What Our Routine Looks Like Now I’m a Mum of Two

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I’ve been asked a few times by fellow Mums what our routine looks like now that I’m a Mum of two. It mostly depends on whether Dex is at childcare or not so I’ve written two different routines here.

Dex goes to childcare Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and I solo parent on a Wednesday and Friday. My husband is off work Saturdays and Sundays but he is usually out most of the day on a Sunday so that is another solo parenting day for me.

Childcare Days

6am

We are woken up by Dexter coming into our bedroom shouting ‘Morning!’ and demanding that we put YouTube on. Felix stirs a little but manages to stay asleep.

6.30am

I go downstairs to make coffee, toast and a bottle for Felix while my husband has a shower. Dex is watching TV or playing with a car on the floor. He also likes watching his Daddy have a shower in the en-suite asking a million questions about what different things are in the bathroom.

7am

After I’ve drank my coffee and got washed and dressed, I give Felix his bottle. He only takes about 4oz or so and sometimes he is sick. It’s probably a little too soon for his bottle, but I don’t want him hungry and crying while I’m on the childcare run.

7.20am

I battle to get Dexter dressed in an outfit I’ve got ready on Sunday night. I like to get all his clothes ready for the week on a Sunday evening so I don’t have to worry about it in the mornings. I base it on where he’s going to be doing that day so this time of year it’s always a vest, leggings, jumper, socks and a nappy.

7.40am

It’s time to start heading downstairs so I ask Dexter to grab his dummy and bunny from his room, brush his teeth, put on some shoes and we head downstairs. I put Felix in his car seat and ask Dexter who should get in the car first- Dexter or Felix? He always chooses Dexter! I grab his bag and coat (which are packed from the night before) and take Dexter to the car. Sometimes he likes to run around the car playing, but most of the time he gets straight in and I buckle him up. I then go back and get Felix, pop him in the car and then lock up the house.

8am

We drive to the childminder’s house and arrive around ten minutes later. Drop off only takes a few minutes and I leave Felix in the car while I go in with Dex and update her on anything she needs to know.

8.15am

Felix and I drive back home and are usually back before 8.30am. He’s now been awake an hour and a half and is a little grumpy. I make a coffee and some porridge when we get back and we head up to bed for his first nap. If he fell asleep in the car seat, I leave him there while I do a few jobs in the kitchen- sterilising, wiping down surfaces, emptying the dishwasher, putting the washing machine on- but he usually only stays asleep for half an hour or so.

10am

Felix is awake and hungry so I give him a bottle and he has around 6oz. After this we play on his playmat or I pop him in his swing while I do a few jobs depending on whether I’ve been able to do any yet or not. He can last for around 20-30 minutes on the playmat before he starts fussing. When I pick him up he looks away from me so I know he’s ready for another nap. Depending on how lazy/tired I’m feeling, we either go upstairs and he contact nap in bed next to me or I pop him in his Moses basket and I crack on with jobs around the house.

 

11am

Felix is napping either in bed next to me while I blog, chat with friends or watch Netflix or he’s asleep in his Moses basket while I do washing, sweep and mop, change the bedsheets, hoover the bedrooms, scrub the toilets and fill the dishwasher. The time whizzes by. At around midday I make myself some lunch- usually a jacket potato and salad.

1pm

It’s time for another bottle (7oz) and some more playtime. Just like earlier, Felix can only manage to play for twenty minutes or so. I pop him on his tummy for half of it and then on his back to his can practise flapping and grabbing toys.

2pm

Felix has a long nap now and is in quite a deep sleep so I usually leave him upstairs while I get on with jobs (especially if I haven’t done anything yet today apart from blogging) If I have done all my jobs then I’ll pop him in the carrier and go for a walk along the canal, or go for a wander around Tesco.

6pm

My husband returns from work along with Dexter who he picked up on his way home. Felix and I are downstairs to greet them and Felix is usually desperate for a bottle. (I wake him when I hear the car pulling up) My husband gives Felix his bottle (8oz) while I listen to how Dexter’s day was and we watch CBeebies bedtime hour. Dexter eats some toast (even though he had tea at childcare!) and I read his daily diary. My husband usually is on his bike of an evening so I quickly make some dinner for myself to take up to bed.

6.50pm

We all head upstairs to get ready for bed after In the Night Garden finishes. One of us will out Felix to bed and one puts Dexter to bed. Dexter used to come in our room and watch TV for a while before bed but we don’t do that now that Felix is here. I take Dexter into his bedroom and we put on pyjamas and sleeping bag. Dexter chooses a book that he wants to read and I read it while he snuggles up in bed. I then leave him and he protests that he’s not tired yet, but is always asleep within a few minutes. Meanwhile, Felix has been changed, put into his sleepy bag and placed in his Chicco. He is usually quite fussy and I want to get on and eat my dinner which is getting cold, so while my husband gets ready to go on his bike, I bring Felix into bed with me where he snuggles up and falls asleep instantly. I eat my dinner and watch some Netflix.

10pm

My husband is finished on his bike by 9pm and it’s his job to give Felix his final bottle before bed. He only has around 4oz but it means he sleeps through until the next morning. I am normally asleep by 10pm just as Family Guy is starting, absolutely exhausted, but not quite sure why as I’ve not really done all that much!

Solo Parenting Day

6am

We are woken up by Dexter coming into our bedroom shouting ‘Morning!’ and demanding that we put YouTube on. Felix stirs a little but manages to stay asleep.

7am

Husband is finally out of bed but the three of us stay firmly in bed watching TV. Felix is still snoozing away. At some point I go down to make coffees, toast and a bottle.

8am

Felix finally has his bottle (7oz) and a bit of awake time, but not for long. He wants to nap pretty much straight away.

8.30am

We leave Felix in his Chicco Next to Me crib and set up the camera, and Dexter has a bath before we go downstairs. I make him a bit more breakfast- usually a bowl of cereal and make myself some porridge.

9am

Dexter and I do a little activity like going out in the garden, painting, colouring, building train tracks, water play, sand play or I put the TV on while he plays with some toys- cars or Lego. While he’s playing, I get the kitchen organised and if we decide to go out I get a bottle ready for Felix.

9.45am

On a Wednesday we like to go to playgroup which keeps us busy until we are back home at 12, or sometimes my Dad comes over so we go to Wigan to pick him up from the train station. Felix usually sleeps if we go out but at some point he will have a bottle at around 11ish usually and takes 8oz.

12pm

It’s lunchtime and I ask Dexter what he’d like and we make it together. I offer him jacket potato, chicken nuggets, sweet potato air fryer chips and veg, veggie pancakes or sausage, potato and veg. He sits at his little Ikea table in front of his TV and watches CBeebies while he eats. While he eats I have some lunch myself and usually tackle some hoovering in the hallway, stairs and landing. Felix will snooze in his Moses basket or if he’s awake, chill out on the play mat.

1pm

Felix is still sleeping and Dex has finished his lunch so I take Dex up for a nap. At the moment this is very hit and miss. Some days he will sleep for three hours, others he will sit in his room for 45 minutes and then decide he’s bored and come and find me. Either way, we go to his bedroom, I read him a book and I leave him just as we do at night. I then get Felix from downstairs and we sit in bed together quietly, barely moving until we hear Dexter has stopped singing/talking/moving. I use the quiet time to blog a little.

3pm

Felix is ready for another bottle and has around 7oz. Dexter may still be asleep or he may have been in bed with us for the past hour having quiet time watching Netflix. If he had been asleep, usually the sound of Felix crying while he waits for his bottle to be made wakes him up. After he’s had his bottle we all go downstairs.

4pm

Dex is desperate to get out again, so I pop Felix in the baby carrier and we walk to the park together. Dexter goes up and down the slide about a thousand times and chats to the other kids that are there. If the weather is bad, we use this time to bake or make playdough while Felix sleeps in the Moses basket.

5pm

We start making tea. Again, I let Dex picks what he wants to eat unless I am making a family meal (rare as my husband doesn’t eat before bike training) If he has something like chilli, bolognese or sausage casserole, I make a big portion so I can divide it up and freeze it for the following week.

6pm

Daddy comes home and I’m very pleased to see him! Felix is stirring for his bottle so my husband gives him that (6oz) while I have a quick bath or make some dinner. Dex is watching TV and running around like a mad man usually as he’s so happy to see his Daddy.

6.50pm

The boys come up for bedtime and this time my husband puts Dexter to bed while I get Felix dressed in a sleep suit and cuddle him to sleep. If it’s a Friday I send my husband out for a takeaway and we watch TOTP2! I also like to have a glass of wine or two!

10pm

Felix has his final bottle and goes into his Next to Me crib.

So that’s what our days looks like, both when I have two and when I just have the sleepy newborn to deal with. Things won’t be like his forever though; Felix won’t sleep as much, there will be weeks when my husband is off work (six week summer holiday yay!) when we will be out most days and soon Felix will be able to interact more, meaning I’ll be able to go to soft play and the beach when it gets warmer. However, this little routine (or these two routines I should say, as they’re both quite unique) work for us at the moment. I find the days that Dexter has a nap to be a lot more manageable, I must admit! He’s usually a lot easier to deal with if we have been out to playgroup as well- he loves an adventure!

I find it a lot easier to cope with Dex being in childcare and I guess we are very lucky that we can continue to keep him in childcare while I’m on maternity leave. Childcare vouchers help us massively, plus the fact that he’s term time only due to my husband’s job.

What does your daily routine look like as a Mum of two?

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