Trapped toddler parents of the fabled Winter 2020/2021. Puddle suits at the ready..hello Christmas!

[footprintsintheslow]

New thread as the other one is running out.

A place to find find and share ideas of how to get through these crazy times with lockdowns and babies and toddlers.

New members welcome.

@MaizeBlouse. Welcome!

We're in a house, but tuff trays store quite easily under the sofa (if there's a gap). Or behind it. They also do a smaller sized one.

Evening all,
Today was a home schooling (rather than work) day, I'm exhausted. DS2 alternated between whinging and trying to climb furniture every time I helped DS1 with the laptop. We did it all though - phonics, hand writing, French, and maths. I rewarded DS1 (and me!) with apple strudel after dinner. Just need to get him to sleep and then I can start tidying up.

Hi MaizeBlouse There's 4 of us in 2 bedroom flat here too, I spend a lot of time on rightmove!
Does anyone have a tuff tray and live in a flat? I use my biggest roasting tray on the rare occasions I do messy play.

Speaking of things that go behind/underneath sofas, does any one have a Pikkler triangle? DS2 turns one next week and loves climbing, but I'm scared in case it won't fit under the sofa and will just be in the way/take up room.

@MaizeBlouse our nursery used to use these as small tuff trays, could be an option as a dual use piece of furniture for you! www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/gladom-tray-table-black-50411990/

@Camomila we have a triclimb, I think it’s the slimmest one on the market. Babipur or Conscious Craft probably have the dimensions online, or I can measure for you later.

I have a WeeUn and I wedge it in a gap between the sofa and fish tank.

Tbh I'm ambivalent about it. When she likes it, she likes it, but it does take up a lot of room, and once they've mastered it you really have to get the slide/ball run type attachments to maintain interest I think. Our house is too small to have it up full time, so that's probably why. If I could leave it up and add bits too it, I'd probably rave about it as many do. I'm half considering flogging it and buying one of those outdoor dome climbing frames for the garden instead because I think that would get more use.

@MessAllOver we're planting a lot of the same things!
I love spinach too. Anything leafy and green actually. Rainbow chard was a firm favourite last year, as was kale. If you ever see a pot of perennial kale, get it and plant it. It's not technically kale but operates the same way and it's fab.

@WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere the water bottle pump is total genius!

Hmm maybe I should save myself £150odd and buy him a little folding toddler slide from Argos. It wouldn't be as aesthetically pleasing (I need to stop looking at Instagram so much!) but the DC would probably get as much fun out of it and it would fit in the boiler cupboard with the hoover...

@Camomila in hindsight I wouldn't have bought it. On saying that, it is lovely and she's had good fun on it, but for the price and what it is, I would hesitate in saying it's been worth it. If we had more space indoors, and bought all the other bits for it, I could see it would be very much worth it.

Those folding slides are excellent when placed in a pop up ball pit, by the way!

We do like ours - and it’s currently working well as double duty frame/slide for toddler while baby plays underneath - but I think if it had been a real financial stretch for us I would have been disappointed. It’s certainly had less use than the £30 ride on tractor/trailer, which was a first birthday present and has been used daily for two years!

@Camomila... are you me? opens boiler cupboard to check for imposter
I have also considered a tri climb but also decided its probs too expensive and bulky. They are pretty though!

We have actuslly foregone a dining table so that the kiddos can have a little table of thier own and more play space. DP and I eat on the sofa not very MN but we have a living room/kitchen/playroom/dining room so it is what it is.

Thanks for the reccos though. I also have used my biggest baking tray but it makes such a bloody racket being clanged about

Smaller idea for a tuff tray is this from IKEA. Can have it flat or stood on its legs. We use it for kinetic sand (my fave thing in the world), have done bubble and ball painting in it as well as it’s got a lip all the way around the edge.

Bloody hell, attach the picture Emma.

Good god.

I was desperate for a tuff tray but haven't the space unfortunately. Home bargains do large at litter trays for £1.50 which I have found very useful for sand etc play. Quite high sided and larger than a roasting tin :)

Put DS on his tuff tray this morning with flour and then some gingerbread dough and a rolling pin. He definitely enjoyed it but the flour has spread via his trousers to the sofa (plus some little floury footprints). Just going with it today and currently cuddled up watching The Gruffalo.

Those small trays look a good option. It's nice for DS to be able to sit on his, but it does take up a lot of floor space in the kitchen, and can be a bit awkward to work round.

We had a colour hunt this morning, which involved me saying a colour then counting to 20, DS had to bring me items that were that colour in the time. He absolutely loved it and I got to sit on the sofa. We also boiled and peeled some eggs which he loves for some reason and made a jelly.
Off to a muddy walk in the woods later and are going to attempt some tree rubbings that nursery have sent us to do

Lo, I am here under a new name, as I rebooted my laptop, which did something to the old email I use for MN, which is now lost in the ether?

My mum has taken little DD for a few hours. I had great productive plans. Instead I'm lying by the fire eating fish finger sandwiches and rice pudding and wishing I was a better person

@WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere I've tried to find the water bottle pump on Pinterest to get an idea of how to use on a tuff tray but I can't find anything :( I've found a massive bottle that's filled with wine and the water pump on the top instead! Do you mind posting a pic of how you're intending to use please

@PinkDaydreams I’m going to have a go at setting it up tomorrow, so will report back with pictures!

@ReallySpicyCurry2 I'm jealous of your fish finger butties and lazing by the fire!

@ReallySpicyCurry2 living the dream!!!! Did you put tartare sauce in the sarnie? Cos it’s heaven!

My grand plans have been blown away, DS is cranky and DD had me up 4 times in the night which had made her and me cranky 😂 so DS is upstairs with the iPad and Julia Donaldson and I’m sitting in my nightie feeding DD surveying the chaos of the toys in the living room.

I’m going to pop out games out in a mo, see if I can tempt DS with a bit of him and me 1-2-1 time.

No tartare sauce sadly - mayo and ketchup and butter though!

I dragged myself out to the garden and replanted a few rose bushes I've been wanting to swap round, planted a few heucheras and some viola plugs, went a walk with DD1 to pick up bird feeder kits a community group are giving out, came home, fell asleep

Woke up to the news that N.I lockdown is being extended to the 5th of March. Ugggggghhhh.

Someone has fed DS sugar in his sleep, he has literally been bouncing off the walls since he woke at 6! DD wouldnt sleep last night and I managed half an hour in my bed, it's going to be one of those days.

Need to do a big catch read and see what's been happening with everyone.

@drumst1ck welcome along. I've just had a baby and have a toddler too. I spent all pregnancy gathering a stash of books and mess free activity books for the dogs breast feeding sit ins. Sticker books are going down well plus any story books.

@FolkSongSweet I tell you what games are going down well here is when we do pretend games that involve the baby. So we had some small fisher price people on the bed who were coming to steal the cabbages (breast engorged here) and the giant(baby) was coming after the people. Stuff like that anyway. Then the other game was the baby was a giant mermaid who lives under the Severn bridge.

Still trying to catch up here...

@MonkeyPuddle I think we'll do those 5 minute mum games tomorrow so thanks for posting. I have the book but haven't really looked at it.

@Badgerling welcome to the group. And @MaizeBlouse

@MessAllOver @ReallySpicyCurry oooh I like the growing stuff chat. We'll be doing tomatoes, courgettes, rainbow corn, parsley, kale and green beans from seeds. Not yet for us though.

@WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere I've seen these a lot on the tuff tray fb page. Maybe we are on the same one? There's a lot of chat over wether to get one that you need to keep pressing the button every two minutes or to get one where you press once and it stays on.

More catching up later. X