23.5 month old toddler schedule and routine. Toddler schedule for 23-23.5 months old – get a toddler routine and learn about daily life. Learn about hand, foot, and mouth disease, toddlers skipping naps at times, and helpful parenting books.
This is a summary for Brinley from 23-23.5 months old.
Post Contents
SLEEPING
Sleep was normal here.
EATING
Eating was less during this time. I figured out it was because of sickness. More on that below.
PLAYING
Brinley was super clingy during this time…again, sickness.
HAND, FOOT, and MOUTH DISEASE
One day, Brinley got a random fever. I checked for teeth. None. I checked her ears. They looked fine. I thought it was so weird to have this random fever day in July. She was very clingy this day, also. I put her in Independent Playtime and she just put herself on the floor and tried to get comfy. I knew she was really sick at that point, so I went in and got her out and just held her. I sat with her the whole day other than when she was napping.
my view from the video camera |
The next day, she was fine.
A few days later, my husband changed her diaper and said, “It looks like she has a diaper rash.” This made me pause because there wasn’t anything that would explain her suddenly having a diaper rash. I sat her down on the floor and inspected her feet. Sure enough, on the bottom of her feet were some sores. Ugh! Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (my older kids have had it, so I knew what to look for)!
In most cases, this actually sounds worse than it is. Some children do get a really bad case of it and are miserable for a couple of weeks. They don’t eat or sleep and don’t want to play. Brinley didn’t want to wear shoes (I am sure the sores didn’t feel great with shoes on) and she wanted me to carry her around. She also didn’t eat well–I am sure she had sores in her throat. She also had a couple of spots on her bottom. That was it, so she was lucky.
I used some essential oils from doTerra. I put doTERRA Melaleuca (tea tree oil) on each sore. I had read this helps immensely and it really did–I put it on some sores and not others one night and in the morning, the ones I used it on were much smaller. doTERRA Lavender is also very helpful. I also used doTerra OnGuard to help boost the immune system. Other helpful oils were doTERRA Oregano, doTERRA Lemon, and doTERRA Frankincense.
COOKIE HEARTBREAK
One day, I made a bunch of cookies. I was taking some to a funeral and saving some for a family reunion. I had them all over the kitchen. I gave Brinley a cookie. She ate it and then asked for more. I told her she couldn’t have more. Her eyes filled up with tears and she looked at the cookies around the room, pointed to them, and said, “More cookie peez!” I told her one was all for now.
Oh how she cried! She was heartbroken. She could not understand why she could not have more of this delicious food that was obviously bountiful. She is used to food running out, but I don’t limit her food when it is healthy, so if it is there, she can eat it. She was confused and heartbroken. You can’t really explain the nutritional value of food to a toddler.
NAP SKIPPER
Brinley is old enough to be able to skip her nap and it be okay. She can get a bit cranky for the next day or two, but on the day, she makes it–especially if it is for a fun purpose. We have an amusement park pretty close by and we have enjoyed going there several times over the summer. She loves to go and watch the rides and to play in the water park and she does really well without a nap. She is definitely my most flexible child when it comes to sleep lost.
TODDLER SCHEDULE
8:15 AM–Wake up/Breakfast
8:45 AM–Get ready
9:00 AM–Walk/Bike ride
9:30 AM–Outside Time
11:00 AM–Independent Playtime
12:00 Noon–Lunch
12:30 PM–Learning Activity
1:00 PM–Free Play
1:30 PM–Nap
5:00 PM–Free Playtime
5:30 PM–Dinner
6:00 PM–Family Time
7:30 PM–Get Ready for Bed
8:00 PM–Bedtime
HELPFUL BOOKS
- On Becoming Toddlerwise
- Wholesome Toddlerfood.com
- The Toddler’s Busy Book
- What To Expect The Toddler Years (this is okay–I don’t love it)
- Super Baby Food
- So Easy Toddler Food cookbook
- The Wonder Weeks. (and a link to their site:http://livingcontrolsystems.com/)
- Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
- The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior–Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood
- Baby Body Signs: The Head-to-Toe Guide to Your Child’s Health, from Birth Through the Toddler Years
- Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
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With the "on guard" essential oil do you just massage it on her chest or back? How does it work? I have bought some in the past but only have used them for making cleaning products and air freshener purposes. I wanted to start using them on my kids as we get closer to winter.
I put it in the feet and have the kids smell it too–I read studies that said it works aromatically better than when ingested.
Hi! Hope Brinley is feeling better. I myself had HFM disease a few years ago and it was very uncomfortable. I wanted to ask you about Independent playtime. I am a late babywise follower and I never really emphasized independent playtime. My son is now 26 months and I am wondering whether it's too late to start and how to do this correctly. He is scared to be left alone. He always needs to see me around. If I leave even for a minute to use the bathroom, he rushes over there. He is very social and never played well by himself. But I think he is genuinely scared of being left alone in a room. I'm not sure why. And for this reason, I am always around him (except when the sitter comes 4 hours per week while I work and he still searches and cries out for me). Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I do want him to start having some independent playtime without me being right there all of the time.
It definitely is not too late! I have a post on starting IPT late. Look at the blog index under "independent playtime" and you will see it listed.
Love your blog! Here is my question, sorry if you have already answered it. Do you stay home most days? We have 2 children in school and our 22 month old is at home with me. On Monday mornings we get groceries, Tuesday is kindermusik, Wednesday we go to story time, Thursdays we usually shop, etc. Sometimes I feel like we should be home more, but then when I scale back I feel like we are not doing enough. What are your thoughts?Oh, and one more question 😉 our daughter stared giving us a hard time going to bed. We put her down and she cries/ screams and throws up! It only takes her about 30 seconds to get that upset, crazy!! Any ideas? Thanks!!!
Do you have a videos motor? What I did was speak into the monitor and tell brinley to go to sleep. It worked. Also, I told her before bed "no crying." Brinley is home most days. We go for a walk most mornings. We sometimes do the park once a week. Sometimes she comes with me to do soemthing at the school. Most of our leaving is done in the evening of we do it. Swimming, soccer game, driving kids to activities. I am always home for naps (though she can be late if needed sometimes. I like to be consistent with independent play each day, also.