I never knew how much a baby would change in one year. It is a wild adventure that means adjusting your schedule often. The last few months have been a really fun stage with Emmy as she’s eating more solids, taking her first steps and becoming more playful and interactive.
Even though every day with a baby is different, I love a good schedule to shoot for. Since Emmy was born, we have enjoyed the Moms on Call book series to help plan out our typical day. The books have multiple schedules based on age, and each schedule has work for Emmy so far. I also love talking to other families about what their days look like, which inspired me to write this post. I hope it can give you a few ideas as you navigate the ever-changing first year with a baby.
6 a.m. I wake up before Emmy to get in an hour of work. I head downstairs, start a pot of coffee and clock-in. My job is part-time and remote, so I use an app called Time Clock to track the hours I work, which typically ends up between 15-20 hours each week.
7 a.m. Head upstairs to get Emmy out of her crib. She tends to wake up between 6:30 and 7 a.m. talking to herself and slowly waking up. I always get her out of bed at 7 a.m. but rarely have to wake her up. I change her diaper, brush her hair and we go back downstairs for her first bottle of the day. Sometimes Justus will help with this part of the day if he has time before work. After her bottle, she plays while I finish my coffee.
8 a.m. Breakfast time! I am trying to make breakfast for both of us at the same time, so we can sit and enjoy it together. Typical breakfasts include eggs with avocado, peanut butter toast, yogurt, baby pancakes (made of egg and banana) or cut fruit.
8:30 a.m. After breakfast and a quick cleanup, we usually head back upstairs so I can make the bed, start a load of laundry and shower. Emmy loves to play in my closet or pull everything out of my makeup bag while I do chores. I also keep her Pack-N-Play set up in my room with a few toys as a safe place for her to be while I take a quick shower.
9 a.m. Emmy goes down for her first nap of the day and I clock-in for work again. It’s important for me to use naptime for work, so that’s why I do other things like chores or exercising with Emmy while she’s awake.
10:30 to 11 a.m. Emmy wakes up from her nap and has her next bottle.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our early afternoons really vary day-to-day, but some things I do during this time are run errands, go on a jog with Emmy in the stroller, play with Emmy, go to the park or simply hop in the car to grab a Starbucks. It’s really important for us to get out of the house either at this time or when she wakes up from her afternoon nap – it helps us both. Around noon, I will give her lunch. If we are on the go, I will give her a Plum Organics pouch and some Happy Baby puffs. If we are home, some of her favorite lunches are shredded chicken, cheese, cut grapes, steamed vegetables or applesauce.
1 p.m. Emmy takes her afternoon nap and I clock-in for work. Before every nap, I change her diaper, turn on her sound machine and close the blinds. She sleeps in a sleep sack in her crib. She’s always been a good sleeper, but doing this same routine since birth helped a lot. I wouldn’t be able to work as well during the day without her solid nap schedule.
2:30 to 3 p.m. Emmy wakes up and has her next bottle.
3 to 5 p.m. Similar to the early afternoon, this time may just be playing, running to the store, chores around the house, etc. Emmy tends to be fussier in the evenings, so I try to keep her busy. Sometimes, she just needs to switch rooms in the house and explore something new. I let her pull clothes out of drawer or play with Tupperware while I fold laundry or prep dinner.
I really want to eat dinner as a family, but right now it doesn’t work with our schedule. I feed Emmy her dinner most nights before Justus is off work, around 4 or 5 p.m. Feeding her is another way to keep her busy in the highchair while I prep Justus and I’s dinner.
6 p.m. Bath time! Emmy loves her baths and we have been giving her one every night since she was able to. It helps set a solid night and sleep routine.
6:30 p.m. Emmy has her last bottle of the day in her room. Justus or I will feed her in the rocker, then check her diaper and put her down. I love the times when she will lay on my chest and let me rock her for a while before going down, but that is rare now and usually only happens when she is super exhausted.
After Emmy’s bedtime, Justus and I will eat dinner, watch a few shows and head to bed ourselves. Comment and tell me if your days with a baby look similar or totally different.
My days with Calvin (11 months) are similar ! He’s a nap fighter though 😛 do you rock her to sleep for each nap or is she able to fall sleep on her own?
Hi Rachel! It’s cool to hear that your days are similar. Emmy has recently started fighting naps – I’m wondering if it might be time to switch to one nap soon. She falls asleep on her own, but that can take 5-20 minutes. At night, I like to rock her to sleep for quality time.