I came across this blog post by A Virtuous Woman that has an example of a schedule to follow to keep your toddler on a routine. I like the idea of having a structured day that your child becomes familiar with and knows what to expect at each time of the day. The blog also has some suggestions to keep your toddler busy while you have to take care of house cleaning, preparing supper and dealing with any younger kids you have.
Her schedule is only an example, you could add different activities and implement any other house rules or ideas into the schedule. I think its important to get your child involved in helping with house chores, so it may be a good idea to have some age appropriate chores that your toddler can do while you are working on your cleaning for the day. I found a good list here on www.growingajeweledrose.com.
Not only is routine good for your children, but it makes life easier for you too. Having special activity bins assigned for certain times of the day or for when you have specific things to get done will save you time on trying to find something for your toddler to keep busy with. It also gives them something to look forward to each day, for example, when mom has to make supper, child gets the special coloring book. If the coloring book is only brought out while supper is being prepared, the child will be less likely to get bored with it and he or she will be occupied with it and stay out of trouble while you are busy in the kitchen.
Of course things will arise occasionally that are not part of the normal routine, doctors appointments, trips to the store when you run out of milk, etc, but having any form of structure is beneficial! If you are trying to set up a routine after living each day in chaos, have patience!! It will take time to fall into a steady routine that works for your family. Don't get frustrated if it doesn't happen right away. Hang in there and remember you can always try again the next day!
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