how do you spend your day with 2 yr old?

[howiloveanicecupoftea]

What do you all do each day with your 2 year old?

[mrsmugoo]

I'm only at home alone with mine one day a week as all other weekdays are nursery/grandparents. On Mondays when we're home together we have a local toddler group from 9:30-11:30. Home for lunch & nap and then afternoon is either at home just playing (drawing/stickers/playdoh/train set/helping in kitchen etc), or go to local park, supermarket errands etc...

This afternoon we are getting bus into town to go and buy him a new pair of shoes. Good behaviour rewarded with a smoothie from the fresh juice bar shop.

He usually "helps" make dinner and then from 5 til bedtime he's allowed tv on.

[Tftpoo]

I have two 2 year olds (twins) who are at home five days a week,nursery the other two. Today and tomorrow we have a playgroup to go to from 10-11.30am. They got up at 6.30, got dressed and had breakfast. Between 8 and 9 they did some drawing and played in the garden. Got ready to go out at 9, walked into town to post letters then went to playgroup. Then lunch, then nap 12.30-2.30 (I am lucky, they still nap). When they wake up we'll play outside again, maybe get paddling pool out, play dough, felt tips or something like that. Tea at 5.30, cartoons from 6 - 6.30, then bath, stories and bed.

Other things we do include going to our local gym for toddler play session, going to a park (there are loads of different ones in walking distance), feeding the ducks, going out for coffee and cake, going to play at friends and going to a far park. At home we do drawing, stickers, building towers, puzzles, play dough, iPad, tv, make cakes.

[savasanaaa]

We do our "big" activity in the mornings then have quieter afternoons. In the mornings we go to playgroups, a museum (all free where we live, very lucky), the park, a walk to feed the ducks, a playdate with friends, soft play, trip to the shops, etc. Aim to be home for 12.30 at the latest then lunch, nap at 1/1.30-2.30/3. In the afternoons we do housework, watch a film together, play with his trains, do a jigsaw, read books, do painting or colouring or some other art project, baking. Start dinner around 5 & he either "helps" (bangs pots) or plays with his little play kitchen. Usually eat at 6, bedtime 7/7.30. I work shifts & am with DS every day, people ask how we fill the time but you don't need to do anything particularly exciting or expensive, as long as you are getting out & letting them burn off some energy!

[Macdaddylonglegs]

Similar to everyone else, we tend to do the most activities in the morning. We either go to a toddler group or if the weather is good a park. Sometimes we'll go to a soft play or to a local farm. Then home for about 12, lunch and nap. In the afternoon we'll play with toys, do drawing, help in the kitchen. My 2yr old loves playing with water so she is happy for ages playing washing up or with a bucket with some water in and her tea set.

[lornathewizzard]

We tend to just potter! Mornings are breakfast, TV on in background and DD 21months potters about playing with her toys, I'll put a was on, dishes etc. Nap at 11, lunch about 1 and then we'll try and go out in the afternoon. This is normally just simple stuff tho, supermarket, a walk round the block, or visiting friends/family.
We quite often do colouring/drawing during the day, DD loves a good pen!

[howiloveanicecupoftea]

I worry DS doesn't do enough, we also potter- do playdough, drawing, sticking, playing in the garden, he plays with kids of different ages but he doesn't go to any set classes or lessons, we have the tv in lots but that's not to say he's always watching it. I feed him healthily and he sleeps well each night so I don't know if I should stress or not...

[beginnersewer]

I try to get mine out of the house every day before and after lunch. As others have said, this could just be a walk: at the weekend we went for a short walk to see the diggers near us, then also saw a dog and a bee which kept him amused. A short walk can take ages if there are lots of things to see.
I find occupying him in the house harder, but things that work are:

• simple baking (I normally get everything ready during his nap)
  
• he loves 'washing up' for some reason so I either stand him on a chair and he does it in a sink or I put water in his toy kitchen. Both end up with a lot of water everywhere though so be prepared for that.
  
• running about in the garden with a ball.

[howiloveanicecupoftea]

What sort of baking do you do?

[mrsmugoo]

I do the occasional plain biscuits with him and let him do the cutter. Mostly he just stands on a stool with a blunt knife hacking away at a cucumber while I make dinner. He enjoys both equally!

[beginnersewer]

We have done:
Chocolate cornflake cakes (wouldn't recommend, vv messy though he enjoyed it!)
Rye soda bread (he doesn't really care about the end product, just likes doing the stirring/mixing etc).
Scones cut out with a cutter.
Cupcakes.
He likes putting paper cupcake cases in the tin, greasing tins and using a rolling pin.

One issue we have is that he has his own opinions about how much ingredients to add, how much to stir etc etc. When we've made things to go in cupcake cases he has quite often wanted to then put the mixture back in the bowl and do it again! Also he quite often gets bored before we're finished.
I think things that go in the oven are ideal because it will kill any bugs he's introduced from 2 year old hand hygiene.

You need to expect lots of mess, don't let them wear their best clothes, expect to clean the floor afterwards etc.

[beginnersewer]

PS he's into counting now so we can count out ingredients (whether or not they actually need counting...) eg count out five raisins to put in the cake (then I add the rest).

[WanderingTrolley1]

Playgroups and coffee shops.

[beginnersewer]

PPS on rainy days chasing each other round the house is a popular activity!

[Bear2014]

We do an activity in the morning and an activity in the afternoon, after nap. Mornings are either stay and play at a children's centre, park or a toddler music class or similar. Afternoons either the park or some kind of rainy option like soft play. Very often with friends. We have the TV on more than we should at home, but when it's nice she prefers to play in the garden. We do activities like drawing, play doh but only ever for 15-20 mins at a time as she loses interest. She's at nursery 3 days a week so I'm confident she gets a wide range of activities.

[knittingbee]

I have a 4yo at school and a 23mo. I work 4 days a week so on the day we're alone (ish) we do the school run, then the big weekly shop, then lunch at home or meet friends, then pick up DC1 with the dog in tow. Sometimes she'll help me clean or hang the washing out, sometimes we don't do the shopping but we'll go to a friend's house for the day instead.

[lornathewizzard]

As long as Dc are happy enough pottering and are eating / sleeping ok, I don't think you should stress. Even getting out the house for a wee half hour should do you both good, but it doesn't need to be anything fixed.

[startwig1982]

My dd is 20 moths and today we did the school run, the weekly shop, then CBeebies while I unpacked and she had a snack.
Then train track, drawing, playing tea parties with stuffed animals.
Lunch at 12 followed by nap until 2pm. Then a bit of playing before doing school run. Once ds(4.11) is home, she likes to play with him, but today he wanted to do craft so we made butterflies which she loved.
We don't do toddler groups as I loathe them which I sometimes feel bad about. She's content though. We do go out most days for walks and tea and cake!

[suspiciousofgoldfish]

I'm in awe of all the baking that goes on here! DS would just eat everything.

As a PP said, mornings tend to be the Big Event (playgroup or friends house), afternoons are filled with mummy's nap time and then maybe a run around outside - park or garden - if DS wakes up grumpy.

DS is all about puzzles, stacking, climbing and running. No patience for drawing / crafts etc at the moment. (Him, not me).

I suppose I spend my days mostly letting him run around and burn off energy.

My friend with a DD the same age does lovely civilised things like colouring in and cookie making.

It's more like a chimpanzee enclosure here chez goldfish.

[Choccywoccyhooha]

After the school run we try to go out each day - gym play, library rhyme time, toddler group, music group, etc. Nap at 12. Then she plays or we draw whilst I get a few bits done. 3pm we collect her brothers from school and then she potters around with them, whilst the boys take it in turns to sit with me and do reading, etc. After tea they either watch tv, play outside or run riot.

[wobblywonderwoman]

I have a one and a half and a two and a half year old.
I work full time but during holidays we get up, wash, dress, breakfast.

little bit of art or stickers. playtime

Go out for a trip to grandparents, into town or soft play

dinner

afternoon naps - both sleep great

afternoon sand pit or messy play,baking (shortbread or similar)

other things we do are library, playground, cinema

[HumphreyCobblers]

We try to go out in the morning, but as our day starts at about five thirty there is a lot of time to fill before that. DS trundles about playing with cars first thing, he also watches Monster Machines on youtube. In the afternoon he plays in the garden if it is fine, we read a few stories. Not into imaginative play yet but we go to feed the pigs and the chickens sometimes. He plays with the older dc when they get in from school. If I am cooking I give him dry ingredients in a bowl to mess around with. This makes a filthy mess. He plays for hours in the sand pit. I don't stress about tv, I just put it on if I want him to stay in one place whilst I get on with stuff a bit.

OP, your daily activities sound fine to me.

[AnotherStitchInTime]

Today it went:

Happily jump in puddle
Leave puddle
Meltdown
Find new puddle
Happily jump in new puddle
Leave new puddle
Meltdown

All the way home.

Then it was play with toy.
Meltdown when toy broken or if Mummy tries to touch any toy to play with me.
Stop for food
Meltdown at leaving toys
Distraction by Peppa
Eat food happily
Meltdown when finished

Now 2 year old is sleeping after meltdown at leaving the bath.

I am recovering with chocolate.

[howiloveanicecupoftea]

Cinema with a two year old? Do they have special sessions for this?