Our 2-year-old routine hasn’t changed too much from Bitty’s 18-month routine but there have been a couple of changes so I thought I would make an update! I am a firm believer in toddler routines. They thrive on predictability and honestly, it keeps me motivated as well. So in case you are looking to update your toddler routine now that your little is getting older then read on!
Let’s be real. Toddlers have a mind of their own…
The best-laid plans can often go awry for the simplest thing. Toddlers are not one of those simple things, so some days it’s a miracle if we are dressed by lunch. Just know that NOONE expects perfection from you or your toddler and just take it a day or hour at a time!
Routine or rhythm, not a schedule.
When Bitty was a baby our routine was much more like a schedule. Between watching her awake times between naps and working; we had places to be at specific times and things we had to get done. Watching the clock was just more a part of our day. Now that she is a little more flexible and we don’t have work anymore our 2-year-old routine is much more relaxed and just follows a rhythm, not the clock.
2-year-old Toddler Routine : A Day in the Life
Wake up – She is up between 6:30 and 7:00 and immediately demands a snack. Tell us we’re not alone with this! During this time she also gets a little TV time, usually simple songs on YouTube.
Breakfast – by 7:30 she’s starving again and we make breakfast. During this time is when I make Tea, and I try and make sure the kitchen is ready for the day during this time as well.
Free play – after she finishes eating she has free play in the living room while I get some TV time and a chance to drink my tea.
Get Ready – Depending on the day and what we have to do depends on when we start getting ready for the day.
Free play/chores – Often times while I am getting ready myself she runs off to free play some more. We will also start some laundry or straighten up the house during this time.
Out and About – If we have a lot to get done I try and get us out of the house around 9 but more often then not it’s closer to 9:30/9:45. We make an effort to get out of the house every day and we follow a routine for that as well.
Different Daily Activities
I don’t know about you but my toddler NEEDS out of the house regularly. My 2-year-old routine has us going somewhere almost every day. It Keeps us both a little saner! Monday we go grocery shopping. Tuesday is our baking/chores day but usually, we go for a good walk as well. Wednesday we have storytime. Thursday we run errands and Friday is our wild card it could be more errands, a playdate or some fun activity like a trampoline park or museum.
AM snack – Around 10:30 or so she is starving again and usually we are out and about so I tend to always have a snack on hand and we eat on the go.
Lunch – we eat closer to 12:30 most days
2-year-old Routine : Mid Day Winddown time
Art/Sensory – This is the perfect time of day for some more one-on-one play. Not that she isn’t with me all morning, but I am often attempting to get something else done or I am encouraging her to play on her own. By this point in the day, she wants to calm down a bit and just have some undivided attention. We will do a tot school art project or some sensory play to wind down before nap
Nap – I noticed that when I was putting her down at 1 she would lay awake in there for a long time before falling asleep, so we pushed nap back to 1:30 and it has worked great! She talks to herself for maybe 10 mins and is out!
PM Snack & TV Time – I generally have to go in and wake her up at 4:00 (hallelujah for lose awesome long naps!) She likes to have a snack and a little TV time while she finishes waking up and I don’t blame her.
Outside – After dad is done with work for the day we all take the dog on a walk and depending on the weather we may stop at the playground for a bit or play in the yard after we get home. With Winter approaching that part of the routine may have to adjust for weather…
2-year-old Routine : Evening Activities
Tot School/Freeplay – I tend to get a tot school activity set up for her during nap and then we pull that out in the evening while we are getting dinner ready. After she finishes tot school stuff she has free play or she can come help in the kitchen it just depends on the day!
Dinner – we eat dinner around 6
Family Time – This is family TV time. Usually, whatever Zak and I are in the mood to watch. Sometimes we will put on a movie that interests her a bit more. In reality, she is just hanging out. She will free playing or color, play with playdough, or more recently we spend a lot of this time reading to her. We will sometimes go into the office with her and she gets to watch Signing time with dad while he games on the computer
Bedtime Routine – We don’t usually start the bedtime routine until 8 these days and we are thinking about potentially pushing it back a little more to see if she would sleep in anymore in the morning. That is yet to be decided. We do jammies, brush teeth and then some reading before we put her down in her crib with her lovie and blanket and leave her to her own devices. She is usually out cold after 15-20 mins of talking to herself if that. We will be switching to a toddler bed in the next month…so fingers crossed that goes smooth!
That’s our 2-year-old Routine…for the time being…
This may end up being kind of outdated quickly. I can only imagine that in a few short months when baby Bean joins us that Bitty’s routine will have to adapt. Thankfully she is actually a really go with the flow kinda kid so I think she will be able to handle it fairly well!
What do your 2-year-old routines look like? I feel like as kids get older the routines they follow tend to be very similar. It would be interesting to hear from someone who is wildly different than us! Share down in the comments!
If you want to see a slice of our every day in action make sure to follow along on Instagram!
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