Trapped toddler parents:"Where else can you post tuff tray pictures and moan about your husband?"

[PinkDaydreams]

Following on from the previous thread. Thanks @footprintsintheslow for the thread title inspiration 😁

Hello everyone,

We are home now, we had a lovely time. Absolutely shattered now though and we've got oodles to unpack. I'm trying and failing to wake DD up from her car nap. I'm looking forward to bed time

@ohtobeaseahorse the only way I can get DD asleep in her cot when DS is around is to give him loads of food and the TV to keep him busy. Probably not the best way but it works.

@footprintsintheslow yes I remember doing the two sets of bedding trick when son was younger, I've started doing it again after this week's leaking nappies! So far going up a size as recommended by pp has helped thank you :)

Wet, windy miserable day today. We've been out in the car for a drive then had a car picnic with a flask of tea which sounds daft but was actually nice to have a change of scenery.
Lots of sticker play today once we got back, then kinetic sand and then helping to prepare the dinner. Really do love kinetic sand, its one of my favourite things to come from being on this thread so thank you

Back to nursery tomorrow which son loves and so do I on days like today as I feel on wet days we can't get out. Dry days we go out every day so it breaks the day uo nicely. God I sound horrible wanting him to be in nursery! I hope you understand what I mean, I find it difficult to entertain son on days when it's constantly raining as whatever he plays with only lasts five mins then it's onto the next thing and I feel I run out of things to do!

Someone on here the other day posted a pic of numbers on a piece of paper then post it notes on top. I'm going to give that a try later on, I presume it's match the post it to the number written on the paper?

@PinkDaydreams, wet days are the worst. I dread it if it rains because it's so much easier when you can get out and about, play outside and they can run around. Entertaining in the house for any length of time is so hard and the time drags.

Your car picnic sounds lovely by the way, a great idea to pass some time.

I've been known to get dS1 a McDonald's breakfast muffin on a Sunday morning then drive him around if it's raining.

DS had car picnic on Sunday on the easy to my mums. It’s an hours drive. 5 mins into the journey he piped up and tells me he’s hungry and it dawned on me I’d not bloody given him any lunch! We had set off just gone 12! So macdonalds drive through car picnic it was 😂

Morning ladies.
I’ve stuck some leftover dregs of cereal into a tray with some pom poms and diggers and bobbed it on the table.
Also have made a space tent (don’t be jealous of my crafting prowess!) out of a runners blanket and some pegs.
The sofa (where I sit) is mission control of the space ship and I am captain.
The baby is a space monster. Morning organised.
Am collecting the big shop over lunch time and need to take DD to see a chemist so DS will have lunch at home with DP and telly time and I’ve promised to make biscuits with him this afty.

Excellent space station!

We have been up since 5.30 - DS1 had a nose bleed, then DS2 woke up with a temperature (he was already snotty yday), so we've been for a Covid test and are now back home self isolating. DC are loving life - watching cbeebies, eating biscuits, and playing trains.

I have taken the day off but will try and log in to our team meeting at 10 - wish me luck, I may have snotty DS2 on my lap

@Camomila, sorry you have to isolate, fingers crossed for a negative test. Hope DS2 gets better soon.

@MonkeyPuddle, that's a fantastic space station! Looks great!

Torrential rain here bouncing off the floor. I'm typing this from a car picnic outside McDonald's....

@camomila hope your day's not too stressful, and obviously fingers crossed for negative tests. Cbeebies, biscuits and trains sounds like a great plan.

Agree about rain @Chocolatetrifle, so much easier when we can get out but don't really want to breastfeed in a cold, wet park. Yesterday was lots of tablet time - still trying to work out if I should be restricting it more or if it's not a big deal (it's only been a few months so still trying to work out the best way to use it e.g. always available or available only at set times or available but with a timer). DS likes playing on it with me, it's given us new things to talk about and I he's always finding new games and figuring out how things work etc but I always feel bad when it's the first thing he wants to do when he gets downstairs (stupid mum guilt).

Great space station @MonkeyPuddle, and enjoy your biscuits.

@footprintsintheslow also really glad for nursery today. DS will get to do lots of fun things and I'm getting first hair cut in over a year, taking DD to socially distant baby sensory and hopefully meeting a friend. Feels a bit like the maternity leave I had with DS (with an added mask).

Oh @Camomila what a crap start to the day! Hope you and the little ones are ok!

@footprintsintheslow I love nursery days, it’s like bloody respite for me!

Well DS is bored of playing space, trucks, we’ve played a few orchard games so he’s watching Transformers on Netflix. He’s been given an Optimus Prime toy and he bloody loves it but has no idea what it’s from, I feel I’ll regret introducing a new tv show for him to get obsessed over 😂

We’ve made biscuits and I’m in a very ‘fuck it’ mood so we’re going to decorate them with squirty cream and sprinkles.

Can someone please tell me when two under two gets easier? 3 months? 6 months? Feel like if I have a date in my head it's something to keep me going. Feel like my head is fried every day. I'm living in a sty, DD hasn't seen a vegetable for a long time and I'm covered in vom and poop all day. Feeling a little bit like a shell of a human.

Hi @PinkDaydreams I posted the pink post it numbers - I actually hide them round the room & when she finds one I say “oh well done, a seven” or whatever to help with her number recognition. Someone posted an alphabet hunt from MontessoriDadsway on insta and I adapted that. I totally agree about nursery, mine are going as soon as I have the second vaccine (this week!) has a chance to work, a year without it and I feel like I have lost myself a bit, no exaggeration.
@OhToBeASeahorse I am interested in the baby/toddler nap question too. At the moment we are home for all of DS (8months) am and pm naps as he will only nap in the cot but it is very boring.
@drumst1ck never had 2 under 2 (dd was just 2 when DS was born) so am frankly admiring you getting through the day at all, but I found I had a low around 8 weeks with DS then since then things have got easier as He eats less frequently (& is on solids now) and is in more of a routine, & DD is more used to him. It fluctuates depending on how much he sleeps but it is definitely easier! When the baby can sit and play that is an absolute bonus as well as You can finally get things done! Hang in there - you are getting through the worst bit!!

@drumst1ck, ahh try not to worry, one day at a time and one night at a time. I didn't have 2 under 2 but my DS1 was 25 months when DS2 was born. I think when your second can sit in a bouncer chair or similar it feels a bit better because you feel like you can put them down and they are happy to watch everyone etc. Also when they are interested in a play mat and can sit and look at toys as Lostthetastefordahlias has said that's good too. Hope you are ok.

My DS2 keeps waking up about 5 times every night for the past few days, up for the day before 5.30 today. My eyeballs are aching. Thinking it must be a regression.

It's raining today again but did manage a short playground visit first thing, which ended abruptly when DS1 said 'look at this lump of jelly' and threw it at me, it was a dead baby bird!

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Yyargh poor you @chocolatetrifle dead baby bird at the playground is even worse than 3am vomit last night all over me (courtesy of DS2).

We're ok - DS2s test came back negative, so DS1 is back at school. DS2 is still poorly and alternates between napping and being ok and playing after calpol. I was a bit worried about his non-eating but he's had milk (breast and cows), lots of raspberries and puffs so at least its something. I'm a bit peaky and my dad also has whatever DS2 has and is off work, his manager (he works in schools) says there's a bug going round.

Oh no @chocolatetrifle, nobody needs a dead baby bird thrown at them!

I can't get DD to go to sleep, she's just mooching about her cot talking to herself while I'm sat in the chair. She said mummy a minute ago so I put my head close to her and she just said mummy nose and poked it....

@Motherofmonsters, I'm with you. dS2 has just settled after giving me dinosaur noises for half an hour and then laughing at me. He was actually funny, but I was also fearful that he would never settle if you know what I mean, so was giving off nervous laughs whilst saying' shush now night night'.

The sleep regression is upon me I fear. Off to get DS1 to bed now. Hope your DD has settled.

@Camomila, hope you all feel better soon and glad the test was negative for your DS2.

I've just had a much needed haircut and I feel great!

We are playing with DS's fireman Sam playset doing lots of rescues. We've been playing with a magnetic fishing game lots to, I would recommend it.

@OhToBeASeahorse we have zero regular napping or a routine for it in the slightest. Don’t worry.

Seems we’re having another tricky sleep week again arent we! God, small kids are needy little so and so’s aren’t they!

We’ve got DS’s gymnastics class this morning, trip to the library and park this afternoon, need to pop to B&M for more blue tack for posters in DS’s room. He’s loving putting them up. My sister printed out some dinosaur posters from Twinkl for him. I think he likes the autonomy of making the space his own.

We’ve been playing lots of rescue games too lately. His sister frequently becomes the bad guy or a decepticon so she’s involved somewhat 😂

Haha yes DD is always the bad guy to, she was named the play doh smusher the other day when we had it out as she kept trying to squish everything

Oh I bet it felt lovely having your hair done. I need to get booked in really. My hairs easier to manage when it’s longer but my fave style is when it’s shorter but I don’t know if I’ll have the time to do it on a morning when getting the kids to childcare and me to work for 8:15.

I like short hair to but I'm the same I just don't have time to style it.

My hair lives in a ponytail. Its ridiculously thick so I've just had masses and masses of hair, I was struggling to get it all in a bun. I've had loads of layers added so it feels really light now.

Ooh I’m jealous! I’ve got thick hair at the back and a damn sexy balding patch at the front 😂 I’ve got PCOS and essentially male pattern balding, DP is a lucky man with a catch like me! Have you kept the length?

DP’s work are treating us to lunch on expenses, fish and chips for lunch today then! I’ll make a veg soup for tea so there’s some sort of nutritional balance to the day!

Hi everyone, love the talk of hair. I'm getting mine done too on Saturday 🙂 . Not had it cut since August! I've got long hair, have to dye it myself as I'm going grey and have been for years, something I've inherited from my mum's family. Used to have highlights but stick to home dye since birth of DS2 as it's just too expensive! I have 2 short chunks cut out randomly by DS1, don't think that is what is meant by scissor practice!

We've been to the farm shop and DS1 whizzed around with his mini trolley. Have also played playdoh dentist and hairdresser funnily enough!

No dead birds in sight today!

Hope everyone has s good afternoon.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/maternal-mental-health-ambivalence-postnatal-depression-b1842328.html

Don't know if the above link will work but I just read this article, it's Maternal Mental Health week this week. Know we all need help and support from time to time. Thought it was a well written article, plus contained useful numbers, I've never heard of PANDAS.