Emma’s Diary Feature: Reasons why our routine just *works*

Partnering with Emma’s Diary has helped me reach so many prospective parents, newborn mums and toddler handlers – I love hearing your feedback and support, thank you! Working with this platform is one of my proudest writing achievements and I love having the opportunity to tackle controversial subjects. Today’s blog post is all about how, for us, having a routine just works. Thank you Emma’s Diary for giving me this platform to share my innermost thoughts.

Now we’re in November, we’re just over two and a half years into this journey as parents to our wonderful son Jack. Time has flown and those scary newborn days feel like a distant memory. 

But routine is one thing we’ve carried through into the toddler years. 

What does our typical daily routine look like?

Since Jack started eating three meals daily, we’ve stuck to the same routine. At around 1.5 years, he went down to one nap a day, which was perfectly slotted into our day. 

Here’s what a typical day looks like for us:

• 6:30 am: wake up, cuddles in bed
• 7:30 am: breakfast & some milk
• 8:15-11 am: play, classes, or activities
• 11 am: lunch – usually something like cheese and crackers, fruit, and yoghurt
• 11 pm-1 pm: afternoon nap – I don’t let him have longer than an hour
• 1 pm: he is awoken and taken downstairs for some screen-free activities
• 3 pm: snack
• 4-5 pm: play, play, play
• 5 pm: dinner time – I’ve always cooked the same meals for all of us and usually Jack is a good eater, although toddler fussiness does rear its head these days!
• 6 pm: milk & wind-down time
• 7:20pm: story, pjs, and bedtime 

Why does it work? 

Routines can be divisive for so many parents and parents-to-be. Whatever your situation, as long as you have happy, thriving children and parents, that’s good for you! 

Don’t worry, we never try to implement my routine or methods onto anyone else because all babies and families are different. What works for one will not work for someone else. 

The reason that it works for us because of our personalities: we are a routine family. My husband loves a routine and thrives when we’re planning and everything goes smoothly. As a mum, I rely on routine to help me get ahead of the game and organise the fun. 

Even when Jack was a tiny baby, he seemed to like routine in his day. Once he was past the newborn stage, his feeds frequently fell at the same times each day. He enjoyed having the same things each week. 

Now that his speech is more conversational, he can tell me what we usually do on Mondays and throughout the week. 

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE ON THE EMMA’S DIARY BLOG HERE.

LoveRosiee
xxx

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People Also Ask…

Is routine important for toddlers?

Having good routines in place provides a sense of security for children and promotes wellbeing. Routines also support the development of positive parent/child relationships.

What does a 2-year-old need daily?

A typical daily menu for a 2-year-old includes:

1 cup of fruits. 1 cup of vegetables. 1½ – 2 ounces of protein. 3 teaspoons of fats and oils.

How busy should a 2 year old be?

At this age you can count on about two minutes of sustained, high-quality attention, such as playing with a toy on her own or looking through a book by herself, before she wants to take a break or do something else.

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