Why We’re Dumping The Routine

Susan Horn - 9 Jan 16

Are you mad? I’ve been asked that quite a lot recently, and with good reason. We’ve just packed up all our worldly goods and shipped them off to Australia. That in itself is quite a feat, especially when you’re simultaneously dealing with a tantruming two year old, not to mention the lack of sleep and basic bodily functions a two month old brings to the bargain. But then there’s the kicker that really raises eyebrows. Before we leave for our new life down under, we’ve chosen to spend the next three months travelling Europe in a campervan – ta dah (as my two year old would say).

It’s a fantastic plan, in theory, but how will it go in practice? Well we’re almost two weeks in and all still alive; albeit with numerous bruises, scrapes and a distinct lowering of personal hygiene and toddler dietary standards. So far one of the biggest challenges is for one of us to remember to brush the toddler’s teeth each morning before he leaps out of the door to play with his new campsite friends. Already the comfort of routine is far behind us, along with set bedtimes and any kind of feeding schedule. I honestly couldn’t tell you which boob I fed off last, or if it’s been two, three or four hours since the last feed. Let’s just say I’m following a baby-led schedule on that one.

With all the upheaval, there has been a certain level of confusion from the toddler. We’ve had a few requests to ‘go home’, but they are usually when he’s tired or upset, and interspersed between much bigger dollops of sheer excitement. Who wouldn’t be excited to sleep on a massive boat for the first time, or discover a huge sandy beach on their doorstep each morning? Then there’s the plethora of toys supplied by a merry-go-round of new playmates. For my part, I’m getting an education on the many and varied mechanised forms of the humble scooter – they make Otto’s second hand Micro Scooter look very drab indeed.

Despite all my fretting about yanking Otto out of his ‘known world’ and into an ever shifting one for the foreseeable future, it turns out toddlers are pretty resilient when it comes to change. We spent a lot of time worrying about how he would be impacted by the house being packed up, being taken out of nursery and missing his friends. We laboured the point about saying goodbye to people, and made sure he knew he wouldn’t be back as usual next week. However, when it came down to it, he coped better than anyone, enthusiastically telling anyone that would listen that his things were being packed up and looked after while he travels. I was the one in floods of tears, hugging the nursery staff and clinging on to friends, while Otto threw a quick ‘bye bye’ over his shoulder and moved on.

The toddler attitude seems to be ‘that was fun, now what’s next?’, and the baby doesn’t seem to care as long as he has access to milk and cuddles as and when required. (There are worse places to feed than on a deckchair gazing out at the glistening Mediterranean). Although we’re told that babies and toddlers need ‘routine’, maybe it’s more for the benefit of the grownups. We’re used to our lives being planned out and organised to the extreme, so when we throw caution to the wind we go into a mild panic about what’s next. For the next three months our family is going to be more toddler. We’re going to enjoy the present and look forward to what’s next. Sod the routine.

Susan Horn

Susan Horn lives in Melbourne, Australia. Before children, Susan worked in PR and Marketing Communications and was a complete Triathlon geek. She is currently a full-time Mum who squeezes a bit of exercise in between indulging her chocolate and coffee habits.

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