If you look at parenting schedules on Instagram, everything looks perfect. The baby wakes up smiling, eats organic kale, and naps for two hours while the dad gets a full workout in. That is not my life.
My daughter is now 10 months old, and we have finally found a 10 month old daily routine that works for us as working parents. I work from home, my wife works out of the house, and we use a nursery for part of the day.
It is not perfect, and it changes every week, but if you are a new dad wondering what a “real” day looks like, here is ours.
Summary of our 10 Month Old Daily Routine At 10 months, the simple “eat, sleep, poop” cycle of the newborn days is gone. She is a little person now.
Finding a consistent 10 month old daily routine is exhausting in a different way, but way more fun. This schedule allows us to balance work, nursery, and family time without going crazy.
Morning Chaos: 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Our day usually starts at 7:00 AM. There is no alarm clock needed; she decides when the day begins.
- Wake Up: We start with a nappy change and immediate playtime on the floor.
- Breakfast: We are fully on solids now. She usually has breakfast with us, though it depends on her mood how much actually gets eaten.
- The Rush: Between 8:00 and 9:00 is the “get ready” scramble. Packing the nursery bag, getting dressed, and trying to drink coffee.
The Work Block: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
At 9:00 AM, we drop her off at nursery.
This is the reality of modern parenting: we need to work. My wife heads to her job, and I head back to my home office.
- Focus Time: From 9:00 to 3:00 is my main window to get work done. I don’t have to worry about nap schedules or feeding times during these hours because the nursery handles it.
- The Pickup: Since I work from home, I am the one who does the school run. I shut my laptop at 3:00 PM to go pick her up.
The Late Nap & Dog Walk: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
This is where our schedule might be different from others.
When I pick her up at 3:00 PM, she is usually exhausted from playing with other kids all day.
- The Nap: As soon as we get home, she crashes. She naps from roughly 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM.
- The Dog Walk: When she wakes up at 5:00 PM, it’s fresh air time. We take our dog, Luna, out for a walk together. This is my favorite part of the day—just me, the baby, and the dog getting some steps in.
Dinner and Developmental Play: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
We are deep into the “trying new foods” stage. Dinner is usually a mix of:
- Rice
- Chicken
- Puree (if she refuses the solids)
Note: It totally depends on her mood. Some days she eats everything; other days she throws it on the floor.
Playtime: At 10 months, she is obsessed with two things:
- Practicing Walking: She is cruising along furniture and trying to stand.
- Container Play: She loves filling boxes with toys and taking them out again. Over and over.
Bedtime: 8:30 PM
We run a slightly later schedule than some parents, but it works for us.
- 8:00 PM: Wind down.
- 8:30 PM: Lights out.
She usually has a good night’s sleep, which is the only reason we can function the next day at 7:00 AM to do it all over again.
One thought on “My 10-Month-Old’s Daily Routine: The Real WFH Dad Version”