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Working mums - what is your routine?

Hi ladies,



This is my first post in Toddler! My lo is 10 months old, and the countdown has officially begun for my return to work.



I am going back 4 days a week, 9 - 5.30. My oh is looking after her one of the days, and her grandparents and looking after her 3 of the days. My inlaws live around the corner, so I need to leave my house at 8.30pm, and I will pick her up about 6pm.



I'm just looking for tips on what routines you have put into place?



Thanks ladies xxx

Replies

  • Getting organised the night before, I'm never very good at it and consequently every morning am rushing round looking for things! Include things like sorting out your lunch, packing her bag, finding the car keys, making sure there's petrol in it!



    On the way home from nursery, I usually take a drink and snack for mine. He has his tea there at 4.30 but I don't usually pick him up til 5.45 so he usually needs it. Obviously if its only a short distance you probably don't need to worry so much.



    Finally what time does your LO usually get up? Mine wakes between 7 and 7.30 so I try to get up by 6.30 so i can have a shower and some breakfast in peace and on my own!



    Hope that helps!
  • Hi

    i have 2 lovely darlings and work full time,as does hubby. like you the garndparents share our childcare (love them!!)

    i have 1 day off in the week as i work alternate weekends (hubby off weekends so he has girls when im working)



    i get all our pack lunchs done the night before,everything in lunch boxes except yogurts and sandwichs which are in fridge made and ready to go!

    also get the the clothes ready and ironed and hung over banister (i cant loose them that way!)

    if i start work at 9:30am we all get up at 7,we all are i and out bathroom,getting dresses ect and then hubby goes to work about 7:45,sometimes taking lizzie with him if she is going to his parents that day,sometimes leaving her with me to drop off at my mums.me and girls have breaky,do hoovering,washing up ect and i then take dd1 to school,dash back to car and make the 30min journey to my mums,where she then drops me to work and looks after my car for me (and 2 days a week lizzie too (we dont have parking at work and it costs a fortune to use car park!)



    on days where i start before 9:30, i get up at 6,hubby gets up and gets lizzie ready (she has a sippy cup of milk and breakfast at either of our parents)me and lizzie are out the door at 6:30 and i take her to one of our parents houses and then once im at my mums i have breakfast,phone hubby and check on dd1 and then go to work



    i finish between 4 and 5:30. hubby pixks up dd1 from school most days (my mum goes and gets her 1 day a week too and i do it on my day off or if i finish at 4 she goes to after school club which she loves and pick her up from there)

    hubby gets lizzie from his parents if she is there and if she is at my mums she picks me up from work with my mum!



    once we are all home,we put dinner on and play whilst its cooking, then eat dinner, then its bath time (sometimes do bath whilst dinner is cooking to alloow for longer play afterwards.

    we all eat and then once it comes to bed time after running round like wild children we pop girls to bed and then quickly get bits ready for the next day.



    might sound a bit hectic but i love my children and love my job and think its the mentelness of it all that keeps me going and keeps me smiling image



    xx
  • Wow, i feel exhausted just reading that!
  • As everyone says we get as much done the night before.



    In respect to preparing dinner at night, I tend to cook extra on Sat and Sun - to cover dinner on Monday and Tues - to save me cooking them. For the rest of the week, i try and get lo to help with preparation of tea if possible, otherwise she is happy playing on own while I prepare, and then we play together. After tea - it is story time with milk. After milk we play for 20 mins then it is bath and bed. I try and do my housework in the evening as well, to free up time at the weekend.
  • yup, night before as everyone says. I pack lo's little nursery bag with her change of clothes etc for when she gets mucky, get out what she will wear the next day and make sure her bottles are washed. Up at 7am, downstairs for breakfast in PJ's or she gets it on her nursery clothes and goes looking like a weetabix monster (she has around 12 pairs of pjs so its not so much of a prob if she gets them mucky!)! I am a very organised person I have to admit, lo's wardrobe is organised into nursery and non nursery clothes, after the first few items got ruined with paint etc she soon stopped going in anything that I thought was too nice lol. I have to admit I have sent her to nursery in my mother in laws clothing presents before because I've hated them and want them stained so she doesn't have to wear them lol!! No matter what they say about all of the paint etc being "washable" at nursery, it's not, most of the time it's ok but not always!

    As for dinner I take some of what I have cooked during the week and freeze it in pots to last the week, my lo is nearly 18 months so thats fine, when she was smaller I did the same just in batches of food specially for her. I did find that after eating tea at nursery she didn't want a full meal when she got home, even though her meal at nursery isn't a hot meal it's a snack (houmous, pitta bread etc). Now she just has a snack when she gets in but you will have to wait and see how hungry your lo is I expect image

    It's not half as hard as you would think once you've got your routine and the finer points of it!
  • I have a 15 month old son and our routine goes like this



    5.00am - Hubby Up. He showers, emptys the dishwasher and walks the dog.

    6.00am - I get up and in the shower, hubby wakes finley up and takes him downstairs for his milk. While he is having his milk I bring a load of washing down and put it on. Empty the tumble dryer and fold clothes.

    6.30am - Get Finley dressed and teeth brushed

    6.45am - Leave for work / nursery

    7am - Drop Finley off at nursery. He has his breakfast there.



    4.30pm - Pick Finley up. Get home and have a play. If the weather is good we will go to the park or similar. Backhome to get the tea on.

    5.30pm - Dinner time

    6pm - Finley has his bath. Hubby usually baths him and while he is doing that I clear away the dinner things, put dishwasher on, clean down all surfaces and sink, put the wash from the morning in the dryer, get his milk ready, put toys away and hoover. While Finley's bath is running hubby gets out clothes for the next day and packs his bag for nursery.

    6.30pm - Finley has his milk and then he chooses a story. Story time. While Finley has his milk hubby walks dog again.

    7pm - Bed



    I then usually spend the evening learning lesson plans, sorting out emails etc for work. Try to keep Friday evenings and weekends work free.
  • I agree - do as much as you can the night before.



    My DS is 20 months and I went back to work full time when he was 10 months.



    Finley gets up at 7.15 - 7.30 so I get up around 6.30pm to have a shower etc before he gets up.



    When he wakes up, he comes and gets in my bed with a book while I finish getting ready.



    Leave the house at 7.45am to drop him either with grandparents or childminder (depends on which day it is) by 8am, I start work at 8.30am.



    I get home from work at about 5.30pm but which time OH has picked Finn up and given him is tea, so we play for an hour, bathtime is 6.30pm and he's in bed asleep by 7pm.



    I HATE working full time, my job is rubbish so after we get married in Nov im quitting and will be a SAHM and go to college in the evening.



    You'll figure out your own routine, it seems impossible but you will get out of the door on time with both of you fed, dressed and looking immaculate image
  • Our days go like this (I work 3 days a week Tues - Thurs 08:45 - 16:15 and E is coming up to 18 months old):



    06:00 - 06.30 E usually wakes us up. Daddy changes her, dresses her and takes her downstairs for milk and she usually steals some of his breakfast. I shower and dress.



    7:00 Daddy brings E back upstairs and she sits on my bed and we brush our teeth together and I finish getting ready while Daddy showers and gets ready. (I don't have time to eat in the mornings so have breakfast at my desk...I would have time if I got up at 6:00 but I prefer an extra half hour in bed then to eat later on!)



    7:30 We all leave the house together and walk to nursery.



    17:30 I pick E up. (It takes me 1 hour ten minutes to commute from central London).



    18:00 E has something light for tea.



    19:00 Bath



    19:30 Massage, cuddles and stories on Mum's bed



    20:00 Bed



    Good tip above re water and snack - I always put a fresh sippy of water in E buggy and leave it at nursery ready for when I pick her up. I also bring a snack for her in my bag: a satsuma or some breadsticks. E also has tea at nursery at 3:30ish but by home time is ready to eat RIGHT NOW!!!



    Also Advice re getting stuff ready the night before is totally spot on. I NEVER follow this advice and always end up running around madly trying to get everything ready!



    I also try to do all my laundry at the weekend so at the beginning of the week I can put together all her outfits for the week for nursery on hangers - including vests and socks. Sounds silly but Daddy, who dresses her, has no clue about whih clothes to choose even now and it saves time if I've already made all of those decisions in advance for him!



    Good luck for your return to work and don't worry it will all fall into place. I remember thinking it was impossible, particularly being not-a-morning-person. But it works just fine.



    image



    Rx
  • Hi i have 2 lovely darlings and work full time,as does hubby. like you the garndparents share our childcare (love them!!) i have 1 day off in the week as i work alternate weekends (hubby off weekends so he has girls when im working) i get all our pack lunchs done the night before,everything in lunch boxes except yogurts and sandwichs which are in fridge made and ready to go! also get the the clothes ready and ironed and hung over banister (i cant loose them that way!) if i start work at 9:30am we all get up at 7,we all are i and out bathroom,getting dresses ect and then hubby goes to work about 7:45,sometimes taking lizzie with him if she is going to his parents that day,sometimes leaving her with me to drop off at my mums.me and girls have breaky,do hoovering,washing up ect and i then take dd1 to school,dash back to car and make the 30min journey to my mums,where she then drops me to work and looks after my car for me (and 2 days a week lizzie too (we dont have parking at work and it costs a fortune to use car park!) on days where i start before 9:30, i get up at 6,hubby gets up and gets lizzie ready (she has a sippy cup of milk and breakfast at either of our parents)me and lizzie are out the door at 6:30 and i take her to one of our parents houses and then once im at my mums i have breakfast,phone hubby and check on dd1 and then go to work i finish between 4 and 5:30. hubby pixks up dd1 from school most days (my mum goes and gets her 1 day a week too and i do it on my day off or if i finish at 4 she goes to after school club which she loves and pick her up from there) hubby gets lizzie from his parents if she is there and if she is at my mums she picks me up from work with my mum! once we are all home,we put dinner on and play whilst its cooking, then eat dinner, then its bath time (sometimes do bath whilst dinner is cooking to alloow for longer play afterwards. we all eat and then once it comes to bed time after running round like wild children we pop girls to bed and then quickly get bits ready for the next day. might sound a bit hectic but i love my children and love my job and think its the mentelness of it all that keeps me going and keeps me smiling xx



    Wow that is one hetic day x
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