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Trapped Toddler Parents: Surviving the summer

454 replies

Motherofmonsters · 07/08/2022 21:02

Hi,

New thread for toddler support, ideas and general rants!

OP posts:
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8
AliasGrape · 26/11/2022 13:47

Thanks @Chocolatetrifle
Only 2 cough till sick episodes last night - and in fairness they were fairly minor. DH wanted to sleep in with DD last night and I take the spare room, but I dunno, probably my own worst enemy but I think I’d still hear her and she settles back down much quicker if it’s with me. I did manage to get a reasonable amount of sleep in between and DH took the morning shift so I had a lie in.

DH full of a cold now too. DD seems brighter but still coughing/ snotty. We’re just playing with toys and currently watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special!

squishymamma · 26/11/2022 19:08

@AliasGrape sounds absolutely exhausting. I’d be booking myself a hotel room for the night after she’s well again!! Glad she’s on the mend.

DM and DSis are here which is lovely but exhausting, we went to the Christmas markets and DS1 who is now better but still exhausted from the illness wanted to go on all the rides, so he did (had been just about 48 hours from last sick) but then became overtired and had a meltdown because DH refused to buy him a toy. So I had to diffuse the situation. Plus other grouches as I’m a Scrooge and hate Christmas markets because they’re packed with people!

But anyway it’s nice to see them and DC are having a great time. DS1 is slowly getting back to normal as we get more food in him and DS2 is just loving life, he’s in that baby stage where his little face is just unbearably cute and I want to eat him.

No idea what to get them for Christmas now as have given all my ideas to my family, what are you all getting yours?

squishymamma · 28/11/2022 12:35

How is everyone doing?

Turns out both DC have hand foot and mouth…glad it’s not a stomach bug but man it’s tiring entertaining mildly ill kids and obviously they both got it the weekend my family were here! Fortunately DS1 is well and back in nursery today and DS2 is on the mend.

We have the Christmas tree light switch on at nursery on Thursday where we go round the tree and sing songs then have mulled (non alcoholic) wine so that’ll be nice. Otherwise not much planned this week!

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Chocolatetrifle · 01/12/2022 11:22

How is everyone getting on? Are the DC who have been poorly feeling better? My dS2 had tonsillitis but seems a lot better today. Not much to report from here, just usual routine of school and some work and getting sorted for dS2's birthday next week, ds1 has two class parties this weekend so lots of present buying at the moment. I'm sorted for Christmas it's all in the loft.. just need to get the decorations out and up after dS2's birthday. I'm TALT (tired all the time) as usual so keep going to bed before 9. Gosh, I'm so interesting! Please tell me your interesting news!!

squishymamma · 01/12/2022 17:42

@Chocolatetrifle sorry to hear you’ve had yet another round of tonsillitis! Hope it’s properly gone now. I’m also TALT, parenting is exhausting and Christmas doesn’t help!

My DC are doing much better though poor DS2 is still covered in spots. DH now has it so he’s been off work and feeling very sorry for himself. I’ve magically managed to stay healthy for now but I bet it’ll hit this weekend…

Struggling to find motivation to do stuff in the evenings when it’s dark and cold, we always come inside whereas in summer we’ll stay outside and play and then we end up with the tv on every night. Everyone is shattered from work/nursery…any tips on how to not rely on the tv??

Hope everyone has a good night.

AliasGrape · 01/12/2022 22:41

Sorry to hear of more illnesses @Chocolatetrifle and @squishymamma

DD is still not 100%. She went to childminders Monday but struggled (as did I, I felt particularly crap and full of a cold that day) and I ended up keeping her home Tuesday as she just seemed so pale and teary and the cough had really kicked off again. Bit better again now.

Today we went to one of our classes for the first time in nearly 2 weeks, then a few hours just in front of tv resting at home. We then nipped to Sainsbury’s and John Lewis (next to each other), needed a couple of cards for various things, and to pick up part of DH’s Christmas present. It was actually quite a lovely hour or so, did what we needed and then looked at all the different Christmas decorations/ trees etc. DD was really taken with some of the crazy baubles in JL, especially the dinosaur ones. I did consider buying one thinking ‘ooh maybe this could be a Christmas tradition every year’ but having just dropped £80’ in Sainsbury’s on what seems like sod all, I decided against a £10 dinosaur bauble in the end!

One of my niece’s is 16 today, she’s having a more grown up birthday party at the weekend but we had a family meal tonight in the pub with the soft play attached. DD in her element, she loves nothing more than charging around with all her cousins.

On a positive note - we are doing really well with potty training. I have been letting her use the potty if she seemed interested/ wanted to for ages now, and a few times I’ve thought ‘let’s just go for it’ only to chicken out when it comes to things like going out. But we started on Tuesday as she was home anyway I just didn’t put a nappy on her and she did all her wees on the potty all day, but then did a poo on the floor just before bedtime. Yesterday she was a bit more hit and miss with the wees. Today she hasn’t had a single accident and that includes when we’ve been out. I’m still putting nappies on for bedtime (and naps if they happen). She hasn’t had a poo since the floor incident though - so tomorrow might be interesting.

Motherofmonsters · 05/12/2022 07:31

Morning,

How is everyone, I hope the illness has passed for everyone.

Sorry I've been quiet I've had the worst cold ever, it totally knocked everything out of me. I'm only now feeling better.

Well done on the potty training @AliasGrape I need to get DD potty trained but I never seem to be home for long enough.

We had a good day yesterday, DH took DS to rugby and then picked up the Christmas tree. It ended up being bushier than we expected so the whole front room has been rearranged but it looks glorious.

DD has nursery today so just me and DS in the morning and then he's off to School in the afternoon. He's got a TA for the whole afternoon now and they've made him a 'bespoke' timetable. He seems to be enjoying school again.

He's got the school Christmas show to perform in this week so that should be interesting.. were going on the second day so I'm really hoping he can cope with it.

Hope everyone has a good day

OP posts:
napody · 05/12/2022 09:43

Love it. They're entertaining, affectionate, helpful (8 and 5). Would love to freeze time.

AliasGrape · 06/12/2022 08:17

Morning all. That’s so positive re your DS @Motherofmonsters - so glad he’s more settled at school and fingers crossed for the performance.

We’re still in bed after an utterly awful night sleep wise. Things had been settling into quite a good routine of late, she’d mostly dropped the nap then was going down a bit earlier and sleeping pretty well. Yesterday at childminders she had the full hour nap (has always napped like some kind of textbook baby for CM) and just would not go down last night at all, then woke up every hour then stayed awake (with bouts of absolutely hysterical sobbing) from 2.30 to 5.30. I have to get her up and get her to CM in a bit as have quite a bit of work, but have said will leave it till after CM has finished school run just to give her that bit longer - maybe the wrong thing as out of routine again but she must be so so shattered, I know I am.

Chocolatetrifle · 06/12/2022 13:51

Oh no @AliasGrape , that's an awful night, hope tonight is better and you are getting through the day. Was anything bothering her to keep waking her up? How old is she again? Is she getting molars?

@Motherofmonsters i was really pleased to read that your DS.is more settled at school. Hope you feel better after your cold.

We are doing ok. I've probably broken a toe as a drawer fell straight on it, it looks like a swollen pigs in blanket. We've been to the garden centre again, we frequent them even more than usual at this time of year!!

AliasGrape · 06/12/2022 14:09

Thanks @Chocolatetrifle - She's 2 and 4 months. She doesn't have all her molars yet so could be that I guess, and she also hasn't had a poo in 4 days now so she must be quite uncomfortable - however wasn't complaining about anything hurting (or asking for medicine as she always does if she does recognise something hurting/ or even if not - girl is obsessed with calpol). She kept saying she wanted to go downstairs, and when that wasn't happening she wanted a light on and got hysterical when DH closed the bedroom door saying 'daddy put the light off' and that she didn't want the 'dark' on. Also, we have an advent calendar with pockets in, we've been putting something small in each night for her to find in the morning, last night she kept asking about it and I said she could have it when she woke up, and this morning when she did wake up she immediately started going on about it, so I'm wondering if she was thinking she wanted to go down in the night and see what it was? We might take it away actually, see if that helps!

On the plus side potty training (of wees at least) seems to be sorted - not a single accident yesterday at childminders and I've just heard none up to now today either. I keep thinking - that can't be it surely?! Hope I'm not speaking too soon.

squishymamma · 06/12/2022 16:00

@AliasGrape hope you’ve managed to survive through today, it’s rubbish when they don’t sleep. DS1 also went through something like this, for him it was a kind of separation anxiety and that he was a little scared of waking up and being on his own. It got better over time but every now and then he does the same then we just have to sleep in his room…Fingers crossed you’re done with potty training, it sounds promising!

@Chocolatetrifle sorry about your toe but your Christmas themed simile did make me laugh! I bet the garden centres are lovely this time of year.

Everyone is pretty much over hand foot and mouth now and back to normal. DS2 (11 months) has learned how to wave and shake his head to say no and he thinks he’s hilarious so that’s been amusing. Apart from when he decides to practice shaking his head while breastfeeding…!

My DP are coming this weekend and we’re considering going to a Christmas market but I don’t know if I will survive it as the crowds are intense and everything is more stressful with DC. Am I a Grinch or do others feel the same? Otherwise I’m struggling to come up with Christmas themed activities, need to have a good Pinterest session I think.

AliasGrape · 06/12/2022 16:17

Ouch yes sorry, how 'me me me' of me (or DD DD DD) - I'm also sorry to hear about your toe @Chocolatetrifle ! Garden centres are a good shout - we've not done one yet this Christmas - there's 2 near us that have a lovely little train in the grounds too.

Glad all on the mend at yours too @squishymamma I don't think you're grinchy at all! DH and I were planning to go to the christmas markets near us tomorrow as we've both got the afternoon off, I've just told him I can't be arsed and can't we just go for a pub lunch then get the tree up instead.

I don't think I've ever been less organised or less in the mood for Christmas when we've been hosting - including a relative from abroad. We're redecorating the bedrooms and there's shit everywhere and we all STILL have colds and I'm just not feeling it at all.

Chocolatetrifle · 11/12/2022 09:56

How is everyone getting on?
@AliasGrape it's totally fine to not be in the mood for Christmas, there's so much pressure for perfect this and perfect that sometimes.

We are ok, it was dS2's 3rd birthday and we had a nice day. Today we are visiting Santa.
We had snow yesterday, quite unusual for the north west so we did make a sort of snowman. Glad for the children as they've not seen much of it in their lifetimes yet really.
My toe is still really sore 😔. This week is the last weekend of term for ds1 and his nativity play on Tuesday, looking forward to it. Toddler club Christmas party tomorrow too. Need to fit in as much work as possible before ds1 finishes on Friday
Hope everyone is ok.

BEE08 · 11/12/2022 11:54

Hi all, I have been busy with work and DS has been more tried this week as grandparents are away so he did an extra day at nursery, as they normal would have him and couldn’t this week.

Unfortunately due to the cold weather my Asthma is really not good this weekend, so a quiet day for us today. Last week we went to a Christmas messy play which was lovely and saw Father Christmas and next week we are going to a Christmas train ride with Grandparents, one of his Aunts and Uncle and 2 of his cousins which will be lovely.

@Chocolatetrifle i hope your toe feels better soon.@AliasGrape lunch out sounds lovely.

AliasGrape · 11/12/2022 19:37

Hope your DS had a lovely birthday and you all enjoyed the Santa visit today @Chocolatetrifle

Train ride sounds lovely @BEE08

Well we are slowly getting somewhere with the decorating upstairs - house still in total disarray but the end is in sight. And we did get our tree up earlier in the week which has helped me feel a little more festive.

There were carols around the tree in a little public garden thing in our town yesterday. I wanted to take DD but with one thing and another in the morning we only ended up making it for the last verse of the last carol! It had snowed though so DD just enjoyed messing about in the 2mm of snow that had settled.

Today we went to see Father Christmas at the farm at a nearby national trust place. Was lovely and has definitely put me in a slightly more festive mood. As well as seeing the man himself, we got to make a little reindeer food bag up, a few little rides and we visited all the animals and there was a choir singing in the barn which DD loved dancing along to.

Chocolatetrifle · 14/12/2022 14:17

Hi folks, how are you?
We had a nice visit to Santa but despite booking a time we had to wait 50 mins which was too long for them really but they seemed to still enjoy it. DS1s first nativity was lovely and he did well with his line.
dS2 has been vomiting in the night but seems to have settled we will see. Have had the washing machine and tumble dryer on all day getting all the bedding clean so no doubt that has cost about £50.
Hope everyone is ok

Motherofmonsters · 14/12/2022 17:32

Glad they enjoyed Santa @Chocolatetrifle 50 minutes is a long time for little people.
Hope the sickness stays gone for you.

We went to see Santa on Sunday, MIL booked up a carriage on a steam train and then you see Santa after. They liked seeing him, DD wasn't scared of him and they both asked to sit on his knee for a photo. DD asked him for a new hat and dress and then got extremely upset when we opened the presents from him and there were no hats and dresses.
DS asked for a new Optimus prime transformer... I've been frantically trying to find one, managed to get one on Vinted so hopefully it'll turn up else the Elves will be writing an IOU.

I'm counting down to bedtime today, not really been a rough day just ready for some quiet.

OP posts:
squishymamma · 15/12/2022 12:53

Hi all, hope you’re all okay. How is DS2 @Chocolatetrifle?

Sounds like a lot of Christmas activities are going on which is nice. We’ve finally bought our very first Christmas tree, a real one, and the kids have been surprisingly uninterested in it. DS2 did chew a bauble covered in fake velvet though so that got ruined.

Today DS1 is home from nursery with diarrhoea and generally exhausted and limp, DH and I are doing half a day each as I had meetings in the morning and I’m praying he feels better soon as I’m rubbish with sickness. DS2 has a cold and so has been up half the night, eventually sleeping on top of DH who propped himself up with pillows (he’s a keeper). It’s the most wonderful time of the year eh…

Going to try and find some Christmas activities to do with DS2 when he comes home so DS1 doesn’t get mithered to death. Hope everyone is having a good day!

Chocolatetrifle · 17/12/2022 20:40

Hi everyone, well that sickness bug has gone through us all but all better now thank you. We've had two school parties today with luckily both boys went to.
I've not wrapped any Christmas presents yet,but have DH birthday first to sort on Tuesday.
How is everyone?
Can't believe this time last year @squishymamma you were about to pop! Where has this year gone and so nice really the thread has kept going all this time.
Any more ideas for keeping the kids busy over the hols?

AliasGrape · 18/12/2022 08:39

Hope your DSs are both feeling better @squishymamma Glad you’re all recovered too @Chocolatetrifle

Urgh I’m over tired and overwhelmed right now. I need to get out a long and boring moan - please feel free to ignore the little self pitying ramble - it’s all fine really I’m just so tired it seems insurmountable at the moment.

Was working Monday and (some of) Tuesday. Also had to do mad dashes around shops to get curtains (picked almost at random to be honest) for kitchen and bedroom, a mattress for the single bed so my aunt will have somewhere to sleep when she arrives this week, and all the Christmas shit for hosting.

Then in Wed evening I went down south for an all day meeting, followed by Christmas do. Travelled with a colleague who was doing the driving. Meeting/ do all fine although I drank too much despite being determined not to. Plan was to set off early Friday to come home but colleague had to deal with some calls etc before he could set off, so we left at 9.30. Then on the way we got a call that there was an emergency that needed to be dealt with and as it was on our way he had to say he’d go (he’s an engineer and it was a safety issue.) I sat outside in the van freezing whilst he sorted it - none of it was my remit obviously, hard to imagine a content writing emergency 😂. So between traffic and that taking a long time to sort it was 7.30pm when I got home - frozen, still hungover, hadn’t eaten since a banana at 8am and coming down with the lurgy.

So now I have another cold/ virus full of snot, phlegm and a really sore throat. House still a shit tip. Front bedroom (1 of the 2 we have) is now carpeted and painted though so that’s a bonus. Yesterday managed to get a bed, a wardrobe and curtains in and up. Rest of the tiny house still covered in all the stuff we took out of there including DH’s disassembled work desk, all our clothes taken out of the crappy old wardrobe/ drawers which were literally collapsing and have had to be ripped, the mattress from the old bed that needs disposing of now, various ladders and trays of paint etc. Back bedroom which had been DD’s and mine is now the unusable one as it’s full of all the stuff we need to sort and rehome - hope to get that sorted today. Last night we slept together for the first time in I don’t know how long, with DD on a mattress on the floor - as this will be how it has to be till my aunt goes home in the new year as plan is for her to have the single/ DD’s room once I’ve cleared all the stuff. Anyway it was an unmitigated disaster and DD probably slept for a total of 4 hours broken into half hour slots. So that was fun and probably needs a rethink as can’t live like this till January.

Two really full on days of work next week including an exam, one day of no childcare in which I’ll somehow need to get the house straight and then aunt arrives and we’re into Christmas.

I had got a box out with loads of Christmas crafts, baking stuff etc for the start of Dec thinking we’d do lots throughout the month. We’ve done bugger all and probably won’t now. Feel like this should have been the magical Christmas - first time DD has been really interested and excited, but I’m hating it so far to be honest.

Stayingstrongish · 18/12/2022 11:00

@AliasGrape hugs - it’s so hard when you’re ill, get no sleep and then have to look after a small energy vampire.

Stayingstrongish · 18/12/2022 11:02

I’ve tried to get the kids to play together this morning but only managed twenty minutes before tears, arguments and rolling about on the floor screeching. Miserable rain out so probably going to spend most of the day watching kids tv under a blanket.

squishymamma · 18/12/2022 17:14

Oh no @Chocolatetrifle at least you got through the bug before Christmas! Fingers crossed you all stay well now. I’m also struggling to think of what to do to keep the kids occupied, maybe some baking and find some crafts. It’s properly snowed here too so maybe some sledding too…

@AliasGrape we are here to listen to exactly these things! Sounds like a very exhausting week. I hope you feel better soon. Did DD sleep worse because you weren’t next to her? We sleep with DS2 squeezed in between DH and I, we only have 2 bedrooms so needs must!

@Stayingstrongish that actually sounds like quite a nice day, sometimes you just need a nothing day.

We’ve been alright, DS1 had 3 days of diarrhoea but seems to have gotten over it now. DS2 has started with a bad cough so we’ll see how much sleep I get tonight! One more week of work before a little rest, that’ll be nice. We had a family birthday party for DS2 today which was nice and we will space his presents out over this week and then the Christmas presents over the week after so they don’t get too overwhelmed!

I’m knackered constantly so going to cut down on the caffeine and start trying to eat better as I suspect that isn’t helping. Plus drink more than 2 glasses of water a day!! Health kick anyone??

AliasGrape · 18/12/2022 18:44

Thank you @Stayingstrongish and @squishymamma

I had a word with myself after my moan-athon and just cracked on with the bedroom sorting. DD’s is actually ok now, and a bit more like ‘hers’ with more of her toys and books in there and most of my stuff out. The single bed it set up and the cot is still in there but currently full of presents (hidden under covers) as it’s the one place she’s not likely to ever be/ look 🙄 After Christmas we’re going to add the rainbow bedding and curtains I’ve bought, and some other nice accessories and make it all special for her. Plan is to try the cot with the side off but there’s a single bed in there too if one of us needs to sleep in with her.

Front/ our bedroom is rapidly filling up with the crap we took out of it to decorate. We are going to try a double mattress on the floor tonight to see if that helps, and if not I could I guess sleep with her on it. I know I should be trying the cot etc again now that room is usable again but will have to change again in a few days so might as well do this and then a fresh start in Jan.

This afternoon I did manage to make some Christmas cookies with DD but not gonna lie, there’s been A LOT of Bing in this house today.

Hope your DS2 is ok and cough gets better squishy