A 'Routined' Day: With a Pre-Crawler
When my daughter was about 5 months old, I felt overwhelmed with the boredom and longevity of my days. I would find myself looking at the clock every 5 minutes, not believing that I still had 5 hours to go, or more and yet stressed that I was not completing what I wanted to. I felt all over the place and yet stuck.
As a stay-at-home mom, I still feel this way sometimes, but I found one thing that really, truly helps for each and every day - to simply have a set routine.
I've talked a little bit about my routine on my post Overcoming the Stay-At-Home Mommy Blues . I realized how important a set routine and schedule for my days was in order to make each day go smoothly and become enjoyable. For the most part, I try to write my schedule the night before, which also helps me to wake up feeling ready and prepared for the day instead of feeling completely frazzled.
This is an example at-home schedule for when my daughter was 6 months old. After searching online, talking to some friends, and assessing my days a bit, I made this schedule for myself which I found worked very well with a pre-crawler. Of course - every baby naps at different times, prefers different activities, etc., and every mom has different desires for how to enjoy her day and how she will feel accomplished that day. Keep this in mind as simply a sample for you to start your own.
A 'Routined' Day With a Pre-Crawler
5:45 - 6:00 am - Wake myself up, make my bed, get myself going for the day a bit. (Keep in mind - this doesn't ALWAYS happen...If baby was up in the night I usually skip this. But when I do, do it I feel much more happier and prepared when baby makes her first cry, as opposed to being woken up from her first cry.)
6:00 - 6:30 am - Baby wakes up, feed bottle, and morning cuddles.
6:30 - 7:00 am - Baby plays in exersaucer while I do dishes from last night and clean up the kitchen. (At this point, I was able to leave the dishes from the night before and do them in the morning, which worked for me! We don't have a dishwasher, so doing dishes is always a big deal at our house.)
7:00 - 7:30 am - Breakfast for baby and me.
7:30 - 8:00 am - Shower and get ready while baby plays in Jolly Jumper.
8:00 - 8:45 am - Morning walk and/or playtime while I fold laundry or simply play with baby.
8:45 - 9:00 am - Read books, and get ready for naptime.
9:00 - 10:00 am - Naptime while I spend some time drinking coffee, doing devotions, reading, emails, etc.
10:00 - 11:30 am - Feed bottle and head out for the morning. (Whether we go to the library for a program, have a playdate with a friend, or just run errands at a store - I always made sure to get out at this time of day. If I didn't I would find the morning to truly drag on.)
11:30 - 12:30 pm - Lunch time and inside play (mostly for me while baby plays, or if baby has begun eating lunch already then for baby as well)
12:30 - 1:30 pm - Afternoon naptime while I tidy up, craft, write, have some 'me' time.
1:30 - 2:30 pm - Feed bottle, and play on floor with baby.
2:30 - 3:00 pm - Baby plays in Jolly Jumper or Exersaucer while I do a chore. (I only pick one chore a day to do so that I am not cleaning the house all day while worrying about baby playing on her own - I find that this balances my days and helps me to keep the house clean at the same time.)
3:00 - 4:00 pm - Get out. Either we run errands, visit a friend, play outside, go for another walk, etc.
4:00 - 5:00 pm - Naptime while I start to prep for dinner, do a load of laundry, tidy up, check emails, etc.
5:00 - 6:00 pm - Feed baby dinner, carry baby in carrier while I cook dinner for hubby and I. (Since this was her regular fussy time, it worked well to carry her while cooking!)
6:00 - 7:00 pm - Hubby is home, we eat, he takes over baby duty while I clean up a bit (but again, not a lot since I mostly do this in the morning), and we put baby to bed.
If you are feeling in somewhat of a rut with your baby, think about setting a schedule that would work for you. Of course not every day will be exactly the same, (If it is, it would be boring anyway!), and your day might also not go perfectly as planned, but to have this schedule can help you to stay on track with your days, without finding yourself frustrated, antsy, and simply 'blah'. You will find yourself taking time for intentional playtimes with your baby, while also getting done what needs to be done around the house, while still finding some time for yourself. I promise, you won't be disappointed and your days will feel much more purposeful and productive.
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| Tick...Tick...Tick... |
As a stay-at-home mom, I still feel this way sometimes, but I found one thing that really, truly helps for each and every day - to simply have a set routine.
I've talked a little bit about my routine on my post Overcoming the Stay-At-Home Mommy Blues . I realized how important a set routine and schedule for my days was in order to make each day go smoothly and become enjoyable. For the most part, I try to write my schedule the night before, which also helps me to wake up feeling ready and prepared for the day instead of feeling completely frazzled.
This is an example at-home schedule for when my daughter was 6 months old. After searching online, talking to some friends, and assessing my days a bit, I made this schedule for myself which I found worked very well with a pre-crawler. Of course - every baby naps at different times, prefers different activities, etc., and every mom has different desires for how to enjoy her day and how she will feel accomplished that day. Keep this in mind as simply a sample for you to start your own.
A 'Routined' Day With a Pre-Crawler
5:45 - 6:00 am - Wake myself up, make my bed, get myself going for the day a bit. (Keep in mind - this doesn't ALWAYS happen...If baby was up in the night I usually skip this. But when I do, do it I feel much more happier and prepared when baby makes her first cry, as opposed to being woken up from her first cry.)
6:00 - 6:30 am - Baby wakes up, feed bottle, and morning cuddles.
6:30 - 7:00 am - Baby plays in exersaucer while I do dishes from last night and clean up the kitchen. (At this point, I was able to leave the dishes from the night before and do them in the morning, which worked for me! We don't have a dishwasher, so doing dishes is always a big deal at our house.)
7:00 - 7:30 am - Breakfast for baby and me.
7:30 - 8:00 am - Shower and get ready while baby plays in Jolly Jumper.
8:00 - 8:45 am - Morning walk and/or playtime while I fold laundry or simply play with baby.
8:45 - 9:00 am - Read books, and get ready for naptime.
9:00 - 10:00 am - Naptime while I spend some time drinking coffee, doing devotions, reading, emails, etc.
10:00 - 11:30 am - Feed bottle and head out for the morning. (Whether we go to the library for a program, have a playdate with a friend, or just run errands at a store - I always made sure to get out at this time of day. If I didn't I would find the morning to truly drag on.)
11:30 - 12:30 pm - Lunch time and inside play (mostly for me while baby plays, or if baby has begun eating lunch already then for baby as well)
12:30 - 1:30 pm - Afternoon naptime while I tidy up, craft, write, have some 'me' time.
1:30 - 2:30 pm - Feed bottle, and play on floor with baby.
2:30 - 3:00 pm - Baby plays in Jolly Jumper or Exersaucer while I do a chore. (I only pick one chore a day to do so that I am not cleaning the house all day while worrying about baby playing on her own - I find that this balances my days and helps me to keep the house clean at the same time.)
3:00 - 4:00 pm - Get out. Either we run errands, visit a friend, play outside, go for another walk, etc.
4:00 - 5:00 pm - Naptime while I start to prep for dinner, do a load of laundry, tidy up, check emails, etc.
5:00 - 6:00 pm - Feed baby dinner, carry baby in carrier while I cook dinner for hubby and I. (Since this was her regular fussy time, it worked well to carry her while cooking!)
6:00 - 7:00 pm - Hubby is home, we eat, he takes over baby duty while I clean up a bit (but again, not a lot since I mostly do this in the morning), and we put baby to bed.
I simply write my schedule in a notebook on a piece of paper..which ends up looking very messy..something like this. I like this as I find I can cross off tasks when they are done and not worry about making it neat and tidy. Whether you like it written or on your computer or in your phone - do what works for you.
If you are feeling in somewhat of a rut with your baby, think about setting a schedule that would work for you. Of course not every day will be exactly the same, (If it is, it would be boring anyway!), and your day might also not go perfectly as planned, but to have this schedule can help you to stay on track with your days, without finding yourself frustrated, antsy, and simply 'blah'. You will find yourself taking time for intentional playtimes with your baby, while also getting done what needs to be done around the house, while still finding some time for yourself. I promise, you won't be disappointed and your days will feel much more purposeful and productive.
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