I'm Dreaming Of A Scheduled Toddler

What's a young gal to do when her day is turned upside down by a 2 feet tall tyrant?

It's sad to realize that my toddler controls me. Just the thought of it makes me uneasy. If she controls me now, how will things be when she's a teenager. *shutter*

I've sadly decided that with this new baby due at the end of May that I seriously need to put Truly on a schedule. Not a strict regime stating when I scratch her nose, but at least a set time to wake up in the morning. For her it varies from 11am or 12pm. Then she won't get to bed until midnight or later since she'll take a nap around 5pm, plus she ends up asking to eat at all different times: 2pm, 5pm, and then around 11pm! Then during the day, she bounces around the house, strung out on no sleep, surviving on chocolate. So my daughter is all out of whack! Why? Because I give into her. Do I like that last sentece I just wrote? Of course not.



So by "schedules" I mean wake up at a certain time, maybe 7ish? Take her nap accordingly and be in bed by 8pm. Writing that out is so weird because I can't remeber a time m little one was in bed before 10pm! :-( Also my goal is to fill in her elaborate TV schedule with actual activities, coloring, painting, reading, and writing. That way, her day is more meaningful, for both of us. While I'm working, she's working as well.

Sure, toss the bad mom award this way, it wouldn't be my first.

As I stare at my piled up textbooks and email inboxes I realize something must be done about organizing our crazy day.

How do/did you handle your children being home? Can you tell I'm desperate for advice? :-)

2 comments:

  1. At first I wanted to return to work IMMEDIATELY after I had Babybottoms...when I was laid off during my 8th month of pregnancy, I realized I was going to be sitting at home a lot longer then planned. I'm still here unemployed (LOL) but the good part about it is that I get to spend TONS of time with my daughter. Even though I would LOVE to have more money to pay all these bills, the trade off is a reasonable one (for the time being; I'm still looking too!).

    Fortunately for me, Babybottoms is on the EXACT same sleeping schedule she was on while she was in my stomach. She wants those 8-10 hrs of sleep and NO ONE is going to stop her from getting them. I don't have to put her to sleep; she crashes between 8 pm and 10 pm. However, I have to watch what I do with her through out the day because if I tire her out too much, she will go to sleep earlier...which means waking up earlier. Nothing is worse than me being up until midnight writing and then she wakes up at 3 am like it's her normal wake up time. Makes me want to cry some days LOL

    She normally wakes up between 4 and 6 am; #1 nap is between 9 and 11 am; nap #2 is always short, about 20-45 min and that's usually around 2 or 3 pm and her final nap is usually around 5 or 6 for an hr. Even napping that close to her bedtime, she'll STILL clock out no later than 10 pm and I LOVE IT!

    I make sure she has a clean diaper and has had a bottle or her puffed rice snacks before her naps and she's good to go.

    I just pray she STAYS like this as she gets older LOL

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  2. You won't get a 'bad mom' award tossed from me! If anything, I'm in your corner with pom-poms. With a second child on the way, girrrrl, you better get it right as soon as possible (lol).

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