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

Hope everyone's having a good morning.

We've been playing on the tuff tray already today, it's kept them amused for a long time.
Were now doing some colouring but I've left it out

I meant to add a picture

That's a lovely set up @Motherofmonsters.

How was everyone's night? Had a few get ups in the night but a lie in until 6.30.

We've had our usual morning walk and playground visit already. Also popped by at the local church to see the Easter display again. The sun's out but its chilly.

Hope everyone has a nice day.

I'm really really annoyed, tried to get DD to sleep, nearly there dog starts barking. Try again DS starts shouting as he's done a poo in the potty, next attempt DD is just lowered into the cot DS starts shouting for me, DD wakes DS was shouting as he wanted me to read the hoover manual he found in the cupboard. Try again the dog barks...... I have no sleeping DD and wasted over an hour or my day

Oh, that's so annoying @Motherofmonsters, especially after DD was nearly asleep. Hope you are ok? Tomorrow's nap attempt will be better. You only have one pair of hands, sometimes it's just not possible to deal with both at the same time.

Hope you get a decent sleep tonight.

Hope everyone has had a good day.

We've played with some Easter stickers and planted out a couple raised beds worth of salad this morning. In the afternoon we've been playing in the garden and my brother came up with some Easter eggs for them. Ive been to Asda to get some bits for a BBQ tomorrow, it was totally out of iceberg lettuce and individual peppers. Only a few burgers left so I guess everyone had the same idea.

Afternoon all! Hope the sleep fairies have been visiting!

I’ve given in and am now co sleeping with DD. She best bloody appreciate it as now I can’t drink wine and I bloody love drinking it. Admittedly she will now sleep a solid 4-5 hour stretch as long as she is touching me. But I really want wine.

Today we’ve made Easter cards (eventually), practiced writing DS’s name, he wrote over where I did with a felt tip, he did really well.
Kinetic sand has been out all day, bought a refill bag and he’s loving it. Took out the usual sand toys and swapped them for some small cars and lolly sticks, it’s about as far into toy rotation as I can be bothered to do.

We’ve been in the garden lots, turned over a bed for some wildflower seeds we sprinkled, reseeded the lawn, cut the lawn, he was chief of emptying the lawn mover, we’ve played endless games of tig, used a compass to find south to put out our bug hotel, that was good, lots of chat about sun rise/set, directions etc.

All in all a nice day. It’s my birthday on Monday but we see our bubble on sundays so we’re having it tomorrow instead. Presents and coffee in bed for me and then Easter egg hunt in the garden before we head off to my mums. She’s made me a birthday cake, even though I’m turning 36!

@Motherofmonsters oooh bbq sounds fab, love a bbq.
Asda near us has completely run out of Easter eggs on Thursday and wasn’t getting any more in!

Happy Easter everyone! Hope all have a good day with not too many chocolate related meltdowns!
We are just doing a garden easter egg hunt and some family garden visits. The weather looks ok so hoping we can just play outside this afternoon.
Happy birthday for tomorrow MonkeyPuddle! - Hope you can have a birthday wine soon!

Happy Easter 🐣 everyone .

Hope everyone has a good day.

Happy birthday celebrations for today and tomorrow @MonkeyPuddle, hope you have a good time.

Hope you enjoy your bbq @Motherofmonsters.

@Lostthetastefordahlias, hope you enjoy your garden visits and egg hunts!

We've already had our egg hunt! I got those little plastic eggs that have toy cars in and some kinder eggs as really don't want to go overboard on the chocolate as it doesn't agree with DS1 despite him loving it. I have got some face paints to try too, but not sure if they will go down well!
Hope everyone gets some peace. Enjoy the chocolate!

Happy Easter everyone! We've had our egg hunt for his morning, DS absolutely loved it and is still hiding and finding them. They've got a ridiculous amount of chocolate, I'll have to sneakily help them with it.

Happy Easter everyone! Sunny but windy today and DD is off for a walk with her dad and some friends. Counting down days to due date now so it might be the last weekend I get as a family of 3, trying to enjoy it as much as possible! I hope all the kiddies enjoy all the chocolate and fun!

Happy birthday for tomorrow @MonkeyPuddle!

Happy birthday MonkeyPuddle I hope you have a fantastic day.

Sounds like everyone had a lovely Easter weekend, hopefully the weather was amenable for egg hunts and garden socialising. We too had a chilled out couple of days and DS had been enjoying eating more than his fair share of chocolate eggs.

It's been a lovely couple of days and I was starting to feel like there was a light at the end of the cold weather tunnel except we've woken up this morning to find it's snowing...

Happy Birthday @mokeypuddle.

Snow!! Same4walls. We've got a slightly cloudy morning but I think it should be sunny later. We're off to the park later with their cousins, it's my favourite one as its in a village out the way so always quiet

Yes snow! It's bloody madness! Last Monday I wore shorts and a vest top today I'm back in a woolley jumper and thick socks. I need the weather to make it's mind up.

Afternoon! Thank you 😊
Spending the day in Gale force winds sorting the flower beds out, nothing says ‘happy birthday’ like being at B&Q at 9am!

Happy birthday @MonkeyPuddle!

Does anyone have any tips for dealing with difficult toddlers? DS is 2.5 and this morning has been exhausting. Sent for a walk, he just kept running away or refusing to walk then cried when he was carried. He has kicked me and his little sister and bitten her. He made a total mess at lunch, chewing food then spitting it out,chucking stuff on the floor...

It's not been fun.

Oh no @ohtobeaseahorse. That doesn't sound very fun, DS was (kinda still is) hardword work as a toddler. I found either removing him or the thing from the situation worked. I'e if he hit, I would say we don't hit and then move him to the other side of the room, if he throws toys etc I give him a warning and then it goes in 'toy jail' if he continues (on top the bookcase) until the next day. It took him a while and he still hits out in frustration but it's improved loads.

@OhToBeASeahorse, sorry to hear it's a bad day. My DS1 is very similar although he is 3.5 but its probably been going on since he turned 3. Some days he is an angel, some days it's just really really hard work and I admit it does get me down.

Things I have found I've had to do:

1.ensure he gets enough sleep (not easy).
2.if he throws something, I take it away.
3.I've removed any hard toys or things lying around the house he may be tempted to throw. Literally thrown out certain toys that may become a weapon!

1. I have stopped worrying if I have to wrestle him into the car or indoors. He doesn't want to do things sometimes but I've stopped giving him too much power if you know what I mean? If I say right time to come in now he will say 'in a minute', but then a few minutes pass, I just go out and lift him up and pretend to fly him like an aeroplane and bring him in. If he cries, I just try to distract him with something, it will pass.
2. I watch his diet, I don't give him any excess sugar. It really does not agree with him.
3. Say a firm 'no', if I don't want him to do something, try to explain, we don't do that because ...

I am keen to hear any other suggestions too from anyone as he has now taken it upon himself to bang his head in frustration which I'm wondering if its for attention or just because he is so mad at something!

It's so hard though and sometimes makes me feel like a failure, then other days he is completely the opposite and there is no throwing etc.

Thanks @Chocolatetrifle. I've really lost my temper with him today which I know doesn't help.

I left him to draw while I put on dinners he broke 3 pens. Then poured his water into his dinner.

OhToBeASeahorse hope you get some time to relax this evening. No advice really but just to say I have been there many times myself. Fingers crossed tomorrow is a better day!

Happy Birthday @MonkeyPuddle

We all had a lovely Easter too - the weather stayed nice for lunch in DMs garden. Park trip and picnic today. Learnt something new - you can put frankfurters in a thermos and have hot dogs on a picnic. Great as it was only 8 degrees.

DS2s first settling in session at nursery tomorrow so getting everyone to bed early today! DS2 already asleep and DS1 in pjs.

@OhToBeASeahorse Hope you're enjoying some or now. 2 year olds are haaaard work.

Hmmm DD is on her 4th wake up already, I fear her teeth have started moving around again. We went to the park and froze, DD ended up wearing DS's spare clothes to try and warm her up. We were in dresses yesterday, absolute madness.

Morning all.
Thanks for the birthday wishes, we now have a half completed border. Looking good. And DP became strangely attractive while he was being all manly...!

DD has cut her first tooth, hence why I am awake and have been awake for the last 3 hours. She’s juuuuust fallen asleep in my arms.

@OhToBeASeahorse toddlers are fucking hard work. God, going to the supermarket nearly killed me each week, DS once had a massive tantrum in the doorway of the big tesco, I just dragged him to the side while he screamed it out. DP once had to bring him home from Asda as he couldn’t get round the shop for him screaming. I feel your pain.

I honestly think the only things you can do is wait for the glacial place of time during hard phases and consistent boundaries. I did lots of getting down to his level, telling him I would wait til he had finished and was wanting a cuddle. Just remember his behaviour is in no way a reflection on you as a parent, he is just learning boundaries and can’t control the impulsiveness.

This week I’m trying to be more silly and playful, it doesn’t come naturally to me but DS responds really well to it, so thought I’d give it a crack. Found the above picture on Facebook. Worth a try.

*glacial pace