Daily Routine for 4 and 2yr olds

[nsmonkey]

Well I know I have left this way to late. But this house is very disorganised.
The boys are both TT during the day but I am wanting to do night time aswell.
DS2 needs to say goodbye to his choccie milk in his soft spouted tippy cup. I am so sick of getting up to him during the night with him wanting more milk or more choccie in that milk. I am hardly getting any sleep as DS2 likes to sleep in our bed and does not stay still at all.

I am hoping to aim for a bed time at 8pm to start off with. I was going to start the boys to wind down at about 7.30 then read a book as they are in bed at 8pm.
I have decided to start this routine and try and do everything else this week as DH won't be home as he hates hearing the kids scream. I did put the soft spouted tippy cups away and I gave DS2 milk in just a normal tippy cup.
I am also wanting to cut DS2 daily sleep to just 45mins to an hour a day instead of 2 to 3hrs.
I am also going to start a menu planner again as it worked so well for us before.

Has anyone got any tips or advice on the routine?
What routine does your house run on?

[~Temet Nosce~]

I have a basic routine for dd (nearly 21 months) based around wake up times and meal times.. but what we do in between varies from day to day, we don't have set activities etc. her routine is

7am wake up, 200ml bottle (cows milk)
7.30am brekky (weetbix/toast, juice) get dressed
10am morning snack (yoghurt)
11.45-12pm lunch (usually a sandwich)
has a 1.5-2 hour nap after lunch, is up by 2pm

3pm arvo snack (fruit)
5pm Dinner
6pm bath (shes in there now while I type this, kitchen where I am is about 3 steps away from bathroom lol shes fine, she loves to have a play)
6.30pm 200ml bottle
7pm brush teeth and go to bed

shes usually asleep by 7.30, usually sleeps through the night

can't help with the 4yr old one sorry

[Electric Rodeo]

Oh I need to make many of the same changes.

Get rid of DS2 milk(21months). Night time top ups anyway.

Cut his day sleeps down to, he sleeps the same time as your little guy and just doesn't want to go to bed at a decent hour when he sleeps this long.

Good plan to do it while your DH is away. Stay strong. I am working up the energy to do the same:thumbsup:

Sorry was no help but definately having the same things happen here:)

[nsmonkey]

I just got to stay strong, and don't give in to them both.
I have a cold that just decided to rock up today so hopefully it goes away real soon too.

[Electric Rodeo]

I just got to stay strong, and don't give in to them both.
I have a cold that just decided to rock up today so hopefully it goes away real soon too.

So hard to do when you feel crappy. Good luck. If you work out good ways to break some of those habits I'll be all ears:)

[nsmonkey]

Today I took his soft spouted cup off of him so they are put away, he cried for a bit. But I actually told them they are for the little bubba, hes got a brand new cousin. LOL then he wanted to use the normal sippy cup.
We will see what happens tonight, I may give in tonight since I already have a headache.

[Electric Rodeo]

That sounds like a good start. I can cope with the milk drink before bed, it's the night time pitstops for more milk that drive me mad. I know newborns that sleep better than him.
I can't be too mean yet, he only had his tonsils and adnoids taken out a fortnight ago.
I'd like to have their sleeping all sorted by the time the next bub comes in 5 months.
Hope your headache goes away:)

[nsmonkey]

OMG DS2 is asleep now and and he didn't have his milk sippy cup. He had a normal sipp cup. YAY!!! Hopefully he sleeps through the night. I don't really want to give him a normal sippy cup as it will leak.

[OJandMe]

Just thought I'd share our routines...

for O and J (4 yrs old)

wake up- 5:30
Breakfast- 6:00
Morning tea- 9:30
Lunch- about 12:30
Afternoon tea- 3:00
Dinner- 5:15
Shower- 5:45
Quite play while DH and I put G and J2 to bed- 6-6:30
6:30- brush teeth, toilet and into bedroom for 2 books
6:45- last drink and toilet call. Up into bed. Prayers and goodnight.
7:00- lights out if they're mucking around... but they're usually asleep by then.

For G (19 months old)
wake up- 5:30
Breakfast- 6:00
Morning tea- 9:30
Nap- 10:00
Wake up: 12:30
Lunch:- around 12:30
afternoon tea
dinner
bath: 5:45
bottle and bed: ( we feed him though, he doesn't get to keep his bottle) 6pm

[nsmonkey]

Well today DS2 never had asleep during the day, we spent a fair bit of time outside and we did have quiet time while we watched a movie at lunch time, when DS2 would usually have a sleep.
I ended up giving them a bath at 5.20pm then dinner at 5.40pm and well DS2 just fell asleep on the lounge at around 6pm, DS1 also just fell asleep on the lounge at 6.15pm.
I am hoping they sleep right through. Well DS1 will but if DS2 wakes up he is getting put back in his bed WITHOUT any milk.

[mum2peanut]

DD1 is 2.9
Her routine is fairly similar for everyday aside from the activities that we for each day.

Wake- between 6.30 and 7.30
Milo, breakfast follows after, she likes her milo first.
From then, play time, watche ABC Kids while pottering around with her toys, goes outside, playdates, scheduled activities are swimming, playgroup and kindagym. (We tend to do our outings in the morning as both kids sleep in the arvo. Saying that DD1 can miss her sleep and survive and DD2 just sleeps wherever we are)
12.30 Lunch
1pm Arvo Nap
2.30-3.00 Wakes
Arvo tea.
She gets to watch a DVD if she wants to after her sleep.
5.30 Girls bath together
6.30 Dinner
Followed by teeth and story time, we then have a chat about what we did that day and what we are doing the next day.
7.15 lights out

It works, we've had the same routine for ages, the only thing we just changed in the last month was changing the bath to before dinner, so that the girls could bath together, and after dinner was getting a bit hectic, so this made it a little easier.
I think after a while your kids will just work out the routine and it will come naturally to them. DD1 always tells me what I have to do next.
Goodluck.

[nsmonkey]

Well so far the routine with DS2 is going pretty good. We are just going to work around the napping thing. If he wants to have a nap well then its only for an hour and if he doesn't want to have a nap he has quiet time for an hour.
Well for the last 2 nights DS2 hasn't had any milk during the night and he has been having dry nights.
Last night it did take him 35mins to go to sleep but he only came out of his room 3 times, so I think thats a big improvement from the first night.
I can't believe that he slept for 10hrs straight last night. Thats a big change.

[nsmonkey]

Still going great with the routine. Last night DS1 slept for 12hrs and DS2 slept for 10hrs straight and there was no bed wetting so pretty happy about that.

[mum2bubba]

My kids routine (when we're home) Skye is 23 months, Hayley is 4)

8am wakes (give or take half an hour)
breakfast
10amish morning tea
12ish lunch
12:30-2:30ish nap time (sometimes she sleeps longer)
3ish afternoon tea
5:30ish dinner
then the kids either watch a dvd or play outside for an hour
6:30 bath/get ready for bed (toilet, teeth, pjs, story)
7ish (not later than 7:30pm) Skye goes to bed
8pmish Hayley goes to bed

The days vary slightly depending on what we have on.

[nsmonkey]

Okay well week 1 was all about settling into the routine. Week 2 went really well, slept right through the night and all. And then week 3 which is this week and so far, I just want to curl up into a ball and sit in the corner and cry. :(
They still have the bathtime and dinner time the same. When it comes to bedtime, its like week 1 all over again. I even gave in the other night and let DS2 sleep with me, I have also let them have a drink during the night.
So now I am back to square 1.
I was going to write the routine up today, and at each method instead of just writing the time I was going to draw a little clock, so then DS1 can tell me and see for himself when these things have to be done.
How does that sound?

[PinkBinkie]

I like the clock idea :) I think the more you involve the kids in the routine the better it may be.

Our bedtimes are still a bit of a mess, my girls share and dd2 goes to bed in their room and dd1 goes to sleep on our bed then I move her to her own bed an hour or so later. Dd1 carries on so much when I don't sit with her, so frustrating! I want them to go to bed at the SAME time and in their OWN bed.....it's impossible! I watch the Super Nanny and wish I had the strength to carry through with the routine!!

Anyway, I'm :ecomcity: on........but I just wanted to say you're doing so well, don't give up :thumbsup:

[nsmonkey]

Yeah my 2 boys sleep in the same room, thats where I got the idea from of carting them back to them rooms, was from Supper Nanny, I love that show.
I have drawn up their routine with the little clocks on them, I have also stated what happens aswell.
Breakfast
-brush teeth
-change clothes

etc etc