A Real Vintage Schedule for Your Preschool Child Ages 2 to 5

Three babysteps to being a better mom are (1) stay home, (2) treat your husband well, and (3) follow a vintage schedule for your child which I share in this post. Enjoy!

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Dick & Jane Reader Series

3 Baby Steps to Being a Better Mom

What was the result of mothering values from the 1940's - 50's? The picture above says it all. Strong, healthy, happy children. Today's children need these same values. Here are 3 babysteps to being a better mom (wisdom from our past).

#1 Stay home. Stay home Monday through Friday except for errand/grocery day. What will you do? Take care of your home: make beds, do dishes, wash clothes, clean. Encourage your child to help with Little Golden Book's "We Help Mommy" for a great example of home routines. (free homekeeping routine.)

#2 Treat your husband well!  Show the utmost respect to your husband & serve lovely dinners. Three ways to show respect is to be lovely (free course), greet him at the door with a smile, and place mail by his table setting. 

Tip! I encourage you to read, The Bride's Encyclopedia, first article here. How we treat our husband is not contingent upon how they treat us, but how God wants us to be.

#3 Raise your children properly. Follow a good schedule for your child (below) to raise your children properly. Our children is our priority.

A Good Schedule is . . .

A good schedule considers our children's needs for raising strong, healthy, and happy children. This is the mother's role. If we fail at this, no other accomplishment will matter.

I have been using the vintage schedule from Better Homes & Gardens Baby Book (1943). It includes everything needed for a good schedule:

• toilet training
• meals
• play time
• rest time

Note: I have added some of my own comments and additional information.

Schedule for Preschool Child Ages 2-4 
​(Overview Chart)

Time	Activity
6:00 to 7:00 am Mornings	Rises, goes to toilet. Fish-liver oil*, Juice.  ​Breakfast (menu below). Dresses for day, brushes teeth, combs hair. ​Plays outdoors.
9:00 am	Brought in to toilet, plus regular intervals through day.
12:00 noon	Lunch (menu below) + Toilet Training.
12:30 to 2:30 pm	Nap or rest in room alone with door closed.
3:00 pm	Snack (menu below) + Toilet Training.
5:30 pm	Dinner (menu below).
6:00 or 6:30 pm	Bath, story hour + Toilet Training.
7:00 pm	Bed.

Schedule for Preschool Child Ages 2-4
(Vintage Schedule)

6:00 to 7:00 am

• Rises, goes to toilet.
• Fish-liver oil or concentrate as prescribed by doctor.*
• Juice.

I use a child's multivitamin (with iron) instead of fish-liver oil and give it at meal-time.*

Breakfast (choose a set time)

Breakfast:

• Fruit
• Cooked cereal with whole milk (oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits, cornmeal)
• Milk (whole milk)

If this is eaten, toast and bacon may be added, if desired. ​Milk toast, banana, or prepared cereal may be substituted for the cooked cereal, occasionally.
​

Our favorite . . . 2-3 tbsp. oats, dash of cinnamon and vanilla. Top with diced strawberries and milk. 

After Breakfast

​Get Ready.

• Dress for day.  (Children wear their robe over their pajamas to breakfast. Now they are trained to hang up night clothes, dress, and get ready themselves with assistance.)
• Brush teeth, combs hair.
• Plays outdoors, if weather permits. In cold weather, an hour outdoors will be enough.

You can lay clothing on your child's bed and assist with dressing as needed. 

9:00 am - Toilet Training

• Brought in to toilet. Continue doing this throughout the day at intervals you've found best suited to his needs.

Intervals!  I need to buckle down with toilet training throughout the day.

(If you are homeschooling other children, 9:00 am is the suggested time to begin our family together program of study. Preschoolers can play indoor or outdoor at this time on a special blanket with the selected toys of the day.)

12:00 noon - Lunch

(Now would be a good time for more toilet training.)

​Lunch:

• Vegetable soup or green vegetable
• Meat
• Potato, macaroni, rice, or tenderoni (healthy starch, not fried)
• Simple dessert (such as cornstarch pudding or gelatin or cookie)
• Milk (1 cup whole milk to drink or add chocolate syrup occasionally)

(Lunch was often the bigger meal (dinner) in the 1940's. Our dinner is at 5 pm. I like the vintage meal planning much better than current trends, because it focuses on the food groups!  I follow this beauty diet adding in starch and whole milk for my child.)

12:30 to 2:30 pm

• Nap or rest in room alone with door closed. Not later than 3 pm. 

(Does your homeschool students need rest time too? My first grader had an afternoon melt down today. I initiated a 15-minute rest time in her room. She could choose to rest or read a book quietly. She came out of her room much reposed.)

My preschooler doesn't nap anymore. He will rest on the bed while I read picture books. 

3:00 pm - Snack time.

(Now would be a good time for more toilet training.)

​On arising from nap or rest. 

• Graham crackers.
• Cup of milk also, if child is underweight.

5:30 pm - Supper

Supper:

• Creamed vegetable
• Poached or soft boiled egg
• Fruit
• Milk (Omit milk at night if your child wets the bed.)

6:00 or 6:30 pm - Bedtime Routine

(Now would be a good time for more toilet training.)
​
Bedtime Routine:​

• Bath
• Story hour

7:00 pm - Bedtime

• Bed. Depends upon the time of rising. If child is 2-3 or rising earlier, bedtime can be switched to 6:00 pm.

Final Thoughts

This schedule gives children plenty of time for outdoor play. You can provide classic toys: wagon, tricycle, bike, balls, sandbox, etc. (more on this later). On rainy days, children can go outdoors in raincoast for an hour or you can open windows for fresh air indoors. Remember, a good schedule for children considers toilet training, meals, play time, rest time. 

How can I improve? A few areas we are tweaking is (1) drinking more milk at meals and (2) going to bed earlier, and (3) consistent intervals with toilet training. 

What would I change or add? The babybook gives suggestions for storybooks and toys. I have an additional room that will become the playroom (formally called nursery). I will be adding gentle preschool lessons for my 3 year old this year.