The Best Stay At Home Mom Schedule with Infant and Toddler

As a stay-at-home mom, it can be hard to stay organized and keep up with all your own personal tasks, managing the house, while also handling the needs of your children.

This article will provide you with some sample schedules, my own stay at home mom schedule with infant and toddler, and tips on how to stay at home with a baby and a toddler without losing your sanity!

Let’s go!

Putting Together a Stay At Home Mom Schedule

Developing a stay at home mom schedule with infant and toddler can be tedious and time-consuming, but it is so worth it, especially if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed with your life as a mother.

Routines are great for kids to establish regularity–the more a child knows what to expect, the more likely they are to work with you or comply to requests… they KNOW what’s coming next!

I saw it all the time as a teacher, that as I established a routine for my classroom, the students became more compliant, friendlier, and happier. The same applies to your own kids when you stay at home with them.

There will be times when you can’t keep to your daily routines, and as your children get older and grow out of naps or feeding routines, it will change.

Your stay-at-home mom schedule will be an ever-evolving piece of art.

Start with the Important Times

It’s important to keep baby on a loose schedule, like taking their nap and going to bed at the same time every day. However, because babies go through growth spurts pretty frequently, don’t keep their feedings on too strict of a schedule! Toddlers and older kids can have a more strict daily schedule.

Here’s what you want to put in your schedule FIRST:

• wake up times
• baby naps
• snacks
• meal times
• bedtime routines

Then add in all the other stuff to fit around these more important tasks and items.

Think about what you can do at the same time

When you have small children, a solid routine can make all the difference. I’m not advocating true multitasking, but if you can find things that can happen simultaneously, then you’re in business!

Here are some other things you might be able to get to happen at the same time:

• you can have a few minutes of free time and your toddler can eat lunch
• you can work or do dishes while your toddler can play quietly and baby takes his first nap

You get the picture!

3 More Quick Tips for Your Stay At Home Mom Daily Routine

When stay at home moms put together a routine for their daily life, it’s important to think about a few more things:

1) Prioritize Your Mental Health

If you’re finding yourself exhausted at the end of the day, you’re doing too much. I’m certainly guilty of this. You can’t run on fumes all the time! Don’t forget about quality time for yourself and a good self care routine!

2) Keep Your Diaper Bag Ready to Go

Having the kids’ bag ready to go at any moment can really help with all kinds of things in life. Whether it’s a quick trip to the store because you needed something, or you’re taking them for a spontaneous trip to the park, having that diaper bag at the ready will save you mental time and precious energy.

3) Go to the Grocery Store at the Same Time Every Week

Speaking of the grocery store, go at the same time every week. As mentioned earlier, a good routine is essential for kids to develop consistency and confidence. This can also help your toddler learn the days of the week!

4) Don’t compare yourself to other moms

It should go without saying, but what other stay at home moms do is none of your business. And it’s none of others’ business what you do with your routine. Everyone’s routine will look differently.

Sample Stay At Home Mom Schedule with Infant

Having a daily routine when you’re a stay at home mom is infinitely important, even when you just have one kid.

Here’s a very basic schedule that you can use when it’s just you, stay at home mom, and for a baby that’s about 5-6 months old.

7:00am – wake up and nurse or bottle feed baby

7:20am – breakfast for mom. Baby can spend time in the high chair or tummy time in the pack & play.

8:00am – shower while baby hangs out in the Boppy pillow.

9:00am – take a walk in the neighborhood or park

9:30am – nursing or bottle feed again

10:00am – dishes, socializing, or goals while baby is in rocker, tummy time, or carrier (on certain mornings, this is a good time for grocery shopping)

11:00am – baby nurses and/or eats baby food, nap

11:30am – mom gets some time to herself for lunch, reading, or accomplishing goals

12:30pm – baby wakes up, wants to eat

1:00pm – baby can get some screen time or have special activities

3:30pm – second nap for baby

4:30pm – baby wakes up

5:00pm – partner comes home and takes baby, some free time for you!

6:00pm – start preparing dinner (if you cook)

7:00pm – eat dinner together as a family. Baby can try some baby food if he’s ready to eat solids.

8:00pm – bathtime and bedtime routine

8:30pm – nurse baby to sleep

9:00pm – some time with partner to watch TV or talk… or other activities 😉

10:30pm – bedtime (you may be woken up to nurse by baby many times during the night)

Sample Stay at Home Mom Schedule with Infant and Toddler

When you have two kids, everything changes!

This sample schedule is the very first schedule I put together for myself and my boys. I’ve cleaned it up a little bit so you can have your own copy (shown at the bottom of this page, and available in the resource library.)

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My Stay At Home Mom Schedule with an Infant and Toddler

Remember, I can’t tell you exactly what will work best for you–only you can figure that out for yourself! But this is what worked for me when my boys were 6 months and 2 years old.

2:20 am- Wake up and Nurse!

2:40 am- Get out of bed, get ready to teach.

I put my contacts in, throw on some mascara and lipgloss (so the students can see my mouth and eyes), and brush my hair. I grab some caffeine.

3:00 am- Classes start.

4:30 am- Classes end.

I can only teach for about an hour and a half on a weekday because my husband leaves for work very early. The kids are too small at this point, so one of us has to be available to them if they wake up. I teach MUCH longer on the weekends.

At 4:30 I usually start writing, working on my blog, and doing any other online tasks that I need to take care of. I can get about an hour and a half before the boys wake up.

If D wakes up before then and needs to nurse, I either sit with him at the computer or I will nurse him back to sleep while I read. I turn the computer brightness way down, and I have this amazing app called “f.lux” that allows me to make the screen less blue. This will prevent him from being too stimulated by the blue light of the screen and he’ll be able to get back to sleep.

6:00 am- Boys get up.

M will get some independent play before breakfast. I plop baby down in the high chair with a toy or two. He’s 6 months now, so he can sit up on his own. While my toddler is playing, I do the dishes from the night before.

(Call me crazy, but I like relaxing during the little evening time I get.)

6:30 am- Toddler eats while I keep cleaning.

It’s breakfast time! We make healthy breakfasts around here, focusing on protein and healthy carbs. Yogurt, fruit, and eggs are favorites.

He also has been very good about helping me feed the dogs. He LOVES it. I will throw in a load of laundry, fold clothes, pick up the family room, or whatever else needs to be done.

After breakfast is usually diaper changes and fresh clothes for the boys.

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7:00 am- I work on writing

Baby is usually on my lap or in his bouncer play area. Now that he can sit up while on the floor, I’ve been putting him down with some toys. Although just a few days ago, my toddler knocked him over with a plastic golf club. (Parenting fail.)

7:30 am- I nurse Baby to sleep for his morning nap.

Toddler plays on the floor in our bedroom and I read while nursing Baby. After about 20 to 30 minutes, he’s ready to be put down on the bed.

8:00 am- I shower.

While Baby is sleeping, I’ll shower. Toddler will either play with the dogs, sit on the floor of the bathroom, or play with toys in the bedroom. I only get concerned if he gets too loud (which is often) because he’ll wake his brother up.

8:30 am- Back out to the family room for more mom-work time.

Toddler comes with me out into the family room. I turn on the TV and let him watch something while I continue working.

9:00 am- Snack

Snack time! Toddler usually gets berries, apples, applesauce, yogurt, crackers, goldfish, or something else that’s at least mostly healthy. I always try to plan what they eat. Sometimes I’ll have homemade banana bread or biscuits.

Sometimes we’ll switch snack and walk time… my toddler is like his mommy and loves to eat! He always lets me know when he’s ready for food.

Baby usually gets back up between 8:30 and 9 as well, so he hangs out in his high chair or I’ll carry him while I eat.

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9:30 am- Walk.

It’s been much cooler in the mornings now, so by 9 or 9:30, it’s getting warmer. We don’t walk too far, just a 20-30 minute walk, but one of Toddler’s favorite things to do is visit the horses that live on another block nearby.

I’ll also let him out when we get closer to our street, because he loves to push the stroller. He’s a good helper.

10:00 am- Everyone plays.

Now I get down on the floor with them. We read books, play with blocks, color with crayons, toss the ball, or maybe if it’s nice we’ll head back outside so Toddler can play with his cars in the sand.

Sometimes Baby wants a snack too, so I might sit on the couch with the boys and we’ll read or sing songs while Baby eats.

11:00 am- Back inside for more laundry and lunch prep.

Sometimes I’ll let Toddler watch a little more TV too.

11:30 am- Lunchtime

It’s usually leftovers, salad, veggies, or protein shakes (for me) for lunch.

12:00 noon- Toddler’s nap time.

It’s time for the first child to nap, so we’ll make sure his diaper is changed and he lays right down in his crib for a nap. He’s not quite ready for a big boy bed, but I expect within the next couple of months we’ll start trying it out.

Baby is typically ready for another nap at this point, so it’s nursing in the rocking chair again. I read some more while Baby falls asleep, and when he’s down, it’s back out to the computer to do some follow-ups, writing, or design.

12:45 pm- Baby wakes up

I can never seem to get that baby to sleep very long, but sometimes he’ll sleep an hour or two if he needs it. He’ll come back out with me and I’ll keep him entertained while I keep working.

2:00 pm- Toddler wakes up

I can usually count on Toddler to sleep for 2 hours, so he’ll wake up around 2. Toddler will eat a snack and play.

At this time, if I have a meal that needs lots of prep or cooking time, I’ll start dinner. If not, we’ll all play for a little while longer.

More diaper changes are usually in order.

3:00 pm- Finish up laundry and dishes or other cleaning.

I usually feed baby again by 3:00pm, but he won’t eat much in the afternoon. Sometimes he will take a mini-siesta in the afternoon as well. He’s not quite down to 2 naps per day yet.

3:30 pm- Outside for more play time.

Toddler would spend all day outside if he could!

4:00pm- Daddy takes the kids.

Daddy’s turn with the kids!

My husband is usually home between 4:00 and 4:30 during fall. He is a high school band director, so fall is Marching Band season, which means a lot of extra rehearsals. Once Marching Band is over, he’ll probably be home around 3.

Whenever he gets home, he’ll take the boys into the family room (or stay outside with them) so I can finish dinner.

4:30 or 5:00 pm- Dinner

Yes, we eat that early. I know that people in Europe often don’t eat dinner until 9pm, but they probably also aren’t eating breakfast at 4am. It’s important to us that we eat together as a family, so we make a priority for it every day!

5:30 pm- Chill

We chill as a family, watch TV, play games, read books, whatever. I mentioned earlier that we don’t do the dishes until the next morning, so aside from chucking the dishes in the sink, there’s not much clean up.

7:00 pm- Baby and I start our bedtime routine

It’s bedtime for the little munchkin and I since I get up so early. We’re still co-sleeping (trying to start working on that soon…) which makes it easy for us. I nurse him in the rocking chair, he conks out, and we both collapse into bed. I fall asleep pretty quick.

7:30 pm- my husband does the bedtime routine for our toddler

Toddler gets a change, teeth brushed, songs, and a couple of books before bed.

??? – My husband comes to bed.

Yep, not really sure when my husband crawls into bed, but that’s how things roll I guess.

My Schedule breakdown:

• Teaching 1.5 hours
• Blogging 4.5 hours total
• Childcare 5.5 hours of focused childcare time, 24 hours of total childcare time 😉
• Cooking/cleaning 3 hours
• Leisure Time 2 hours (including my shower)
• Sleep 7.5 hours
• Total = 24 hours!

Shortcomings of my daily schedule

I only get two hours of leisure time. That’s pretty crappy, but as the boys get older and have more independence, it will be easier to take time to myself. Self-care is pretty much non-existent right now.

I don’t get much quality time with my husband. Every few months we might get an hour if my in-laws are over, but because D is still nursing (and won’t take a bottle) it requires me to be there with him almost all the time.

Life is certainly hectic being a stay at home mom. But it’s worth it for myself and for my little ones!

Steps for Making Your Own Schedule as a Stay-At-Home Mom

1. Begin with a blank table (above) for however many people you have.
2. Fill in the important parts, like meals and naps, and family time
3. Make note of what other people are doing during things from #2
4. Fill in the rest from there, to the best of your ability

Don’t forget to look at your priorities as well! It was a priority that I get time to work on my online businesses every day! You might prioritize outdoor time or taking a nap when your little ones are down!

It might take you some adjustment while you settle into an official routine, so give yourself some patience and leeway.

Want a copy that you can use?! Fill in the form below! It’s available with space for 2, 3, or 4 people!

If you want the old one (the pink one above) just shoot me an email at dawn@wildsimplejoy.com and I’ll personally send it to you.

Writing Out Your Own Stay at Home Mom Schedules with Template