SAHMs, what is your routine?

bumpuser794640 · February 2014

We just got baby B 3 weeks ago, so DH is still working part time and/or from home for a few more weeks, but after that I'll be SAH alone.

I was wondering what your routine is like as far as baby duties, chores, errands, activities on a day-to-day basis. Bruce plays independently pretty well, but I'm not sure how much interaction is too much/little, etc.

redhead610 · February 2014

Ds wakes up around 8 and naps at 11ish and 3:30ish. He nurses 6 times a day and we do solids twice a day.

Chores get done when I can! Sometimes if he is content in the jumperoo I will lightly clean the bathroom or vacuum. I will unload the dishwasher while he is in the highchair playing with some toys. He likes to scoot around my room while I fold laundry on my bed.

We have playgroup twice a week in the mornings (although we haven't been in awhile since it gets canceled during to snow).

Having him play independently is very good! I will do something independent and some interactive play all throughout the day. Ds is also now learning to explore the house. The other day he scooted all around the kitchen while I made muffins. He was happy just trying to figure things out.

macncheese0712 · February 2014

We get up at 7 AM. Sometimes it can be 6 or 8 but usually 6. If he hasn't nursed recently, we nurse. He's usually pretty distracted and doesn't eat much during this time. He plays on the carpet while I eat breakfast, then he runs around the kitchen in his walker while I do dishes and throw in a load of laundry. If there is a load to fold, he helps me with it on the carpet. At 8 he has breakfast- a fruit with oatmeal mixed in. We play some more and by 8:30 he's tired. We nurse and he takes a 1 hr nap on my lap.

When he wakes I usually shower and get ready for the day. On Tuesdays we go to a baby gym class. On Wednesdays we go to the library. We try to get out every day- I need this for my sanity.

He has a veggie for lunch around noon. Afternoon naps are more of a crapshoot. Sometimes on my lap, sometimes in the car. He spends time in the jumperoo, playing on the carpet, etc... We also go for walks some days. DH gets home between 4 and 6 and then they have playtime together. I work on dinner and picking up around the house.

MagickalNarwhal · February 2014

Wake up. Try and keep both kids alive and fed throughout the day. Go to bed. Hahaha.

We have very little schedule and it works for us. My toddler naps about an hour around noon. The baby generally takes 3 naps, about 45 min long, and is awake for 2-3hrs between naps. We sometimes do an activity in the morning, like baby gym, and meet with friends in the afternoon. The only chores I do daily are washing and making up bottles, some dishes, setting up coffee and general toy pickup/tidy. Anything else is gravy.

Kitten80 · February 2014

This is the first baby I've had that put herself on a schedule. However, demands of big siblings alters it often.

MWF (before this teething awfulness not sleeping at all started) our days looked like this:
Baby wake 5 and eat, back down until 7:30 or 8. I get up when my 4 or 2 year old do or by 7:15 on a school day. Get everyone fed, dressed, check diaper bag, brush car off, feed pets, and out door by 8:30. This changed a little when she was doing her wake up to eat more 6ish and would still be asleep when we had to leave so I would grab her and put her into seat at last minute so she gets as much sleep as possible.

9 - drop DS at school, take girls to story time and sometimes also gym time.

11:30 pick DS up. She falls asleep around 11 and will sleep 1.5 or more hours if home, but wakes when we get home on school days. I feed kids, nurse her, maybe play a little and then try to finish the nap.

1 or 130ish - nurse, play - sometimes on bed/read/in chair in kitchen while I wash dishes or help with kids' work.

We sometimes run errands at this time. Or play outside.

4 ish maybe a nap.

5ish she plays in highchair or with kick n play while I make dinner. I sing to her and tell her what I'm doing. Her big siblings play with her and talk to her.

6ish start bedtime.

bumpuser794640 · February 2014

Well, it sounds like we are doing pretty good routine-wise, so thanks for the reassurance!

Our days look like:
Wakeup around 7, play a bit, bottle, diaper change and clothes.

Then he plays in the floor or pnp while I get breakfast for myself and sit in the living room to eat while he plays. Talk to him and we listen to music on the tv while playing.

He usually takes two 30 minute naps in the mornings, bottles and diapers every 2.5 hrs or so. Solids in the AM or at lunch and dinner time.

More playing in the afternoons, while I get some diaper laundry, regular laundry, dishes, etc. done. Errands/Target run, too. Another nap in the afternoon, either 30 minutes or an hour-2.5 hrs, depending.

Bedtime routine around 7:15, fresh diaper, lotion, jammies, then dh gives a bottle, sings a song and down by 8pm. I wash bottles and fill them with water and pick up toys, etc. while DH puts him down.

Melissa0926432 · February 2014

We don't have much of a routine. LO usually is up around 7 and takes a nap from 930-1015, 1230-1 and 330-5 (on good days). I will usually put her down on the floor to play by herself when she gets up from a nap and has eaten. She will play on her own usually 15 -20 min then she needs constant interaction for the rest of the time she is up until next nap time. I have a really fussy high needs baby though so I am lucky if I get 15 min of independent play and I need to still be within view of her or else she loses it.

LO does a lot better when we get out of the house (she is much happier out in public rather then stuck in the house all day). I will usually take her out after her first nap. We go to a story time at the Barnes and Noble once a week (its more music then stories), the children's museum, grocery shopping, run errands, or lunch with DH. When it gets warmer we will probably walk to the park a lot.

Chores. hahahahaha. Yeah I am terrible about housework. I was prebaby as well. Occasionally I will start laundry during the day but DH does a lot of it at night. When DH gets home at 6 we usually eat dinner and then he will watch her for an hour or so so I can work on my Etsy shop (fill orders, answer emails etc). I sometimes will do a little housework then too. DH used to do most of the housework prebaby but after spending 10 hours alone with the baby I need a break, even if that means doing the dishes so I have picked up more of the housework just so I can have a few minutes alone. We try to keep the house semi clean as we go but we don't stress too much about it. I can occasionally get some stuff done during naps but most of the time I use the 30 min naps to watch tv or use the internet. Oh well.....

I think the hardest thing for me being a FTM and SAHM was not having any time by myself. I knew having a baby would be hard but I stupidly thought she would take naps on her own in her crib (she slept on me the first 6 months and even now needs me to help her get back to sleep if she is going to sleep longer than 30 min). I never feel like I have time to do anything (housework or free time) and when I get 30 min to myself I am too tired to do anything!

ETA - holy crap that was a lot of rambling!

Lelo2006 · February 2014

Here is our rough routine:

7-7:30am: wake up & nurse
8:30-9am: eat breakfast; I clean the house while he plays (I usually have to carry him from room to room).
9:30-10 am: nap, at least one hour (I usually pump during this time)
10:30-11:00 am: wake up, eat 5-6 oz bottle
11:30-1pm, usually do an activity away from the house such as music, swim lessons, sahm meet up
1:30 pm: eat lunch
1:45-2pm: eat 3-4 oz bottle & nap time, usually 1.5-2 hours
3:30-4 pm: wake up & eat 5-6 oz bottle; we usually go for a walk with the dog after that.
6pm: eat dinner
6:30pm: offer bottle of formula, usually about 4 oz; bathtime & put pjs on.
7-7:30 pm: nurse & bed
He wakes up to nurse around 12 am & 4 am; sometimes he skips the 12 am when I'm lucky.

Twice a week I do our laundry and fold it when I have time. We also have a housekeeper who comes every other week.

I have a babysitter who comes on Wednesday between 11-1:30 pm. She watches him while I go work out. It is my free time day and it's so worth the $40 it costs, even though I feel guilty about it sometimes. Eventually I would like to have her come on Mondays as well.

[Deleted User] · February 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

jackson290721 · February 2014

I wake up, I keep a tiny human alive, I go to sleep. Then press repeat.

fabk · February 2014

No routine. Up at 6am and he is in bed by 8pm. Other than that it is a free for all.

babyQ2013 · February 2014

We have yet to establish a real routine, but I'd like to now that he has developed a pretty consistent nap schedule. Also, I plan on signing us up for some kind of class for the Spring. I wanted to wait to get past flu season as it's severe where I live and LO was just old enough to get the shot a couple of weeks ago. But so far, get up, try to do a few house chores, & keep baby happy is our routine!

klepa20c · February 2014

I work from home part time but here's our "schedule"...

she wakes up between 6 and 7, nurses a little bit (but is usually distracted and doesn't eat much) then gets dressed. we play for a while, then she goes in the bouncy chair while i shower/get ready. then she plays a little more independently while i try to get something done or i wear her. then she goes down for a nap (if it is nice out, i sometimes walk her for an hour during this nap because she will take an hour long nap this way... otherwise she only will get a half hour either in her crib or on me). the rest of the day is kind of random... but we usually try to run an errand or two because she loves to get out of the house and be worn around. we have one short nap at some point in the afternoon (hopefully) and we generally have some down time before bath, lotion, and nursing to sleep around 6-6:30.
we TRY solids around 12 and 5. usually without success.

mrshudson618 · February 2014

The only real routine I have is washing CDs, on M, W, F. I try to only get one bug thing done each day, like laundry or bathrooms, so I don't get overwhelmed.
DS is the most cheerful and willing to play by himself when he first wakes up, so that is when I get the most done. I try to get other things done as I can during the day, during naps and little bits at a time when he lets me, but honestly I am the most productive during the first 30 minutes when DH gets home. I hand off the baby and finish all the little things I started during the day.

TheLittleRedM · February 2014

The only "routine" we have is wake up time and bedtime and even that can vary. We usually wake up around 7-8, cuddle in bed while he nurses/naps off and on, and we're up for the day by 9:30/10am. Bedtime consists of changing into PJs between 8:15 and 8:30 (baths beforehand 3 days a week, wipe down of face and hands every night) and he's in bed by 8:45-9:15pm if he's being good.

Lol I'm awful at routines. I try to fit in what I can depending on his level of clingy-ness and how his separation anxiety is that day. He's finally becoming okay to be left in his swing for awhile so I might even be able to get chores done from time to time!

arlingirl · February 2014

We have one, but iPad and no paragraphs=no fun. It's sounds like you guys are doing great though, OP.

KMRR86 · February 2014

^ to put paragraphs in ipad text put
After a sentence and then move a line down. I do it all the time.
Edit - see it worked! Lol...... Put <. b.r.> minus the periods.

Pink724 · February 2014

Here is our loose schedule... she sort of put herself in it, I never forced anything. Some days look nothing like this, but for the most part it's close.

Wake around 7am

Diaper change, nurse

L plays on her playmat while I eat breakfast, drink coffee, empty dishwasher, etc.

We play together until her morning nap around 9:30

She sleeps for about an hour most days - I try to be productive during this time but usually just Bump and drink coffee

Nurse around 10:30 when she wakes up

She eats her lunch around 11

Run any errands, meetup groups, etc. during this time

Nurse before nap around 1:30

She sleeps for about an hour to hour and a half on good days

Nurse around 3 when she wakes up

She eats her dinner around 3:30

We usually take the dog out for a walk when the weather isn't horrible from about 4 to 5

Then we play together on the play mat until bath time at around 6:30

Bath, lotion, jammies, book, nurse, then bed by 7.

She usually has one wake up around 5am then goes back to sleep until around 7, and we start all over

PrimRoseMama · February 2014

I don't have one save for meal times (lunch at 1 & dinner at 6). The rest is play & clean as I go.

Want a personalized experience?

SAHMs, what is your routine?

Re: SAHMs, what is your routine?

LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:

Choose Another Board

Search Boards