Terrible Two's

King turned 2 in August and since he has been more...spirited than usual. Now if you know us, you know that Kingston is what you would call a high needs baby. He is our last and we have done everything wrong. We have rocked him to sleep, never had a real schedule, and literally just let him dictate how our day goes.

Recently we have been doing better at getting control over all of it. We now have a bedtime routine, and a loose but consistent schedule. We have started sleep training and are about to start potty training. We would like to concentrate more on learning this year with Kingston. I have searched and found many sample Toddler schedules for stay at home parents. None of them seemed like the right fit for us.

Our dynamic in the home is a little different. I work 8 hours a day from home but I am available to interact and help out.

Jermaine is the main caregiver all day. Then there is my mom, Nana, that Kingston loves to "help" running in and out of her room all day. Kingston also needs to get out of the house daily, with cold or rainy weather this has become one of our challenges and recently got a toddler trampoline for the garage so he can go out there and play and jump when the weather is not that great. This has been a game changer.

So here is what we have settled on for a schedule for him on days I work. We try to have family time and go do activities on days I don't work all day. And let's be honest the TV is our friend and the right content helps in learning. So this would be for about 4-5 days a week. Let me know what you think .

2 Year Old Stay At Home Schedule

7:30am - Wake with milk and snuggles

Breakfast with TV time*

8:00am - Brush teeth and get dressed for the day

Independent play while morning chores are done

9:00am - Parent lead learning activity**

10:00am - Outside playtime - bring a snack and drink

11:30am - Prepare and eat lunch

12:00pm - Nap

1:30pm - Snack and TV

2:00pm - Sensory Activity***

3:00pm - Outside Playtime

4:00pm - Movie and choice time

6:00pm - Dinner

6:30pm - Bath and pajamas

7:00pm - Books and Puzzles with Movie and snack

8:00pm - Bedtime

*TV time - Toddler learning videos on YouTube or PBS kids

** Parent lead activity - actively engaged in play/learning (Reading, Blocks, Cars, Dinosaurs)

***Sensory Activity - Playdough, painting/coloring, trampoline, cooking