to ask what do you do with your 2 year old on an average week?

[Giantwhoopsie]

Might be overthinking this but worried I'm not doing enough with DD. Currently at home full time with her. We have 3 mornings a week we go to organised activities e.g. Forest school, baby sensory and a music class. Other than that we'll go for a walk in the park, be in the garden, indoors etc. We don't have any friends with children the same age so we don't have any 'playdates'.

[Madbum]

Sounds like you're doing plenty, relax and enjoy your time together.
If you're looking for extra things to keep you both busy is there a Childrens centre near you? Lots of mums make friends at stay and plays and meet up there weekly.

[BagelDog]

Mine has one day in nursery when we both work, two days at home with me and one brother - dog walks, supermarket trips, playing in the garden, some baking, eating strawberries at the allotment while I water stuff, school run, etc. One day at home with dad and one brother - similar, one short day with his grandma when they potter and go to the library... very very occasional play dates. No baby groups etc. Does swimming lessons once a week but nil else. Seems to be doing great... your week sounds fine. Mine always have the most fun on 'at home' days when they get to load and unload the washing and peg it out, play with saucepans and make 'stew' in the garden - they learn heaps from this.

[Pickerel]

Sounds fine to me.

Would you like to make friends with other mums? For your sake rather than DD's. Do you like any of the other mums at the organised classes you go to? You could arrange to meet them in the park one day?

[TomHardysLeftFoot]

My DD is 3 now, but we've done roughly the same since she was 2.
Monday is preschool in the morning.
Tuesday is playgroup, then we pop for lunch with friends after usually.
Wednesday she's at preschool all day.
Thursday is our day when we go swimming/to the farm/shopping/cinema/park/play dates/soft play etc etc.
Friday is another preschool day.

Sometimes on Tuesday or Thursday we decide we just want to stay home so I feel we have a good balance.

[RoseVase2010]

Read books, colouring/drawing, day time baths are great for breaking the day up and reading Mumsnet , eating, running round the garden, cars/trains, a bit of TV, some mild ignoring whilst I try in vain to do house Work.

Of all of these i think ignoring is one of the most important, independent play is a life skill 😎

[BlurryFace]

Sounds fine to me.

I do a toddler group once a week, soft play as well, take picnic and a football to a grassy field for public use, sometimes go to a proper park, have a play date most weeks, go to my folks every week where they get to run around the fields with the dogs, visit MIL every week to get plied with chocolate and go to charity shops.

[eeniemeenieminiemoe2014]

mine goes to childminders 2.5 days, 3 toddler groups and then we go for picnics/park/the farm.

struggle woth weekends!

[Notsure1234]

No nursery/groups/classes here. I think you're doing plenty!

[mctat]

Independent play after breakfast
Snack
An outing - either a baby group or the park
Lunch
Nap
Indoor/outdoor play at home.
Dinner
Bath/bed etc

Might go a bit further afield at the weekend with DH - farm/swimming etc but usually follows the same rough outline. Weekends away with family or they visit us, holidays etc and routine goes to pot a bit but we try and keep it as consistent as possible.

Sounds like you're doing plenty! 2 year olds only need a simple life and a little bit of social interaction. Lots are over stimulated. I certainly fell into that trap when dd was tiny and I knew nothing!

[mctat]

Class wise we do swimming, music group, playgroup & sometimes messy play. But no more than an hour a day. No nursery yet.

[mctat]

'Of all of these i think ignoring is one of the most important, independent play is a life skill 😎'

Totally...

[SunnyCoco]

Monday - toddler cinema, lunch in cafe, nursery for one hour while I'm at medical apptmt
Tuesday - dance class,
Wednesday - nursery all day
Thursday - day out to farm / museum / park / visiting relatives / into the city etc
Friday - playgroup, lunch at home or in cafe

Sounds like you're doing a perfect balance x

[TrustyPatches]

We do playgroup on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Wednesday we usually go to the park or have a playdate and Friday we either have a planned activity or we relax at home. At weekends we visit my boyfriend's parents. Largely the same things every week. Sounds like you do plenty, I know people who don't do half of what you do a week with thier two year olds!

[Welshrainbow]

DS is two and in nursery four days during term time but in the holidays our week goes something like:
Monday's :- parent and toddler open gymnastics session followed by a walk in the park and playing on the swings etc. Then lunch followed by a nap then playing at home either in the garden or inside with jigsaws/happy land etc.
Tuesday's:- we try to arrange to catch up with a friend or occasionally go to soft play or a toddler group or stay and play at the children's centre.
Wednesday's:- open session at the gymnastics gym so DS can run off some energy followed by lunch, nap then painting/play dough or mud pies etc outside
Thursday's:- preschool coached gymnastics followed straightaway by tumble tots then lunch out followed by a long nap at home
Friday's :- forest school in the morning followed by baking or playing outside in the afternoon.
Saturday's:- singing class followed by brunch with friends and free okay at home inside or out.
Sunday :- football class followed by either going out with friends to somewhere like a national trust place or maybe feeding the ducks in the park.

Regular classes he does are football, tumble tots, gymnastics and singing with forest school and sometimes rugby in the holidays.

[TheDogAteMyGoatskinVellum]

Less than you. Couple of playdates, couple of playgroups, day with GPs. Bigger activities and trips out tend to be at weekend. I do have an older child though so socialisation is easier.

[Anatidae]

He goes to nursery 8-4 but if I'm off work we are usually up about 6-7, hang out and read books, poke round the garden for spiders, bit of playdoh or painting or trains. Nip to our local city farm, supermarket, the park.

They honestly don't need structured timetabled stuff at that age. Just hanging out with you, plenty of fresh air and your attention is all they need.

If you enjoy the timetables activities that's fine - they're as much for parents as kids. I've always been strongly introverted and found such things very wearing. I would have loathed being dragged round an activity a day as a child. Ds seems more sociable but also seems to need quiet time too.

Kids need to be bored - that's how they develop imaginative play. They don't do that if you're helicoptering them round endless activities. What you do sounds fine.

[Tiptoethr0ughthetulips]

I work 2 days so parents and inlaws provide childcare on those days, usually they take him out somewhere. He does one morning at preschool and the afternoon we visit my grandparents. He does toddler swimming lessons one day, a singing group one day and we usually meet up with friends at some point and do a NT place or Park/ farm etc. We have a park over the road so we'll go there for half hour play, we also go for dog walks in the woods etc.

[Macarena1990]

Toddlers once a week, try to do soft play weekly too and meet up with friends with similar aged children as much as possible. I take her to free musuems with kids activities and simple stuff like parks, feeding the ducks too. She is also dragged around the shops a fair bit and watches paw patrol etc at home a good few hours a week whilst I get the housework done.

I have another two (6 and 11) so weekends and school holidays she is dragged around to all their social commitments!!

[LightDrizzle]

In an average week, my eldest at two would get to walk around the village once a day, weather permitting. We'd also do longer walks through fields and woods in summer. She'd go to the village pub at lunchtime and eat crisps while I had a half a Hook Norton's maybe once a week.
She'd draw; play with bricks and tea-sets; play in the garden on her own and with our NDN's grandchildren; we'd play "three little pigs" around the Wendy house. She watched Disney videos (more than is probably desirable) and "read" books with me. At least once a month we went to the Cotswold Safari Park with DH.
She went to church most Sundays, despite me being an atheist, because the local vicar was short of an organist and desperate and I play the piano.
I didn't drive then and we lived in the sticks.
Despite this deprivation she got all A grades at A-level; went to a Russell Group university; got a scholarship to Portland College USA for a semester after her first year for getting a top first in her exams; got on a prestigious graduate trainee programme on graduating and now has a well-paid, interesting job, and a fun, social, twenties lifestyle.
We are very close and have a great relationship.

[bridgetreilly]

She's 2. She doesn't need an active social life. Being at home with you is excellent. Is she at the stage where she wants to 'help' you with everything? Use that to teach her some things if you like. But don't stress about it.

[Nessalina]

I work 2.5 days a week, usually Thurs-Sat, so a usual week would be:
Monday: trip to soft play / play Barn with lunch there, home to nap, play at home, eat dinner together 5:30 when DH gets in, 6:30 bath and night garden, 7:30 bed
Tues: same as Monday, but morning is a trip to a church hall playgroup to meet a friend or two, lunch at home.
Weds: same as Mon, but morning is mini gymnastics session at the local leisure centre, trip to the park, lunch at home.
Thurs: nursery
Fri: nursery
Sat: morning out with DH, usually soft play and lunch, home to nap, afternoon trip to the park maybe and sometimes dinner out.
Sun: family day, whatever we fancy!

In Sept I go on Mat leave, so I'm switching his nursery days to the start of the week. Thurs & Fri I have friends from my NCT class that meet up, so we'll do outings with them on a morning and he can have some mad toddler time whilst I have the new one to focus on!

It sounds like you're doing lots, but I know where you're coming from, I always worry that we're not doing enough, or I should be finding more educational activities to do, but they do learn a lot just by being around you and doing normal person things

[nutbrownhare15]

We usually go to a soft play/toddler group twice a week. And tend to go out in the afternoon to the playground and to feed the ducks. Otherwise we're at home. Very occasional playdates. Toddlers this age don't really need lots of activities, they need some opportunities to socialize occasionally and parent/caregiver attention. I agree they should be given opportunities to play independently but not ignored! If my daughter wants me to.play with her I do. Usually 5 mins is enough and gives me another chunk of time to get on with things.

[Giantwhoopsie]

Thanks everyone, you've all put my mind at rest (apologies for late reply).

I think I must be a marketer's dream because I keep buying in ( and feeling pressured) to the idea my child NEEDS to go to baby groups, music classes, dance classes, art classes, swimming classes, have I missed anything out? :)