Life with two kids can be nonstop, especially when they are both young. Things will be hectic and not always pretty, but I find that creating a schedule that works for both kids is essential to keeping you sane! I have two little girls who are 19 months apart, and I have had them on this schedule (that I love!) since my littlest was four months old. This schedule allows me to have about two hours of time to myself every day! Keep in mind that these times are approximate and that no two days are the same in my house – and that’s okay! Also, you know your kids best, so you can make adjustments to this schedule wherever you need to.
7:30 am – Wake up
My oldest is typically awake between 7:00 am and 7:30 am. I always get myself dressed and ready before getting the kids up because if I don’t, well, it just doesn’t happen until much later in the day. I’ll typically go downstairs and get bottles or breakfast ready before getting them up. I’m a big fan of prepping beforehand because things don’t always go smoothly with two littles. Then, I get whoever is up and least patient first. I always get both girls dressed and ready before going downstairs because I know my oldest will fight me on this if I wait until after breakfast.
8:00 am – Breakfast
We usually make it downstairs around this time and right away I ask my oldest to go pick out her breakfast (you can read here to find out how I set up my pantry so my daughter can make her own choices!) while I nurse the baby or prepare her bottle. My oldest can’t put herself in her booster seat yet, so I either put the baby down for a minute while I get her in or if I’ve already had some coffee, I’ll scoop her up with one arm and strap her in. As I’ve mentioned in other posts – I’m a huge multi-tasker!
Does anyone else’s toddler take forever to eat?! Mine certainly does these days, so any mealtime can be a long process. I try to sit with her as much as I can but also sneak off to clean up as much as possible. Doing this gives me more time to play with them both later or to get other things done. I’m a very clean and organized person, so I always try to have the sink cleared out and the table cleaned before the next nap time.
9:30 am – Baby’s 1st nap
The baby will go down for a nap between 9:00 am and 9:30 am, depending on the time she wakes up that morning. I’ll change the baby’s diaper and read her a book with my oldest, then put the baby down for her first nap.
11:00 am – Lunch
The baby will typically nap for an hour in the morning, but I don’t let her take a nap that’s longer than 2 hours. For lunch, I get my oldest situated at the table with everything she could possibly need, and then I’ll sit with her and feed the baby while she eats. This was tough at the beginning when my toddler wasn’t quite able to feed herself well, but since having the baby, she has learned how to be a little more independent. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to get up a bunch of times to get things for her or help her with eating, but it’s manageable. Now that my baby has started solids, I sit her in the high chair after she finishes her bottle. This is when I eat. It helps to quickly make my own lunch while I make my toddler’s so that I can eat whenever I have a minute.
12:30 pm – Naptime for both!
I’m not going to lie, by this time I am very much looking forward to this. When my baby was ready to go from four naps to three, I noticed she was definitely ready to go down closer to noon rather than 12:30 pm. HOWEVER, my baby is very easygoing, and she could handle waiting a little bit longer so I could put them both down at the same time. There were several days where I put them down around 12:15 pm just so the baby wouldn’t be overtired. But now, they can both make it until 12:30 pm. I typically change back-to-back diapers and then go upstairs to read a book together. It works best for me to have my oldest “help” me put the baby down first, and then I put my oldest down for her nap. Both of my girls are good sleepers, so I’ll typically have around 1.5-2 hours to myself during this nap. If for some reason they don’t fall asleep, I still let them rest in their beds. The baby might need my attention sooner, but my oldest is able to stay in her bed for sometimes up to an hour even if she is awake. Even if she doesn’t sleep (which is not often for her), I still want her to know that this time is for her to be in her bed and rest.
2:30 pm – Wake up and snack
The baby sometimes wakes up closer to 2:00 pm, and this is when I will give her a bottle. Otherwise, I wake her up at 2:30 pm (remember, I don’t let her sleep longer than 2 hours for naps). I also get my oldest up at 2:30 pm and she’ll have a snack around 3:00 pm.
4:00 pm – Baby’s 3rd nap
Sometimes I put the baby down a little before 4:00 pm, but it depends on how long she slept during her second nap. I’ll do the same as I do with her 1st first nap – I’ll change the baby’s diaper and read her a book with my toddler.
5:00 pm – Dinner for both
I will wake up the baby if she is still sleeping. At this time, I’ll typically give her a bottle and then put her in her high chair and we’ll eat dinner as a family.
6:15 pm – Bathtime for both
I use this Skip Hop bathtub for the baby. When we first started doing bathtime together, we put this tub on the bathroom floor and my toddler went in the bathtub. Now that the baby can sit up a little, we put the Skip Hop bathtub in the regular tub with my toddler (we don’t fill the bathtub too much because my toddler splashes so much). My husband and I also do bathtime together right now. Before having the baby, he used to do it most nights, but it’s easier with two people since both girls are still young. After bathtime, I will take one girl to get ready for bed and my husband will take the other (we switch often so they both get used to us). We’ll put the baby in her pajamas and give her the last bottle of the day, while my toddler puts on her pajamas, blow dries her hair, and brushes her teeth.
7:30 pm – Bedtime for both
Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my girls more than anything in the world, but the day we were able to start putting them both down for the night at the same time was AMAZING. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a big fan of doing things together, so I started adjusting the baby’s afternoon schedule as soon as I could to make this happen. I’m so glad I did! We all read two books together, we then put the baby down, and then my toddler goes to bed. And that’s a wrap!
When do you go on outings?
Schedules and routines are great, but it’s important to take your kids out into the world and switch things up. I try to take my girls out of the house every day, although some days I reserve for just staying home. On these days, I try to bring them out to play in the yard whenever possible. I have two slots in the day when I run errands or take them to the park or library. The first option is to go first thing in the morning (I try to leave the house between 9:00 am and 9:30 am). My baby will take a nap in the car or while we are out (I use this Yogasleep Hushh Portable Sound Machine that works wonders). The second option is to go out in the afternoon around 3:00 pm after both kids have woken up from their nap. I will never sacrifice this nap – I either go out before or after it. This way, both kids can peacefully have lunch at home and then take a nice, long nap, and I get a break. If I go out in the afternoon, I feed the baby after she wakes up, but sometimes I’ll pack a snack for my toddler so she is more entertained during our outing (I use this silicone snack cup that my toddler can eat out of independently).
In conclusion
You can download my free “2 Under 2 Schedule” so you can try it with your babies! Don’t hesitate to tweak it a little to better fit your and your babies’ needs. I made a blank template, as well, so you can edit it to make it work best for you. I hope it helps!
