What is your daily routine?

lolob45

I return to work in 2 weeks and I'm slightly stressing about how i'm going to get everything done in a day, spend enough time with DD to feel satisfied, keep my relationship with DH healthy and get enough sleep to survive. 

My sister recently told me her daily routine with her 2 LOs and I nearly had a panic attack ... but it was helpful to hear how she managed it all.

I *think* my day will go something like this .... 

Wake up at 5:15am to get ready, wake up DD at 6am to nurse & leave the house at 6:45am to either drop off at my mom's or DH will drop off (we plan to alternate days). Commute for 45min. Work 7:30am - 4:30pm pumping 3x/day. 

Hubby and I have decided to alternate pick ups as well. If I pick up then i'll go home to spend time with her, get the house organized, start dinner, etc. If I don't pick up then I plan to pump once more at work and work out as soon as I get back into town until 6:30/7pm. I'll have less time once home with DD but that'll be DHs night to make dinner, etc. I hope to get DD down by 9pm and then i'll go to sleep around 10pm. 

What is your daily routine? Any tips for surviving the transition to being a working mom?

cedenton

Well, it was different when he was that little but now it is...

• Set alarm for 6:15. Hit Snooze until 6:45
• try to get ready as fast as I can before the baby gets up
• Get baby up around 7. Give him sippy of milk, change his diaper, get him dressed, give him a quick snack like a nutrigrain bar.
• gather bags, put everything/body in the car - aim for 7:15, usually 7:30
• Drive to daycare and drop N off
• Drive to work
• Work out at lunch if possible
• Pick N up from Daycare around 5:15
• Get home around 5:40
• Throw together dinner for N
• Feed N by 6ish
• Bath at 7, bed at 7:30
• Eat/Make my own dinner
• Spray/wash diapers
• try to tidy up at least one area of the house
• watch TV/Play on iPAD
• Shower
• Bed by 10:30
  

VitaLuna

Going back to work next week. My routine will be:

-5am: wake up, nurse LO
-5:30/5:45: put LO back to bed
-6am: leave for work, pump in car
(H will get LO up and take her to my mom's at 7:15)
(H picks up LO at 6)
-8:15pm: home from work, feed LO and snuggle/play
-9-9:30: get LO in bed, have a snack, shower, go to bed

shannm

Well, when my kids were that young, bedtime was often 6:30 so I am sort of jealous of these LOs who go to sleep at 9.

Anyway, right now, here is what it looks like:

5:45 - wake, shower, dress, start kids' breakfasts, turn on coffee pot, dry my hair if kids are still sleeping.

6:15-6:30 - kids usually are waking, have DS dress himself and give him breakfast, DD goes in her high chair with breakfast.  Try to again dry my hair.

7ish - DH now is finally getting out of bed, I get everyone's stuff by the door.  I now finally dry my hair.

7:15 - DS and I leave for school and work (DH takes DD to daycare later).

7:30 - 7:45 - Drop DS off at school

8 - 5ish - work (I try to leave before 5 but it usually doesn't happen)

5:30 - pick up DS at school (DH is picking up DD around this time).

6:00 - get home, get dinner started.

6:15-6:30 eat dinner.

7:00 - 8:00  DD's bath and bedtime.

8:00 - 8:30 DS's bath and bedtime.

7-9 whoever is not with kids washes dishes and I pack 3 lunches (me, DS and DD).  Tonight it is snowing so I am on strike.

9-10:30 work/tv/read/chores

10:30 - this is when I usually fall asleep watching rehab addict.

umma4babes

Our routine has more or less stayed the same even though our son is now 3. The only difference is that he goes to bed later now (between 7:30 and 8), it was 6:30 from 5 months to about 18 months, then 7 until 2 and half. I stopped breastfeeding at 2 months so I didn't pump.
Our routine now:
6:00 - get up, 6:10 at the latest. DH usually leaves the house by 5:45/6, so the morning routine is all on me.
~6:45 - shower, hair, makeup, get dressed. Wake my son up, give him a cup of milk and pediasure (50/50). He gets breakfast at daycare so I just give this to him to tide him over until then.
~7:00 - get him to go potty, wash up, get him dressed.
We are out the door by 7:05-7:10.
Get to daycare by 7:25, leave daycare by 7:30.
Get to work by 8.
Workout during lunch, have a very quick lunch like protein shake or energy bar.
Leave work by 5. Get to daycare by 5:40, home by 6.
DH gets home by 6:15 or so and he is in charge of dinner everyday. He usually has stuff ready in advance so it only takes 15-20 minutes to get dinner ready. We finish eating dinner by 6:50 to 7.
The it's bath time, teeth brushing, and books and songs for our son. He's in bed by 8 at the latest.
If I didn't have time to workout during lunch, I work out to DVD and DH sometimes goes for a jog/run. We then clean up, get stuff ready for the next day and in bed by 10. Except now that I'm 39 weeks pregnant, I can't sleep through the night between bathroom visits!

We've been lucky to have a routine that works for us. I know we will have to come up with a new routine once our #2 gets here though!

financialdiva

5:45am- Wake up, brush teeth, do my hair and makeup

6am-6:10am- quick chore like empty the dishwasher (make sure you have THREE days worth of pump parts and bottles, and run those things through the dishwasher everyother night. Empty onto drying rack in the am, and they will be ready to make bottles that evening)

6:10am- baby up, get him dressed and nurse. well, not anymore ( so now he eats breakfast

6:30am- DS1 up, dressed and eating breakfast by DH, I get dressed (to avoid spit up and having to get changed)

6:45am- out the door

7:15am- DH out the door

7:30am-4:30pm work

5:30pm arrive home with the kids, we play until dinner

7pmish- Dinner

7:15pmish Bath time for DS2

7:30pm- DS2 bed time, then I give DS1 a bath, then he watches TV while I take a shower and or clean up dinner, throw on a load of laundry or straighten up the house.

9pm- DS1 bedtime

10pm- I pass out unless I have to work- which then I usually plug in from like 9pm-12pm. And that sucks.

DH helps in the morning, but isn't home much in the evenings.

shannm

@beaubecca - the show is ok.  She often faces challenges that we have in our own house so I gravitate towards it just to see what she does, often using recycled materials.  It is like the anti-McMansion show and I love that.  Its a good bedtime show because if I fall asleep, I know that I will run into that same episode at another time.

ccam

5:15 / 5:30am - Up, shower, get ready for the day.

6:00 - DS is usually getting up about now, if not, DH wakes him.  DH pretty much gets DS changed, dressed and ready to go.  I'll grab DS a cup of milk and a snack (he eats breakfast at daycare).

6:15 / 6:30 - We're all ready and in the kitchen to get last minute stuff packed, coffee made and out the door.  I go straight to work and DH drops off DS on his way to work.

7 - 3:30 - Work

4:15 / 4:30 - Pick up DS from daycare, drive home and try to start as much dinner as DS will allow. 

5:00 - 6:00 - DH is usually home about now and he will entertain DS while I finish dinner so we can eat together.  Clean up from dinner, empty our bags from the day, etc.  (If DH is late, DS will eat now and we'll eat when he goes to bed which we're trying to get away from.)

6:00 - 6:30 - Hang out with DS

6:30 - 7:00 - Bath, books and bed for DS

7:00 - 8:00 - Finish kitchen, pack breakfast and lunch; throw in laundry, pay bills, etc.

8:00 - 9:00 - DH and I finally sit and hang out for an hour

9:00 - Bed!

I really think that the idea of going back to work is worse than actually going back.  You get into a groove and it becomes second nature.  And you realize that it's quality over quantity when it comes to time spent with your LO.  One tip - prep as much as possible the night before.  Enjoy your last 2 weeks!  Good luck!

 

APendola

I didn't have to go back to work when DD was that little, but our routine is:

up at 5:45, shower,breakfast,get dressed etc...wake up DD at 6:30, nurse, change her, hang out with her until DH is ready around 7:05...I leave by 7:15.  DH takes DD to the dayhome in the morning.  I am off work at 4:30 and I pick up DD around 5:00 (more like 5:30 in the wintertime).  When we get home, I nurse her, then I get dinner started while DH plays with her.  I'm usually passed out by 9:30.

I think that's a great idea to alternate pick up days with your DH so that you both have 2 or 3 evenings a week that you can have a little bit of time to yourself.

Good luck!

QueSrah

A few comments on your plan -

1. You might try to transition your baby to an earlier bedtime.  Around 4 months is when my DD settled into more of a 7 pm bedtime (in bed for about 12 hours, though not sleeping straight through).  9 to 6 am might not be sustainable for her for the long-term.  Also it's easier to do dinner and cleaning up of your day once the baby is down.  You get fewer hours with the baby, but you learn to focus fully on the baby during the time you have so you can focus fully on the boring cleaning up and cooking when the baby is asleep for the night.

2. Settling into a set routine of always doing drop-offs or pick-ups (rather than switching off randomly) might be easier to manage when you're sleep deprived and not necessarily conscious enough to remember what's the plan any given day.  If your schedules can't handle the consistency, you'll muddle through, but if you can do 90% of one or the other it will require less planning on a day-to-day basis.

3. I would give yourself some time to settle into your new schedule before committing to regular workouts.  Unless you're really together, it might just be one too many things to swallow at the beginning.

 

suburbanstepmom

OP, I empathize with you feeling overwhelmed hearing people's schedules. My SS is 5 y/o so it's not a lot of work to get him up, ready, and to daycare, ect. since he can do most of it himself.

Now that we're talking about TTC our own I figured I'd read through this thread to get an idea of people's schedule's with LO's around... and I am definitely freaked! Haha. I guess this is why they say Mom's are super heros, eh?

^:)^

ZeeSunflowery1

Hi I recently started back on TB after a long time away.  I went back to work when DD was almost 3 months.

My routine while pumping:

• wake at 4:15 to pump
• (4:30 or 4:45 -4:50 or 5:00) shower
• (5-5:30) pack all clean bottles in diaper bag and pack pumped milk in lunch tote (along with any applicalbe solids)
• (5:30-5:45 or 6) DH got DD up, changed, and ready to go, while I got dressed and brushed my teeth
• (6-630) get everything out to the car, prep coffee to go, DH gets baby in seat and we leave
• (7-730) drop DD off at daycare
• (3:30-4) pick DD up from daycare
• (5:30ish) bring everything in and play with DD until DH gets home
• (6-7) trade off playing with DD so we wash bottles (me), pump parts (me), cook dinner (DH), and put DD to bed (at 7).
• (745-9pm)- dinner and one on one time with DH, pump if needed, wash any bottles or pump parts that I missed
• (9-10)- pump and go to bed
• (2AM)- maybe pump)

I have to say, pumping at work and early AM/Late PM was very challenging and not fun at all.  I was able to do it until DD was 6 months old before it became impossible to do it at work (way too busy to find time, as I work in a laboratory).  I also had grand plans to puree my own food and cloth diaper.  I just can't do that and still have time with my DD and DH and myself.

My message to you- Figure out what is most important and try to fit that into your daily schedule.  If you can do it all.... more power to you, but don't feel guilty if you can only do a thing or two.  Your attitude towards parenting will be so much better off and you will be happier.

itsmevkb

We have a pretty good routine but I've found it helps to roll with things and to not set your expectations too high.  Somedays will be perfect and others everything will just fall apart. If you don't expect to get everything done you don't end up feeling bad that you didnt'!

Anyway, we have 4 kids, ages spanning a year to 7 years and our routine is:

6:00am - everyone up, dressed and downstairs for breakfast.  My dh normally does more of this than I do as I'm getting myself ready for work and he starts work later than me and can get ready after the kids are gone.

7:20am - everyone out the door, dh takes 2 kids to school and 2 to the babysitter and I go to work.  If I need to take the kids we leave earlier, like by 7:00am and I send breakfast with them to the babysitter and the older two can eat breakfast at school.

8am-4:30 or 5pm depending on the day - work

3:15pm - Most days my dh picks the older kids up from school

5pm or 5:30pm - dh or I pick the kids up from the babysitters, and if it's me, I'm also picking the older two up from the after care at school. 

5:30pm - 6pm - dinner

6:00 - 6:30pm - maybe still dinner and then older kids do their homework and then everyone gets a little time to play while I make lunches and snacks for the next day

6:45pm - 7pm - bath time or just bedtime for the little kids

7pm - 7:45pm - time with the older kids either reading books, playing games, just talking

7:45pm - bedtime for the kids and then I have time to do stuff but normally I don't do too much, more like read, watch tv, hang out with the husband, etc.

SLGILL1978

I have an almost 11 month old. This is what our week consist of when I am working:

Wake up between 6:15-6:30 am
*Sometimes baby wakes other times she is still sleeping
Take a bath
Wake baby if needed and she eats around 4 oz of formula
Do baby's hair
Put on make up
Get dressed
Start car during winter
Get baby dressed

By this times it's usually around 7:30-7:45 am:
Take to daycare
Drive to work

Pick up baby around 4:30-5pm
Go to the grocery store if needed or other errands

Home by 5-6pm
Put groceries away if needed
Change baby into pj's or give bath if it's a bath night
Feed baby
Feed myself and husband
Get ready for the next day (get my clothes and baby's clothes ready)

7pm
Relax and watch TV

8pm
Feed baby last bottle
Put baby to bed

9-10pm
I go to bed

I live in a smaller town and my work, home and daycare are all within 5 mins of each other. Sometimes my schedules does vary because I work for the school district so I usually work 200 days out of the year. When I was nursing I would pump at work at 11am and 2:15 pm. When I returned to work I supplemented during the day starting with the first feeding and would just nurse at night when I got home from work. She switched completely to formula when she was 4.5 months

Weekends baby tends to wake up around 8-9 am and we're really not on a schedule.

Biggest tip... Do as much as you can the night before. I cook our dinners during the day in the crock pot a majority of the time (I understand you commute so it may not be feasible for you). I am lucky with my babysitter because she prefers to feed the kids once they get settled which is why I only give her 4 oz in the morning.

My husband helps out more on the weekends. He is in the Army so he is up at 4am and gone by 5am most days. He usually gets home around 6-7 pm days.

Carnation77

I know you plan on having whoever picks up do the dinner and all but that does not work for us.  LO is way too needy for that to work.  You'll have to see how you LO does once he/she is here.

emilie250

I'm not a parent yet, but discovered the bump through the knot (I'll be married in less than a year). I also expect to be a working mom, and I have to say that this thread really opened my eyes to the reality of what it will be like. 

Anyway, what I really wanted to say that you are all so hard working and dedicated. I'm sure it's exhausting - particularly when with multiple young children. All the best.

Lynnja616

Get up around 5. At gym by 5:30, work out til 6:30 Arrive at home at 6:40, shower and get ready for work while DH is getting kids up and dressed Ready by 7:20'ish, come downstairs for breakfast with kids. DH leaves for work. Get kids in car by 7:45 to leave for daycare. Drop kids off at daycare and am at work 8:30 to anywhere from 4-5:40. Pick kids up between 4 and by the latest 6. Get home and have dinner (DH cooks, I help and set table, clear table, clean up) Bathe kids, get them ready For bed, read books Pack lunch then chill with DH for an hour or two In bed usually around 9:30.

CarrieB.

I also go back to work in 2 weeks after having baby #2 and this is my plan.

5am- wake up, nurse baby, snuggle, get her dressed and changed and put her back to bed.
5:30- do hair, makeup, get dressed, put away dishes from night before, pack pump parts
6:00- get DD2 up, sit on potty, dressed and sit her down for breakfast.
6:15- DH gets up and eats breakfast with DD1. I pack my breakfast, lunch and snack. Kisses and hugs and I'm out the door by 6:45. DH is home w kids during the day. He does about 2 hours of work from home during naps, etc.

5pm- I'm home from work and DH leaves for work. Nurse baby. Put baby in carrier and start dinner for me and DD1.
5:45- Eat dinner w DD1 and clean up.
6:15- play w kids or walk to park if weather is nice.
7pm- baths (not every day) get ready for bed, books, songs, nurse baby.
7:45 DD1 to bed
8pm- baby to bed, after this maybe work out, straighten up, watch tv and in bed by 9:30. DH gets home at midnight and I rarely hear him. He goes to bed by 1 at the latest.

MKDee

My kids are older now, but our schedule isn't that different--biggest change is that I wasn't able to work out during the week until my kids were the ages they are now--2 and 4. When I had babies, there was just never enough time during a workday.

My schedule:

5:45-6:15 (depending on my meetings for the day): get up
6:15-7:00: get ready, including shower, hair and makeup
7:00 (if DH is doing drop-off): go to work OR (if I'm doing drop-off): get kids up
7:00-7:40: kids eat, get dressed
7:40: (if dropping kids off): leave for daycare
8:00: drop off at daycare,drive to work
8:15 (or earlier if DH did drop off)--5:30/6:00--work
6:30: arrive home, DH has done daycare pickup and makes dinner, we eat and if time allows, kids play.
(2x per week): i work out after work and get home after DH and kids have eaten
7:30: I begin bath and bedtime
8:15: kids are in bed
8:30: I begin my "second shift," and work from home from the time kids are in bed until 10 or 11.
Most nights: in bed by 11
(Once per week): I leave at 10 pm to play ice hockey. On that night, I don't get to bed until 2, which sucks, but it's only once per week, thankfully.

I make all lunches for the week and we do all cleaning and laundry on the weekends.

The hardest part for me is that my job requires 10-12 hours of work every day to keep up with everything. Thankfully, DH has an extremely flexible work from home job.

BeeGirl2

4:30 I get up and get myself showered and ready. I pack the lunches that were prepped the night before and make breakfast for everyone. If their is time I will fold some laundry or do any odds and ends that we're not finished the night before. (I find that extra few minutes in the morning before the kids get up is so productive!!)
5:15 wake kids and husband and get ready for school.
6:00-6:15 leave for school/work (depending how on the ball everyone is)

6:15pm arrive home and give the kids a snack (prepared the night before) because waiting for dinner has proven to be an unrealistic expectation and I end up just yelling at them to get out of the kitchen
6:30 prepare dinner
6:45 DH arrives home and we eat
7:00 one of us clears the dinner stuff and preps lunches for the next day and the other spends some time getting the kids changed/ bathed etc.
7:30 we play a game or watch a show or read books and then bed at 8:15

Most nights I am right behind the kids for bed but try to hang with DH a few nights a week. I also get out early one day a week and take the kids for swimming lessons and Dr. Appointments etc.

My BEST time is the morning time as far as productivity and caching up goes. I was never a morning person but I have found I feel way less overwhelmed when I have the extra catch up time. PP are right, you will find your groove just give it a few weeks!

Divallyn

6:15 - Wake, get ready. 6:45 - Wake kid, dress kid, feed kid. 7:30 - out the door, h drops off 7:50 - arrive at work 8:00 to 4:30 - work 4:50 - pick up kid 5:15 - arrive home, spend 20 minute 100% with kid, throw already prepped dinner on, spend more time with kid while dinner cooks. 6:15 - sit down as a family and, then play 7:10 - bedtime routine: bath, lotion, books, medicine, song, bed 7:45 - hop on treadmill and watch show while H tidies kitchen 8:30 - prep dinner, lunches for tmrw, do laundry or general tidy. 10:00 - bedtime Me and H don't really spend a lot of quality time together compared to pre-kid but we do on date nights every second or third week. Also, I spend probably about 2-3 hour on Sunday while the kid is sleeping prepping meals and pre-making food for the week ahead. Making dinner while keeping the kid happy is definitely the hardest part. Your child's behaviour will be immensely better till bed time if you give them 15-30 minutes of undivided attention first thing when arriving home. Once we learned that and started prepping meals ahead of time life got way easier! Side note- why doesn't my ipad let me form paragraphs and tab down? I can do it when writing put I hit enter to submit the comment they all disappear and form one big clump.

aibrean

Wake up at 7 and take my shower, prep my lunch, get LO's stuff all ready and in the car for daycare. Wake her up at 8 and change diaper/dress her and take her to daycare. Arrive at work at 9 and get home around 5:45-6 (hubby picks her up). Then eat dinner, feed baby or give her a bath and get her ready for bed then feed her. Usually she's in bed by 9:30/10pm.

thedash

My routine with two has generally been:

6:00 baby usually wakes to nurse then goes back to sleep in swing
6:30 DH leaves for work, I get dressed and fix my hair
7:00 I make coffee and my breakfast to eat in the car (PB&J!)
7:15 Pump for 15 mins or so
DS wakes at some point in here. I take him to potty, cuddle him, dress him and offer a snack like grapes or dry cereal. He gets breakfast at DCP.
7:45 Put bottles in cooler and get together other stuff while scalding milk
8:00 Start car and put in bags. Go get DD up and into carseat. Put DS in car then DD.
8:10 or so - We drive away
8:30 drop off kids and then 15 min commute to work

5:00 Leave work and pickup kids
5:45 Home. DH is already there and has walked dogs and started dinner. He gets DS a snack while I change my clothes and nurse DD.
We eat and alternate cleaning up and wrangling kids for a while.
At some point I scald the days milk and make next day bottles.
8:00 Bath time every other night
8:30-8:45 I nurse DD and put her to bed while DH helps DS with PJ's and brushing teeth. If she goes down quickly I come read books to DS. Otherwise DH puts him to bed.
9:00 I shower. DH walks dogs and gets lunches together for next day. He washes pump parts and bottles if necessary.
9:45 We are in bed in theory! I usually play around on my phone for a while since DH wakes earlier than I do.

One very small thing can totally throw off your routine with an infant so don't stress too much. My best advice is to agree with DH on a few priorities for each night (wash pump parts, walk dogs, etc) and if you get them done consider the night a success no matter what else happens!

sugarbear0524

After reading the other posts, I think I have it easy.

7:00 or so--wake, talk to DH, get in shower

7:15-7:30--Son (age 2) wakes up, get him milk and sometimes a snack, turn on Super Why

8:00--Leave the house, drop son off at preschool (about 5 minutes away)

8:15--Eat breakfast, read in my office (office is next door to son's school)

12:00--Lunch at home (alone! love it!)

5:15--Pick up DS, home about 5:30

5:30--Cook dinner, DH plays with DS

7:00--Play time with DS

8:15--Bath and bedtime routine

8:45--DS in bed

8:45-10:30--Dishes, laundry, TV

10:30--Me in bed

I also get off work at 3:00 on Fridays, and I leave my son at school. That's my "me time". I go home and crash, go somewhere for coffee and read, see friends, etc.

Curls218

I just came back from maternity leave and my routine goes like this:

- if DS wakes up before alarm, nurse him, put him back down

5:00am - alarm goes off
shower, throw on crappy clothes, do hair & make up, set out outfit for the day, eat breakfast, pack up car w/my work bag, pump & DS's daycare bag w/bottles, if we're having a crockpot dinner I throw that in and set the timer

6:30 - if DS hasn't woken up on his own yet, wake him to nurse ***if he has woken up earlier and has gone back to sleep, I wake him at 6:45 since he doesn't eat as long the second time
dress DS, bring him up to my room, get dressed in work clothes

7:30 - out the door
drop DS at daycare, get on train, commute 1 hour

9:30 - 6 work (pump 3x)

commute 1hour home, return home 7:15/7:30 depending on which train I catch

when I get home until approx 9pm - spend time with DS, bathe him if it's bath night, nurse, read him a bedtime story, put him down

9ish (depending on when he actually goes down for the night) - eat dinner
prep bottles for the next day, pack daycare bag, pack work bag, prep and pack lunch for next day, prep next day's dinner if needed

10:30/11pm - pump for final next day bottle, wash pump parts, choose outfit for next day (and iron if needed)

sometime between 11&12 - bed


Honestly, I'm hoping my evening routine will start getting quicker so I can go to bed earlier.  I end up getting less than 5 hours of sleep a lot and it sucks.  This will also get better once DS is a year old and I stop BFing (my goal is to make it to a year, even if he weans himself before that I'll still want to give him pumped milk in a bottle if possible).  Or even once we get close to that year mark if I have a good freezer stash I will stop my late night pump session and use frozen milk so I can get that extra 30 min for sleep.

I also just started really meal planning this week.  We have freezer meals (homemade and store bought), slow cooker meals, and things that take less than 30 min to make with little prep.  That way we don't waste time cooking when we have a million other things to do.  I wish we could eat when I first get home, but until DS eats what we eat I'd rather spend the time with him and eat late.

JackoftheBox

I was overwhelmed when i first went back to work as well. My tips for you would be to lay out outfits in advance, shower everyone at night, pre-pack any bags and put them in the car for the next day, start a menu, and don't be afraid to ask your SO for help. You will soon have a routine that works great for you in no time.