Trapped toddler parents: puddlesuits splashing towards spring

[WeSearchedHereWeSearchedThere]

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

Aah sorry to hear about all the angry 3.5 year olds...DS1 was the same, right down to the throwing. He got much better as soon as he started Reception at 4...we took him out of pre-school in the first lockdown in March last year as we had a newborn at home. I think he was just lonely and restless. Hopefully going to pre-school and getting to run around and shout with other children will help your little ones.

DH has been wfh for exactly 1 year today, he doesn't like it much though He's much more sociable than I am and misses London (his home town).

My day off today, just DS2 at home. Have planned housework/playing with toys in the morning and a park trip in the afternoon (like every other day...) DS2 has taken to finding his shoes and going to stand by the front door which is cute, at least someone is still excited by the park

Oh don't say 3.5 is tough for boys I've got an intermittently very ratbag nearly 3 year old 🤦‍♀️

Had a nice morning playing, followed by a screaming and just whining hour at our friends (support bubble) where we had to make a decision to go home or to the park. Luckily we picked park and the kids did an initial switcheroo (happy ds, ratty friend) then they spent a lovely hour or so playing house in a den we found in the woods.

I was wiped out by my second covid jab yesterday so I think ds might have been feeling a bit unsure... or he was just being a miserable sod!

Slime (and a slightly more putty type one one) and coins (not together) have been popular this week for playing. Ds also enjoyed completely unnecessary garden watering whilst I.potted some.plants this evening

No phonecalls and DS came back in a good mood. We made a fort out of the sofa cushions and they had great fun messing about with it.

My friend had her baby today, I'm very excited for her but I feel sad there's no more squishy babies for me. I would love another but it's just not realistically going to happen.

Scrap that thought, I can't get DD in her cot this evening. I'm not going through this struggle again

Glad he’s ok @Motherofmonsters

Bittersweet about your friend. I feel the same as you, I would adore another baby but if we want to buy a house then we just can’t.

DS is 3.9 and is usually pretty delightful most of the time, unless he’s bored. So there is hope. He’s really clicked with empathy and realising that his actions have consequences for other people in the last few weeks, there’s been a marked improvement in his understanding.

DP is off work for the next 11 days and I’m so happy. He’s totally overworked at the minute and needs the time off. We plan on littering in the garden and going on hikes with the kids. We are walkers anyway before the kids came along.

Saw a thing on MotherCould on Instagram where she got a bundle of cotton wool buds, about 6/7, tired them off with a little bobble and then dipped them into paint and stamped them, looks like little flowers on the paper! Easy, quick, relatively mess free, we’ll try it this week to make an Easter card for grandma.

**Motherofmonsters, hope you get DD into the cot and settled ok. I know what you mean about the baby news. There's just something pulling about a newborn, with me it used to be pregnant women as I struggled so much getting pregnant. No more for us either but I still have an urge to be pregnant at times!

Hopefully by the time DS2 gets nearer to 4 he will stop the throwing and realise why its wrong. We tell him everyday but it doesn't click. Although today after I settled DS2 asleep he did say sorry for shouting so that's a start.

Hope you have a good time now DP is off work **MonkeyPuddle and get out and about. Always easier with the extra pair of hands.

Strange day here, DS2 was back at the dr after developing an all over body rash, Dr days its due to the amoxycillin. Home day for DD2 and I thereafter. DH also off work this week so took DS1 for an adventure at nearby Spike Island so he ran off loads of energy.

Highlight of the day: ice cream man visit.

Hi all just checking in.

Ds is feeling ok thankfully and has had plenty of fun today with a cardboard box with holes cut out and some giant pompoms. Sometimes the most simple ideas are the best.

Im aorry to hear about all the tricky preschoolers. I'll send buckets of sympathy and keep all fingers and toes crossed that they begin to tuen a corner.

chocolatetrifle I'm sorry to hear your son has a nasty rash. Thnak goodness you know what caused it. I'm glad he enjoyed the ice cream visit. Funnily enough it occurred to me and DH at teatime as we heard ours today for the first time this year that DS has absolutely no idea what the noise represents.

Will I ever sleep again? It's looking unlikely. The sun is still shining though.

We've built more forts, played with the toy kitchen and completed many jigsaw puzzles already this morning. Debating whether to go to the park or a walk later

Sorry to everyone struggling and not getting much sleep, it's hard work parenting!!

Started walking to the park this morning (half hour walk) then it poured with rain!! Had to turn around, son thrashing round going crazy as he hates the hood up on his pram, won't wear the hood up on his coat either. Felt like a disaster day already and it wasn't even 9.30! He was up at 5.30 which really isn't like him either.

He's been really enjoying the Melissa and Doug reusable sticker pads. Can anyone recommend any other brands please as when I'm looking at reviews on Amazon alot of them say that the stickers aren't reusable? The ones he has are probably the only thing that keeps him entertained long enough for me to have a cup of tea!!

Will I ever sleep again? It's looking unlikely. The sun is still shining though.

Oh lovely I'm sorry to hear you're having such a rough time. Enjoy the usnshine though we had 1 nice day yesterday and now it's back to grey skies and torrential down pours.

We've had a very unproductive morning. Just finishing lunch and then maybe we will go for s drive just to get out of the house.

he hates the hood up on his pram, won't wear the hood up on his coat either.

I feel your pain DS is also a nightmare when it rains as he hates the rain but also hates the pushchair hood, rain cover and his coat hood. Hopefully he is entranced by the stickerbooks all afternoon so you cab drink copious amounts of caffine.

Hey can I join I have a just turned 1&2 year old (December)
Chaos is an understatement 😂 xx

@JustAddCoffee91

Hey can I join I have a just turned 1&2 year old (December) Chaos is an understatement 😂 xx

Welcome welcome!

Welcome @JustAddCoffee91

Well after weeks of hellish behaviour we've had 4 great days in a row of lovely child back. Lots of positive parenting from me (not so much from H) but we are working on that through the medium of bickering and passive aggressive comments to each other whilst being very tired. I'm tired from having been up multiple times a night with a 9 week old, he's tired from being woken up once in 9 weeks.

Anyway lots of outdoor play dates seems to have done the trick.

Welcome @JustAddCoffee91. Sorry to hear about all the disrupted sleep .

No advice for the baby folk, but a couple of things which have hugely helped here with DS 3.2 over the past few weeks have been completely cutting out the screen-time before bed and leaving the window open a little bit so his room is a bit colder. On the screen time, I know they always tell you that anyway but I'd stupidly got into the habit of letting him have a few videos on the Ipad after stories in my bed before bedtime. Since he slept fine until a couple of months ago, I'd assumed it wasn't affecting him and just let him have it. But his sleep has been poor the past few weeks and we've had more tantrums before bedtime. Cutting out the ipad and just having stories has helped a lot! As has keeping his room a bit chilly so he cuddles up under the duvet without any fuss . He's now less tired during the day so less whining and bad behaviour.

Though listening to your experiences, I'm now on the lookout for trouble around the 3.5 mark... this could be the start of it .

@MessAllOver my son is the same age as yours! I stopped all screens from 5pm a few months back and have also noticed a change, he's less boingy round the bed at night now whereas before he'd be wild!!
I haven't heard about keeping the room cool, my boy won't have a quilt though, he's still in a sleeping bag. I've tried a quilt and a blanket and even a weighted blanket but he just won't accept them.

Now the weather is getting nicer I've been taking him to the park and playground before tea for a good run round to burn off some energy. I did this last summer and I actually really enjoyed it, most days we went twice daily. Not sure if I'll enjoy as much this year as that's all we've done during lockdown!! Last year lockdown was a bit of a novelty, not this year though

@PinkDaydreams. No, I agree with you, the novelty has completely and totally worn off. Give me a huge soft play, a nice cafe and a comfy chair indoors where I can sit and chat to a friend (ideally all combined in one) and I might thank you.

Interesting about the sleeping-bag. DS was quite old compared to some of our friends' children when he ditched the sleeping-bag...I think he was around 2.4 or something. But he decided for himself... he was fussing when I put him in it and actually asked himself for a duvet in the end. Otherwise I would have been quite happy to stay with the sleeping-bag. Not common but a friend's 4 year old still has hers and is perfectly happy. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is quite a good motto . That's why we still have the sides on the cot bed...DS has never tried to climb out and it stops night wanderings.

I started a thread on here a few months back asking if I should remove cotbed sides and the general consensus was exactly what you've said @MessAllOver , "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"! I was feeling pressured to take them off but like yours, he isn't climbing out (yet) and he sleeps so well. He also wriggles round loads so I'd be worried about him falling out of bed.
I myself do feel he's old to be in a bag but he's very settled so he can stay in it

My boys have been absolute monsters all day! They have just gone to bed (thank god) 2 year old is having some serious tantrums at the moment I've had to walk out of the room a few times and leave him to it today and just breathe and have a brew 😅 praying for a better day tomorrow and maybe some sunshine so I can get them both out for a walk
My 1 year old is cutting 4 teeth including molars too!! Will it be such a bad idea to have a gin tonight 😀

@PinkDaydreams. Nooo!!! Don't take the sides off...once you remove them, that's it. Your little sleeping-bagged ghost will appear in the doorway just as you've cracked open the wine and are pouring yourself the first glass. Then you'll have to go through the whole process again!

I remember staying with friends by myself with DS when he was around 20 months. We'd taken the train so didn't bring a travel cot - goodness, I regretted it. He was usually an ok sleeper, but there was so much fuss around bedtime and so many reappearances that in the end I had to strap him into his buggy to get to sleep and then transfer him to the double bed afterwards. And then the little bed-hogger took up most of the bed (it was a small double) so I ended up precariously on the edge, wide awake, trying not to fall out. We haven't made that mistake since - it's great having them safely contained .

Hi @JustAddCoffee91 and welcome.

@PinkDaydreams, I have the Galt Dinosaur reusable sticker book which is similar to the Melissa and Doug book, but I think the M&D one is better, but it's fine if you want a change. You can get quite a lot of 'puffy' stickers in bulk on Amazon and they are OK too although can get very small.

If anyone likes the Gruffalo you can get a reusable sticker scene book on Amazon. I also got a Baker Ross nursery rhyme sticker scene one too.

Totally agree about outdoor time for 3 year old. We take DS1 out for a walk after tea now the weather is a bit brighter. It helps to calm him down.

Now, call me bonkers but how about meditation/mindfulness for 3 year old? I love all that and I had a thought today I would try a little with DS1 before bed, breathe in ahhh and out ahhh, you are nice and relaxed, now its time for sleep, you will have a good sleep etc etc. Hmm, I do sound mad now, going to keep trying it to see if it calms him. Don't think it would work on younger DS2 though.

@JustAddCoffee91. I found age 2 quite difficult, 3 is easier as they can communicate a lot better. Gin sounds like a great idea!

@MessAllOver laughing at your "sleeping bag ghost", so funny!!

Thank you @Chocolatetrifle I'll give the sticker book a go. He's got those gruffalo reusable stickers as well from Amazon but unfortunately I haven't really found them to be reusable I've put them away for now as son was getting in a strop when he couldn't get mouse off the window then ripped his tail off!

Meditation for little ones sounds fab! Although I can't see my one taking any notice at all. I've tried yoga in the living room whilst he was about and he just bounced around me then found it funny and was climbing on me......I gave up on yoga!

Bedtime for me now as someone (selfish husband going for a run before work) woke me up at 4.30 and I couldn't get back to sleep. Night all!

You can get stories that have a massage that goes along with it, i.e the character would walk in the story so you would do a walking hands one on their back. They use them with children that have sensory issues but would probably be nice for kids without to.

DD stayed asleep long enough for me to have a cup of tea and watch a program. I'm now stuck in her room again, I really hope tonight goes better

@Motherofmonsters. Thinking of you . It can be so, so hard.

@PinkDaydreams DS was in his cot til 3.6, never once tried climbing out, moved him into bunk beds a few months ago as at some point both kids will be sharing. Since he’s been in the bunk bed he’s only ever got out by himself once! It’s like there’s an invisible force field! Don’t take the sides down!