to not have my toddler in any structured activities at all

[microfight]

I have my DS in nursery 2 mornings a week but many of the other toddlers, in fact I think all of them do something else, some do lots of structured activities during the week like tumble tots, ballet, etc etc.
It's not a money issue but I just don't want to be committed to carting my DS to structured activities on time when we'll be doing that when he's older for years. I prefer to take the day as it comes and go on a bike ride or meet people for lunch. Is he missing out?

YANBU - he's at nursery where they clearly do structured activities. He may just need more time to get used to the structured stuff. If he wasn't at nursery and you wanted him introduced to children in a group setting before pre-school, then an hour or two a week would be fine.

I do take my only DC out to toddlers group (unstructured), swimming class (structured) and signing (half-structured / half-play) so 1 hr 15mins structured per week - this does benefit me, but also DC who has come on leaps and bounds socially over a few months, having been very shy.

My DH is an only, and was kept at home with little contact with other children until handed over at the school gates by weeping mother and grandmother. DH is very keen that DC doesn't get the same shock to the system and wants DC to be comfortable with being in a group setting from an earlier age.

This thread annoys me so much ! At which point were young parents made to feel guilty if not every waking moment with their small children had to be "structured" ?

Way back when I had a small child, husband working abroad and myself setting up a business never entered my head that I was being anything other than a good enough parent.

Of course he went to the usual nursery / playgroup stuff, of course his little friends came around , of course we played in the park, swam in the sea, had picnics but .......

There were times when he had to cope with a couple of cardboard boxes, felt tip pens , kiddy scissors , pasta shapes and a bit of glue.

Being bored is no great sin I feel. Almost the Mother of Invention !

Entirely up to you, I'd say!
I take DS (3.4) to Little Kickers football, because he shows aptitude in kicking the ball and loves it.
We go to playgroup twice a week because we both need to get out and meet people and we enjoy it
I take him to dance classes (tap and jazz) because he seemed to enjoy dancing at home - and he loves them.

I took him to gymbabes and tumbletots because he had trouble crawling and I wanted to encourage him - once he walked, he crawled as well but he enjoyed the equipment there so we continued going.

I took him to babyswimming because I wanted him to swim underwater with no fear - that didn't work but at least he got the idea of how to swim from it.

If he didn't enjoy any of his activities (apart from playgroup) I wouldn't take him. No sense in forcing him into any of it.

I'm so glad you asked this question. I am a first time mother and have been getting it in the ear from my relatives that dd 'has' to go to x,y,z or she will be antisocial. I know they are wrong from just looking at her but when it's constant nagging advising, the doubts do creep in.

Thumbbunny
Just out of interest did the gym babes actually help or speed up his crawling? I am just interested whether these 'classes' actually teach toddlers things? If they do then perhaps I am wrong not to bother?

well, it may have helped him to walk quicker! I don't know. He tried crawling but didn't honestly get the hang of it until he could walk properly. But he had a lovely time - at the time we didn't do any other group things because I hadn't joined any AN or PN groups, knowing that I would be emigrating soon enough, so it was the only socialising with other toddlers that he did.
They do action songs at gymbabes/tumbletots as well - he loved that bit!