Are you struggling with getting your kids on a consistent routine? Do you feel tired and overworked as a parent? If you have answered yes to these questions, it is time to get your kids on a routine that works. Before I start this post, I want to say that I am not a doctor or a medical professional. I wanted to share a few tips and tricks that have worked for me as a busy full-time working mom of two toddlers.
Table of Contents: How to get your kids on a routine that actually works
- Create a block schedule
- Have a set time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Bath time should be the same time every night
- Set a bedtime
Create a block Schedule
Before you think about getting the kiddos on a schedule, you have to be on a routine. Whether you stay at home or work outside of the home, you need to know what each day will look like. I work outside the home, so I know I work from 8 am to 6 pm. When I get home, I have a set time for my kids to play, eat, and go to bed. Is each night perfect? Of course not, but at least everyone in my household knows what to expect.
If you work at home, creating a block schedule is crucial. What is a block schedule, you may be wondering? To make it simple, it is a detailed list of everything you want to get done within a certain time frame of the day.
For Example:
- 8:00 am- Wake up and do a morning routine
- 8:45 am- Make breakfast
- 9:30 am- Clean kitchen
- 10:30 am- Laundry
- 11:45 am- Write a blog post
- 1:00pm- Make lunch
- 3:00 pm- Play with kiddos
- 4:00 pm- Start prepping dinner
- 6:00 pm- Get kids ready for a bath
- 7:00 pm- Clean kitchen
- 8:00 pm- Get kids in bed
- 9:00 pm- Mommy time
This is not exactly how you have to do it, but it’s an idea of how the process should go. Also, make sure you give yourself enough time between tasks to take breaks, and remember your tasks may run over into other tasks. The thing about block scheduling is that it should be tailored to how you want to run your household.
Have a set time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Having a set time to eat helps your kids follow a routine and makes things easier. Knowing when things are going to happen keeps you as a parent from becoming stressed and overwhelmed. I have to know when I want to get my daily tasks done. The best way to stay consistent with keeping up with when your kids eat is to plan your meals out. I like to write down what we will eat for the week. If you are a busy parent, you may want to start planning what you will eat for the next 2 or 3 days, trust me, any meal planning helps.
Some other posts that you may like:
Five Quick Tips On How To Potty Train Your Toddler
Three tips on keeping your sanity as a Mom and a Wife
Bath time should be the same time every night
Believe it or not, kids love routine. They take comfort in knowing what will happen next. After they finish playing for the evening, my kids know it’s time to eat and that bath time will follow shortly. Even though bath time is generally the same time every night in our home, we mix it up. Kids do get bored, so some nights, I will let them play with different bubbles in the tub or switch up the toys they play with. You can do whatever you like to make bath time fun. If you keep this routine up, your kiddos will look forward to it every night.
Set a bedtime and stick to it
I feel like this one is the hardest to tackle. Usually, if you don’t start your kids out with a set bedtime when they are really young, getting them on board with going to bed becomes challenging. The thing that worked for me was consistency.
I know not everyone agrees with co-sleeping. For my firstborn, we did co-sleep with her and put her down to sleep at the same time every night. So my husband and I would go to sleep around 8:30 or 9:00 pm, and we would put her to sleep with us at the same time. With my son, he would naturally go to sleep at the same time every night.
Don’t give up if you are struggling to put your little one down. Just keep trying to stick with the same time every night; it might even be helpful to cut down on the number of naps your little one takes during the day.
I hope this post helps you get your kids on a routine that actually works for you and your family.