Do you do things in the am and pm with your preschoolers?

[JackBauer]

Please excuse pointless worrying thread, am hormonal...

DD's are 3.8 and 1.11. DD1 is at nursery school in the morning and then we are home from 12ish.
I take DD2 to playgroup twice a week in the morning and to the park or soft play another day. On the days she doesn't go out in the morning I take them both to the park or a soft play, or the beach, but 2 or 3 times a week we just stay in doing inside sdtuff.

Is this awful? Should I be doing more outsied with them? they do sleep through from 7 so they must be tired, right?

[MegBusset]

I wouldn't worry at all, sounds like they do plenty! In fact I think too much activity can be overstimulating, it's good for them to chill sometimes

[ThingOne]

I make sure my DS2 3.4 gets action morning and afternoon because if he doesn't he wakes up at 5.30. Or earlier. I have started an exercise to exhaustion strategy. I'm exhausted. He's getting fitter and stronger by the day. But rarely waking before 6 so that'll do for me.

But in general, do they need stuff morning and afternoon? I have to say at this time of the year I'm desperate to have them outside as much as possible as we'll be cooped up inside too soon.

[DillyTantay]

I used to until someone started schoool

[JackBauer]

When you say outside though, do you have a garden? If we had one then they would be in it as much as possible but otherwise it involves schlepping up to the park and not being able to pop in and out of the house.

[Harimosmummy]

I do, but I feel that this is more down to my preferences.

DS (15months) gets up by 6 every morning, so by 9, we've been up for quite sometime. I also have a 2MO DD and I find it hard give both of them the attention they want and need in the house.

DS is at an age where he wants to explore everything, so I find it much easier to go to feed the ducks, to the swings, to the train station (He just LOVES the fast trains!!) or to a more formal activity (we go to a gym class and swimming) than watch him career around the house like a fool, trashing the place as he goes!! And outside, he's using his brain a bit more and I find it tires him out more

I also find (my DH is away all week, so it's just me with the kids) that having a more organised regime means I can work out in advance what DD will need - do I need to organise childcare? Can she go in the sling (where she will be happy) IYSWIM.

So, on paper it seems that we are really busy and we definitely leave the house twice a day, but in practice I actually think (for us) it's a lot less stressful than if we were to stay in all day.

I try not to put the TV on until bedtime (we watch bedtime and peppa pig on Nick 2) which (I feel) makes it a treat and part of the bedtime routine.

Being on my own, I find getting him to bed by 8pm latest is really important!!