The Toddler Hygiene Schedule!

This is our new schedule, I plan to implement it starting this week.

I'm going with experience and pediatricians instructions. Contrary to belief, you don't need to bathe you baby every day (unless they got messy), and since we use water to wash her butt after we change her diaper she is always very clean. I think this schedule is fair, it's not unrealistic and doesn't push it. It's so simple and pretty much a 'no duh' type of thing, but it's about the timing and it's always a good reminder. I ALWAYS bathe her in the morning, and if not, that night (which has been terrible for her curly hair). I don't wash her hair more than every other day because 1) Shampoo is bad for hair, 2) Her organic shampoo does a good job keep her hair clean without greasy residue, 3) Unless she's dumped food in her hair it's not good to get into a lifelong daily hair washing routine when you can easily train hair to wash every other day. 

About the nails- I always cut nails before a bath because under-nail bacteria is really gross and the bath will wash it away before she gets to put her fingers in her mouth. It's a good practice NOT to cut wet nails, so always cut before a bath, not after. The Thursday she doesn't bathe, I do it while she naps so she doesn't even notice, and usually I don't need to trim/check her toe nails, they grow slower so I think I'll only attempt them on Thursday naps. It's a great habit to brush your baby after every meal, but it's not very realistic right now- I'm VERY happy with having it done WELL every night after dinner (however we do have a practice of washing out her mouth with after after a meal, thanks to daddy).

Hope this also helps other moms who need a bit of a reminder, let's not lie... it get's hectic sometimes! It's easy to forget nails before it's too late, and they scratch themselves. ;)

Day -> Item	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
Brush HAIR	Every morning	->	->	->	->	->	->
Brush TEETH	Every night	->	->	->	->	->	->
Wash HAIR	Morning		Morning		Morning		Maybe
Bathe	Morning		Morning		Morning		Morning
Cut NAILS	Before Bath			During Nap			Before Bath

Things to accomplish before Baby #2

I'm someone who needs due dates on my to-do lists. I like anticipating everything being done by a certain time and the pressure to complete things before a certain date motivates me. Usually, when I have a daily to-do list, I give myself an allotted couple of hours (2, usually) and it's like a game as I whiz through my daily chores. It's especially nice when I have 15-20 minutes left over to do extras!

The thing with a baby due date is that I can't push it back. There isn't much leeway. The types of things on my list need a bit of time to be completed, too. That means time management. For me, I view 'the sooner the better' as extremely true. If I wan't something done in 3 months, and it takes 5, then I better start now because there are certain things I don't want to deal with WITH a newborn!

So here is my list of to-do's before baby #2 arrives. I'm unsure of how many I'll be able to accomplish, but they're all pretty detrimental and it would be nice to get a move on!

1. Night wean Elly. I want to wean Eliana fully by the time she's two years, lucky for us I'm due around her birthday so hopefully I'll be able to do it. Elly still feeds 8+ times a day and eats full meals. At night she nurses to sleep, and in the middle of the night she'll wake up for comfort food. Every morning, when she wakes up, she nurses twice- one lazily as she's waking up, and the other before breakfast. Nap time, she nurses (2-3 hours later) and then the rest are on demand through the day. Obviously I intend to nurse baby #2, so a full feeding schedule for the both of them poses as a challenge. I want to at least NIGHT WEAN Eliana before I'm 20 weeks pregnant. From there, we want to...
2. Sleep Train Elly. Like our feeding schedule, we sleep on demand. It's always worked for us and since we were both stay at home parents it was just fine. Now I work (not for much longer, though) and my husband will be going to work full time. Things are about to change and a strict schedule is needed NOW more than ever! Obviously, I'll let her sleep as much as she wants on sick days, but right now she sleeps 11 hours at night and an hour or less in the day. Sometimes two naps. It's extremely unpredictable, except for the fact that her natural rhythm get's her napping at least 2-3 hours after she wakes up. I would like to have her napping the same time every day, sleeping the same time everyday, and sleeping without boobs/being in our bed. I intend to nurse and co-sleep with the new baby, and since Elly is such a big toddler I can't see having 4 in the bed anymore. I would like to night wean her and promptly get her in a toddler bed beside our bed. I'm not ready to put her in her own room right now, maybe around 31/2. 
3. Have a hygiene schedule. Right now Elly showers when I shower, I brush her teeth when she lets me (every day, usually, but not well), and changing diapers/clothes happens when it happens. I've noticed, being a clean mom with a clean baby is hard work. Having two must be a different story! I'll admit I'm not prompt or good at nail cutting, she needs a haircut, and I DON'T brush her hair every day! So sue me! But, I want that to change. She's not a baby anymore, she's a little girl, and if this next one has as much hair as she does I've got my hands full. I want to create a checklist/schedule for her in particular so we can create a solid hygiene routine and so mommy can stay on top of it all!
4. Independent toys. Elly is independent (for being an attachment-parented child with two stay at home parents). I'm proud of her social skills, she speaks well and catches on to things quickly. I'd like for her to keep occupied when I'm busy and daddy is at work, since a lot if about to change in her little world. I'm on the look out for toys which are SAFE and creative so we can nurture that little brain without having to be 100% present. I'm not unrealistic, I know she'll need me 90% of the day, but right now she is glued to my side- she'll do things, but only in the same room, and only if she can show and tell.  I don't rely on TV, and I don't plan to. I'd like to give her freedom. The next apartment will have a VERY safe baby proofed play room, so that's something I want to plan. 
5. Baby proof. Since we're moving again within the next couple weeks, I plan to baby proof from the get go. Painting and repairs will happen before we move in, the next thing will be getting on our hands and knees and baby proofing like pros. I'll always watch her, but I'm so scared that in my sleep depravity and shared attention that I might miss something and she'll have her first real injury- stats show that after the 2nd child the risk rises tenfold! (Pretty sure I was the one who almost pulled down the TV on my brother!)I think the timing of our move is perfect, and we'll be able to create a completely safe environment for her. Also, we'll be able to buy baby safe furniture and baby gates- my two favourite things!
6. Dedicated one-on-one time. I'm a loyal person, I always have been. I feel a bit torn about sharing my love and attention with two, three, four, or five. I never want Elly to feel neglected so I want to start creating one-on-one time with just Elly and Mommy. This seems easy enough, but on top of baby care and chores it's easy to overlook. I NEED to do this so I can stay as connected with her as I am now. It's not something I'm willing to lose. Private picnics, cooking together, reading books, and a special night time cuddle.

These things are all routines, they all require time. I never stuck her to a strict routine because I believe for children her age she didn't need a schedule but for her needs to be met on demand. Now she understand yes and no and stay and go and simple things, so I can hopefully use her understanding in training her. I really hope to have it all done within the next 7 months. Lets hope!