To find it expensive keeping preschoolers fed & entertained?

Not really the point of the thread though 😂 sorry OP.

London Borough bordering Kent. It'd be £17.36 here for the OP: kids are free but you'd have to pay for two adults as under 3s require 1:1.

Where abouts in the South East are you ? These are freedom leisure prices they are all over Kent and Sussex...

@Neurodiversitydoctor well that's... nice for you? You are aware prices vary?!

I don’t think our young child is excessively expensive. We fill our time with play dates, this is really great entertainment, of course you usually need to be a sociable parent too! On a good day he gets 20 minutes of TV so he’s pretty deprived on that front too. Also goes to his free childcare in the week (30 hours free at his age), both parents work condensed 5 day in 4 weeks hence why no cost on childcare either. We made sure our child could ride a bike from quite young and intend to just get him into mountain biking & hiking which are both free activities minus the equipment so he has to join those activities already with us and has been since a baby. Don’t get me wrong children aren’t no cost but I literally would rather spend my money on equipment for hobbies that can actually be quite interesting and avoid the horrors of soft play. Put it this way we are not going to be Disney land type parents and I’m hoping exposure to the other fun side of life will minimise the likelihood of them being desperate for all these places of hell with long queues. Theme parks are no place for people that like fun unless you also like to spend 85% of your day standing in a line for a ride doing nothing productive with the day. Whilst it could all go the other way his lack of exposure for standing in a queue will hopefully set him up well for hating those places like us, forced fun and entertainment at attractions is the kind of life we try to avoid.

It would cost £6 to swim here with 2 under 5s.

£44 which is pretty good really, for us it was 2 full days out each week, plus a swim on wet weekend afternoon.

Young children, I think, cost less.
Toy libraries, marketplace, Pinterest.
I still have my playdough with a basket of toys, utensils, lids.
Half our children's books found in second-hand book shops.
Clothes definitely better variety, cheaper.
All depends unless you like upmarket toys & clothes.
Summer water play l, sand.
Winter, activities online and indoor places to visit, like the library, swimming pool, play groups.
All up to choice of what it costs really.

My experience is 15 years old but a family lesuire pass which gave unlimited swimming and use of creche ( I think included baby gym and swimming classes too) cost £20 pcm. Off to google how much similar pass costs now...

Oh this !
Yes it has got more expensive in the past few years but their expectations are low they don't really care what u do. National trust etc might work out good value if you live near one. Some trampoline parks near us do cheaper toddler morning. Swimming can be ok during the week.

Well it would be at least £15 for that swim in my bit of the SE! Varies a lot round the country & depends on the subsidy the leisure trust gets.

I had the older one in arm bands and the baby in a flotation ring thing with legs or held them! The baby pool is quite shallow.

Just out the older one in floatation vests. Or stick to paddling pool depth ones.

Like this

I used 1 of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intex-Baby-Float-Swimming-month/dp/B004H3XB7U/ref=asc_df_B004H3XB7U/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=214515658478&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=603584787195379557&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045120&hvtargid=pla-387845035671&psc=1&mcid=b5f14aaa11963492a9b79777dbdd8cdf&th=1&psc=1
and a pool with a "beach".

Genuine question, how do you take two children under 3 swimming on your own? Surely you need one adult per child to be safe?

Toddler swimming isn't wildly expensive... It's £7 for an Adult and 2 kids (3 and under) here.

Nursery fees are just a mega expensive time. Unless you do private school, you won’t be paying out as much again unless you fully fund university accommodation and tuition fees in London.

in general I think toddlers are cheaper to entertain with the exception of swimming. Toddler swimming used to cost me a fortune and has never been as expensive once we started the leisure centre classes. I also think you probably get better value of of things like farm parcs with older ones. When mine were little we’d do 3 hours and head home after lunch. At primary age, they’d stay opening to closing and use everything.

Mine have always done a lot of activities but have been happy to potter in the afternoon. You will most likely find that once yours are a bit older they get more from playing in the garden/a park as they’ll make friends and play in a more sophisticated way

but I do think you’re being a bit unreasonable. Food will only get more expensive. My older one eats significantly more than my 5yo. They also aren’t as satisfied with cheaper entertainment’s eg we used to love pottering around the garden centre when mine were smaller but it wouldn’t be very exciting for the 8yo now. She’d much rather do pony riding or high ropes.

I think you can do things cheaper but it requires more effort and gets very repetitive for the adult!

I think getting them used to having days at home is good and letting them help with 'chores' and in nicer weather play in the garden. I try to get out everyday but often that is just a walk to feed the ducks or go to the playground (I must of been there so many times!).

I saw someone recommended pets at home and would agree that is a good little trip out. Only takes up 15mins but with a walk or drive there and a look round the other shops I find that's enough for a day. Add in all the meals and snacks, some playing, few jobs, bit of TV and a nap and you have survived a day!

Why can't you take them both? I used to take both of mine and there is 16 months between them?

I am just being realistic that a three and a half year old isn’t going to be entertained for two hours with a shabby selection of toys aimed at children in the 0-2 bracket.

Doesn't he play with the other children? I remember going to toddler group with DS at this age and him spending the entire time playing hide and seek with two other children the same age. At other sessions they seemed to find it hilarious making fart noises or playing floor is lava, they honestly didn't really care about that many toys.

To be honest an element may be that by age 3.5 a lot of children his age may be in full time preschool using the 30 hour funding so perhaps there aren't many of his peers there.

It is frankly a bit boring with toddlers, yes, but it doesn't last forever.

We like to blend mango and banana in ice lolly moulds and freeze.

Personally I found preschool aged children really cheap to entertain, especially compared with teenagers. Even places like soft play are so much cheaper for little ones as they don't do sessions at the ones near us during the week in term time so you can stay all day for the same price as a 2 hour session at the weekend or school holidays. My dc loved taking a soft toy for a walk and choosing which direction to go each time we reached a junction. You could do that in the car, or just start off in the car if there are no pavements near you. We loved going to the garden centre to see the fish and to pets at home to see the guinea pigs. We had an annual pass to a local attraction that we changed each year. And my dc were happy with the toddler groups in the church hall that we went to until they were in full time school, which was aged nearly 5 for ds2.

OP you’re getting a bit of a bashing here because you seem genuinely surprised that children cost money. Of course it costs money to feed, clothe and entertain them. Holidays cost more. Wait until school age and the never ending requests for money for trips etc. Then swimming lessons, hobbies, it all adds up and I don’t really think it should come as that much of a shock.

Easy and cheap bakes for DCs ( if you are into that stuff) are:
Cheesey scones
Flap jacks
Choc chip cookies
Fairy cakes
" christmas" biscuits- sorry don't have another name for them.

Your 3 year old could definately help with all of these.

These then provide you with snacks when out and about.