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.

@MessAllOver mixing of colours makes me twitch, as I was reading i gasped, I'm so glad you're not a colour mixer! 😂

@PinkDaydreams. The mixing of colours actually makes me physically anxious! I just can't relax when I see DS taking pristine pots of play doh and smushing them all together. I finally gave in last week and gave him his Christmas playdoh (Santa left 2 new tubs in his stocking). I actually winced to see the yellow mixed up with the red. Strangely, now the deed is done and we have around 6 tubs of multicoloured dough that is beyond fixing or sorting out, I feel better . I really should start making my own...

On that note, I'm steadfastly refusing to buy any of the coloured kinetic sand.

@MessAllOver

On that note, I'm steadfastly refusing to buy any of the coloured kinetic sand.

I've found that the coloured kinetic sand doesn't stick together as well as the natural sand colour.

Oh my god the puddle idea is genius! It really is the simple things that do the trick.
Baby DD was given a ball pit for Christmas, much to my dismay, I bloody hate the balls going everywhere but we got it out for the first time today. DS has been LOVING it, played target practice, colour sorting, trying to knock toy animals over.

Have sent DP down to asda to get stuff for our tea but to pick up some more bird seed so we can finally make fat balls for the birds, it’s sleeting all day today so it’s deffo an indoor day, but hopefully we can make them today and hang them out tomorrow along the washing line.

Have discovered that if if I’m needing to get DS’s attention if I put my hand up, teacher style, and say ‘right then, let’s make a plan!’ He gets really engaged with what I’m trying to get him to do, helps diffuse the NNNNOOOOOOOO MUMMY response somewhat. How long it will last is unknown but for now it’s working!

This afternoons plans are fat bomb making, biscuit making (Asda premix), reading books in my bed with torches (he bloody loves this, nice quiet activity that I can do with him while DD naps) and he wants to watch the minions film, considering it’s been maybe 5 days since he last watched it I feel I can cope with it being on the telly again 😂

I’m sat on the sofa, baby DD asleep in my arms, listening to the rain and I just feel so full of love.
I know it’s shit and hard and relentless, but my kids are amazing and they’re mine and I just love them so much.

Will need to remind myself of this when they’re both playing me up I’m sure, but for now, just in this moment, it’s lovely.

I've found that the coloured kinetic sand doesn't stick together as well as the natural sand colour.

Thank you - I feel vindicated! It's these sorts of tips which save money and time .

On schleich, we bought the baby polar bear this month (Santa gave DS the big polar bear for Christmas and she's now a mummy ). For next month, though, I'm fancying the walrus or the vulture...we already have some farmyard ones so it would be nice to have something a bit different.

@MonkeyPuddle - feel the same at the moment. DS isn't trying to climb on me for once and is sat nicely next to me on the sofa snuggled under his blanket. We've watched Snail and the Whale and just watching Gruffalo and it's very peaceful for once (famous last words!).

I've been watching this thread for a while and today you all motivated me to put a bit more effort in, I've done a tough tray full of whipped up bubble bath with all the usual spoons and bowls and everything and it kept DS busy for over an hour! And he smells amazing
Thanks for making me feel like a good mum for the first time in a while! Hope you all have a lovely weekend

@SamVimesFavouriteDragon. It's hard sometimes, isn't it? I must admit sometimes I wake up in the morning and think, "Bring on bedtime."

Glad you and your DS had a good morning - I find and always make things better .

I'm all over the ! Great plan

I didn't even know you could get non-coloured kinetic sand.

@MessAllOver i feel like maybe we are being pulled into a false sense of security with how well the day is going!

Welcome @SamVimesFavouriteDragon that sounds like lots of fun! My son loves playing with foam, I gave him cup cake cases and dishes and he likes to make buns and ice cream with it. And you are a good mum, lockdown is making us all doubt ourselves, don’t knock yourself down, things are shit right now and just getting through the days is hard.

I’ve got a roast chicken in the oven, one of those cook in the bag ones, it’s in at gas mark 5, but the roasties need gas Mark 6 and the parsnips need 7. So everything’s going in at 5 for a longer time, my sleep deprived brain cannot work out timings.

@BertieBotts we have this sand, cracking stuff. No colour mixing anxiety here, just nice grey 😂

We went for a walk today and I didn't need to wear my coat, literally made my day.

We went to the park for the first time in months. DS had a blast and DD did some walking holding my hand and loved the swings and slide

Tried the tuff tray outside today with some food colouring and washing up liquid and he loved it! Very basic but enjoyable. I let him go wild with the hose and he threw in sand, sticks and bits of grass to make a “magic potion”. Was excellent! We also did a big walk and a lot of duplo. Baby kindly slept in the sling for most of the day so winner all round.

It has really started to feel like spring in London this week - gutted there is bad weather forecast as being outside is a lifeline atm.

Sounds good ladies. We stayed in, had to, the main roads round here have all flooded!

@FolkSongSweet I agree, I’ve really felt my spirits lifted by the nice weather recently. Now due to be heavy cloud, heavy rain and minus figures during the day for at least a week. Rubbish!

@MonkeyPuddle lovely to read your happy post. Those moments are why we all push ourselves through this!

DS1 spiked a temperature at preschool this week, cue a quick dash to collect him and get a covid test (negative). Luckily I had a paw patrol toy tucked away which I didn’t give him at Christmas, so I gave him it as a reward/distraction. Think I may need some more emergency stash little presents!

Can I ask, is postman pat not really rated?! My son has just got into him, (well, special delivery service as it's now called) and I'm really struggling to find the books or even magazines. I can find old school cartoon type on eBay but not the more up to date version.

Hmm...I think maybe when Postman Pat was really popular they made less tv-merchandise toys in general? I remember the first tellytubby teddys coming out and thanking it was exciting there was a teddy the same as a cartoon.

In exciting news, DS1 slept through the night last night! Fell asleep on the sofa (we live in a flat so not far away) and stayed there till 6am He is nearly 5 and there's only been a handful of nights he hasn't ran into our room around midnight.
My dad took him out to the woods yesterday and they made a Bear Grills type wooden shelter - he's doing it every week now!

A blogger called Play Hooray has lots and lots and tough tray ideas.

Need to catch up on the thread but I saw this in the lidls magazine and thought I'd share invade anyone needs some new activities. The water magic books are fab and cheap here.

Available from Thursday 11th

Oooh they look good! I love a lidl toy event. I got DS a train set from there for Christmas and it’s brilliant, such good value for money.

Has anyone got any plans for next week? I'm trying to be more organised with activities as I always think about them to late and our screen use is ridiculous.

I was thinking of burying some things in a tub of kinetic sand for Dd to dig up ... but I’m sat down with a decaf tea now & I don’t think its going to happen Its snowing here so I’m thinking we might use it as an excuse to watch Gruffalos Child on iplayer and then get the white paint out to make snow pictures on some blue kraft paper I have left over from Christmas wrapping. I was also thinking of making a den under the tuff tray somehow. But really it using all my mental energy right now just to face the thought of another week

My sister printed out and laminated some dinosaur play dough activity sheets from twinkle so we will do those week.

Something we did last week that was a big hit was making magic wands, sticky backed craft foam stuck onto lolly sticks, could do with Prit stick and paper, or sticky sequins as well. Sparked a lot of imagination play, making pretend witches brew, zapping things, turning into different animals and pretending to be them, mummy putting Room on the Broom on when I’d had enough.

Found some plastic gold medals in a drawer so was going to do some games, DS is shit at not winning so thought it might be nice to get him handing out prizes to me and DP if we won a game, but to secretly fix it so we all win at least once, forces exposure to losing for him but makes it fun as he gets to hand out medals? I feel it will end in disaster but I’m going to give it a go.

I’ve rooted through the drawers and got some toys that haven’t been played with in a while, magnetic fishing, threading and lacing and a couple of the less frequently played with orchard games. I’ve put the train set and all the bits away for the next week so I can bring them out with fanfare in the coming weeks.

Oh and I’ve dragged the pots that I found at the bottom of the garden to the gavel bit near the back door and plan on getting DS involved in putting some new mud in them in preparation for popping some plants in. I’m not a gardener but I thought we could do strawberries and salad leaves.