Schedules for Multiples

[Anonymous]

I am hoping to get some advice on schedules for multiples. I have a 3 year old and a 10 mo old. Their needs and capabilities are obviously pretty different. Out nanny and I are struggling to make sure that each child gets what they desire at the moment, i.e. nap times are different, diets are different, toys are different. 3 year old wants to play and the baby needs to nap. Can I please ask nannies with charges of similar ages shares their daily routines? I would really appreciate it!

[Anonymous]

Just to clairify, multiples are kids of the same age, like twins or triplets. You have siblings and while challenging, a whole different ballgame. For future reference, you will be much clearer saying siblings! As for scheduleing, I am currently in a very similar situation 3 year old and 11 month old. Here is a sample day:
7:30 Arrive and drive DC1 to school
8:00-9:00-Play/walk/1-on-1 time with DC2 until he is ready for nap 1
9:00-10/10:30 DC2 naps, I tackle kid chores (load dishwasher, wash bottles/pumping equipment, throw in a load of laundry, misc. tidying) and have some downtime
11:00 pick up DC1
11:15-12/12:30 Outing/activity
12:30 Lunch
1:15-2:30 Playtime/Independent play while I tidy up from lunch/playground depending on weather
2:30 DC1 & 2 nap (really this is anywhere between 1:30-2:30 start time depending on how DC2-11 month old is doing)
3:30-end of day; outing or activity at the house, depending on time

As for your other concerns:
-it's pretty simple to solve the play/nap issue as these can happen simultaneously! Have your nanny and the awake child play in a different area of the house so as not to disturb the sleeping child, but other than having a monitor with him/her there shouldn't be an issue
-both kids should be eating similar foods (with the exception of the usual not-before-1 foods) just in smaller pieces for the baby
-On most days, there should be at least an hour of time when both kids are awake, this is more than enough time to get any outings in that the nanny may want to take

[Anonymous]

Yes you definitely don't have multiples. Scheduling for siblings with a fairly common age difference like this is the bread and butter of being a nanny - surprised your nanny is struggling with this. Schedules for multiples (twins, etc.) are a whole other ball game.

This is a schedule based off what my days looked like when I started caring for an 8 month old and 2.5yo (schedule grew as they did)

8:30 - I arrive
8:30 to 9 - 2.5yo eats breakfast while I feed 8mo puree (both had been breast fed upon waking up)
9 to 9:45 - I clean up dishes, baby sits in bouncy chair and chews on a toy in the kitchen while I talk to him, 2.5yo plays with toys in the living room (where I cannot see her, but can hear her)
9:45 to 10 - we walk to the park, 8mo falls asleep in the stroller
10 to 11:30 - toddler and I play while baby sleeps in stroller nearby. when baby wakes up, I give him a bottle and then toddler plays independently while baby and I watch/play together
11:30 to 12:30 - walk back home, wash up/change diapers as needed, both children sit in their high chairs and I talk to them or we sing along to music as I prepare lunch. toddler eats lunch while I feed baby bites of lunch
12:30 to 1 - baby crawls around kitchen/living room while I clean up dishes, toddler plays with toys
1 to 1:15 - baby and I put toddler down for a nap
1:15 to 1:30 - I give baby a bottle and put him down to sleep
1:30 to 3 - I clean, relax, whatever. Baby generally wakes up first, so we play/snuggle until toddler wakes up
3 to 5 - We all play together in the living room. Toddler plays with toys, we read, do arts and crafts. Baby plays on the floor, practices crawling, chews on toys. At some point in this time frame I give toddler a snack and baby a bottle, whenever they seem to need it.
5 to 5:30 - mom comes home and breast feeds baby, puts him down for one more nap while I play quietly with toddler or start dinner prep
5:30 - I leave!

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny to a newly 3 year old and 10 month old twins. Our schedule looks like this:

7:30- Arrive to work. Twins are up and playing in the play pen, 3 year old still sleeping (wakes up around 7:45)
7:45- Start preparing breakfast for all 3 kids....(all 3 kids eat the same thing for breakfast...oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, etc.)
8:00- Give 3 year old her breakfast and sit by the twins while they eat their breakfast
8:30-9:30- Independent play for 3 y/o while I give the twins a bath and get them ready for their morning nap
9:30-11:00- Twins nap. Free play with 3 y/o. We do puzzles, legos, trains, etc. Snack time around 10:00.
11:00- Twins wake up, change them and give them bottle
11:30-12:30- Play outside or play in the play room with all 3 kids
12:30- Lunch for all 3 (again, all 3 eat generally the same thing. mac & cheese, turkey meatloaf, turkey meatballs, etc.)
1:00-2:00- Craft time, books, etc.
2:00-3:30- Nap time for all 3
3:30- Twins wake up between 3:30 & 4:00....bottle when they wake up
4:00- 3 year old wakes up
4:00-5:00- listen to music, free play, etc. Sometimes 3 year old gets a show.

**This varies greatly on the days we go out to the zoo or museum, etc. but this is the general schedule.**

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot for posting your replies! Very helpful for me. Now, I just have one question as to when do you all have your lunch? It's not anywhere in your schedule. Our nanny puts the toddler to bed and then sticks the baby in the crib. After that she sits down and eats her lunch for like an hour regardless of whether children are sleeping or not. She says it is better for the baby this way since she is learning to fall a sleep on her own. She also takes a break and has breakfast/tea at about 10 to 10:30. Also, there is nothing in your schedules about the time you get read to start working or getting ready to leave. When she gets to our house she would take about 15 minutes to get ready. She changes her clothing, has her morning pills in the bathroom, etc. Then she takes about 15 minutes before leaving to comb her hair, put make up on, put her nice clothes back on and so on. Our schedule is similar to your schedule with the difference that there is less time spent playing with kids and more time on various nanny breaks/ctivities

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks a lot for posting your replies! Very helpful for me. Now, I just have one question as to when do you all have your lunch? It's not anywhere in your schedule. Our nanny puts the toddler to bed and then sticks the baby in the crib. After that she sits down and eats her lunch for like an hour regardless of whether children are sleeping or not. She says it is better for the baby this way since she is learning to fall a sleep on her own. She also takes a break and has breakfast/tea at about 10 to 10:30. Also, there is nothing in your schedules about the time you get read to start working or getting ready to leave. When she gets to our house she would take about 15 minutes to get ready. She changes her clothing, has her morning pills in the bathroom, etc. Then she takes about 15 minutes before leaving to comb her hair, put make up on, put her nice clothes back on and so on. Our schedule is similar to your schedule with the difference that there is less time spent playing with kids and more time on various nanny breaks/ctivities

I don't usually say this but - troll! I can believe your nanny taking an hour lunch break, but also a half hour breakfast break? I definitely don't believe that she gets to your house for work, but has to change her clothes and take her pills? That is very odd. Why can't she do so at home? (If it's true.) Same with her getting ready to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks a lot for posting your replies! Very helpful for me. Now, I just have one question as to when do you all have your lunch? It's not anywhere in your schedule. Our nanny puts the toddler to bed and then sticks the baby in the crib. After that she sits down and eats her lunch for like an hour regardless of whether children are sleeping or not. She says it is better for the baby this way since she is learning to fall a sleep on her own. She also takes a break and has breakfast/tea at about 10 to 10:30. Also, there is nothing in your schedules about the time you get read to start working or getting ready to leave. When she gets to our house she would take about 15 minutes to get ready. She changes her clothing, has her morning pills in the bathroom, etc. Then she takes about 15 minutes before leaving to comb her hair, put make up on, put her nice clothes back on and so on. Our schedule is similar to your schedule with the difference that there is less time spent playing with kids and more time on various nanny breaks/ctivities

I don't usually say this but - troll! I can believe your nanny taking an hour lunch break, but also a half hour breakfast break? I definitely don't believe that she gets to your house for work, but has to change her clothes and take her pills? That is very odd. Why can't she do so at home? (If it's true.) Same with her getting ready to leave.

My nanny is from a different culture. She does change her clothes from whatever she had on to a t-shirt and house kind of pans. There is a distinction between home and outside clothes for her. She then changes into her outside outfit when she takes kids to the park. I am not used to this but do not feel comfortable asking her quit doing it. I wonder also whether nannies who do light housekeeping would do it in their "regular" clothes or they change.
She is also a vegetarian and has pretty specific diet. She cooks for herself in my kitchen some time using heavy spices. She ends up taking her time eating as she needs to eat a lot being a vegetarian and she believes in taking her time to it as it's good for one's health. I am starting to feel that her desire to lead this healthy life style might interfering with my children's welfare and so I am just trying to figure out how it works for other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks a lot for posting your replies! Very helpful for me. Now, I just have one question as to when do you all have your lunch? It's not anywhere in your schedule. Our nanny puts the toddler to bed and then sticks the baby in the crib. After that she sits down and eats her lunch for like an hour regardless of whether children are sleeping or not. She says it is better for the baby this way since she is learning to fall a sleep on her own. She also takes a break and has breakfast/tea at about 10 to 10:30. Also, there is nothing in your schedules about the time you get read to start working or getting ready to leave. When she gets to our house she would take about 15 minutes to get ready. She changes her clothing, has her morning pills in the bathroom, etc. Then she takes about 15 minutes before leaving to comb her hair, put make up on, put her nice clothes back on and so on. Our schedule is similar to your schedule with the difference that there is less time spent playing with kids and more time on various nanny breaks/ctivities

I don't usually say this but - troll! I can believe your nanny taking an hour lunch break, but also a half hour breakfast break? I definitely don't believe that she gets to your house for work, but has to change her clothes and take her pills? That is very odd. Why can't she do so at home? (If it's true.) Same with her getting ready to leave.

+1 I'm ready to work when I get there and work until I leave. I take lunch during naps. Seriously??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks a lot for posting your replies! Very helpful for me. Now, I just have one question as to when do you all have your lunch? It's not anywhere in your schedule. Our nanny puts the toddler to bed and then sticks the baby in the crib. After that she sits down and eats her lunch for like an hour regardless of whether children are sleeping or not. She says it is better for the baby this way since she is learning to fall a sleep on her own. She also takes a break and has breakfast/tea at about 10 to 10:30. Also, there is nothing in your schedules about the time you get read to start working or getting ready to leave. When she gets to our house she would take about 15 minutes to get ready. She changes her clothing, has her morning pills in the bathroom, etc. Then she takes about 15 minutes before leaving to comb her hair, put make up on, put her nice clothes back on and so on. Our schedule is similar to your schedule with the difference that there is less time spent playing with kids and more time on various nanny breaks/ctivities

I don't usually say this but - troll! I can believe your nanny taking an hour lunch break, but also a half hour breakfast break? I definitely don't believe that she gets to your house for work, but has to change her clothes and take her pills? That is very odd. Why can't she do so at home? (If it's true.) Same with her getting ready to leave.

+1 I'm ready to work when I get there and work until I leave. I take lunch during naps. Seriously??

What if your charges are not napping, i.e. not falling a sleep?

[Anonymous]

Is your nanny Indian? I've worked for an Indian family and their views on child rearing is very different. You can absolutely tell the nanny she must be ready for work by her start time, whether that means coming fully dressed or coming early to get dressed. I'm vegan and must eat a ton during the day, but I prepare my food at home and eat throughout the day which doesn't impact the children in my care. She can eat her breakfast with the kids and learn to put there needs first or find another position with school age children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks a lot for posting your replies! Very helpful for me. Now, I just have one question as to when do you all have your lunch? It's not anywhere in your schedule. Our nanny puts the toddler to bed and then sticks the baby in the crib. After that she sits down and eats her lunch for like an hour regardless of whether children are sleeping or not. She says it is better for the baby this way since she is learning to fall a sleep on her own. She also takes a break and has breakfast/tea at about 10 to 10:30. Also, there is nothing in your schedules about the time you get read to start working or getting ready to leave. When she gets to our house she would take about 15 minutes to get ready. She changes her clothing, has her morning pills in the bathroom, etc. Then she takes about 15 minutes before leaving to comb her hair, put make up on, put her nice clothes back on and so on. Our schedule is similar to your schedule with the difference that there is less time spent playing with kids and more time on various nanny breaks/ctivities

I don't usually say this but - troll! I can believe your nanny taking an hour lunch break, but also a half hour breakfast break? I definitely don't believe that she gets to your house for work, but has to change her clothes and take her pills? That is very odd. Why can't she do so at home? (If it's true.) Same with her getting ready to leave.

+1 I'm ready to work when I get there and work until I leave. I take lunch during naps. Seriously??

What if your charges are not napping, i.e. not falling a sleep?

Then you eat while they are having downtime in their room, have lunch with them, eat while they have free play. You aren't guaranteed a lunch hour as a nanny. That's silly.

[Anonymous]

So sorry to tell you this is a bad match and your differences will grow as the time goes on. It sounds like your home so give her notice and start looking again. Find someone more like you and you'll spend a lot less time wondering what the nanny is doing. In a good match you can call of text your nanny anytime to find out what's going on. This would be too weird for me.

[Anonymous]

I have had to change out of "work" clothes but I do it after I'm off the clock.

[Anonymous]

It was easiest for us when the kids shared the same afternoon nap time (or similar, not exactly the same). ie: the baby would go down at 12:30 and the toddler would go down at 1.

Outings in the mornings after baby's morning nap. Then lunch and nap for both kids. It worked out pretty well. When baby was napping in the mornings, the toddler/preschooler gets to play. For us that was quiet play in the house or playing outside in the backyard.