As I sit here to write this post, I'm thinking back to the early days of when Lola was fresh to the world and I couldn’t remember what day of the week it was. Recently I was asked to share more on what my daily routine with Lola is, and I almost chuckled to myself. When did I enter this stage of motherhood where I might seem like I have my stuff together to the outside world?
All that to say, I am actually pretty proud of myself for being able to set a relative schedule for our days when it used to be impossible to even schedule in a shower. I would say that if you have a baby that’s about 6 months or younger, do not put the pressure on yourself to have a solid routine in place - especially if your baby is colicky.
So now that we have one, here is our daily routine!
*Disclaimer: As I am sure with pretty much everyone in the world right now, or daily routine has changed a bit with the pandemic. We aren’t going to our activities like Baby Rhyme Time or spending time in the gym, so I am doing my best over here. Let’s just say the one CDC recommendation that is not being followed is the ZERO screen time for babies under 2.
6/630am - There is no need for alarms here in the Firfire household because Lola wakes us up every morning between 6 and 630 am. I have come to suspect that Lola is awake in her crib well before 6am and thus why her first nap is pretty early.
630am - We have family time in bed after Samir gets Lola out of her crib. That is Samir’s favourite thing to do - be the one to get her up. I nurse her in bed and we have a rule of no phones during this time. It’s honestly such a great way to start the day - together as a family.
7am - We have breakfast! Samir makes Lola’s cereal and I make the adult breakfasts and coffee. I don’t have the patience to fight with Lola to actually eat her cereal and not throw it around, so Samir does that.
730am - Samir goes to work - at our dining room table currently because you know.. COVID-19 and Lola and I spend time on the floor in the living room playing. Right now, playing with Lola consists of me putting shapes into her shape basket and her dumping them out - or any other form of destruction. She loves to sing songs with her LeapFrog Pal Violet as well. I use this time to work on communication with her as right now I have the irrational fear that she’s behind in this area. In reality, she’s just more interested in moving around then sitting and chatting.
815 am - We begin to get ready for nap time. If her Daddy forgot to put a bib on during breakfast (which happens more often than not) then I get Lola dressed for the day. This also saves me a step later as she’s ready to go! I do a mini bedtime routine and Lola is down in her crib by 830am.
Now if I'm exhausted because hello I'm a toddler myself and typically refuse to go to bed early enough, then I too take a nap. If I’m not then I take this time to shower and get dressed. Honestly its a juggling act with what I use this time for as what ever is pressing typically gets the attention.
9:45am - Lola is usually awake by 9:45 or so. If I didn’t shower then I get dressed. I will give Lola a snack which is typically a muffin or piece of fruit. If the weather is decent then we head outside for a walk around 1030.
1130am - We’re home! This is when I ATTEMPT to have Lola play independently as I prepare lunch. This rarely goes to plan and I am trying to make lunch with Lola on my hip.
12pm - Lunch time! Samir will take a break from work and have lunch with us.
1230-1pm - Lola plays mostly with Samir while I clean up from lunch. Lola is currently trying so hard to walk by herself so Samir tends to walk around the condo with her practicing.
115pm - Lola is down for her second nap after doing the whole nap time routine again. She typically sleeps 1.5 hours in this nap so I spend the time working on my blog, catching up with messages and calls, or tidying up.
245pm - Lola is awake! During this wake period I try my hardest to allow for independent play as I have to prepare dinner. Often times this means the TV is on with her favourite show Puppy Dog Pals and a giant mess of toys in the living room. Occasionally I attempt to put Lola in the play yard to keep her contained but that typically ends with her standing up, staring at me, and whining until I take her out. Lola will also have another snack during this wake window.
Honestly its survival mode until dinner.
5pm - Dinner time and Samir is done work! Samir will undress Lola down to her diaper and I will prepare her dinner. Lola is an insanely messy eater so I have taken to feeding her in her diaper. Dinner takes around half an hour. It mostly consists of me picking up her sippy cup from the floor 1 million times as she loves to throw it around!
530pm - Samir will play with Lola while I take my daily break in our bedroom. I close the door and just take 10-15 minutes completely by myself. By this point in the day I am ashamed to admit that my patience has started to run out. I need a little recharge so that bedtime is fun and positive for Lola.
6pm - Bath time! I run the bath, get the toothbrush set up, a washcloth, and Lola’s towel. Then Samir and I decide who will do the bath. Lola is a daredevil so currently one of us gets in the bath with her. While its kind of a pain, I enjoy it! It’s a great bonding experience and I know I am there to catch Lola when she inevitably falls from trying to climb the bathtub - no matter how many times I repeat “We sit on our bums in the bath. In the bath we sit on our bums” as I sit her down for the 100th time.
615-645pm - Bedtime routine is almost always done with Samir and I together. He will wrangle Lola into her diaper and pjs (hello Leap 7). I will read books with Lola. Bedtime is also when we FaceTime Samir’s parents a couple times a week as they are just waking up over in Dubai. I love the fact that we start and end the day together as a family.
645 - Lola is put into her sleep sack, I nurse her, and she is put down in her crib awake. She will put herself to sleep and Samir and I collapse on the sofa.
While this is our current routine I know this will change and evolve as Lola's needs change and evolve. I am also curious to see how this all pans out once the social distancing rules are eased. Right now though, I am so grateful we are finally at a place where I have some idea of what each day is going to look like. That was one of the hardest parts of newborn life for me. Stay tuned as I dive deeper into set routines we have like bedtime and how we got Lola into her sleep pattern. But for now, it's back to the living room floor I go to try and entertain our girl!