All very good suggestions from PP. I just want to add that it is key for you to take a shower at night -- also, the mornings go much smoother if you wake up 1/2 hour earlier so that you are fully ready to go by the time the baby wakes up. Trying to get ready while the baby is awake is what usually throws things off schedule -- think, unexpected messy poop or unexpected messy breakfast.

I pick a day and do laundry on that day. Tuesday.
Formula so bottles are prepped at night. Water is added in AM. We get home walk the dog 630 apx. Have dinner/ bottle. Play for apx 15-20 (upright) then bath. Massage. Two small books. In bed by 8, asleep by 815.
Up at 700. New diaper and clothes 720. Bottle 725. News and burp 735. Fill bottles. Walk dog. In car by 8 at daycare by 820. On metro by 840.

My husband and I follow similar suggestions on this string, and I even choose my own outfit the night before as well. Time disappears in the morning, especially if DS hasn't sleep very well.


But what is crucial for us is to have a list by the front door of everything each of us (husband, me and baby) needs to get out of the door: Bottles, Keys, iphones, etc.

Too many times I have been on the bus realizing that i didn't have my pumping gear.

Anonymous wrote:Not OP here, but a mom to a 6.5month old - this is basically what we do, and this is VERY helpful. regarding laundry, etc - I just buy enough of everything to get us through the week; for example, we have ~14 or so bibs since DD goes through 2 a day, 4 sippy cups, 8 bottles (we do a dishwasher load every other day on weeknights). Laundry, again - enough for a week and a half, in case we don't get to it on the weekends.

This is genius. We try to avoid the "one of" problem, which is never have only one of any daily, essential item!!!

Ditto what others have said, and I would add something we just discovered that we LOVE. There is something called Harris Teeter Expresslane where you order groceries online and then drive through and pick them up (you dont even need to get out of your car, just pop the trunk). So helpful. I haven't used Peapod because I don't care for the meat and produce at my nearby Giant, but I love Teeter.

Not OP here, but a mom to a 6.5month old - this is basically what we do, and this is VERY helpful. regarding laundry, etc - I just buy enough of everything to get us through the week; for example, we have ~14 or so bibs since DD goes through 2 a day, 4 sippy cups, 8 bottles (we do a dishwasher load every other day on weeknights). Laundry, again - enough for a week and a half, in case we don't get to it on the weekends.

Currently it goes something like this. My son is 2.5 so that does change thing and makes it a little easier as we can do things like get ready while he feeds himself.

6am we all wake up, my kid doesn’t sleep in, husband takes a shower then I hop in. While I shower my husband gets our son dressed
6:30 DH feeding son breakfast while I get ready.
6:45 I come eat
7-7:15 we all leave, I go straight to work and DH does daycare dropoff
7:30 son gets dropped off
4:30-5pm time depends on traffic, I pick son up
5-5:15 we are home, I feed son dinner, husband is home around 5:30 or 6
6:30 start bath/bedtime
7:15 son is in bed

I find that it takes both parent putting their time in to make things run smoothly. I typically do pick-up but if there is a day where I know I have a late meeting or will be stuck at work late then I do dropoff that day and my husband does pick up. I also have a commute that is 30 min in the morning and 40-50 min in the evening.

I try to cook meals ahead of time so I don’t have to cook every night and can easily just reheat something for my son

And add in 10 extra minutes for whatever time you need to be at your office becuase traffic is so unpredictable

I will warn you ahead of time, like I tried to tell DH, something that takes 2 minutes at night, somehow will take 10 minutes in the morning-like packing lunch, making the coffee, looking for a stray sock, etc
Do everything in the evening, even setting out stuff for breakfast, I am a morning person, but I hate doing this stuff in the morning.

Weekends
- Laundry (sheets/blanket come home from daycare on Friday)
- Grocery shopping
- Cooking for most of the week

Sunday night
- Weekly stuff for daycare (sheets/blanket/lovey) are packed plus anything that needs to be replaced (diapers, wipes, etc)

Mornings
- I'm up at 6/6:30, shower, get dressed
- DC gets up around 6:30/7 - I get him dressed
- DH feeds him breakfast, I finish getting ready
- DH gets ready, I entertain DC
- I'm out the door at 7:45, DH leaves at 8 to drop-off DC

Weeknight
- I pick up DC by 5
- home by 5:15
- DC eats dinner at 6, I wait for DH to come home and we eat together while DC plays
- DC gets a bath around 7:30, then bed by 8:30
- DH and I clean things up and get food/stuff ready for next day

Repeat

Do everything at night - lay out the clothes, pack the daycare bag, etc. Unless you particularly love it, kids don't need daily baths. As far as laundry, there are people who make laundry an event (me, included) and those who do a load every day or so. Figure out which you are and build it into your schedule. Figure that it will take a couple of weeks to get good at your new routine and during those weeks, figure out what works and weak what doesn't. I always figure that if I'm not happy with the way a part of our evening goes for two or three days in a row, we need to change it.

I've been home for the past year with DD but getting ready to return to work. We are using an in home day care very near our home. My DH works about 10 minutes away, but I work about 40 minutes away. I'll most likely be doing the drop offs and he'll do pick ups.

I'm just wondering what your schedule is like regarding daily/nightly routine like bath, dinner, packing daycare bag, getting yourself together and not to mention basic household stuff like laundry!

Just looking to hear how you juggle/manage it...I'm a bit nervous.

Thanks!!