Please help! Can you guys tell me what a typical day for you consists of?

Jen - posted on 01/24/2012

As for me, my daughter is 22 months. My hubby works from 4am to 1 pm. When she gets up, we brush teeth, change diaper, have milk and breakfast, then I'm doing my cleaning until about 11-1130am while she plays with toys and her dogs (I take breaks from cleaning to twirl her or play castle or something). Then, nap time (that's when I get to watch what I want, lol). When she gets up it's lunch and daddy gets home. Then, I get to run errands and pay bills. After that, start making dinner. Get her fed, cleaned up, do dishes, then maybe a tea party or something. A little later, bath time, milk in the sippy cup, and wind down for bed. This is my day everyday.

Erin - posted on 01/16/2012

OMG Eschelle i feel the same exact way!!! I'll finish cleaning up n stuff then ill give her her lunch and put her down for a nap...and when i turn around there everything gotta be picked up n cleaned again...lol its like WTF? didnt i just get done doin this 2 min ago? lol

Eschelle - posted on 01/09/2012

just enjoy her in the smallest ways, cuddling, touching, talking etc... I remember the days of cabin fever and restlessness. The feeling that i'm doing everything somehow nothing all at once lol.

Ruth - posted on 01/08/2012

we joined a mums group to start with met some great people then started with playdates also signed up for swimming lessons as soon as she was old enough we go for walks or to the park or go outside and do water play she loves that also we have one of those clam shells so one side is a sand pit the other is for all sorts of thing water play, goop(corn flour and water), jelly play i use jellatine and food colour so its not so sticky and doesnt attract ants, shaving cream play feels great in little hands and is lots of fun hope this helps

Jodi - posted on 01/05/2012

I had to giggle, I used to be just like that...now I have 3 kids under 3 and that seems like a lifetime ago! lol Let's see, my kids play in the kitchen sink while I do dishes, wash counters and what not, they get into the tupperware drawer or the pots and pans when I'm cooking or cleaning the kitchen. All the while we're talking...about everything and anything. When it's time to clean the rest of the house, I put socks on their hands to help dust, give them moist wash clothes to wash things etc etc. When they were infants I would wear them in my sling while I did these things or put them in their bouncy seats and sing or talk to them. Lots of music (radio or CD's, grown up stuff is fine!) and dancing. Of course do the things you're doing already, but let baby "help", even if it's just sitting and watching. Give her play by play of what you're doing, it'll be great for her vocabulary! On laundry day...babies LOVE towels to hide under, and mommy's shirts to try on. My almost 3 year old LOVES to ball up socks and throw them into a laundry basket a little ways away. There's a million ways to incorporate your child of any age into what you're doing. You don't have to "entertain" her every second of the day. It's okay for her to just enjoy her surroundings by herself, she'll find things to look at, get into and enjoy!

Jill - posted on 01/04/2012

find a hobby you can be proud of. enjoy the quiet time while you can b/c once your baby starts crawling and getting into things, you'll wonder why you dont have time to do anything. dont feel guilty. you can only stimulate your baby for so long. it's never a bad idea to let your baby play by herself either. kids need to learn to entertain themselves too. when i can get away, i bake, i read, i write, clean out a closet, organize a junk drawer, put pictures in albums, and yes, i'll resort to solitaire on the computer. i'll also invite a friend over for coffee. moms need down time too. so dont feel bad if you're not spending every minute of your day with your baby. i understand you can feel bored. babies can only do so much at a young age. in the meantime, find something for yourself. hang in there!

Miranda - posted on 01/03/2012

Join a play group or mother's group that have new babies as well!!!! They usually offer them through the Hospital or other locations!!!!! If you stick with it you will have lots of new friends and your child will grow up with other little ones to make play dates with, dinners with etc...!!!!!

Sally - posted on 01/02/2012

Our culture has trained us that children need "stimulation" (preferably educational) every minute from birth on and a "good" mom will drop everything else to provide it. Actually, it is much more developmentally healthy for a baby to watch mom doing all the many things neccessary to keep a house and family running smoothly.
Instead of playing baby games and watching baby videos include her in your life. Let her play with soap bubbles while you wash dishes. Let her sort socks while you do laundry. Let her bang pots while you cook dinner. Take her to the park and let her eat dirt.
At our house, we get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and get to work. Today's list is laundry, bedrooms, bathrooms, making lotion, getting the trash to the curb, leftovers for lunch, and spaghetti for dinner. (We've already cleaned the guinea pig cage and fish tank.) My 7 and 2 year olds will be helping with most of those things. They will also be making thank you notes for their Christmas presents and the 2 year old needs a nap this afternoon. I'll be lucky to get even half of it done, but there is always tomorrow.

Chrystal - posted on 01/02/2012

I've gone through the same stuff with both my kids my son is a very social child but at about 8 months he became scared of strangers (that was anyone but me even if he really did know them like my mom) and of me leaving the room for any reason. My daughter isn't wary of others but she went through wanting to be held and not wanting me to leave the room just recently. If the stranger really was a stranger I didn't do anything to make my son get over it and be polite I believe that's the wrong thing to do; that instinct can save his life many times over, so I let him cling on to me and "hide" from a stranger. If it was someone we did know then I'd let him sit on my lap in the beginning and together we'd move closer to the person till we were right next to them and almost every time he'd climb into their lap but I stayed put in case he wanted to come back to me for awhile then I'd make little trips away from him. He still has a little bit of shyness but now it's maybe a minute of clinging on to me then he's off interacting with confidence and that's only with people he doesn't know but like at my moms he burst through the door ready to say hi and play. For the wanting to be held I let them where I could using a sling to help support them (wrapyourbaby.com has a ton of different ties for a basic sling if interested) when it just couldn't happen I'd put them in a bouncer or on the floor in the same room and I talked constantly (really held a conversation not just babbled) for my son that worked well. It didn't for my daughter but the cry she gave wasn't fear or sadness it was pissed (she has an angry cry that can bring a grown man to his knees lol) so I would bend down and tell her that "mommy knows you want to be held but right now you need to sit here I will pick you up in 5 minutes" and I'd continue on with my work but pick her up in 5 minutes like I promised. For not wanting me to leave I told my kids every single time I was going to leave the room and where I was going and said hi when I came back. It all worked for my kids they can understand that I can't hold them all the time and that if I leave the room I will be back. It took about 2 months for my son to get past anxiety and it took my daughter about 2 weeks so it's varied I think but just try to be patient know that it will pass and feel lucky she trust you so much.

Darleen - posted on 01/02/2012

Yes, I have. I always would leave purposely and get babysitters, I took them to church and left them in the church nursery....it is always better for them to have lots of people in their lives who you can trust so that they don't have such a one person fixation...it's so exhausting for you if you don't train this out of them. It's a nice ego trip for awhile for some moms, but it is only damaging them to go to them and not allow them that withdrawal from your presence. They are much happier and well adjusted after training into them that "Mommy loves you, but you need some time without me and I'll always come back." Obviously we can't control whether or not we come back if God takes us, but we can help them to see if it is in our power we will come back. I also used to call to them from the other room, "Hi honey, mommy will be right back, I had to change over the washer clothes to the dryer." I always talked to them telling them what I was doing in the other room and then I'd appear in the door and make it a game of peek a boo. Don't let her manipulate you now or she'll do it her whole life. And relax...that's most of it...she'll learn as you train her what's best for her. She won't like it and will cry, but that is okay...that's her form of language right now.

Erin - posted on 01/02/2012

Thank You Darleen, that sounds like a great idea! She does need to learn to have playtime to herself because she is going thru separation anxiety right now and wont even let me leave the room with out screaming crying for me...it breaks my heart so i always go to her and pick her up and then i get nothing done. She even screams for me when my mother (or anybody else) is holding her and im in the SAME room! Not to switch topics but does anybody have any ideas about what i can do or has anybody else gone thru this?

Claudia - posted on 01/01/2012

Connect with other moms and enjoy the quiet time, it won't last forever!

Darleen - posted on 01/01/2012

Honey, there's a great book (actually probably hundreds of them) with games to play at each age with your baby....but being a stay at home mom is also about training your baby to be by herself so you can do the chores associated with keeping a household running, paying bills, cleaning, cooking, baking, running errands, exercising, making play dates with friends, etc. There are many great MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) groups in churches all across the country that help you with the stages of your children as well as give you friends to make and bounce ideas off of. Call around to the churches near you and find one!

Sarah - posted on 01/01/2012

I have time for myself in there too. I used to put my wee ones in the swing or activity saucer when they were old enough and enjoy some me time. I watched TV and did crafts, I read a book. Everything does not have to revolve around your kids. Always remember that you added them to your life. Many (if not all) the things you did before kids can still be done. You can go where you want. And the more you do of those regular things, the more used to them your kids will get and thus make those activities easier in the future. Shopping, sitting for a cup of coffee, watching Star Wars (which my kids have liked since infancy). Find a hobby for yourself. It is good for your kids to learn how to entertain themselves as well. They need to be able to lay on the floor and play with their toys without you having to do everything for them. It will give you freedom to do other things and not feel like you are neglecting them. They are perfectly happy playing by themselves if you let them.

Erin - posted on 12/29/2011

Oooo Keri that sounds like a good idea! im gonna check that out..thanks =)

Keri - posted on 12/29/2011

Surf the web to find out what's going on in your area. There are always "community bulliten boards" of the week's or month's activities. Find some family-friendly and age appropriate ones in your area and make it part of your "going out" time. I was part of a SAHM group that used meetup.com. The site is free to join. There's a small fee for the upkeep of the site which the group you join may or may not have you contribute to. Many of these groups do fun, different things and the group I was part of even had MNO's (Mom's Night Out) where we went out to dinner or somewhere just for the mom's - with no kids in tow.

Rebekka - posted on 12/29/2011

When it was just my daughter and I, we used to get out every day, even if it was just a trip to the mall or grocery store. I eventually got bored with the same old places, so I found new places to go to. I go stir crazy when I don't get out, so this helps a ton. It also helps when you get out before nap time, because by the time you get back they are exhausted :)

Chrystal - posted on 12/25/2011

I've made it so we have blocks of set routines. The morning block is where I have one on one time with my youngest as she gets up earlier. The mid morning block is cleaning and my kids play on their own or sometimes my oldest will grab his "cleaner" (empty spray bottle) and rag and join me in cleaning. Then comes the napping block which part of it is one on one time with my oldest reading stories. Afternoon block is where I do activities with the kids like painting, drawing, crafts that type of stuff and on nice days there is outside time then too. Evening block is pick up and making supper which my oldest has a drawer with his cooking supplies so he can cook along with me. Then dad gets home and he does the baths and bedtime stuff. Each day is formatted the same but within each block I do different things and it works well for me and my kids they know what to expect from their day which helps them feel secure. I also have a 6 month old and I basically just try to give her as many new things to explore as I can. Let her play with measuring spoons, rip up some paper, see different rooms (mine loves the hallway for some reason), hear different sounds (she likes to sit in front of the washer), look at pictures of people and animals make their sounds, play with water (I put about a tablespoon of water in a dish and let her explore it). Keep in mind at 6 months old almost everything is new so show her all those things let her feel them, taste them, hear them, smell them, see them. Keep her safe of course but encourage her to check out as much as possible. Inside the kitchen alone there are weeks of activities for a 6 month old it's just a matter of looking at it from their perspective and not worrying if it makes a little mess. It takes time to feel secure in your parenting and you never do 100% I don't think but trust your not boring her as long as you're there playing with her she's got the most interesting thing in the universe to her. It's your boredom that seems to be the real issue and the best way to solve that is to spend a little time thinking about the things you'd like to do you've got the ability now to explore some of those hobbies and it's even good for baby to spend some time playing alone. And getting to know some local moms will help you have that adult interaction we all need.

Leah - posted on 12/22/2011

This may seem like strange advice, but I think you need to find something to do at home besides play with your daughter all day-- a hobby you enjoy or would like to learn such as reading, sewing, crafts, etc. And spend time each day doing that, and just let you DD just sit and watch or entertain herself within eyesight. I was just the same as you with my first one, and spent all of my spare time entertaining her and playign with her, and she is 9 years old and STILL thinks she needs to be entertained by me! hahaha! It's better now that she's older to have some of her own friends to play with and a brother and sister, but when she was a toddler, it got bad. She was so used to me being available non-stop that when her younger sister was born it became a real problem. It may seem forced or even mean to get a life of your own when she is right there is the same room, but you could be doing yourself (and her) a favor, and letting her learn to play independantly, and just be happy by herself. My other two children had less one on one time (I still spend time and play with each one everyday), because I had more children to deal with and they were better at playing alone. Hope this helps?

Erin - posted on 12/22/2011

Thank you ladies so much for your feedback....i do try to get out of the house but the problem is finding somewhere to go....i usually plan on jus taking a ride to Dunkins but i always end up at the mall..lol....id love to do crafts with her but shes only 6 months old....we go to Mommy and Me on Tuesdays but other than that i have to check for some more things to do because im going nuts!

Ariane - posted on 12/22/2011

Something simple like going for a walk, is a great activity. Going to visit friends or family. Even to a playgroup to meet other stay at home mothers. At some libraries they have storytimes so your child can iteract with other children, I think that is very important also. Even if they are young, it's important to get out and moving not only for you but for the baby also.

Kimberly - posted on 12/22/2011

You can go to Meetup.com and search for play groups in your area (or start your own), check out local library story times...There are also Kindermusik, Gymboree, Little Gym type places to take classes as well as mommy and me swim and yoga. Next time you're at the grocery store (another weekly outing) or Pedi look for parenting mags- most cities or counties have their own and they are packed with all the activities that are offered.

Laressa - posted on 12/21/2011

Wow I must be odd but I can never find as much time to play with my children as I would like! So I just try to involve them as much as I can in my work. When I sew (I love to sew and sew a lot of our clothes ) I give them some sewing related item to play with while they sit beside me. when i garden they play in the dirt. when i hang out laundry they swing near by or hand me laundry, or run off with the basket. lol. even a two year old can help load a washer and feed the dog. A baby can ride along in a carrier. if you talk as you work together your child is given the tools to communicate well. My 2 year old is ahead in language. Of course the children have a few toys,but I believe having too many actually stiffles the imagination. I put some of the toys away for awhile so they are 'new' again in a few weeks. This isn't probably a very helpful post for you, but frankly I have no idea what its like to be bored. I grow most of our vegetables and make almost all our meals. Frankly I rarely have formal play time with them, but they have always tested above average on ASQ.

Monica - posted on 12/21/2011

When Aidan gets bored I get him out and about. He loves it and helps me keep my sanity as there's just so much entertaining you can provide.

Tara - posted on 12/21/2011

You deffinately arent the only one who feels like that! i have a 3 year old and 5 month old and being at home all day with nothing to do (besides taking care of the kids) it is enough to drive me crazy. Not that I dont love being a stay at home mom because I would not trade it for anything!! You should try to find some groups in your area to join. When she gets a little older most librarys do storytime for infants and toddlers. My town has this great website just for moms (kinda like a facebook just for moms in my town) you should see if your town has anything like that. If you have a ymca they usually offer a mommy and me class. Since we have joined the website we have met some great friends and have playdates 2-3 times a week. If we need to break up the day when we stay at home we go for a walk around the neighborhood. Even just going to walk around a store can help break up the day! Good luck! It gets easier when they get a little older and can actually play with toys!

Christina - posted on 12/20/2011

most days start out the same... and every after noon we do a craft, work book or other preschool activity....but we have a strict schedual that helps my son with his nite terrors, Monday we have a play date at out house, Tuesday we grocery shop and eat lunch with my mother in law, Wednesday is movie day, Thursday we see my parents, Friday we do my sons favorite thing we go to McDonald's get a happy meal and he gets to play in the tunnels, Saturday my husband takes the kids out to a park or to the indoor play structure in town called caste away cafe for a few hours so i can get a real good clean of the house done i do lots of light cleaning throughout the week but this is when i get to scrub the floors, clean the bathrooms and what not. Doin the same things every week seems draining at first but when your kids have a set schedual it really makes life easy i do agree that getting yourself and your children out of the house is a good thing helps break up some of the same old same old feeling. Good luck and god bless hun

Keli - posted on 12/19/2011

I also recommend getting out of the house,i dont drive so we used the stroller alot and go to parks,and now that its winter i take him on little sleigh rides he loves it,when we are home all day, we didnt do much different,each stage of growth he would do other things,but he would do jolly jumping,excersaucer,playtime on the floor. now that he walks he does his own thing and i catch up on chores...but getting out helps break up the day.

Brianna - posted on 12/19/2011

i think u should try to get out of the house. i take my daughter to mom and tots swim twice a week (have been doing it since she was 2 months old) she loves it and gets to meet lots of friends and so do i. or u could even just go for a walk, to the park, go shopping, or go for a play date (could even join a moms group in your town). I mean u dont have to leave the house everyday but i think u will feel alot better if u go out acouple times a week :)



my daughter is 2years 1 month old

so on a usual day it would be wake up, help tay make her bed, watch sesame street with taylor, have breakfast, get dresses, wash up, play or read or color, go swimming, have lunch, nap from 1pm to 3pm, snack, play or read or color, make supper, eat supper, play, bath, snack, bed at 8pm

Katie - posted on 12/19/2011

I understand the feeling of not knowing what to do. It's hard at the beginning because I wasn't use to no adult conversations.
We break up our day by going out for walks, playing outside, getting together with other mom, babies, and preschoolers. We find free programs offered in our community. Sometimes we go to the park, library, do crafts (lots of good ideas online), For Christmas we have made homemade cookies and gifts. Sometimes I put music on and we dance and sing. We also paint with brushes, fingers and anything that will make a print.
My day is structured to have two naps, an activity outside, some stories,chores, craft and once in awhile a movie.