If you're at home with small children, what do you do all day?

[BelleSauvage9]

Dd2 just turned 1 and am 25 weeks pregnant. I'll only be back at work for about 10 weeks (and only doing 1 day a week) before I'm on maternity leave again. So a long stint of being at home all day every day!

I'm finding myself so bored and would like to feel like I'm at least being productive! I obviously do housework during the day and entertain dd but would like something I can do for myself that's not watching tv or scrolling on fb or Mumsnet. I feel like all the things I think of doing just aren't really feasible with the level of interruptions of having a 1 year old! I like crafty and creative things, but they take time and (often messy) supplies and aren't the easiest for lots of interruptions. I enjoy crosswords and word puzzles and have been doing some but get bored after a while. I'm struggling to read atm but normally love that.

So what do you do to entertain yourself during the day with small children? Or am I destined to just spend the next couple of years being bored and not having any hobbies of my own?! (I can do hobbies in the evening but usually only get an hour or 2 once Dd1 has gone to bed and that's the only alone time with dp). Thanks for any and all suggestions 😊 bonus points if it's something I enjoy that can be done WITH dd2!

I had two years between my kids. When DS2 was born, I worked part time evenings. So was 'home in the day'. In reality, we were never home. We went out everyday.

Soft play had free days on Mondays for under 5s (suppose that has long gone now thanks to Covid). Nature parks, the park, the woods, the zoo had a annual pass that was £15 a month. Play groups. Craft events at cafes etc.

Your eldest is coming to an age where the nice long naps etc are coming to an end. They will want more interaction and to play with you. Or follow you around the house like a shadow. So you will soon find your days getting fuller.

On the rare days we stayed home, I would do stuff like painting, drawing, set some toys out and let them play, read to them etc. But my limit was staying home once a week!

I have a 4yo and 9mo. When I just have DD2, I take her to an activity in the mornings, then the afternoons tend to be nap time, feeding boring chores and errands. Regular activities are baby gym, children's centre, toddler group, music class, swimming, messy play and soft play. I don't do many planned activities at home with DD - just spontaneous singing, exploring cupboards, dance, painting and sensory play.

I don't really have time for anything for myself during the day! I have a bit of time when they're in bed, but I use it for catching up on admin and planning days out/holidays etc. I plan to pick up on hobbies once DD2 is in pre-school from 2.5 years- I've accepted that I won't have time for it right now.

Thanks for replies. Both pretty much stuff to do with the children so I guess I do indeed just have to accept that I won't be doing anything for me any time soon.

We go to rhyme time once a week and are trying out a new group later this week. All the soft plays near me have awful baby areas (nothing in them really!), so figured she needs to be a bit bigger before they're worth it. I'm about to take her out to the park for a bit. I don't have any mum friends (with young children, I have mum friends linked to Dd1 but she's much older) and I find it a bit meh going out just the baby and I for walks etc, would be more enjoyable if I had some adult company. Other things obviously cost money which I don't have a lot of.

Swimming is also one we'll definitely be doing more soon, I just don't like swimming in the colder months! So we'll probably start doing that once a week from next month

I go swimming by myself once DD is in bed a couple of evenings a week, used to go for a sauna too but can't as I'm pregnant atm. It's nice to just have that bit of alone time and chill out if we've had a busy day.

Reading. Get a kindle and make a list of books you'd like to read. You can snuggle with baby on the sofa and try to ignore your toddler for as long as they will play with their toys.

Swimming/gym. Try to find a pool/gym with a creche and stick them in a couple of days a week so you get some time to yourself.

If you want to do crafty stuff, you've just got to work out the logistics over it. Either put your toddler in a playpen or (perhaps more realistic) put yourself and your supplies in a playpen so the toddler can't reach them.

It's unrealistic to expect a 1 year old not to be constantly interrupting you, but I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to carve some time out in short bursts for yourself during the day and start encouraging your DC to play independently.

Part time here.

We go to either a toddler group (cheapy church hall types), or a class each morning I'm not working. I usually stay out with her over lunchtime - cafe or I take lunch with us. Afternoons either library, park, soft play, baking or arty stuff at home.

In terms of what I do for myself during the day - not much! In the days when she napped it was pretty much contact naps only (in which case I might watch a box set, read my kindle or play word games on my phone). Sometimes she'd nap in a moving pram so I would go for walks and listen to a podcast or audiobook. I've maybe done parenting wrong but still at 2.5 she definitely requires constant attention and input. She might do stuff alongside me - e.g. I went through a phase of sticking exercise stuff on youtube and getting her to bounce along with me, or she'd dig/ mess in the water tray in the garden whilst I pottered about out there, but I wouldn't be able to do anything that required any level of uninterrupted concentration.

I did make one or two mum friends through the baby/ play groups I mentioned so I'd meet up with them sometimes.

Any time to pursue own interests is either evenings or weekends when DH can take over (and obviously has to be shared with him getting some time, and us all getting time as a family).

Hey! My advice is to use the napping time for you - whatever you get. I'm trying to write a book with an 8 month old. I just walk the dog and tidy etc while he's awake and then when he naps that's my time. I may only get an hour here or there but you'll find you use that hour more efficiently once you get used to it.

You mention you like crafts etc. So maybe set up a place or find a way to get crafts out and away quickly. If you've got a spare room turn it into "your" space. Then you don't need to put stuff away all the time and it's easier to be creative. Stress to your partner too that you need a space thats easy to access and just for you.

You can also listen to audiobooks while you're walking. I've listened to Stephen Fry narrate Harry Potter far too many times. I enjoy walking though. Just come back from a 15km hike with baby and dog. Not sure if that helps. I find the days fly by at the moment!

Do you have any friends with similar aged kids? I was lucky with my NCT and other friends, so any child activity, trip to the park etc could double as a coffee/walk/chat with friends. I think this saved my sanity for the most part, especially on my second mat leave. You can't just feed in front of the TV like you can with the first. We definitely had an activity out of the house every day, to fit in with naps, and the structure helped a lot.

I don't think you'll really be looking for things to fill the time when you have two to look after. You should definitely carve out the odd hour to yourself at the weekends etc though and let your partner take the kids to give you a break.

I think your question was what do mums do for themselves, rather than the dc which is what people are answering!

Mine was easy, because my hobbies are exercise so my mat leaves were a lovely chance to get loads of exercise. I walked a lot, ran a lot, did those buggy blitz exercise classes, I remember going swimming and popping dc in one of those floating things and I'd push them up and down working on my leg kick. Also this one exercise class where we used baby as our weight!

I work PT now but when I was on mat leave I had a bit of a rota of groups like village play groups and soft play/garden centres/ in good weather it’s the park and walks.

I left the house everyday for at least 3 hours or went crazy.
I live in a city so lots of playgroups to go to. I would meet up with friends I made through the various groups for lunch once a week, then a picnic in a park or in the countryside once a week, then a trip to another city/a beach etc once a fortnight. We would do it cheap as possible (picnic, bring own coffee, look out for offers and free events). In the summer we brave camping for a night or two midweek (less busy).
In the house tried as much as possible to get them to play by themselves (I hate small world play as it is soooo dull), arts and crafts, naps when young enough, jigsaws, sorting activities (beans into sizes etc) , read books etc I was very anal about screens so none until they were about 2 and a half and then very restricted. The more they had the worse they were at self entertaining anyway.