This is what a daily schedule looks like for children (2 and 1 years old) being raised at home

I was surprised by what a friend said about her children's day.

She said, 'Every day is just living in the moment. There's nothing set in stone, like what time they wake up, whether they take a nap, or the order of their baths and meals. It's common for them to have a bath after a snack one day, and right before bed the next!'

That's what she told me.

In our house, we raise our children at home, and we spend our days on a fairly set schedule. The time we wake them up is the same on weekdays and weekends. It feels like we're living according to a timetable. Unless there's something special going on, we stick to the schedule.

I thought that was normal, but apparently, that's not the case for everyone.

So, in today's note, I'm going to record our home-care schedule from the time the children wake up until they go to sleep.

Our home-care schedule

Since I'm spending time with a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old, things don't always go exactly according to the schedule, but we follow it pretty closely.

I try to stick to the basics of this schedule on both weekdays and weekends. Even when we go out on weekends, I try to match it to our morning walk time as much as possible and keep to our nap time. Just doing that makes putting them to bed at night go smoothly so far.

Perhaps because the daily rhythm is ingrained in their bodies, it takes less than 10 minutes to get them down for a nap. My second child can also fall asleep on their own. If I tell them we're going for a walk, my first child can get their own socks and shoes ready. I also felt it was effective during the 'terrible twos.' Because the rhythm is the same every day, I wonder if the children are able to spend their time with a sense of what's coming next.

Conversely, when we can't follow this rhythm—for example, when we're traveling and they don't nap at all—they often end up crying at night or getting so overexcited that they become unmanageable.

The good things about spending every day with roughly the same rhythm are:

1. I worry less about 'What should I do today? What should I do with the kids right now?'

2. Both parents and children can spend their time with a sense of what to expect.

3. Even for a dad who doesn't participate in childcare on weekdays, if he follows this schedule and handles it solo, things will go quite smoothly.

I think these are the three main points. I have a rough time schedule set, and because it fits well, I can get through my days without having to think about much. For now, I feel the benefits are greater.

Bonus: I've been mimicking the schedule from the nursery school where I used to work, so I'm sure they'll get used to life at nursery school quickly after starting in April (lol).

That's all for our current home childcare schedule!!!

It's a daily routine, but I know every family's environment and situation is different—some are always doing it solo, some have one child, others have two or more.

Everyone has their own 'normal.' This home childcare schedule for children close in age is normal for me, but I'd be happy if it could be a reference for someone else.

Wishing you a wonderful day tomorrow as well.