SAHM's- how do you spend your day with your children?

Question

Stay at home mom's- I am curious how you spend your day with the children. I am always interested how other families spend their time together. What kinds of games do you play? Do you stay at home a lot or prefer outings? How much tv does your kids get to watch? Any special bedtime rituals? What frustrates you about your child? Just would like a run down of your day with your children. Maybe you'll have an idea of something I can do with my children. Thank you in advance for sharing!

Answer 1

At the moment I have 3 children (soon to be 4)... a 3 year old boy, a one year old boy, and a one year old girl. To be honest, we don't do nearly as much as I would like to. I know they watch way too much TV, and I feel bad about it and I am in the process of weaning them off of it. This pregnancy (I am due in December) has left me completely and totaly exhausted, and my parenting is suffering because of it. I think a routine is key for stay at home families. Not necessarily a schedule, but more like a certain order that things happen. If I had the energy I wish I had, our day would go something like this... I would get up at about 730 to get myself showered and dressed before the kids...Wake up around 8, diaper changes, fix breakfast while the kids watch a Baby Einstein movie (or something else educational), eat, clean up, get the kids dressed, then spend some time outside if the weather is cooperating, or some structured play (we would all play with musical toys, or play 'store' with the shopping cart and groceries, or build a fort or a tunnel with the couch cushions, blocks or big legos...)inside if it's raining or cold. Around 1130, the kids would all sit in their high chairs and color or play with play-dough (something stationary, so I wouldn't have to sit them in front of the TV again already!) while I fixed lunch, then we would eat, clean up, change diapers, and lay down for a nap. At this point I nap with the kids, I really need the extra rest, but if I didn't, I would use nap time to wash the dishes and pickup the toys, then sit down with a book or magazine. They usually sleep for about 2 hours (sometimes as long as 3 hours). When they woke up, we would have a snack, something healthy like fresh fruits or veggies and dip. Then we would change diapers (we go through a lot of diapers!) and have some unstructured play time, with each child doing whatever catches their eye. I would use this time (after snack and before dinner) to go somewhere once or twice a week, like the park, or the parent resource center, or a playdate. Then I would try to get the kids involved with something that would keep them busy for a half an hour or so (a board game, when they get a little older, or coloring, or music, a movie if I have to) so I could fix dinner. Daddy gets home just before dinner, and the diaper changes for the rest of the night belong to him! Then we would eat, clean up, and try to keep the rest of the evening relatively calm. We try to eat dinner all together at the table every night, I feel that's really important for the kids to grow up with as a ritual, and it's a nice time to re-connect with Daddy! After dinner Daddy plays with the kids while I wash some dishes. He gets to pick up the toys after they go to bed. Around 8 the babies get their milk, everyone brushes their teeth, then they all have a bath. I take them out of the tub one at a time, and they each get a rub down with the night-time baby lotion (lavander scented), then into clean diapers and PJ's. Then we read a book (or 3, LOL) and they get into bed around 845 or 9. As soon as they are in bed, I try to finish up whatever else needs to be done, so I can wake up to a relatively clean house. Most of that was what I wish I did with my kids, like I said. It will be easier to accomplish once I get a little energy back, and there will be a lot more I CAN do with them when they get a little older. I can't wait until they're old enough to play board games and do arts and crafts. There are lots of books that have ideas for things you can do with the kids... "The Toddler's Busy Book", "365 TV-free Activities You Can do With Your Child"... I plan on picking a couple of these idea books up very soon! Good luck, I hope I helped at least a little!

Answer 2

Well I have some Sunday school lesson books and some age appropriate home school books and I do those with my son for a short time in the morning and in the after noon. We watch a few TV things together like Go Diego, or Micky Mouse club house. We go to the park and to the children's museum. We would take naps but he is getting out of that. I have him involved in gymnastics and karate. I also send him to Mother's day out a couple of times a week for when I need to go to the Dr etc and so he will have time with kids his own age. I do plan to send him to private school when he turns 5. As far as games, we do memory games and build stuff with legos

Answer 3

My daughter is older now, but when she was young we would be very casual with our days. Playing, watching movies, going shopping, I'd teach her alot of things, ect. Games are a big one. Fun for all and can be educational. Lots of coloring and artsy crafty type stuff. TV time varied. Bedtime rituals are prayer together--to this day--and just quiet time as a family in her room for a bit.

Frustrations will definitely vary from child to child, but it is passing. Treasure this time. It is so quickly gone from you. Focus on the good in your children and nurture it as much as possible.

Answer 4

I am a stay at home mom in the summer, but our days are usually busy! I have a 4 year old and a 22 month old.
We like outings but stay home too! We like to go to the park, the pool, the zoo, we have picked strawberries and blueberries a few times. We go to the mall and run errands. Also have playdates!
At home we do lots of things. Barely watch TV, at the most an hour a day. But my kids enjoy playing outside: on their swingset, chalk, running around, kicking a ball, bubbles, playing in the little pool or sprinkler. Also they like to play with playdough, color, fingerpaint, stamps, stickers. My oldest likes to play memory, go fish, candy land, both of my kids like to play Hullabaloo. They like to just play with their toys. We also bake sometimes. They love to read stories.
Bedtime ritual is after dinner on bath nights we go up and take a bath, then get ready for bed: get jammies on, go potty, brush teeth, and then we read 2 stories.

Answer 5

My husband works nights, so he gets up with our daughter in the morning so they can have some special one on one time and I get to sleep in a bit. She is in bed when he gets home, so this time is nice for them. He feeds her breakfast and then I get up.
She watches Sesame Street every morning - Elmo's World is a favorite! We read a lot of books - Dr. Seuss, Sandra Boynton, Golden Books, etc. She also enjoys building puzzles and making block houses and chairs for her stuffed animals. We have a bunch of those big Mega Blocks which are great for this. After lunch we continue to play with her toys inside for a bit and then she takes a nap.
After naptime she has a little snack and if the weather is nice we go outside. She has sidewalk chalk, bubbles, a play lawnmower, a little slide and swing, and a sand & water table. Needless to say we spend a lot of time outside in the nice months. She loves it out there!
We have dinner in the evening and either go back outside for a walk around the block or read books inside.
We bath every other day unless she gets super dirty and after the bath we brush teeth and snuggle on the couch with a book. She has 4 stuffed animals that she MUST take to bed every night. It started off with 1, but I had to draw the line at 4!
Sometimes I get frustrated when my daughter wants me to read the same book over and over again. I've had to limit it to 2 times in a row, and then she has to choose another one.
Oh, we also like to sing songs and practice the alphabet, number, colors, shapes - all of those things.
Once a week we go to a playclass which is a nice change of pace for us! When she gets a bit older I would love to take her to story time at the library and the playground in our neighborhood.

Oh to answer the question about TV - I try to let her watch just the one hour of Sesame Street a day, but if it is a particular trying day I sometimes let her watch Sesame Street again in the afternoon.

Also, my daughter will be 2 next month.

Answer 6

This is a lovely question, thank you!

We get up and have breakfast. She is a slow, slow eater so we tend to watch a cartoon or two while she eats (she is three). Usually Curious George and Dora. We get dressed after breakfast and get outside before it gets too hot. We play in the backyard or go to the park. In the yard she has outdoor climbers, a playhouse, sandbox, kiddie pool, slides. Sometimes I fill her water table with bubbles so she can give her plastic bathtub doll a bubble bath. She loves this!

When we come in we get cleaned up and have a snack. Then we read some stories or play a learning game. We are learning letters/numbers and shapes right now.

When I prepare lunch she helps a little and plays in her playroom on her own. Unstructured play.

After lunch she naps. When she gets up it is often quite hot (right now) so we tend to play indoors. Puzzles and toys.

In the evening we often do errands after dinner. Grocery shopping and what not. If not, we go out for a family walk with the dog or go for a bike ride. My daughter travels in her trailer.

For bedtime we do a bath, brush teeth, read stories and then she goes down on her own. We play soft music for her and she drifts off to LALA land all on her own.

We do outings often to local parks, splash pads, local barns, zoo and so on...but not daily.

I love my days with my princess, but she can be trying when it comes to entertaining her and keeping her entertained. LOL

Answer 7

We have whatever they want for breakfast, then we watch one or two cartoons. Then I do my chores while they help/run around me. Lunch is easy meals. Then we go outside to play catch, or green light/red light, or soccer or tag. I try to stay out as long as we can. Then we play board games, or paint, or do a "project" (macaroni figures, etc.). After we clean up we have dinner with dad and then he takes over. Some days they play other they sit and watch t.v. Bath is at 7 then a book then bed by 8. I think we watch too much t.v. but I love it I wish I could do without it.

Answer 8

My son is only 9 months. After I feed him his bottle when he gets up, he's on the floor playing and crawling. After I drink my coffee (so I can function) I get on the floor and play with him. I praise him when he tries to crawl on his hands and knees. He's just low crawling now. We watch The Wiggles, The Backyardigans and Wonder Pets. He'll sit and watch the Wiggles and I sing along with them and make him dance. He likes like and smiles big.

We have a playgroup that we go to every Friday morning at 11am. I'll take walks with friends, put him in his activity center outside so we can get fresh air.

He just plays a lot of the floor right now and practices crawling.

Answer 9

I work part-time but love your question! I am going to try and begin having "themes" for each week like my son's daycare has. (Weather, Animals, etc.) He's 18 months, so we go to the library a lot. It's so hot right now in Kansas, so we don't go to the zoo or do much outside.

Your question inspires me to get ready for next week's theme and plan our afternoons around that!

I like having a schedule of activities for the week so we're not bored. Balannce of staying home-art, music, toys, books and fun along w adventures.

Tv-1/2 hour per day tops on weekends. Usually none during the week. I rent dvds at the library-usually stories like "PooH". I cannot stand Baby Einstein, but like Baby Genius Zoo and Nursery Rhymes.

Bedtime ritual-bath (every other day), pjs, books, mommy and daddy walk him upstairs and we say the same things-give him 2 pacifiers-he only uses them at night, ask "Do you want your music?" Turn on his cd of classical lullabyes, Mommy kisses one cheek, daddy the other, tuck him in with monkey stuffed animal and say "Nighty night sleep tight till the morning light"(my famly tradition ) and then blow kisses as I walk out the door while my son is smiling. He likes going to bed. ; )

Answer 10

My daughter is 2 (and I'm pregnant with our second)

We get up in the morning and get ready for the day.

My parents live close, so we often take walks to their house.
We spend time with friends who have kids.
We spend a lot of time at home, because its a small town, and there isnt much to do, but we try to take a walk every day.
We go shopping together.
We color and play.
She gets to watch tv while I clean.