Day in the Life with a Toddler + Infant
Fun fact: I was originally going to do this blog post back in March/April at the start of the pandemic when I was pregnant with Ezra. Like I took a thousand pictures in preparation for this post. And alas, I never posted it.
Fast forward to today, and in the fullness of mamapreneur life, I forgot to document the day with pictures. Therefore, all the pictures in this post will be a mashup of picture last taken on various days that detail what our daily life looks like.
Also, one final note: although you’ll see times in this post, our family focuses less on a rigid schedule, and more on a rhythm or the pattern/flow in which we do things (except for nap, bedtime routine, and bedtime - in which case I am STRICT about). These are just generally the times in which certain activities occur.
Okay, so now on to my day in the life with a toddler and a five month old!
5:30 Am - 7:15 am
If I was on my A-game and went to bed on time, I try to get up early before the boys wake up so that I can have some alone time to read the Bible, pray, scroll social media, check my emails, and/or get some work done. Since we live in a one-bedroom apartment and Toby is getting ready for work during this time, I just do the above in bed so I don’t wake the boys up.
But let me be all the way honest here: I don’t think I’ve intentionally gotten up before the boys in about two months. Mama is tired!
7:15 am - 7:30 am
One of the boys will wake up, and then proceed to wake up the other. On rare occasions, one or both might sleep in until around 8 a.m. Once they’re up, we snuggle in bed for about 15 minutes, I send Eli to the potty and change Ezra’s diaper before we make our way to the living room.
8 am - 9 am
I try to get the boys settled in the living room so that I can get breakfast ready. I also try to put on either an audio version of the Bible or a Spotify playlist I made for Eli of cute Bible memory verse songs to set the tone for the day.
I usually rotate between oatmeal or pancakes/waffles with sausage, eggs, and fruit. Some days Eli likes to help, and other days I am very grateful he chooses to entertain Ezra so that I am not frantically trying to get breakfast done.
Once Eli is settled with his breakfast, vitamins, and a show, I either quickly try to eat while nursing Ezra or begin putting Ezra down for his nap if he’s sleepy. If it’s not nap time for Ezra, I’ll also give him his vitamins and some mashed banana.
9 am - 10 am
Once Ezra is awake from his nap, we use this time to get dressed and brush our teeth to prepare for homeschool. Lately, Eli has been really into picking out his own clothes, and it’s been pretty fun to see what outfits he comes up with!
10 am - 10:30 am
Since it’s my first year homeschooling, I decided to keep it simple and just use the Busy Toddler’s Playing Preschool curriculum to teach out of. It’s so simple and easy, and my favorite part is that I can do it all in less than 45 minutes, or I can break it up into little sections throughout the day.
Eli thoroughly enjoys homeschool (especially because this is also snack time), and really gets excited about the different activities each day. It’s so fun to watch him learn!
10:45 am - 11:45 am
We usually start the daily chores around this time. At the least, I try to have Eli clean up any mess he’s made during homeschool and help me put the clean dishes away. Sometimes he wants to help with all of the chores, and other days he will play alone while I get things done with Ezra attached to me in the baby wrap.
Each day has dedicated chores so that I can stay focused and productive, and can usually take about an hour to get all done. BUT, I have a toddler and an infant, so there is quite a bit of stopping here and there. So please don’t think I get all of my chores done during this time most days!
BEFORE
AFTER
11:45 am - noon
This is when I prepare Eli’s lunch, which usually consists of leftovers from the night before. Ezra is usually sleep in the wrap by now.
noon - 1 pm
Lunchtime! Sometimes I will also eat lunch, and other times I am catching up on chores or work or (let’s be honest) social media.
1 pm - 2 pm
This is Eli’s nap time, and the allotted time I’ve designated for myself to work during the day. If Ezra is up, he simply sits next to me while I work.
2 pm - 3 pm
Eli usually wakes up between 2 and 2:30 p.m. and then he gets a snack. During this time, we also play or tackle chores we didn’t get to finish. And on rare occasions, this is also the time I plop him in front of the TV so I can wrap up the last of my work if I didn’t get to finish during his nap.
3 pm - 5:30 pm
I’m not gonna lie: this is usually my least intentional time of the day. Usually I’m pretty exhausted by this point, and am just counting down the clock until Toby gets home. This time used to be playing, cleaning, and beginning the dinner prep around 4:30.
But for the past week and a half, my friend and neighbor take the boys and her daughter for a walk from about 3:30 until our men are home around 5/5:15 and it has been a GAME CHANGER!
We get to get out and talk to another adult and the kiddos get to entertain each other, and we all get some food fresh air. I seriously love it - it’s the highlight of my day, honestly!
Eli took this picture and I am lowkey impressed!
5:30 pm - 7 pm
Toby is home and we eat dinner - or try to. Depending on the time of his naps during the day, poor Ezra sometimes just can’t hang during dinnertime. So usually I’ll let Toby and Eli enjoy dinner while I put Ezra down for a late nap for about 20-30 minutes.
We used to go to the park after dinner (if we weren’t already eating dinner at the park), but since we started having our afternoon walks with our friends, Eli and Toby usually just play together for a bit.
7 pm - 8 pm
This begins our bath time routine, which includes bathing, brushing teeth, and two books. If I’m on my A-game, and/or Ezra doesn’t need a bath that night, I’ll seize the moment and take a shower. If I don’t shower during this time, I’ll either wait until after the boys are asleep, or shower in the morning.
8 pm - 8:30 pm
Bedtime! I usually stay in the bedroom with the boys and work and/or surf social media for the rest of the night. Sometimes Toby will stay in the room, and other times he will do the dishes and clean the kitchen.
10:30 pm
This is my official bedtime, although there are nights when I am still up working. And then there are nights where I completely pass out with the boys, ha!
Well, that’s my day in the life with a toddler and an infant! Please know that our days are rarely this simple - sometimes we have hard moments and have to deal with big emotions (the boys’ and Mama’s) or take time to discipline and correct. But these days are so so worth it, and I am blessed to be able to stay at home with my littles!
