A Day in the Life of Toddler Motherhood

Now that my son is a little bit older, and before the new baby comes and throws a wrench into everything, I thought it might be nice to share what a day in the life of an almost 2-year-old is like. It's fun looking back at his early infancy and remembering our routine of nap roulette throughout the day, keeping track of the numbers for his nursing, lowering him into his bassinet at night, and anticipating a four-hour sleep followed by a feeding and two more hours of sleep (if lucky!).

Now our days are slightly more predictable, though just as interesting. And, of course, since we're no longer on maternity/paternity leave, we have work thrown into the mix.

On a typical day with my 23-month-old, he wakes up around 7am ready to start the morning. He'll stir awake, stand up in his playpen and either point to his parents in the master bed in front of him or let out a cry of separation anxiety depending on his mood. I'll take him downstairs to either nurse or play (also depending on mood) and then start to prepare breakfast. Baby eats first--usually a mix of eggs for protein with his favorite carb of the moment: whole wheat waffles, oatmeal, or a Belvita breakfast "cake." He likes to stand to eat (sometimes at his little art table) and will often take his carbs "to go" as he walks around the living room munching (we try to direct him back to the kitchen to avoid too many crumbs). We work on getting a few more forkfuls of egg into his mouth (he's great with a fork and spoon when he's motivated) and then we sneak in some breakfast ourselves. Hubby will get our son out of his pajamas and change his diaper while I go get dressed and pick out Baby's clothes for the day. By 8:30am we are typically out the door (showers were the night before) with Hubby off to work and me off to my parents' or his parents' house for babysitting.

On the days where I'm working from home, I still try to nurse sometime between 11:15am and 1pm (depending on Baby's moods again) to give him an afternoon nap that lasts anywhere from 1-3 hours (2 is ideal however if we want him to go to bed on time). I'll work on my computer for work with Baby in my lap, or transfer him to a bed or my mom while I finish up tasks and maybe have lunch myself. When the workday is over at 4pm I get to watch my son play with his cars or take him for a walk around the neighborhood, or have a little snack before it's time to head home and see Daddy a little after 5pm.

At home we have dinner together: maybe a turkey hotdog or some leftover chicken and rice, an applesauce pouch and whatever cracker snacks Baby's craving (Goldfish? Saltines? Graham crackers? It could be any of them or all three--unless he tries to get us to give him cookies or ice cream sandwiches instead...).

After some playing with cars on the couch or running around the living room, he'll hopefully have his daily "big diaper" (that's a poop) and then be ready for a bath at 7pm. Thus begins the bedtime routine. We bathe for 30 minutes, then Hubby gets him dry and diapered and starts some of Baby's favorite evening music videos to wind down while I take a shower and get myself ready for bed. Once downstairs I brush Baby's teeth, Hubby gets him into PJs, and we watch a few more videos together or just relax until it gets close to 8:45 or Baby shows signs of sleepiness.

I know a lot of moms incorporate a story before bed, but I've always had books around the house and Baby is constantly requesting me to read to them, so there's really no need to add a specific book into the routine each night. I like that our son chooses when he wants to read and chooses often!

Finally, Hubby lowers Baby into my lap for his nightly nursing, or we do a little rocking until Baby drifts off at last (though at this age he's fighting bedtime and naps more and more). We carry him upstairs and into his playpen with the same Baby Mozart video playing that we've had for over a year now I think!

Weekends are slightly different. There's no sleeping in since Baby can't tell the difference between a weekday and a weekend, but at least we get to take our time with breakfast, stay in our PJs a bit longer, and cuddle a little more if Baby lets us. I'll sometimes order a grocery delivery in the morning or afternoon so as not to interfere with Baby's nap. On Saturdays we usually listen for the recycling truck and take Baby out to see it with a recycling truck toy of his own! Sometimes Hubby will take the family out for morning smoothies or other treats. Naptime doesn't change (though Baby's been napping later on weekends sometimes), and there's usually lots of walks around the neighborhood or playing outside with toy balls. On Sundays we usually visit Hubby's parents and drop our son off for a little babysitting/free time, then start the bedtime routine as soon as we're home.

I love that my husband and I still split the Baby duties in a way that works for us and that Baby has gotten predictable enough where we can mostly know what to expect throughout the day. It's also nice to have a couple of hours after Baby goes to bed to actually spend time on non-baby tasks (like writing this blog). Sometimes he'll still wake up in the middle of the night and I'll crawl into the playpen to soothe him, but then usually he's out again, no nursing required, just like when he started sleeping through the night at 9 months.

After age 2, and hopefully before Baby #2 enters the arena, we plan to transition Baby into his own bed in the nursery. Then we'll move on to potty training and all the fun stuff that toddlerhood brings. By age 3, he may even be in preschool.

There's lots of change to come, but it's nice for now to just enjoy the routine while we can. Each day is a pretty great day.