Our Weekend Schedule with a Toddler & Baby

I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend! A couple of years ago, never would I have guessed this type of post would be a frequently requested one. But now that our weekends circle around these two little people, I get it. How I enjoy grabbing a cup of tea and scrolling through a riveting blog post about…the everyday schedules of people with somewhat similar lives. So here’s a sample of our usual weekend with a 3.5 year old and 19 month old, along with some favorite family breakfast recipes, takeout dinner spots, and TV shows that we’ve been winding down to!

Mornings aka Lazy Sundays (and Saturdays)

7:00 am

I crack open an eye and Nori is at my bedside, asking for help buttoning up her Cinderella dress (this is her at-home outfit of choice lately). One of us goes downstairs and snoozes more on the couch while she plays independently.

8:00 am

Rio wakes up on his own or (more likely) is awoken by a rambunctious sister who is ready to get the day started. Rio sleeps in his own room now but still with the Slumberpod over his mini crib. We haven’t phased him out of it since he just sleeps so soundly inside the pitch-black environment!

8:00 – 9 am

Kids play together on the mat, while I “referee” and Nick makes breakfast. Usually one of the below recipes, or his special weekend oatmeal which is basically just oatmeal slow cooked with diced apples, prunes, and extra maple syrup lol.

Dairy-Free & Egg-Free Breakfast Ideas for Kids

These are a few of our fave weekend breakfasts that are easy to modify for food allergies !

Green blender pancakes: Nick has been pushing the limit of how much spinach to put in these, and so far the kids haven’t rejected them. You can sub a flax egg or even just omit the egg and it turns out fine. To make it even quicker sometimes he’ll use whole wheat pastry flour instead of blended oats.

Crispy Waffles: These are light, airy, and crispy (not as dense as a Belgian waffle) which works better on our standard waffle iron anyway. We substitute a flax egg, so both kids can eat them.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins: These moist and filling muffins have been a staple for both kids through their baked-egg allergy challenges. We make a bunch and freeze them, so they are good for weekday breakfasts or when we need a weekend breakfast on-the-go!

Anything made with Just Egg (plant-based egg): Neither child can eat pure cooked eggs yet due to food allergies, but we want them to get used to the texture. Just Egg is delicious and impressive as a plant-based based scramble, omelette, or frittata. A word of caution: it can be VERY sticky even on a good nonstick pan. 2 tips: cook slow on very low heat, and use more oil than you normally would for regular eggs. FYI for those with severe egg allergies, this product is made in a facility that also processes eggs.

9:30 – 10 am: Get outside

If we don’t have formal plans for the day, we try to get outside by 10AM as tempting as it is to stay in and let the kids watch a never ending loop of Peppa Pig (in Mandarin, for a little bilingual screen time). Nori and Rio pick their snacks they want to bring and pack them in their little back pack. One of the best things about living in the city with kids are the awesome playgrounds every few blocks. On a nice day, we love the playground along the Charles River esplanade!

Noon – 1ish: Lunch time

We like to try new allergy-friendly restaurants with the kids, and usually pick playgrounds that are nearby. When the weather is nice we also love packing a picnic lunch in their Bentgo boxes or grabbing onigiri rice balls or sushi takeout at a local Japanese grocery, since they eat much better while people watching at the park than at home.

Picnic lunch // Picked up onigiri (rice balls with salmon or tuna inside) at the local Japanese grocery

1:30 – 4pm: Nap time (Rio) / quiet time (Nori)

You may have heard the term “golden hour” before, as it relates to photography. But golden hour is actually any hour where both kids’ nap times magically line up and you bask in the quiet peacefulness for about 20 minutes, then spend the next hour anxiously wondering which one of them will wake up first and trying to decide if you have time to do dishes, read a book, or catch up on a show. Sadly, after transitioning Nori from her crib to a toddler bed, naps are now a thing of the past.

Sometimes this means venturing out to another park with Nori for 1-on-1 time with mom or dad, sometimes we bake allergy-friendly muffins together or do arts & crafts like this bracelet making kit. Or, Nori gets some independent play time and more TV if she asks for it.

4 – 5:30pm

Rio wakes up from his nap around 4 (or we’ll wake him up then) and we try to get outdoors to a playground again. On a rainy day, they can spend a good 30 minutes with this Play-Doh starter set or playing with their coffee bean sensory bins together! Nick will usually cook dinner while the kids are occupied.

Evening Routine

5:30 – 6:30 ish pm – (Kids’) Dinner time

Nick and I are in the bad habit of eating only a little bit while the kids eat to accompany them, and then eating a second more peaceful dinner once the kids go down.

7:15 pm – Bathtime

We’ll have them in the bath by 7:30 at the latest. With both of their history with eczema bathing them daily and then locking in the moisture (see more details in my eczema care post) has really seemed to be helping their skin.

8 pm – Bed time

Nick does Rio’s bed time routine and I do Nori’s. You may have seen his very complex routine in my IG post here lol. We don’t have a hard and fast “bedtime” per se, just the order of events.

Bonus! The Grown-up’s Evening “Schedule”

8:30 pm onward

After they snooze, we tidy up the tornado of a mess in the kitchen, catch up on emails, work on blog posts and Edited Pieces while waiting for Chowbus or Uber Eats to arrive. Our favorite places lately for takeout:

• Pad Thai Cafe in Back Bay
  • Tom Yum pad thai, Indonesian fried rice, Green curry, or try something off their authentic Thai menu
• Sakana Sushi in Cambridge
  • Sakana roll (so good!), Crimson roll, torched salmon belly. Or Basho’s nigiri dinner set pictured below.
• Union Park Pizza in South End which uses nice quality ingredients and offers Violife vegan cheese
• Pho Le in Dorchester

10 pm – midnight

Nick chooses a show or movie he thinks we’ll both enjoy yet he inevitably fall asleep watching, while I work from our couch or have late-night calls with our overseas vendors. A few shows we’ve enjoyed:

• Coda (Apple TV) – Finally watched the best-picture winning film that has some scenes shot here in Boston!
• Insecure (HBO) – An easy-watch comedy that still hits on some deeper social issues. We binged all 5 seasons.
• Abbott Elementary (ABC) – Easy-to-watch comedy, in the same vein as Modern Family/The Office
• Pachinko (Apple TV) – We both read the book. Show is visually beautiful but slow moving
• Top Chef (Bravo) – Love seeing some of the influences from one of our favorite food cities (Houston)!