Extraordinary Tuesday: Two For Tuesday

Welcome to "Two For Tuesday" a post every Tuesday for us Extraordinary Mothers on how we deal and cope with motherhood, the pains, angst's, joys, and triumphs. I am Karie of The Five Fish and as a mother of twins and a singleton I know all too well the "two" sides to each coin, our children and ourselves and how to find answers and balance.

Let's talk today about scheduling. We hear through various media outlets that as parents we are over-scheduling our children, more so through extracurricular activities rather than home life. But what some parents are failing to do is schedule their children at all. Generating a schedule for your child is of utmost importance for a productive day for not only you but also your child.


Children thrive on a schedule and rules, they almost demand this sort of structure. A schedule will not only help in the infancy phases of parenthood, but also well into toddler years, and then into the school aged years where each day is not a battle of wills because of the lack of a structured schedule. First, we can begin with infancy.

When I found I was having twins I almost knew immediately I had to have these two beings on the same schedule. PERIOD. For the sake of my personal sanity and in order to sleep at some point during the day and night. Because I was breastfeeding, keeping the twins on the same schedule and by tandem breastfeeding I was able to function and I was not limiting my sleep to a dangerous zone of operation. A schedule also helped me to determine how much each baby was eating, wetting diapers, soiling, sleeping, etc. This sort of information is critical for a new mother or a mother of preemies to determine their intake and proper growth and development.

I also found by doing everything for the twins at the same time (feedings, diaperings, etc) I personally had more time to allot for personal naps, cleaning the house, devoting special time to my oldest, making meals, the normal everyday of being at home with a new baby, or as in my case, babies. I also took note to write down a lot of the daily routine as to keep track myself. As a sleep deprived mom, we often can be forgetful.

As the twins grew older and feeding demands changed the schedule also changed, based on need, but nonetheless the twins were on a strict schedule of specified napping, solid food feedings, breastfeeding, and so forth. The schedule was becoming a well oiled machine, only minor tweaks were made based on the level of need. I still maintained a log, but not so much as to when they were breastfeeding as they began to ween.

Now that the twins are toddling and are more mobile I still maintain their schedule whether they like the schedule or not. Beginning with their morning meal, getting dressed, play time, snack time, lunch, nap, snack time, play time, dinner, bed. In between we can squeeze in trips to the grocery store or visits here and there to see family, but they maintain an overall schedule of the aforementioned. By adhering to some form of schedule they are happier, I am happier, everyone is happier. A structured schedule also allows for the easy transition into elementary school.

Schedules allow time for mom's as well to not only complete household chores and the like, but allows time for mom to recooperate, relax, enjoy "me time" and you are not fighting your children to eat, nap, or function throughout the day. Once a child is on a schedule they run basically on auto-pilot and as a parent you will begin to see the signs of when you are running late on a schedule or flat overdue based on how your child responds. Schedules can be modified based on your children's needs so be flexible but not lenient as then the schedule often is ignored and children will tend to run amuck.

Remember the schedule is for your children, to help reinforce structure and good habits in his or her life and the bonus is that your day can be planned accordingly. What are some scheduling techniques you have in your home? What tips or tricks are helpful for maintaining schedules and structure at home? During travel?