Dear Mommas, My 2 year old is definitely undergoing many developmental changes, and I want to keep up, enabling him plently of outdoor time, stimulating activities, and social interaction etc.....
What are some of your typical schedules. Right now ours is:
730/8 wake (although wake is late these days due to falling asleep late)
930-1130/12 -- morning activity -- 'mommy and me' or park or errands (snack in between)
1130/12 -- lunch
1-3 -- nap
330 - snack
4-6 -- afternoon activity (depending on morning) -- park, errands
600 dinner
730 -- bath, snack, story
830/9 -- bed (although he is falling asleep late these days)
We do the same, my daughter is 2 in november. 2 mornings a week she goes to child care so that she can be with other kids, and I can get my work done. And for the most part bedtime is between 7 and 8.
That is typical.
BUT, at this age of 2... a toddler typically gets quirks with their sleep. It is developmental and because the are changing so much physically and cognitively....
Just KEEP to your normal routines... and for naps and sleep.
It will pass....
Also, an overtired child, often sleeps worse, falls asleep worse, and wakes more. For some kids, being over-tired actually makes them more 'hyper.'
For your bedtime routine... I would emphasize a PRE-bed routine... which involves allowing time for him to WIND-down first... before bed time. Make everything quiet and calm etc. And dark, with only 1 light on. Then cue him verbally "bed time soon...." and then get into the routine of preparing for bedtime... thus, it being a wind-down period. Then allow him a quiet activity or read to him etc. For my kids, it takes at least 1/2 hour to 1 hour BEFORE actual bedtime, to wind them down. For example.
As a kid gets older, they need some adjustments to bedtime routines. You need to transition the child and wind them down, first. To key them down..... in other words. BEFORE bed.
Or, make dinner for him earlier.... lots of kids are hungry already by 6:00pm. Then push his bath/snack/story routine earlier, to 7:00. Then, it won't be such a 'rush' between his bath/snack/story routine and then bedtime.... at 8:30. Allow more time for wind-down and keying down.
all the best,
Susan
Developmental activities--
PHYSICAL: we walk the neighborhood, play on the backyard swing set & slides, play in the ball pit, play in the "pillow jungle" (throw all unused pillows/couch cushions on the floor and climb and fall and jump around in/on it), feed the ducks, blow bubbles and chase/pop them,
SOCIAL: gymnastics class at the rec ctr (we did 2 sessions 1x/week), play with other kids at the park, play dates with neighborhood kids
EDUCATIONAL: reading books, 1 TV show per day (occasional exceptions for an extra show), crafts (coloring/gluing/stickering...), coloring home-made birthday cards, zoo/sea world visits for learning about animals, musical toys
Other things for variety/spice: Camping trips throughout the year; picnics at the park during the cousin's soccer game or at a free outdoor concert; sleep-overs at grandma/grandpa's house, children's area at public library
Schedule: I can never seem to get enough time after naps for errands, so I do almost everything like that before lunch--
7:30 Wake up. play, eat breakfast
9/9:30 go out--kids club while mom is at the gym, or shopping, or playdate, or park/zoo, or grandmas... --always with snacks on hand.
11:30/12 lunch (usually at home)
1/2pm nap/quiet time till ~4pm
4/5ish play at home. one 30 min TV show if earned (good behavior)
5:30/6 dinner for kids, followed by play at home, or stroller walk or playdate or QUICK errand; sometimes we go to a park before and dinner gets pushed late.
7pm bath/bedtime routines (jammies, brush teeth, 2 stories)
8pm bed
Yup almost exact as I have for my 2 year old except we eat at 5 and go to bed around 8/830
7:30/8 wake up
8:30-10 snack, play, errands
10:30/11:30 mid morning nap
12-1 lunch and play
1:30-3:30 nap
4-6pm dinner, mommy and me time, play
6:30-9 snack, play, bath, story, bed
My daughter is almost 2. Just be sure you are getting in social activities for her. Your list doesn't mention play time w/ friends. If you don't have a social network available, sign up for a park district class. It's a great way to socialize if you don't know anyone with kids her age.
That's pretty close to ours, but my son goes to bed way earlier - usually no later than 7:30, and often 7:00.
This is almost the same as my 2 1/2 yr old twins except they nap from 2-5 and webeat dinner at 6:30. Why are you questioning your schedule? Are you having probes?
