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.

@Motherofmonsters

I honestly can't wait for preschool to open again. I feel bad saying it but I can't keep up the stimulation DS needs. He needs the social interaction and the brain power use

This is so true of my son too! I can't wait to be able to go to Costa and have a latte and a cake and the little one a babychino. We enjoy sitting by the window and watching the cars and uses go by, I also take a few books for ds which he likes to flick through. Come on Boris, lets start trying to get back to some sort of normality please!!!! (I very much doubt he will be reading mumsnet!)

Totally get the pining for nursery/preschool, ds has loved going back and I think it's done him the world of good (does 2 days a week). Trying to work out what to do tomorrow - meeting a friend for a walk at some point but there's a whole rest of the day to fill!

Been researching what fruit/veg we can grow from seed in pots (don't trust cats not to poo in borders ), pleasantly surprised to find that tomatoes, cucumber, beans, strawberries and carrots are good pot growers, I'm looking forward to starting g that with ds in a month or so, and growing sunflowers in the summer I'm also thinking about those kits you get with catapillars and a netting cage thing, but not sure if they are cruel?

@Motherofmonsters don’t feel bad - we’re lucky to have preschool available and I have DS there as I absolutely cannot provide what he needs. In normal times we’d be going to playgroups, museums, farms, libraries, play dates. It’s just not possible to replace all of that at home or in a freezing park!

@meow1989 you can grow loads in pots! How about potatoes? They grow well in the big bags - you just keep adding compost as the leaves grow up. Searching through to harvest them is great fun. I’m in a similar quandary about the butterfly kits - lovely idea but make me a little uneasy. Also the net cage thing looks a bit flimsy, I’m afraid it’ll get body slammed by a toddler!

I’m thinking of getting a subscription or two. Does anyone have any? DS1 turned 3 at Christmas and he’s quite suddenly matured a bit in terms of interest and learning. Things I’ve considered (in case helpful for anyone else!) are:

• Montessori Family Box (topic learning)
• Mud and Bloom (nature/gardening)
• Toucan (crafts)
• Rainy day box
• Little Cooks Co
• Little Robin Education book club

Does anyone have any?
We don't, we tend to buy magazines (cbeebies etc) as a treat from the supermarket instead, DS1 does a couple of pages at a time and then they get reused for cutting/sticking afterwards.

I'm feeling very proud of DS1 today. Last night he asked if he could stay up and tidy the living room with me "I thought of it as a plan so you don't have to do lots of jobs after you've put me to bed", about half way through DS2 woke up so I went to resettle him - when I got back the whole living room was tidy, not just the toys but all the random bits of paper and dinner plates too. DH said, DS1 kept refusing any help. He also wanted to "press buttons on the computer and do daddys job" but maybe that's a step too far

Ah that is so sweet Camomila! Bless him. Toddler DD and I used to have a really good routine of doing a big tidy before she had her dinner which has gone out the window since baby DS arrived but I am going to try to reinstate it now!

@WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere we got a Mud & Bloom subscription in December, DD is 2.5 and some parts of the activities are a little tricky but should be easier at 3. So far we have really enjoyed it and the craft materials you get are pleasingly high quality as well. Its great to have the card of instructions and the materials to hand when you have time to do something. We have done decorated branches with embroidery thread & beads, wax paper window stars (v cheering when the christmas decorations came down), planted muscari. Looking forward to making twig hedgehogs with coloured modelling clay this week.We have not planted all the seeds as we do not have space for them all inside - we will plant outside when its warmer. This month we got dwarf lupins which I am looking forward to planting in a pot outside with her, and snow peas which I am not sure about. The only thing I would change is more plants to grown inside over winter like cress or maybe narcissi and less to start inside & plant out later - but I guess they may have exhausted those ideas the first year. I’m sure you have seen it but their instagram is a good place to look at the type of craft projects they do.
Looking forward to hopefully hearing more as With no nursery I would be keen for another subscription!

Best intentions to get DS out on his sledge this morning. All going well, baby strapped to me in the sling, pulling DS down the big slope on our lawn, lots of fun, she gets a bit antsy and does a massive vomit down there while DS is shouting that I wasn’t pulling him fast enough.
My fucking god. I was dripping, she was dripping.

@Camomila that’s beautiful, must have some good parents to have such lovely thoughtfulness.

Having a winning day! Made homemade soup in 5 minutes! Here's the recipe incase anyone wants to be as smug as me...

Toddler loved helping and enjoys squeezing lemons A LOT

I’ve lost my shit and handed DD over to DP for a bit.
She won’t sleep unless she’s in my arms which makes it hard to keep DS occupied and so far this morning she’s on 4 clothing changes and I’m on 3 due to the reflux. Had enough. Today is a bad day.
DS is currently unrolling a roll of brown paper all over the front room while I take two minutes to myself.
I am fed up of constantly dealing with vomit and I smell, I’m having to wash the bedsheets every other day at the most, I can’t keep up with the laundry cos she won’t let me put her down. And laundry is supposed to be DPs job. Fuck this.

Oh @MonkeyPuddle sorry you're having a rough time the rubbish says seem like iys never going to get better don't they? Is there any cake you can inhale as well as a cuppa?

@MonkeyPuddle. Tomorrow will be better. Sunday was shit for us, yesterday was great and today is so-so as I try to catch up on work from DS's nursery being shut yesterday. So tomorrow will be better . You're just in the shit part of the cycle.

For the sheets, could you buy extra cheap cotton ones and an extra mattress protector and then layer them? So if she's sick during the night, you only have to take off the top layer rather than making up the bed again? The other thing you could try is layers of towels (did this when DS had an upset tummy and kept vomiting). Or, when he was tiny, his cot mattress fitted inside a large pillowcase so we used pillowcases a lot as sheets.

Sorry you're having a rubbish day @monkeypuddle. It's relentless when they keep being sick.

Your soup looks amazing @footprints.
I wish mine would eat soup. DS just eats the bread and DD smears it in her hair.

Were having an okay day, I buried puzzle pieces under rice and gave DS a paint brush and that's amused him for a while.

We fell out earlier as he just would not give me any space, literally had his face smushed up next to mine, trying to put toys on my head. I don't know why but I have zero tolerance of stuff around my head or face

I feel a bit put out as its absolutely freezing and we have zero snow. Our walk is going to be freezing with none of the fun

Sorry you’re having such a shit day @MonkeyPuddle, reflux is hellish. I vividly remember bursting in to tears in Morrison’s when DS1 vomited impressively in the cheese aisle.

Could you ask for an earlier check up from the GP before Thursday? Don’t let them fob you off, there are ways to address reflux. There are some good Facebook support groups (just search ‘reflux’ and you’ll find them) - it might be worth going to the GP armed with knowledge about what it is you want to try.

@Motherofmonsters of gosh the head stuff drives me insane! Ds particularly likes caves at the mo, that is, sitting under a blanket, which just makes my neck ache. I'm tentatively saying were having a good day after a 4.45 start (luckily dh took over half 6 to 9! We've We've for a walk, played with some silk leaves and diggers in the tough tray, done a bit of dancing and I've made spaghetti bolognaise which went down a treat. Off for a walk in the woods later.

I’m just glad other people are having better days than us 😂
I’ve made some popcorn and shoved the Minions film on again, it’s like crack to DS so he’s happy and it means I can sit and get DD to sleep on me.
I know she’s just being a baby but fuck me it’s hard some days.
@WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere it’s her fortnightly weigh in on Thursday so it probably should wait til then, in the mean time I have taken it upon myself to increase the dosage of her meds, have checked the children’s BNF and it’s within limits for her age and weight so I am satisfied it’s safe, but will be discussing an up titration of her dosage with the GP as it’s just not cutting it at the minute.

Have set up a washing line for DS if he fancies it later, length of string tied between two dining chairs, some post it notes with 1-10 on them, stuck in a random order to the chair seats and some pegs. He has to peg them in the correct sequence. Fine motor skills ticked off and a bit of maths ordering.

Babies are selfish little so-and-sos sometimes, aren't they ? It's like they think the world revolves around them...

Oh wait...some never grow out of it...pointed glance at my DH who finished off a double portion of lemon chicken, half of which I was saving for my lunch today .

@MessAllOver I’d eat his tea off his plate in retaliation for that 😂

DS who’s 3.8 asked me if I was sad, I said I was so he offered me a cuddle which I accepted. He then asked me if I was happy now. Oh my actual heart.

Knew I spoke too soon! Woods was a no go, absolute melt down when we got there (sad rather than tantrum) coughing till wretching and lots of wanting to go home with mummy. So I did a covid swab, he's been snotty but well but cough started today so I though even though I don't think he's got it ill hopefully have a negative to show nursery on Thurs. Yay isolation until result

Sorry for the bad day @MonkeyPuddle!

We've had a mixed day here. Started off okay with some baking but whoever thought savoury flapjack was a good idea is a monster. It's so disappointing when your brain wants it to be sweet! But it got some veg into DD who's going through a fussy stage with food at the moment so that's a win I suppose.

Then spent the rest of the day stuck on the sofa with the telly on. She's got her canines coming through and all she wants to do is be attached to me (and occasionally bite a chunk out of me)

Love the idea of some of these subscriptions. I'll bank them for when DD is old enough. Would like to start some gardening with her in summer. (Probably unrealistic expectations though as I'll have a newborn...)

@MonkeyPuddle. Your DS sounds like a sweetie!

@WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere @meow1989 as a vegan I can say I feel totally ok about the butterfly kits and I happily do it. Not sure if that adds any weight to the argument but they are much more likely to survive via those kits than in the wild and they are a native species. As soon as they are butterflies you let them go. I've done it in school with the class and at home...we are big fans.

@MonkeyPuddle I totally understand how you feel. We have baby sick on everything and I ran out to clean dry bedding the other day and it's not permitted as an essential item in Wales.

Also I don't know if it's the same with you but my baby and toddler get together and coordinate themselves to have bad days together. Yesterday toddler was weeing on the carpet as baby was pooing on the bed sheets. H came in to tell me to not leave the mop at the bottom of the stairs at the same time too so quite frankly he got told to sod off.

Tomorrow will be better as it always is.

Please hit me with your keeping them asleep longer tips - all week ds has woken between 4.30 and 5 and I'm so tired (even though dh takes over for an hour or so at 6!).I don't start the day, I keep us in bed in the hope he'll fall asleep but then here's chatting and wriggling and poking, I'm so tired 😔

Gro clock works wonders here! Also any wake ups past 3 or 4am, I just pull him into bed with us and hopefully everyone gets a bit more sleep. Usually it works. But the Gro clock has been even better. You can often find them on marketplace.

Oh sorry, missed that you already try that and it doesn't work.

Can you tag team with DH and alternate days to get up at 4? Then accommodate a nap?

If DS is napping maybe it's time to stop? Or later bedtime?

It might also be hunger. Try giving a snack before bed. Or even bringing some ready made sandwiches to bed so you can dispatch them at 4am? :o

If all else fails I used to let DS1 play games on my phone on a low volume while I slept. Seemed to work.

Thanks bertie, he stopped napping a while ago now. Bed time is about 6 for settling, 6.15-45 for sleep, it had been working well.

The videos on phone works for 20 mins or so so I like to try to keep this until 6 if at all as I want him to not associate waking with getting to watch things immediately.

Dh is such a heavy sleeper I wake first anyway - usually, when ds was waking around 6, we did alternate every day.

With the food ds is not a petite little thing and would eat at any given opportunity so mindful of extra calories and habit forming again.

Sorry, I promise I'm not trying to find reasons not to go with suggestions!!!

I think we may have reached gro clock time, going to order one today and pray that that works or ds grows out of it!
He has been unwell this week so maybe just a phase as it's relatively recent.