What do you do at home with your toddlers?

[xamyrose]

Hi all,

So when it’s not the summer holidays we go to two/three baby groups as week. Maybe a soft play another day so we’re out and about a lot.

Now it’s summer, we’re spending more and more time at home and just wondered if anyone had any ideas on how to entertain my little one?

I brought craft stuff today and when I got home I just felt stupid because she’s only 14 months!

Did a bit of messy play last week... too messy for me haha.

?

[InDubiousBattle]

We have 3 local ish libraries so I called in and they each have about one event a week on (teddy bears picnic type things). Check out local attractions, National Trust Properties etc as many have events on and money off days. Look at all local museums and their 'what's on' sections. Our local children's centres are running a summer timetable so we can go to our 3 nearby ish ones a week if we want. I literally sat down with a calender about two weeks ago and put everything on it, there's something on almost every day!

[whiteroseredrose]

Lots of trips to the park and a nap after. Sorting pegs into colours and groups. Both DC could spend hours emptying the tins cupboard at that age. Make a den with a sheet and dining chairs, furnish with cushions and read books. Picnic teaparty with water. Make or buy playdough.

[Di11y]

DD is nearly a year and loving her big sisters kitchen stuff. Plus water when it's hot.

[Fluffybat]

Feeling this atm with my 15 month old! Pintrest has been a life saver. We currently go for a walk early in morning and park. Then garden and paddling pool. Lunch. Nap. While he is napping I set up sensory activities and we do those in afternoon. This week we've done frozen dinosaur eggs, potato printing, pipe cleaners in a colander, sensory bottles and pegs around a bucket.

[xamyrose]

How long does your little one stay enterntaoned with the sensory activities?

[CowInTheMeadow]

I go out anyway! Lots of coffees and park trips. It's not so bad now my son is 2.5 but last summer I hated trying to keep him entertained if we were in the house.

Do you get on well with anyone at the groups you go to? I'm on a group WhatsApp with the people from one of mine and we normally meet up at someone's house or the park each week at the same time the group would be on. We all appreciate having something to do as we're all in the same situation! Obviously no use to you now but maybe you could get numbers before the next break?

[PaulHollywoodsSexGut]

I feel for you a lot.

I read somewhere this week that the attention span of children under three averages 7 minutes and that goes up to 10minutes until they’re about 5.

So bear this in mind when entertaining them.

Last summer when DD was 14months, we were new in town and absolutely everything around me was closed for the holidays we used to just head to the city farm, twice a week at times, go for a walk along the beach, go to the play park, and keep hyper vigilant for any THING that was on, if there was it was put in the calendar immediately.

The sense of relief when the holidays was over was immense, I had a framework to work to an a greater sense of routine.

[xamyrose]

Feel like I’m going crazy today!

She’s just been moaning all day!! Just don’t fancy going out today, I go out with her all the time... swimming/visting/ round the shops/soft play.

She’s still moaning, I made a Den, put loads of toys out, sat and played with her, put her TV on. Feel like there’s a constant whine in my ear!

Ahhh!!

[FlotSHAMnJetson]

I have a baby and a toddler.

We do a mix of the following:
-Trips to the park
-Walks, significantly easier now the blackberries are out
-Paddling pool
-TV
-Trips to the supermarket or toy shop, DS loves 'looking' and we write his fictional birthday list which is now essentially the Argos catalogue (that's another goody, read an Argos catalogue together!)
-Playing, rotate toys in view so they don't get bored
-Painting, hand painting, water painting the patio
-Kids magazines, they have lots of activities, crafts and a crap plastic toy, DS loves them
-making and decorating gingerbread
-Disco, we have a disco light and we pop it on with some music and dance

[Notonyournelly98]

I feel for you. I moved when my dd was 12 months, new town, new county, broke, didn't know anyone and it was the summer holidays. DP was also working away for half of it. I've never been so bored in my life!

What I have found useful is Facebook and Instagram. There's a lot of insta accounts which suggest messy play etc (search #messyplay #sensoryplay) it gave me a few ideas.

With Facebook, once you start ticking the 'interested' box for events, fb will start suggesting similar events. Look at local farms/zoo/soft plays, like toddler things (you can always turn off the notifications) and the algorithms should start working for you. Also, join 'mums in X town' groups as often the small one off sessions will be mentioned on there.

In terms of messy play etc my dd is much happier if it isn't structed. So I just give her some paints and paper and let her do what she wants rather than insist she helps make a rainbow etc

[PaulHollywoodsSexGut]

May I also recommend the “Mush” app (tinder for mums) and also just literally putting “[x TOWN] mums” into Facebook and seeing what group appears with the most members.

[Notonyournelly98]

Also there was one day where she didn't stop moaning. I emptied all her toys out of the toy box and let her go wild. That kept her amused for ages!

[Moominfan]

Following with interest. We have lots of stuff we go out to but struggle for ideas at home. I'm not arty or crafty at all. Messy play is my worst nightmare

[xamyrose]

It’s hard to go to the park because she doesn’t walk yet so it’s just pushing her on the swing a couple of times. Walks are hard because she doesn’t like being in the pram.... I think she’s just a difficult child 😫.

[PasstheStarmix]

17 month old Ds likes to do household things with me and they love to copy what you’re doing I think. For instance when I’m sorting the laundry he likes to get everything out of the basket for me and put it on little piles: to feel like he’s involved I think. When I’m on the kitchen he likes to sit with a pot and spoon and give it a good bash pretending he’s cooking. He comes out with me in his little ride along when I hang the washing out and plays with the peg bag. He’s my little helper

[PasstheStarmix]

in*

[PasstheStarmix]

He plays with his toys too and goes to park, for little walks and to toddler group, peoples houses etc be I find making normal household tasks into a little game works massively and breaks the day up which getting things done.

[PasstheStarmix]

but*

[PasstheStarmix]

while* sorry about all my typos

[xamyrose]

I think she’s going through a grumpy phase before walking which isn’t helping... she’s loving watching Mr. tumble so I’m going to have to resort to that instead of listening to her cry... she did just play with the washing machine for ages lol

[PasstheStarmix]

I always found that teething seems to postpone development. I don’t know about your little one but ds has so many teeth for being so young and that’s caused a lot of his fussiness:

[PasstheStarmix]

find*

[mistermagpie]

My 16 month old was transformed when he started walking, so hang in there!! Things he loves are the sand and water table in the garden, we have a mud kitchen out there too and that's great for messy play without messing up your actual house. He loves taking things out of drawers and cupboards which can be a pain but occupies him! We also do a 'walk round the block' after dinner and he just potters along. I also have a three year old so he provides the most entertainment for his brother to be fair! Wait til she's walking, it gets better.

[xamyrose]

Ahhh thank you... waiting for her to walk and hoping it’ll be easier... she got better once she started crawling and she’s reverted back to her grumpy self before crawling.


Ahh I didn’t think about a water table!

[PasstheStarmix]

xamyrose My 17 month old still isn’t walking so I feel your pain. He didn’t properly crawl until about 14 months, commando crawling before that. He is now finally pulling up to a stand so I’m hoping he’ll walk before Christmas! Mind you it hasn’t held him back he’ll still get into anything and everything.