My Everyday Routine With Two Kiddos
I recently prompted you guys on Instagram to let me know what blog post ideas you’d want to see from me. One of the main suggestions was what our daily life looks like with two kids and how I balance it.
Firstly, every single day is so different and some days are tougher than others. However, most of the time we have a pretty solid outline of how the day will go. I’ve found that scheduling out our day really helps with my anxiety and honestly, my boys thrive on a schedule. Everything goes smoother when we’ve been staying on schedule for two or three days!
6:30AM-7AM - Waking up, nursing Sage, and getting out of bed. We don’t currently let Phoenix sleep past 7AM due to the fact that it really messes with his daily nap. When we worked with a sleep specialist to analyze his schedule and help us troubleshoot what was going on during the days he was skipping naps, that was a common denominator. Most days we do NOT have to wake him up, he rises naturally around 6:45AM, but on Mondays or on the weekend, we try to make it happen. Collin gets Phoenix up and dressed while I stay in bed for 10-15 minutes nursing Sage.
7:15AM - Breakfast and coffee made, Collin packs his lunch, TV turns on. Our main screen time is in this morning bubble while we’re trying to get Sage situated (sometimes he goes right back to sleep instead of getting up with everyone). Phoenix is currently on a waffles and peanut butter kick so that’s what we make for him, set him up at his kiddo table, and play Peppa, Blippi or Chicken Little.
7:30AM-8:30AM- Collin is off to work, playtime for Sage, and I start working. This is when I set Sage up at his play-mat next to me and let him go nuts while Phoenix is eating. I usually hop on the computer or pull up my to-do list for my current social media job (shoutout to Scout’s) and get planning posts for the week. This is when you’ll usually see me post on Instagram. I try to keep my screen-time around the kids to a minimum, but honestly, it’s hard when it’s easier to work from my phone than the computer.
9AM- TV is off, Sage down for a nap, smoothie time, workout. I shut the TV off every morning by 9, and honestly Phoenix has usually already abandoned it and is roaming the halls looking for stuff to do. Sage has 9AM nap most days (or 2 hours after whatever time he wakes up), so I try to get Phoenix to play in his room or sit with me while I nurse Sage and get him settled in his crib. Once Sage is down, Phoenix helps me make a big green smoothie that we split. While he drinks his smoothie, it’s time for mama to do a workout video! He loves to “exercise” with me most of the time, OR he yells at me and climbs all over me and it’s a flop. It’s really a roll of the dice! In an ideal world, I would be ready to workout while he’s watching TV, but I just am not up and running that early right now! I will add that some days, we go out for a walk if the weather permits, and I try to plan Sage’s nap to be in the stroller. As springtime approaches, I think this will be more of a daily thing. Also! If we go to the park or library, this is the time slot we do that. Our second car is in the shop, so we haven’t been able to leave.
10:45AM-11:30AM - Time for Phoenix’s lunch and cleaning the kitchen/doing laundry before nap. This part of the morning really feels like chaos and crunch time before the nap. Sage is usually starting to get ready for nap number two (if #1 didn’t go too well), or maybe he’s still asleep! Haha. Newborns are fun that way! Admittedly, I usually play a short video for Phoenix to lure him back to his kids table to eat. This is something I’m working on. While he eats and watches TV, I’m usually running around folding, loading, or unloading laundry, doing dishes, or trying to put Sage down for another nap. It depends.
11:45AM- Phoenix is put in his crib. I’ve been offering this nap a little earlier lately, and he’s been going down way easier. However, I feel like some days he doesn’t get in his crib until 12PM or 12:30PM and does just fine.
12PM-1:30PM- Phoenix and Sage nap, I shower, eat, and work. This is my alone hour and a half during the day — and it doesn’t happen every day! Haha. But IF it happens, it’s during this nap bubble. And yes — I keep their monitors with me. This is more time for me to work on emails, brand collaborations, my social media job, etc.
1:30PM-3PM - Wake Phoenix up from nap, head outside, playtime and snacks. Currently, I am not letting Phoenix sleep later than 1:30PM to regulate his bedtime. Usually, he will naturally wake up around this time, but if not, I’m waking him up. I try to have a snack made prior to waking him, but it doesn’t always happen! We like to hang out together during this time (take the dogs out, run around, color, dance, play-dough).
3PM-5:30PM - Independent play/survival mode waiting for Dad to come home. Honestly, this is the roughest part of the day for everyone. If I were to paint a picture, it’s usually a combo of Phoenix running crazy, Sage chilling on the floor with his toys, the girls barking at kids walking home from school, and me finishing cleaning the kitchen or doing the laundry. I also try to get Phoenix’s dinner ready during this time.
5:30PM-6PM - Daddy is home! Sage going down for a nap. Dinner time for Phoenix. We used to all sit together and eat dinner as a family, but we’re changing it up right now. It’s something I’m so passionate about doing together, but for the sake of my marriage (lol), we have moved our dinner to after bedtime. Phoenix sits in his high-chair for dinner and we usually sit at the table with him and have some wine and a snack like hummus and veggies or chips or just SOMETHING to eat with him. His food really depends on what he ate/didn’t eat for lunch. He honestly doesn’t eat much for “dinner”.
6PM- Bath time! One of us parks it with P and the other starts prepping his room for bed, books for story time, and our own dinner stuff.
6:30PM- Family story time, night time snack, brush teeth. Another sleep tip from the sleep specialist was offering a night time snack before bed — ESPECIALLY when he just does not eat much for dinner. He’s usually too happy that Daddy is home/worried the day is coming to an end, and won’t chill for dinner. That’s why lunch is such a veggie-heavy meal for him and we have that afternoon snack time. 100% of the time, he eats an almond butter sandwich while we read.
7PM - Bedtime for P. Collin goes in with Phoenix to his room, sits in the chair while Phoenix has a little bottle (unsweetened soy milk and water), and then puts him in his crib awake. We leave the door open and let him go to sleep.
7PM-8:30PM - Dinner for us, TV time, and 1 on 1 time with Sage. Our dinner is enjoyed in front of the TV with eachother while I park it on the couch and nurse Sage. He still is pretty affected by the “witching hour” and is rather fussy around this time.
8:30PM-9:30PM - Bedtime routine for Sage and I. I pump one side every night during a feed since Sage only stays awake for one side. Collin gives said milk to Sage in a bottle every night (same day milk) while I run around doing my night time rituals like face washing, teeth brushing, water chugging, and prepping Sage’s nighttime diapers, swaddle, and spot in our bed. Collin brings him to me once I’m set up in bed and I nurse him and lay him down. 9/10 it takes a few attempts to get him settled, but once he does, I fall asleep.
12AM-6:45AM - Nurse nurse! I’m usually up 1-2 times a night with Sage nursing and chilling on IG. It’s something I invite instead of fighting because I’ve done that and it’s not fun! I just roll with it. Pee, change a diaper, nurse, and go back to sleep.
Notes:
Sleep routines! Phoenix and Sage’s individual sleep routines and habits could be a whole separate post. There’s so much there — I receive constant questions about what we do with each of them. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, to get kiddos on a healthy sleep schedule and environment that works for everyone. They are obviously the priority, but there are some things that I won’t compromise on, like that 7PM bedtime.
Nap! Everything in our day basically revolves around Phoenix’s nap. If he skips it, the day feels trashed for everyone. He’s mean and grumpy and just TIRED all day. I don’t blame him! That’s why the schedule is so important, because it weeds out those days most of the time. But they still happen!
TV! Ugh, I have such guilt about TV. And yes, I know I don’t need to defend why he watches it or explain my why, but I want to in case someone out there relates. TV was barely a part of our lives before Phoenix turned 2, but it’s definitely a thing now. I’ve honestly weaned down the amount of time he spends watching it to around 1.5-2.5 hours a day, and I feel goodish about that. Sometimes it’s more and sometimes it’s less. Usually, it’s just in the morning, and we don’t even turn it on after naps. If he skips a nap, I usually throw in a video after the nap attempt. No, Sage does not actively watch TV, but sometimes I’ll glance at him staring at it.
Food! Phoenix just does not eat dinner. He’ll eat two bites, but like I said — dinner time coincides with Daddy coming home, and the day ending. If it were a matter of me wanting him to eat, I’m sure I could put the TV on and he could zombie out and eat a plate of food, but I think sitting around together and chatting about our day is more important right now. His breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and night time snack are more than enough nutrition! I try not to worry about the dinner thing.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our routine, and as always, feel free to share your experience or any questions you have in the comments below!