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Hey Singaporean mummies, daddies, and everyone in between! Curious about what a typical day looks like with a little 1 year old toddler? Today I’m giving you a play-by-play of my daily schedule for 1 year old toddler (including feeding and naps, of course!).
Daily Schedule for 1 Year Old Toddler
My baby girl has been on this daily schedule for 1 year old toddler from 12+ months:
- Her wake windows (from getting out of bed to being back in bed) are lengthening to 3-3.5 hours
- She sleeps a total of 2.5 hours in the day and 11.5 hours in the night
- She is now fully on a 3 solid meals a day routine (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- We try to bring her outdoors at least 4-5 times a week (because the PD says she needs the sunlight!)
- We change her diapers every time before or after she naps/sleeps and when she poops
If your kid is younger, you might be interested in:
Do also note that I’m a stay at home mum who has flexible working hours and have a stay-in helper who helps out with cooking and cleaning chores so I have enough energy to focus on baby stuff! Everyone’s circumstances are different, so please don’t be too hard on yourself.
What’s Changed From Her 8 Month Old Routine?
Honestly, it feels like everything has changed since she hit her 1 year old mark:
- She stays awake a lot longer – It took a while to trial and error when I discovered she just didn’t sleep as easily as before. We had to keep her up longer and cut her naps before she got back into her normal sleep routine.
- She has so much energy – In the past, she was pretty much content to self-entertain in the playpen when she was just crawling around. But since she started walking unassisted at 10months old, and now running everywhere at 12months old, her activities are no longer able to be confined within the playpen. Which also means I have to find many new ways to let her expend her energy.
- She gets so much pickier over food – Ever since she turned one, it seems like she has a mind of her own over what kind of food she wants to eat. So sometimes mealtimes get dragged on if it’s not something she likes. It’s times like this I really miss my easy-going baby at her younger stages
Read on to see what I mean.
Morning Routine:
7:15 AM: Our day usually begins around 715 AM, a shift earlier to accommodate her stretching wake windows. No changes to our wake-up routine where we turn on the lights/ opening the curtains, play her wake up music, wish her a warm “Good morning! Rise & Shine!” Once she’s awake, we get her changed out of her diapers and into the outfit for the day.
Then she’ll have a small cup of water and play in her playpen until breakfast time.
7:45AM: After letting her stretch her limbs, it’s time to start the day with some breakfast! Usually it’s some form of fruits + carbs – something light as she doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite in the morning.
830 AM: Usually when she’s done feeding, I put her back into the playpen for independent play – mostly because we have lots to get done in the morning. But on good days when I don’t have much to do, I’ll spend the time reading with her, or teaching her to play some new toys.
915AM: I’ll give her a small milk top up here with her daily dose of vit D supplements. If I don’t have much going on in the morning, I might also take her out for a quick morning walk around the neighbourhood! Otherwise she’ll be out of the playpen running around the house to expend her energy. Most of the time, in my master bedroom, climbing all around the bed like her own personal play gym.
1015AM: Then she goes down for her first of two naps of the day – a short 1 hour nap. Check out our sleep routine here! That’s when I try to either rush out some errands, pump, or take a quick rest while I can. Today, I’m finishing up this article 🙂
Afternoon Routine:
As per our previous routine, once to twice a week, we’ll head out for lunch and try to explore a new area. The only difference? Now we can’t replace her lunch with a milk feed anymore and have to actually bring her lunch along, and prays she eats it. If she doesn’t cooperate, I have some UHT milk on hand to make sure she doesn’t get too hungry.
11:15AM: After a quick nap, it’s straight to lunch time where I multitask by eating my lunch while feeding her. On good days it’ll take 30 mins, on bad day I’ll cut it off at 1 hour mark. If she finishes lunch quickly, we’ll usually head into the playpen for some reading + playing together.
Usually that’s when I read some books / engage her in some interactive games / sing nursery songs together/ teach her a new skill. The theme of the month is learning how to use a spoon – so I give her a spoon and try to teach her how to scoop her toys with it! So far so good!
1:00 PM: Depending on how much she’s had for lunch I’ll do a milk feed at both 1PM and 130PM. After which she goes off roaming again around the house (supervised by me or my helper). Thankfully we’ve done most of our baby proofing – because boy does that little girl get her hands on everything.
2:15 PM: After physically exhausting herself, it’s now time for her second and final nap of the day which is about 2 hours long. This is the golden period where I get to do what I need to do for the day – be it mummylist.com work, running household errands, and more.
Evening-Night Routine:
This is a much longer stretch now, so it opens up a lot more opportunities for us to bring her out for activities! About once or twice a week, I try to bring her out (not just downstairs) during this timeslot – usually to our families’ place for dinner or a new dinner spot that me & the hubby want to try out! Below is our regular routine when we stay home.
4:15 PM: Time to wake up and final stretch before bedtime! I normally give her a little milk in case she’s hungry, capped at 50ml to ensure she doesn’t spoil her appetite for dinner. Then we’ll go for our regular evening walk around the neighbourhood – the nearby park, nearby playgrounds, or nearby market. She gets to roam around, explore things, while I try my best to keep her from eating dirt, leaves, stones, and more. Yes this is now a daily thing instead of 1-2 times a week previously.
5:45 PM: We’ll head back home for a quick shower before settling down for dinner. Again I’ll be multitasking eating my dinner while feeding her. Usually also takes about 30 mins-1 hour depending on her mood. If she finishes faster, she just gets more time to play and roam around at home.
7:00 PM: 45 minutes before bedtime, I’ll gather her back to the playpen for her last milk feed of the day and let her wind down (no more exciting activities). Then we start our night routine around 735 PM – brushing teeth, warm bath, pyjamas & sleep sack, then lullaby and bed by 745ish. For more details, check out our bedtime routine here.
And then we get to rest for the night too. So thankful that her overall sleep is still intact after making the transition from 3 to 2 naps.
Daily Schedule for 1 Year Old Toddler: Going Out Routine
Like when she was younger, we do our best to fit any trips out within her wake times (up to 4 hours to avoid meltdowns). So usually our outing times are usually around 7-10am, 11-2pm, or 4-8pm.
After months of experience of heading out, multiple JB trips, and an overseas trip to Jeju, we’re now alot more comfortable bringing her out.
The new challenge now however is that we need to feed her solids outside (no more replacing with milk), as well as accommodate her desire to run around in public safely.
Need inspiration on where to bring your toddler out? Some new fun places we’ve brought her to in the past month include:
- Kidztopia Prestige Indoor Playground (New Bahru)
- East Coast Park to play with sand
- Hai Di Lao where she got to check out the noodle performance which she loved
- National Gallery’s Keppel Centre for Art Education
- Pip’s Playbox at Esplanade
How Does Your Daily Schedule for 1 Year Old Toddler Look Like?
No two babies are the same, and neither are their routines! This sample daily schedule for 1 year old toddler might work for us, but finding a groove that fits your little one and your family is what matters most.
Remember, being flexible is key! Parenthood has its sunny days filled with cuddles, but there will also be days that call for improvisation. Boy do I improvise ALL THE TIME. And that’s perfectly normal! Embrace those precious moments, because each day brings new discoveries and moments of joy.
Have a different daily schedule for 1 year old toddler that works for you? Download our IG template here or choose to edit it over on Canva and share it with your community on social media! Don’t forget to tag us at @mummy.list on Instagram.
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