To find it almost unbearable to spend an entire day with my 2.5 year old alone

It’s so dull and I never understood why some people loved it so much. It gets easier…. And then they hate you.

It is a full on age. They have so much energy. Is he stopping you from doing things? Could you get him involved in helping you? Could you take him to a playground with a friend who has kid of similar age so that they can run around together? Sand box and water box is great at this age. Making cakes - the ones you just need water and egg for. Farms and soft play (hell) also good for running off energy. And balance bike or scooter

Toddler boys are like springer spaniels, they need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation otherwise they climb the walls. Fresh air and exercise.

You don't have to love every stage of parenting to love your children.

I found the toddler years really, really tough. Much tougher than the newborn stage or anything that came after. I remember some days after we'd had breakfast, got dressed, been to the park, been to the Library, come home, read a story, done some colouring, had the play doh out and had a snack i'd look at the clock and want to weep when I realised it was only 10am and I still had 8 hours to fill until DH got home.

Fortunately, it's temporary. My youngest is 6 now and life is so much easier and more fun now. Hang in there and be kind to yourself, OP.

Also there is absolutely nothing wrong with putting Cbeebies on for half an hour so you can have a cup of tea, get some jobs done or just stare into the abyss in silence!

Are they?! Ours have another 3 weeks!

Isn’t it just.

The art is to go out early enough for them not to get any toys out. Go where you want to go to, walk around a museum or a shopping centre, reins are your answer.
I had 2 under 2.5 (both discovered later to have ADHD) and reins attached to extendable dog leads and a push chair (with buggy board) to house all the food snacks and crap you have to have with you and off I went each day.

DS at 18months old always found the Inca exhibition at the British Museum fascinating. You will be surprised at what children find interesting.

At that age I took them all over
A few hours on the rice machine and watching the bubble show at the Science Museum and a look at Dippy next door or a years Merlin pass bought on Tesco clubcard points meant the aquarium, London eye or Legoland and Chessington

The art was to get them running around and to keep them awake on the journey home because that meant bath and bed time and a peaceful evening to myself

If they fell asleep then they got their 2nd wind and would be going till midnight and beyond

It’s shit. Really hard work.

I was in a similar position. Husband was away loads with work. No family nearby, nobody to just help me occasionally.

unfortunately you’ve just got to grit your teeth and get through it. Time seems to stand still when they’re this age but seriously you blink and then they’re at school and then you blink again and they’re ten years old (as mine is now). But it’s very hard to find copious amount of joy when they’re this age due to how demanding they are.

also if you need to use TV more to get a break and save your sanity. You should do it! Don’t make things harder than they need to be

OP no one could or should spend a whole day alone with a two-year old. Sometimes we have no choice but it's not fun at all - it's tedious, draining and isolating. Not only, of course, but mostly.

Try to plan to break up the day. Meet up with other moms and children; visit family; do an activity, whatever you can. This is not about not loving your child deeply. It's about the fact childrearing is not designed to be a solitary activity.

Are there free stay and plays where you are? They saved my life with young kids

I do remember it being hard at that age.

With both of mine - a boy and a girl - I don’t subscribe to the theory boys are more active at all.

With DS I found the baby areas at soft play quite good beside at least he wasn’t falling down. And with both of them I liked to be meeting up with others, or at least being as active as possible to get through the time - DD was always happiest when swimming and then would nap very well.

It is a hard time. I remember feeling like the minutes went by like hours. But now they are older (mine are 16 and 11) the hours fly by like minutes on the weekend.

Don't blame you as it's a hard age.

I sympathise. Parks are free. Ones with playground equipment. Swimming knackers them out=naps=peace.
Friends over = chat with an adult. Cinema kids shows?
Mother and toddlers. I did it all rather than stay home

I’ll also add…. You’re a mum of a boy!! Mum of 3 boys here! They are feral things compared to girls.. like little creatures from space! Girls just like to sit and colour in while boys like to run off and climb the walls…. Well that is certainly what I feel anyways! 😃 It’s just the card we dealt but hopefully we’ll be laughing when they are teenagers! Very stereotypical and generic I know… probably won’t work out that way!

Yeah I don't think you'll look back at this and wish you were there!

My DD is 11 now and it's so much more chilled, got better every year so far, hang on in there.

I do realise I haven't hit the teenage years yet! 😄

I have 3 kids under 4 so I can appreciate where you are coming from. I think it’s hard having 1 as you have to entertain them, I’m going through a tough phase too but at least I can say “go play with your brother” when I need 5 mins to myself. My husband works a way a few days at a time so I do a lot of solo parenting.

I have finally accepted to embrace the chaos and this mindset really helps. I used to tidy the house up throughout the day but as long as no one is coming over I just let the place become a shithole and then just tidy up at the end of the day. I often get them to help me too.

my advice is either embrace it or else get someone to come around to help you to give you some time to yourself, there is no shame in that, even with one. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Also I think you need to be realistic like meeting up with friends with a toddler is not going to be like when you meet up without kids. You need to factor this in, you will be interrupted (this doesn’t change as they get older). You need to find solutions to work your way around it as your kid isn’t going to change. You need to adapt to him or find some of your own downtime which is what you need.

If we weren't out of the house surrounded by nature by 9am Child #1 would lose all reason; if we weren't busying ourselves at home all day colouring or play dough, child #2 would blow a gasket.
They have always got on incredibly well but, oh my god, it was a trawl.

Just get him out as much as possible lots of park visits and indoor play centres that way less mess to clean up at home and get can run his energy off.

I could literally have written this about my son when he was 2! OMG he was so active, he never stopped and I was exhausted! He's 18 now and very chilled so doesn't quite believe me but still likes being busy and is very sociable.
I remember when he was about 8, we'd been at a football tournament from 9am to 6pm and he asked me what the plan for the day was when we got home 🤣

My eldest is now nearly five. I've got a newly turned three year old and 18 month old. I hear you on it being hard work, especially when OH has to work extra.

This will be me tomorrow as DH has to do some overtime tomorrow. It's too bloody hot to do a lot of stuff I would normally do to occupy them like the park or similar.

They're hot and bothered and so am I. Some days are just hard work. Mostly I really enjoy doing things with them but it's ok for there to be tough seasons. I'm pregnant and feel really sick and exhausted and finding life hard at the moment too.

Shops?? No.
Conversation?? No.

It's all hands on deck at that age. Best place is a fenced park, snacks, picnic blanket if you're hopeful, and a hell of a lot of patience.

Lower your expectations

I found being out of the house kept me sane. I knew every toddler session at every London museum and had London zoo membership so we went all the time. Packed lunches and coffee in a reusable cup.

Day to day with toddlers is mind numbingly dull. I don't miss it at all, although I Iook back fondly on how cute they were.
In an alternate universe I'd make sure I lived in South Kensington and had oodles of cash before the toddler years. We could just spend all day, every day wandering around museums and beautiful streets.

I found it v tough with my eldest at this age as he was so active and didn’t spend much time doing anything on his own till the hour just before bed 😆

A boots pharmacist labelled him a “worky- ticket!”

I spent an awful lot of time outdoors in parks and nat trust places. Softplays etc. in the winter I had to invest in a really warm coat and boots and flasks of cocoa.

he couldn’t walk anywhere, always ran. I had to train him to stop at kerbs and posts etc (I took chocolate buttons). Not long after he got a scooter which he loved.

I relied on delivery shopping and Amazon prime as shops were also hard work.

Number two buy was less full on and it was much easier. But he was also very grumpy and tantrumy which I never really had with number one. So it’s swings and round abouts tbh!

eldest now at secondary school, still extremely active but an absolute delight. It does get better!

Hmm let me think...could it possibly be that school is out for the summer in parts of the UK? 🤔😂