Heavily pregnant with bored toddler

[Bangonthedoor]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place!

I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my 2nd baby and wondered if anyone has any good ideas for activities (inside or out) that don't require a huge amount of physical input from me??

DD is 2.8yrs and has just started going to nursery 2 mornings a week which so far she is enjoying. She does lots there which keeps her busy. At home we do baking, drawing, dress up but the rest of the time is TV and I'm starting to feel guilty! I took her swimming yesterday which she loved but was probably the last time I'll manage it before baby.

Any more ideas of places I can take her which she'll enjoy?

[Daveface]

Do you have any toddler groups locally?

I know there are some brilliant ones near me and it's great. I sit/stand and chat with the other mums and toddler mostly entertains herself!

[Bangonthedoor]

Thank you daveface there's one good group in my village which is every Friday. Unfortunately we can't go tomorrow as I've got my prenatal HV appointment. But I'm hoping to take her next Friday

[NotTheKitchenAgainPlease]

Do you have a Gymboree near you? Activities are coordinated by the staff so minimal moving around for you.
Good luck with the imminent birth

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

Sling a bed sheet over a couple of chairs and some cushions and you've got a den - teddies can come and have a picnic with some plates, snacks and blanket on the floor (great for scooping up all the crumbs in one go) - my two love indoor picnics!

Also pet grooming parlour - soft toys get a brush and hair cut with couldn't-cut-butter plastic scissors then I let the DC wash them in a basin (saves me doing it ), chuck the toys in the washer for a quick spin dry and then DC towel dry them and each gets 'fed' with toy food and sat on a cushion, then walked round the room with string/ribbon for the leash.

Vets - similar vein to pet parlour but I bought a load of cheap bandages and plasters from the £ shop (as well as hanging on to lolly pop sticks for splints) and let them get on with it (again lots of blankets/tea towels and cushions for beds) The wild animals like toy lions have to be carefully kept in an upturned laundry basket - we don't want anymore casualties!

[AGnu]

Bubbles or a balloon. You can sit still, she can run around madly!

[Ilovechops]

I feel your pain! I'm only 30 weeks but already finding it harder with a hugely energetic almost 3yr old. She is now at nursery every morning which is brilliant but she just had a three week holiday and some things we did are:

Made paper bag puppets (you can buy a set online)

Watched frozen and both dressed up! I felt less guilty as I am enjoying it with her...!

Painting / crafts as you say

Hide and seek...this is a good one, I usually hide in bed and she counts to 30! The other day I hid in her Wendy house and it took a while for her to find me :-)

I sit on the sofa, she goes out of the room and I hide her favourite toy somewhere and then she searches for it (she loves this)

Play snap with animal cards (she's just old enough to enjoy this)

Hungry hippos game (loves this)

Listening to different styles / types of music on the iPad

Reading / spelling games on the iPad (I do it with her)

Stories

Tea parties with all her teddies

Pass the parcel - this is easy and she loves it, I don't even wrap anything, just pass around a box of something and she takes one out each time it stops. For some reason she loves it

Musical statues (her)

Have a bath together

That's about it, a few ideas hopefully!! I found the beginning of pregnancy actually harder as was so sick and now I'm tired but at least I feel ok in myself still for now.

Not long to go, don't feel too guilty about the TV, we do TV too but I try and save it for the end of the day when she has at least done lots of other things first.

Good luck!!

[Ilovechops]

Love those pet parlour and veg ideas! Will be using those in our house too!

[Ilovechops]

Also if you have a garden maybe getting out and doing some planting of 'seeds' whatever they might be! Gets a bit messy but fun.

I also get DD to sort out the washing into piles and put it in the correct bedroom in exchange for a sticker...or chocolate and that takes half an hour normally although it's often not in the right place

[Bangonthedoor]

Ah some great ideas!

notthekitchen we don't have a Gymboree our way, missing out by the sounds of it!

thatwouldbe love the pet parlour and vet ideas DD would actually love doing those things.

ilovechops love these ideas too! Our DD's sound very similar! I'm enjoying the washing pile sorting in exchange for a sticker.

Thanks everyone, I don't feel so daunted about tomorrow now

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

Happy to help

Will come back if I remember some more!