Trapped Toddler Parents of Winter 2020/21 Support Thread - Puddlesuits at the ready!

[ReallySpicyCurry]

Are you the parent of a small child who doesn't yet sit still for more than five minutes? Do local lockdowns mean there are no baby and toddler groups for miles? Are you sick of walking the same three routes every day since March? Then come and join our support thread! I have started this after some of us had a good moan on a thread in AIBU ("To be worried about staying sane stuck inside all winter with a 2 year old?") because I thought it might be nice to share ideas/activities/general moans and concerns, over what is probably going to be a tricky winter for those of us with babies and toddlers.

Don't forget the answer to all your prayers though... The ever reliable puddlesuit. Puddlesuits are absolutely mandatory this year, and you are expected to wrestle your child into one and make them jump in puddles daily. If your child goes blue with cold, administer a swift dose of hot chocolate and hope your local Amazon delivery driver gets move on with your latest order of kinetic sand/playdough/ball pit/stickers. Failing all else, Peppa Pig is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, in October as in March.

@PinkDaydreams I got ours from Eduzone as I was buying quite a few craft supplies - watch though as because they are really a nursery supplier they add VAT afterwards. You can also get them from Baker Ross - have seen some nice colour combinations on there.

Thank you :) I've actually just found a packet in the craft box! Office world last year had a closing down sale so I bought all sorts. I've found some buttons and feathers too which will come in handy during lockdown. Toddler isn't really into crafts yet but we can still scoop up buttons and waft the feathers round!

Feathers are a great idea!

I'm buying a tuff tray and stand for my 2 year old (and his 4.5 year old brother) for Christmas - thought you lot might be able to point me in the direction of the best cheapest place to buy please?

Following the thread for suggestions, seem some great ones so far!

Today we baked hedgehog bread for lunch which went ok even though we didn't have bread flour, just plain - I sort of followed this recipe! craftwithcartwright.co.uk/bread-hedgehogs-basic-dough-recipe/

Love the hedgehog breads! We bought our tuff tray and stand from Amazon...I think was around £40 for both. We're out at the park atm but I'll send the link when we're back if no one's beaten me to it.

@WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere thanks for the photo I'm going to put that book on my birthday list.

@PinkDaydreams did you ask about pompoms before as I meant to reply sorry. I've got a mixed pack from Wilkinsons and another from b and m bargains. Lots of sizes and colours and some are sorely and they are my favourite. Toddler like the big ones best which are about 3cm, most are about the cm.

@ThePug I love the hh bread. A big favourite in our house. I think our tuff tray came from amazon too.

I got my tuff tray (cement mixing tray) from tool station as it was cheaper than Amazon.

@footprintsintheslow I was in b&m the other day and don't think to look in there! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Thank you!

I'm having a flick through my copy f five minute mum. Little one will be three in a couple of months. I'd put the book away as I thought he was a bit little for oat of the things but looking through it now he can get involved in more and I can tweak some games

I ordered a toucan box and we did the first activity today. It was making a dinosaur mask and tail and DS enjoyed it and could pretty much do it on his own. I got a bloom and wild one and a toucan one to see which one to ask for a subscription for Christmas and at the moment I think the toucan one as the bloom and wild one is lovely but probably a bit older than for 3 year olds.
You can get the first box half price anyway but if you would like to use this code I get another one half price.
www.toucanbox.com/friends/nicola-iuxn

@ThePug I love the bread, I’ll have to give that one a go!

@PinkDaydreams my DS is 3 and his favourite one from the book is where you stick the letters on the wall and he has to hit the ones you call out with a kitchen spatula!

Today's playdough was a great hit and the recipe is the best I've used. Photo of recipe below.

I brought the tuff spot inside and she had the playdough and cutters in the living room. She played for hours with the occasional visit to me in the kitchen to bring me "an ice cream" or whatever she'd made. Lots of teddies were eating doughnuts.

I got on with dinner and actually did some housework to get ahead of tomorrow. So not a rest for me but it felt like a rest and I have less to do tomorrow so that was great.

Tomorrow is toy change over day and the tuff spot is still inside. Hoping for better weather too.

Hi other toddler mums- can I ask a question? Are any of you not very good at staying at home and doing play dough and crayoning etc etc? I find it all so depressing. How are you coping if this is you?

@Anewmum2018 me! I much prefer to be out and about or meeting friends. I'm just gritting my teeth and pretending to be an insta mum . I try and set up stuff that she can do with minimal help.

@Anewmum2018 yes, me too! I used to like doing free kids crafts at the library, where there were other children to join in with and everything was set up for us. But all the singing and crafts have stopped now of course 😔

My eldest just isn’t a child that will sit and do crafts by himself while I get on with things (even though he’s four). And believe me, I’ve tried. I’m really hoping his baby sister might become one of these magical children that sits down happily and plays on her own while I get on with something next to her - even just for ten minutes!

@Anewmum2018 I’m mainly only coping because I’ve gone back to work part time now, that has made a big difference.

@Anewmum2018 I like staying at home but DS1 had very little interest in crafts as a toddler and sensitive skin which meant we couldn't do a lot of messy play. When he was that age he would spend a lot time playing trains/cars. I'd set up a lovely 'scene' for him and play for a bit then leave him to it and potter about doing jobs or even reading on the sofa. I think small children sometimes just want to be near you but you can do something you enjoy.

(I've never been a SAHM apart from maternity leave though so I've always had a 'break' even if it was studying/working)

Thanks - this is all really helpful! I’m not a ‘natural’ at doing kiddy stuff, but equally get pretty anxious stuck at home all day, so this is about my worst nightmare. Luckily, our puddlesuits are almost constantly on, out of necessity rather than wholesomeness!

Were all isolating as I lost my smell on Saturday and I still havent had my results through. It's very frustrating, especially as we can't get out and about.

We've made playdough and will probably make some cupcakes later. My front room is a happyland train track that were constantly skiding on. DS keeps going back to it though so I'll have to out up with it

@Anewmum2018 There's nothing I like more than going to a park or playgroup or IKEA where I don't have to parent much and can let the toddler run free.

But during this lockdown I've embraced Pinterest and the tuff tray.

Has anyone else had to self isolated for the full two weeks? I've just been sent home from work as I was identified as a close contact. I'm absolutely gutted. I really like my job and it's been nice to be back after lockdown. DH works 12 hour shifts so I appreciate the adult company. I've also lost weight and started taking care of myself since the summer and I'm terrified of slipping back - I've found the last few weeks difficult as I suspect I get SADS. I will have to cancel some quite important things too. Obviously you hear of people having to self isolate but I never thought I'd be this upset. I think it's displacement really. I just want things to be normal again. Anyway, the tuff tray and playdough will be at the ready.

ReallySpicyCurry we did in March, DC were 3 and 8 weeks at the time. 2 bed flat so no garden.
'Luckily' I was bedbound for nearly all of it, poor DH had to look after us all, and wfh throughout.

It is/was pretty rubbish but the way I saw it was that was our 'turn' and then it was over and done with - I think you'd be pretty unlucky to do it twice. I'm not sure if that helps?

@ReallySpicyCurry. So sorry to hear you're having to self isolate .

Hopefully, the good news about the vaccine will turn out to be justified and there will be a return to a more normal life in the near future.

Themed train tracks are proving popular here today. Still on the Halloween theme. We've got out the brio and built a little one on the tuff tray. There's a mini pumpkin on the line and a green slime monster that keeps derailing the trains.

@ReallySpicyCurry we haven't had to sled isolate as such but in our latest lockdown I only went out once for a walk in 17days.

How I coped was making a to do list of all the crappy jobs that I never wanted to do and just did one a day. It kept me on the straight and narrow and like you said that tuff spot will get you through 😉.

Are you able to get online food deliveries?

@MessAllOver I think I need to do something exciting with the train set just for my own sanity. I really hate playing with it.

Today was a weird one. The tuff spot is in the living room again (in our tiny house). Randomly the toddler wanted her scissors so I got them out and a piece of paper and a pritt-stick and she loved it for hours.

We live in a flying start area and during the first lockdown each family had a pack delivered to their doorstep. In it was scissors, glue, tissue circles, lollipop sticks, pompoms feathers and some coloured paper.

I wouldn't have thought of giving that sort or stuff to her yet but she's loved having free reign to do what she wants. So it's all been out on the tuff spot today and I've cleaned and tidied around her. I have her a little Amazon packaging box (thanks to PP for that tip) and she's been glueing crap onto it all day.

When I recycle the box and pictures after a suitable time I pull off all the pompoms and feathers and shove them back in her craft bag.

@ReallySpicyCurry sorry you’re having to isolate. My baby massage teacher had to and she found it really difficult. Different when it seems like you’re sitting still and the rest of the world is moving (however limited), unlike lockdown.

Today I failed at instamummy by making the mistake of being excited about an activity. We were going to go on a nice walk in the woods, collect interesting treasures, take them home and draw around them on a piece of cardboard to make a nature puzzle. It rained, toddler refused to get out of the pushchair, mud was ankle deep and it was a miracle I stayed upright with the baby in the sling...

So we went home, I bought all his diggers in to the living room, with some Tupperware boxes, scoops and half a box of rice crispies. Kept him entertained for hours! Then DH got home, put the hand held attachment on the dyson and handed it to DS1. Half an hour later every single rice crispie was gone! I’m remembering that one