What is your schedule like? Suggest Activities.

[chelsiann]

Can you give me what your typical schedule looks like? I could also use some activity ideas. I just feel like I could get more out of the day and could make it more fun/ educational for her.

My LO is almost 9 months so I know I can't do to much with her but if you could give me your schedule with your child's age and some activities with a suggested age for them that would be amazing.

[blindyswife]

*sits down to wait for other people's ideas*

[df]

Honestly at 9 months I didn't do much. I kind of regret it. Mostly for me because the early days seemed to be harder and more isolating.

My library has 0-2 story times and my rec center has 6mo-2 music classes.

These days (my DS is 3.5) Mondays we usually go to a open gymnastics in a neighboring city and/or the zoo, museum, park etc
Tues-Fri. DS has preschool from 9:15-11:45. I clean, work out or shop while he's at school. I pick him up and usually come home feed him lunch. Then we either stay home and play/clean. Maybe 1-3x a week in the afternoon we'll have play dates or hit a park, zoo, museum, run errands etc.

We also usually go to one class a week at the rec center (music, sports, art:..)

He gets out of school at the end of the month.
In June I have him in 3 classes at the rec center and we'll probably go swimming or splash pads more often
July I have him in a 4 day a week, 3 hr day summer camp and a 1 day a week (1 hour long) social skills class it runs 6 weeks
August just the remainin weeks from the social skills class. He'll start preschool back up towards the end of the month.

There's also places like the Little Gym that have classes for the wee ones.

[chelsiann]

Thanks! I am having a hard time with feeling isolated. Money is tight but I feel like joining/ doing something on a regular basis needs to become a priority. Mainly because she is super clingy and I want to show her there is more fun then just having mommy carrying her ALL day, I feel she also needs more interaction with kids her age because she does have fun when she is around them and also for my sanity! One of our cars broke down and it just isn't a priority to get it fixed since DH is the only one who HAS to have a car but I am DYINGGGGGG! To bad things like gymboree is so damn expensive. Geez I can do that shit with my kid in my backyard..... if I had any friends with kids .

I digress. I really like how you take your LO to the zoo or museum on a regular basis to.
Is it easier to get chores done now that you LO is older, because even laundry is a struggle right now.

Do you like having your LO in school a few days a week? I was thinking about enrolling her for one day a week or so just so she has something to break up her week. When she gets older of course.

[lala]

I have a 3.5 year old, too, so that changes things a lot. We don't have a schedule per say, but we do lots of the same things each week or every other week. We go out once a day at least 3 if not 4 or 5 days a week.

We run all of the errands (grocery, sams club, target, home depot type stuff, garden center, post office, doctor's appts, etc).

We have a playgroup (I got connected through neighbor when we moved in when DD1 was 9 months old). And a few other friends we've met around town.

We have memberships to the zoo and children's museum.

We go to Library story time once a week at our local library.

Playgrounds and parks - I'm always looking up the park and rec depts in other towns to find new playgrounds.

Neighborhood walks.

I meet up with one of my sisters and/or my mom every other week or so. (my brother in law has a family farm, so we berry pick, hayrides, etc. often)

We play outside at our house a lot, too.

In summer weather we break out the baby pool, sprinkler and have a township pool to go to.

We've met the most people through the library story time & visiting the local playgrounds in our town.

It was harder when DD1 was this age, but since we had just moved, everything was new. I just made our boring errands an "outing," so to this day she still loves going to Target or Ikea or Sams club to shop.

[SpartanGirl]

When my oldest was 9 months I didn't do much. I took her to Kindermusik where I met a great group of moms with kids of similar ages. We started a "playgroup" (more for the moms than the kids).

When the younger kids were that age they were dragged along to whatever activities we had for the older kids - school, dance, gymnastics, community ed classes, playgroups, etc.

Meeting a great group of moms when DD1 was young was the best thing to happen. We still meet - without kids now too - and it's kept those long days at home more tolerable. Do you have a community ed program in your town? Ours offers a lot of great classes that are pretty inexpensive. We also have a small park/zoo that is free too. Library story time is another great free activity. A great first birthday gift for your daughter could be a membership to the zoo or children's museum so you could visit throughout the year too.

[df]

May 18, 2012 0:07:32 GMT -5 chelsiann said:

I digress. I really like how you take your LO to the zoo or museum on a regular basis to.

Is it easier to get chores done now that you LO is older, because even laundry is a struggle right now.

Do you like having your LO in school a few days a week? I was thinking about enrolling her for one day a week or so just so she has something to break up her week. When she gets older of course.

We have a few memberships and they are sanity savers, especially, in the Winter.

It is getting easier. For me the first year was the hardest and it's gotten easier and more fun from there. My kid has some developmental delays we're trying to figure out but it's still easier than when he was tiny.

I love having him in school. I get a 2.5 hour break and he LOVES it. Plus he needs it for his delvelopmental delays and socialization in general.

Look into your local rec center most of the 4-5 week classes at mine are between $20-40. I hear you on the expensive classes we are taking a break from Little Gym because of the price.

I'd also look into mom's groups. I tried a few but never clicked with any. I kind of wish I tried harder. I've actually have met most of my mom friends from my local Nest board.

Good Luck! For me it has gotten so much easier and less overwhelming.

[keh2oblue]

Well, my DD is older, but we do a lot of park time and just playing outside. We also have a mom's group that all met through the hospital that we delivered at. We have kind of drifted apart over the past year as moms have more kids and go back to work. I'm actually looking to join a local MOPS group once #2 comes along because I HAVE to have interaction or I go crazy at home.

When DD was that age (aka: immobile) we did a lot of walks around the mall, target, etc.

[chelsiann]

May 18, 2012 9:42:52 GMT -5 df said:

I love having him in school. I get a 2.5 hour break and he LOVES it. Plus he needs it for his delvelopmental delays and socialization in general.


I'd also look into mom's groups. I tried a few but never clicked with any. I kind of wish I tried harder. I've actually have met most of my mom friends from my local Nest board.

Good Luck! For me it has gotten so much easier and less overwhelming.

It is really good to hear you LO likes going to school for a bit, I think my LO will too, plus I love the idea of a little break.

I tried to connect but I haven't been able to go to many meet ups. I have to admit I am really shy and while I am not an awkward person I feel awkward around people. It just doesn't come easy to me. =( Plus I am considered a younger mom apparently since I am not in my 30s and I get the cold shoulder by a lot of the moms I try to connect to. My neighbor is due around my DD's first birthday so once Giddeon (My neighbors in tummy daughter) is a little older I hope we can connect some.


Thank you everyone for your responses. I feel better that not many people had a set schedule around her age. I keep picturing that ideal mom who has the house spotless, food in the oven and clean, well mannered kids. LOL I am far from being the domestic goddess I want to be and I need to remember that what is in my head is not realistic. :heart:

[Llama in Mules]

We do a music class, Little Maestros one day and go to the Little Gym another day. I will probably get a zoo membership now that the weather is getting nice.
We don't have a set schedule. Li has just decided that 3pm is her afternoon nap time and 7:30pm is bed time. Aside from that it's al kind of up in the air.

[earlgreyhot]

We try to get out of the house once a day. The mornings are usually an activity, playground, museum, library, etc. afternoons are are more low key, with an activity. Though DS is just now getting on board with coloring, painting, etc.

Nine months (which was a little over a year ago for us) is tough since babies want to be mobile, but yet generally not walking. We did lots of hanging out at places with wide open spaces with a few toys (balls, bubbles). We also took a music class, a swim class, and found a play group that met once a week. Basically just things that get you out of house!

[DazeyDee]

DD is just shy of 2, so that helps a lot in getting out. Her schedule is pretty set - she's a routine girl, so I try to stick to it! She goes down for nap at 1, so we try and get out in the mornings. We do a lot of parks, we have a zoo membership, we do a music class once a week and gymnastics once a week. We go swimming at the rec center once a week or so, too - DD loves the water.

We DD was 9 months I was working, but DH was home with her. He took her to a baby music class, lots of walks and to the park. A baby pool in the backyard was a big hit, and he'd take her to indoor play places too - just so she can crawl around. She started swim lessons at 9 months too.

We've met most of our friends through gymnastics or on my local nest board (hi, DF . Finding friends is critical for me - I'd go nuts stuck in the house all day with a toddler and no one to talk to!

[Makena]

At 9 months we did the lap-sit story time program at the library on Tuesday mornings, and a gym/music class on Thursday afternoons.
Monday was always a weekend recovery day for me (straighten up the house, catch up on laundry, grocery shopping) Wednesdays I would plan play dates (more for me to see my other mom friends than for the kids!)

DS is 2 1/2 now and we keep a similar schedule. We still go to the library once a week, but not for a structured program. And we go to open gym at the local gymnastics place once a week (twice if it's raining). He takes swim lessons once a week too. And we still have play dates once or twice a week (our house, their house, at the park). Oh, & I have a mom's night out usually once a week - most of the time I have a girlfriend or 2 over for coffee after the kids are in bed, but every once in a while we go to the movies or out for dinner.

I try to run all my errands early in the morning, like out the door before 7:30 so I'm just getting to Target as they open. DS is still napping like a champ and I like to be home so he can nap in his bed. If we run errands after nap we don't get home until 5-5:30 because we live in the middle of nowhere & nothing is less than 25 minutes away :(

We also see my mom almost every day. She lives 4 minutes away so she either stops in on her way to/from somewhere. Or if I'm having a particularly irritable (PMS) day, we go there for a change of scenery. He plays with all his "mimi toys" and I chill on her couch ;)

I just reread this and it sounds like we are out & about way more than we really are!