Day in the Life of a Toddler: Weekend Edition
I spend the majority of my week at my desk with my fingers glued to my work laptop, so I am as eager as Lee for a change of scenery on the weekends.
Even though the COVID pandemic has limited our options, we try to stretch our legs on Saturday mornings by visiting spacious museums, the zoo, or new parks and playgrounds. In advance of our family excursion, we will:
Double-check the venue is age-appropriate and accessible. Does the museum of stroller parking or a coat check? Are there changing areas?
Buy timed tickets in advance. This is usually required by the venue, but even if you can buy them at the site, you might as well secure them online for ease and peace of mind.
Confirm all of the COVID-19 safety guidelines. Will your toddler be required (and able) to keep their mask on the whole time? Are there limitations on what you can bring into the venue? Should you plan on bringing additional hand sanitizer or your own food?
Map out how to get there and pad our timeline accordingly. We don’t have a car in the city, so we rely on public transportation to get around with Lee. We’ve learned the hard way to always check if the subways are running that day and if any of the station’s elevators are closed.
On the weekends, we still follow Lee’s schedule in terms of his meal and nap times. In turn, we really plan our outings around his afternoon nap. Here is what a typical weekend looks like with our nearly two-year-old toddler:
7 AM - Good morning everyone!
The whole family wakes up at 7 AM with Lee. I brew a pot of coffee and bring my coffee mug and Lee’s milk bottle into his room. While Lee lolls around on his bed, I open his blinds and turn off his white noise machine. Once he starts drinking his milk, I’ll quickly change Lee’s diaper; I prefer to leave Lee in his pajamas through breakfast because he tends to spill and it saves me from having to wrestle him twice in one morning to change his clothes.
As we start our day, we excitedly tell Lee, “Today, we’re going on an adventure! First, you’re going to ride in a car seat, and then we’re going to the museum!” Because Lee doesn’t frequently ride in a car and gets car sick easily, we want to prepare him for a drive throughout the morning so it’s less overwhelming for him when we buckle him into the car seat.
8 AM - First breakfast, and then we get dressed and pack Lee’s diaper bag.
We’ll settle in for a family breakfast around 8 AM: Me with a plate of scrambled eggs and avocado toast and Andrew with yogurt and a hard-boiled egg. As for Lee, we always plan a breakfast he reliably loves that will keep him full like yogurt and granola or overnight oats with blueberries.
After breakfast, Andrew cleans the kitchen and I get myself and then Lee dressed. While Andrew gets ready, I pack up our diaper bag with these essentials:
Diapers and wipes
A balanced snack and a water bottle. The key here is to have a snack that has a little fat and protein to sustain your toddler while they’re out and about: half a peanut butter sandwich, a handful of crackers with string cheese, or a Larabar in a pinch.
A pacifier
A change of clean pants
Two spare toddler masks
A small toy to entertain him during the car ride. Lee gets car sick easily so we keep a small Thomas the Tank Engine figurine in his diaper bag that seems to hold his attention for a while.
Hand sanitizer
A portable charger for our cell phones
9:30 AM - We venture out for our family excursion.
We do a final dummy check-- phone, keys, wallet, face mask, diaper bag, and stroller-- and either make our way to the subway or call an Uber.
10 AM - We made it!
We aim to be among the first entrants to the museum, zoo, or aquarium. If we’re heading to a new playground, we found that younger babies and toddlers are usually there in the morning and the “big kids” take over in the afternoon.
Noon - Time to head back home to prepare lunch.
Lee eats lunch at 12:30 PM, so we head home at about noon. Lee is often totally exhausted at the end of his big morning out that he starts fussing on the way home. There are times he’ll forgo lunch so he can get his milk and nap sooner.
In order to keep Lee from having a fatigue-induced meltdown as he waits for us to prepare lunch, we keep our weekend lunches simple: dinner leftovers, grilled cheese sandwiches, or Annie’s macaroni and cheese.
Once Lee says, “All done!” Andrew whisks him away for a diaper change, bottle, and nap.
1 - 3 PM - Lee naps while we nap or just relax.
Ah, nap time. A moment of calm in the middle of the day is wonderful. Andrew and I will sometimes finish up our lunch, take a nap ourselves, or tackle some work on our laptops.
3 PM - Lee slowly rouses from his nap and we take our time getting him dressed again.
Given our busy morning, we really slow down in the afternoon. After Lee wakes up and has a bottle, we usually all congregate in his room, letting Lee stay in his pajamas for a bit while we read books.
4 PM - We take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood.
Lee is practicing walking with us outside: holding our hands, not sprinting ahead, and staying close by us as we stroll down the block. We briefly venture out to the grocery store or pharmacy if we need anything for the house or dinner. Depending on everyone’s mood and the weather, we may skip our afternoon jaunt altogether in favor of just lounging around inside.
4:30 PM - We enjoy a family snack time.
We treat Lee’s weekend snack time like our family happy hour. Sometimes I’ll sip a glass of white wine or make us mocktails while we pick at a cheese board or a crudite. This sounds a lot fancier than it is; don’t forget: there is still a toddler grabbing all the crackers from the charcuterie board present, so it’s still a low-key mess.
5:15 PM - Andrew or I cook dinner while the other plays with Lee.
Andrew and I alternate who prepares dinner, usually just based on who has the energy. The other person occupies Lee in his bedroom and occasionally we’ll FaceTime our family then, too.
6:00 PM - Dinner time!
6:30 PM - Lee begins his evening routine: bath, bottle, bed.
Dinner time is never that long with a toddler, so we will excuse Lee from the table and let him wander around the kitchen until we’re done eating. Usually by 6:30 PM though, Lee is whining or getting a little hyper and that’s our cue to start winding him down for the night. For more on Lee’s evening bath and bedtime routine at 21 months old, check out our blog post on it here.
7 PM - Good night, Lee!
With Lee asleep, Andrew and I finally enjoy some one-on-one time. We’ll either unwind on the couch or hang around the kitchen, chatting about whatever. There have been times we did not appreciate this time together and would just zone out in front of the TV, so we’re working on using the evening hours to connect and come together as a couple.
Predictable routines help our family immensely; from limiting the toddler temper tantrums to actually getting our day started. Here’s a preview of what our weekday mornings look like!