler from eating dog food, throwing trucks into the Pack ’n Play™ or pulling bananas off the counter to eat. We eat together, often with Daddy, with baby playing within arm's reach on her Topponcino mat on the dining table. Daddy says his goodbye’s and heads off to work.

8:00 Floortime play

We move to the playroom and both kids get some serious playtime in. Baby enjoys many stints of Tummy Time (5-8 minutes at a time at this point) and closely supervised play with non-baby toys like those I share in my book Begin With A Blanket: Creative Play For Infants (ribbons and bells and tissue paper and Mylar balloons, for example). Toddler gets help for trickier activities like puzzles, stickers and dressing his baby doll. This is often a time when I introduce a new game or activity for him.

We get silly, they get my full attention, kids’ music is on in the background and we break into spontaneous dance parties when favorite songs come on. My babes lay together and giggle and I help them learn to play with each other (and protect baby from intermittent smacks from big brother). I’m feeling fresh and creative and on top of my mothering game. Spoiler alert: that won’t last the day.

8:45 Baby naptime routine

I pull out a “new box” (our daily toy rotation) and put it in toddler’s room for some quiet time play. I change baby’s diaper and do her 5-10 minute nap time routine until she’s either asleep or drowsy in her crib. Then I dash to the next room with the baby monitor in hand, shut the door and high-five my toddler. We change his diaper and get him dressed for the day while I remain cautiously optimistic that baby has actually fallen asleep. Sometimes I have to go back in to help her resettle. After 5 minutes of silence from the monitor, we head upstairs.

9:00 Mommy gets ready for the day

Toddler plays in the master bedroom and bathroom while I get ready for the day. He reads some books, plays with toys and wreaks some havoc - putting daddy’s underpants on his head, dumping out any basket of folded laundry he sees…if you have a toddler, you can imagine the scene. Then its gross motor playtime in the bonus room (our shared office and workout space). We get big movement in with the toddler swing {affiliate}, a big exercise ball, weighted medicine balls, yoga mats, Mondo blocks {affiliate} and climbing all sorts of approved and non-approved items.

9:30 Baby wakes up

Like clockwork, that first nap is 45 minutes. Toddler brushes his teeth and plays in the water at the sink while I hold baby in Tummy Time. Then baby nurses while toddler plays in the nursery. Diaper changes all around, jackets on, shoes on, diaper bag packed, mommy’s coffee reheated for the 7th time and we’re out the door a mere hour after we started.

10:30 Morning Outing

We often go to a children's museum, a park somewhere around town, a nature preserve to “hike,” errands or the grocery store. Toddler enjoys a snack break during our outing. Baby is usually worn in the Boba 4G carrier {affiliate} and typically naps for 45-60 minutes of the outing. For some, the effort of getting out of the house every day might not feel worth it. For me, getting out is key for my sanity and it's part of my babes' "homeschooling".

12:00 Home for lunch

Diaper changes all around. Toddler helps with lunch prep (which sometimes just means he sits on the floor eating food he swiped from the plate of food I’m preparing) and we eat together. Often baby nurses on My Brest Friend pillow {affiliate} while I eat with one hand. Toddler plays and gets into mischief while I do my best to clean up a little after lunch.

12:40 Both kids' naptime routine

Baby gets in her sleep sack with a paci, toddler picks his books and we all climb into his big boy bed to read in a dimly lit room. He nurses while baby either dozes off on the other side of me or plays with big brother’s Mickey Mouse toy (she seriously LOVES that thing). It’s “happy nappy” time at 1:00.

1:00 Baby nap

After big brother’s nap time routine, baby is usually either asleep or very ready to be so I take her into the nursery for her nap. I head upstairs to work on my computer.

1:45 Help Baby extend her nap

That darn 45 minute intruder! I know baby needs more than a 45 minute nap in the afternoon but she struggles. Often I hold her for the remaining and very fitful 30-45 minutes of her nap - while typing with one hand or dozing off for a Mommy nap. She either nurses in the middle of her nap or right when she wakes up.

2:30 Baby playtime

Baby typically wakes up a little before her brother so we head to the bonus room for some one on one playtime on the floor. This is often when I introduce a new activity, film or take photos for CanDo Kiddo projects, do everything in my power to elicit her giggles, squeeze in lots of Tummy Time and soak in my little one. This is some of the only time I get with just her and I adore it.

3:00 Toddler wakes up

He’s crabby and clingy and typically super jealous of his baby sister. So she gets some floortime play with baby toys while I cuddle him and give him some one on one attention.

3:30 Outside time

Diaper changes all around, a snack for brother, jackets, shoes and we’re out the door again. This time we usually stick to the neighborhood for a long walk with our Baby Jogger City Select double stroller {affiliate}, walking errands to the library or post office to ship recent book orders (all only a few blocks away) or a walk to our neighborhood park. We round out the day with playtime in the backyard or on the front porch (dog included). Baby naps in the stroller or in her crib once we’re playing outside at home (thank goodness for baby monitors {affiliate}). Toddler often gets some one on one playtime with mommy. Baby nurses when she wakes up.

5:00 Inside play time

This is when the day starts to unravel. Toddler is clingy and tired and hungry. Mommy’s patience is long-gone. I’ll be honest, this is when I have a glass of wine, turn on some of my favorite music and try to power through with a smile on my face even though I.am.done. Twice a week, toddler gets a bath at this time while baby plays on a mat on the bathroom floor and/or is held. Other days, I do my best to come up with some novel activity to engage toddler (who is officially bored with his toys by then). Daddy comes home during the 5:30-6:30 hour and takes toddler on a run or upstairs for gross motor play while I prep dinner while holding baby or while she plays nearby.

6:15 Dinner

If I was able to prep dinner in time, we eat with our toddler. Otherwise we snack and wait until after the kids are asleep to eat. After he eats, our toddler has playtime with Daddy interspersed with getting ready for bed while I do bedtime with baby. She’s usually down around 7 and he’s down by 7:30. I either join Daddy and toddler for bedtime or finish prepping dinner.

7:30 Sigh

The house is quiet and I finally have a chance to greet my husband without shoving a child in his face. We either eat together or spend some time chatting about the day. Then, most nights we head upstairs so I can work and he can workout and read (luckily often in the same room so we can still hang out).