Trapped toddler parents: puddlesuits splashing towards spring

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All guardians of toddlers welcome, we offer ideas, activities, and a shoulder to lean on when it all gets too much. We’ve conquered winter, next stop spring!

Continuing from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4105179-trapped-toddler-parents-of-the-fabled-winter-2020-2021-puddle-suits-at-the-ready-hello-christmas?pg=1

@Same4Walls putting the tuff tray out is the same as bringing the Christmas tree down I always think. Such a great feeling.

Just seen a free plastic castle in my area on marketplace. On one hand it would be great but on the other...where would it live.

@FolkSongSweet it's great to feel we aren't alone and that there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Morning everyone

Both my boys got lockdown haircuts from DM yesterday, DS1 looks ok (though he did shriek "I'm itchhhy" constantly through the whole thing) DS2 just got his fringe cut and now looks like a beautiful little girl with a bob haircut

Hundreds of tadpoles/frogs have hatched at the local park so we'll be off to see that once everyone's woken up. (Watching cbeebies with baby, DS1 is 4 going on 14 and is having a lie in)

Morning! Ha brilliant, DS is looking like a young Justin Bieber with his bouffant. He's adamant he doesn't want it cut, even though it's poking him in the eyes.

DH is working again this morning so we will be pottering around outside. I may set up a toy cleaning station on the tuff tray outside. Then we are off to the beach again for the fourth time this week, we're making the most of the sunshine while it's here

motherofmonsters oww that is indeed a very spooky coincidence. I shall keep my fingers crossed they both decide to nap today and that yesterday was because of the full moon.

monkeypuddle I hope DS loves the water table. I can't wait until mine is a little older so I can fill the garden with lots of plastic tat in the hope of keeping him entertained long enough for me to plant some flowers and then sit and enjoy a drink in the sunshine. Currently our garden os looking quite neglected as last summer everytime we went outsdie all he wanted to do was eat the grass.

footprintsintheslow yes that's exactly what it's like! You put the tree away and then sit there wondering where all the space came from. I'm jealous of the freebie listings on market place ours is full of extortionate stuff at the moment. Did you get the castle surely you could just sacrifice something else such as a dining table or bed to fit it in, it's free after all

camomila owww tadpoles and frogs sounds super exciting. I might have to take DS to see of our local pond has any next week. I'm a little bored of just ducks. Hope your DS had a lovely lie in.

My DS had a lie in for him and didn't wake till 7:15am, we have had from 5am wake ups this week so that was a lovely surprise when I checked the time this morning.
We have zoom online church this morning so I will set up a little activity for DS, he is usually really good and goes off to play or watches everyone on screen.

@Camomila I love the lockdown haircuts 😂 DP won’t let me do his again as I mangled it last time! Jealous of the tadpoles!

@Motherofmonsters enjoy the beach, sounds fab.

@Same4Walls yeah our garden is a bit of a wreck, it’s rented and we moved in just before lockdown and it was over grown, we’re slowly making it nice.

@BEE08 glad you enjoyed the lie in ☺️

We’ve got a YouTube kids sing/dance along video playing as DS is full of beans this morning. He’s currently making a bridge across the floor with all the cushions and pillows for reasons unknown to me, but he’s occupied and happy.

We’re off to my mums this afternoon as is our usual habit (we’re bubbled) and then he’s staying at his dads house for two nights and I’m going to do some spring cleaning.

Have got a rapidly dying bunch of valentines flowers that I’ll save for when he’s back and will shove on the tuff tray and mud kitchen outside. Have had an email from Smyths to say the water table is ready for collection so will pop up tomorrow.

What are people thinking about Easter plans? My mum used to do a little egg hunt in the garden when I was little and I’m thinking I might do one for DS as well, with some of those mini sweet packets the 5 for £1 type and then finding his egg. He’s not mad on sweeets so will forget about them if I hide them once he’s done the hunt!

@MonkeyPuddle last year my then three year old enjoyed a hunt in the garden with foil covered chocolate eggs. After he’d found and eaten all of those we covered some stones with foil and he even enjoyed hunting for those “eggs”!

@MonkeyPuddle. We had a little Easter egg hunt in our tiny garden last year with some mini lindt eggs and bunnies. I gave DS a laminated 'Treasure Map' which was essentially pictures of everywhere that the eggs were hidden - paddling pool, sandpit, under the slide. He wasn't quite 2.5 then so needed a bit of help at the start but he did get the concept after finding the first couple of eggs .

On lockdown haircuts, DS seems to have ended up with a bit of a pudding-bowl haircut here since that's all I can manage - definitely need a trip to the hairdressers when it reopens!

Loving this thread. I am not alone!

@MonkeyPuddle last year DS was 15m at Easter. I had a pack of plastic eggs you can open and refill. I just put a cheerio in each one and he loved hunting them. We did it over and over again during lockdown 1

@MonkeyPuddle I'm hoping to do one this year for DS and his sister. She has loved them in the past and I know she will help him. I will hide small eggs then a notebook and pen for DSD and a book for DS to find.

My Oh cut DS hair last weekend and didn't do a bad job, his hair was just starting to go over his ears and he didn't like it.

@MonkeyPuddle last year DS was 15m at Easter. I had a pack of plastic eggs you can open and refill. I just put a cheerio in each one and he loved hunting them. We did it over and over again during lockdown 1

We did the same last Easter with almost 2 year old DC and it became a regular activity for us too. I used to buy myself time to sit in the sun/do some gardening by suggesting that they hid the eggs for me to find. Took them ages to hide them (in really obvious places!) and was a good fun game. We used to hide all sorts of things in them, daisys, stones, blueberries.

@Lostthetastefordahlias ah i'm so pleased! Hope you had fun 😀

@Same4Walls I didn't contact the woman about the castle as I just can't imagine where it will go. I think I'll have to make a toilet roll version that we can chuck out.

@Turtleoo great idea for the cereals!

Big news in Wales: people with under ones can now bubble up the same as England. I'm so excited I think I may be too overwhelmed to leave the house though!

Sand in the tuff tray outside today. Receivers mixed response but she wants it kept for tomorrow.

DH has just left for work sporting a very noticeable black eye... he’s going to be explaining all day that our 3 year old accidentally head butted him yesterday!

Have failed to plan anything for today, which is not a great start. Might get the paints out and have a crafty day. Need to do some Mother’s Day craft for granny, have vague plans of cutting up and painting an egg box to turn it in to flowers...

@footprintsintheslow being able to bubble is a game changer!

Excited for you @footprintsintheslow - I would be struggling so much more without my bubble. It sounds ridiculous but I really enjoy making tea for an adult thats not DH!
Good to see you again @FolkSongSweet - how is it going with toddler/ baby, have you found anything that makes it easier? I am always keen for tips haha.
@PinkDaydreams did you decide on a present for your DS in the end?
Its rubbish weather again here but the weekend was a nice reminder of how much easier it is when you can sit out and play in the sun for a while.
@jobbyjg how did the dinosaur bicarb thing work out?

We are currently playing with imaginary spanners.....

We're going to have a teddy bear picnic for lunch as its going to be a sunny day again here.

Good morning everyone,

That's great news @footprintsintheslow about the support bubble, it's so vital.

Everyone was up early here, couldn't settle to doing anything, I couldn't think of anything interesting to do so we just went out on a big walk with the buggy board in the crisp morning air and back in now eating toasted hot cross buns so hopefully that will reset the morning.

Hope everyone had a good day.

Morning all!

Big news in Wales: people with under ones can now bubble up the same as England. I'm so excited I think I may be too overwhelmed to leave the house though!

Yay that's fantastic news and just in time for some lovely spring socialising.

motherofmonsters I hope you have a lovely picnic.

chocolatetrifle your walk sounds very peaceful and I'm quite envious we have no hot cross buns.

It's very grey here today remarkably different from the lovely sunny weekdnd but DS and I had a lie in until almost 8am so I don't actually care if it rains all day as I'm feeling like a whole new person. I had actually begun to forget what being well rested felt like.

@Same4Walls oh well done on the lie in that's fabulous, any time you have a decent stretch of sleep it does help you feel so fresh. I'm still on a sleep deficit as mine still wake up in the night and 3 year old has never slept through a night yet!

Forgot to say, have had a lot of success with the Play doh dentist drill and fill set over the weekend, 3 year old loves it, 14 month old was trying to drill his own front teeth though! Have got the hairdressing one too, saving that for tomorrow for after his preschool booster. I'm sure I had something similar when I was young and it was called MopTop Hair Shop, does anyone remember that?

Paddling pool out here (inside, it's still freezing!) today with random kitchen things in and some warm water. Kept her entertained for a good half an hour learning how to pour into different cups and containers.

Starting to think about mother's Day if anyone has any good painting/craft ideas for that?

Feeling remarkably upbeat here, DD's toddler group has been in touch about starting up again in April (fingers crossed) and I'm feeling hopeful for a more 'normal' summer!

Big tub inside the pool seemed to keep majority of it contained which was great!

Looooooong day here.
We've done some daffodil craft here which we did on cards do that's all the. March birthdays sorted.
dressed up for st David's day
We've walked to the post office.
played with ALL the toys
big paper on floor for random colouring
online singing class
sand on tuff tray
tv on for sanity levels. Bed time seems so long away still

Lost the Dino Izzy bomb was a hit but wouldn't advise food colouring it looked a bit like fizzy poo saying that I found the food colouring In back of cupboards and 5 years out of date!
My ds was at nursery and my dad picked him up as I had my 2nd Covid vaccine today . Feeling a bit crap now but could be I was nightshift wall weekend or the vaccine . Roll on ds bed time as I won't be far behind him!