to not know what to do?

[natandjacob]

Tried posting this elsewhere but didnt get much of a response so thought i'd be cheeky and try it here!

Might sound a bit weird but i dont really know what to do with DS who is 1 year old. He seems to be quite bored as we live in a small flat and have a small yard at the bottom of some very steep steps. he's the sort of child that wont sit still for anything and im having trouble entertaining him. can anyone reccommend any games or anything to do with him as nothing seems to keep his interest for long.

I take him to play groups about 3 mornings a week and sometimes take him swimming but the rest of the time im struggling to fill our days with things to do when the weather is rubbish. I feel really guilty that sometimes the telly is on all day, i feel like i should be doing more with him but i just dont know what :(

everything, do everything together. when you wash up give him a plastic bowl with water and bubbles and a spoon to clean. he can hand you pegs while you hang out clothes. go for lots of long walks together, and let him fall asleep in your arms at nap time.

When Ds was a 1year old I found that anything creative and messy fulfilled his days stuck indoors. Just be careful of your Walls!

having them watch telly for a while isnt the end of the world providing he does other things too, also my kids love playing in the rain providing they have wellies and coats on

Colouring? Just scrap paper and crayons and let him scribble?

Splashing in puddle when raining? (get him dressed up for that though, if you can afford it, get an all-in-one rainsuit from Mothercare when the summer ends)

Reading books together? I mean books suitable to his age, but my Mum used to sit with my DS at this age and read her newspaper and point things out to him, like a picture of a car, a lady, a tree, - when she was babysitting him, it gave her a chance for a cuppa and a read of her newspaper)

Oh yes, my DS also loved (and still does), cooking! I gave him a pan, and some dry pasta, and a wooden spoon, and he would 'cook'.

I second the recommendation of letting him 'help' you, while you get chores done.

And don't worry, it won't last long, when they start talking they will quite happily tell you want they want to do!

Good luck.

xx

Best toddler purchase I ever made was an all in one waterproof. They come up on ebay quite a lot. We went for 'wet walks'. Still do, actually! (And, of course, one for you!) And watch out if you go on the slide in the rain while wearing it...

And I agree with the do everything together. And then when it's too dangerous/annoying for him to help, the telly can go on!

I found a book in the street once called 'Creative Play' by a woman called Dorothy Einon. It seems to have been written in the 70s - don't know if it's still in print.

Had some really excellent suggestions for active stuff to do inside, including one hilarious section where she suggests putting a plank on the stairs and using it as a slide. Pah to your health and safety! (We've done it and it was awesome. Not to be used unsupervised, we found, unsurprisingly!)

Get him lots of cardboard boxes (shops give them away). All sizes are useful. Large ones are houses, castles etc, smallesr ones he can sit in become cars, boats. Put wings on one and he can pretend to fly it! A whole row of them joined together a become a train. Maybe some of these are for when he is a bit older. Usually at this age they just like putting things into and out of boxes, and ripping them up.

You can paint them, and scribble on them and then chuck them out.

My DH used to be intensely irritated with the cardboard "cities" that my DC built and then refused to throw away.

Happy days!

thank you so much for the advice! will definately be trying some of these suggestions out now and saving some for when he's older. i think he's just at a tricky age at the moment.
can i ask what age your dc's where able to walk nicely alongside you outside without stopping to look at every tiny thing on the ground??

Walking nicely.... er... about 4 with my DS1, and DS2 at 21 months is still a pavement inspector.

Someone here talked about "Alfie" days and it was a lovely expression of having simple days with a toddler, (based on the books by Shirley Hughes), they're days when you do a bit of washing, walk to the shops and the park to feed the ducks and that's about it. They don't need much, it is us who find it boring sometimes.

I find if I am moving about doing jobs my kids work around me, can join in etc... whereas if I am staring at the telly or internet they want to climb over me to get my attention (which is fair enough I suppose).

Lots and lots of chalk for the yard if you have slabs in it - or a bowl of water and a paintbrush and he can "paint" the slabs with water.

OP!! :) my DD still looks at everything ( not on the ground like little ones but she 'takes her time' when we are out! ) and she's nearly 8!!
Just allow more time. Are you bored OP? I used to get very worried that I wasn't doing enough but I bet you are.. If you are not at work just make a daily routine and as someone else said, one year olds will play with all sorts of 'boring' things- boxes are a favourite!!

Natandjacob, he's developing an interest in the world when he stops and looks at everything. I wouldn't discourage that, just allow a lot of extra time to get anywhere.

Check out play at home Mom some lovely ideas - and I'm not much of a 'playing' sort of Mum.

I am a bit bored like, i feel like its transfering on to him. think i need to find a part time job so i feel like i have a bit more to my life than singing old macdonald 100 million times a day!

do you have a library near you? i found that i could take dd there, let her look at loads of board books, while I sat and dozed gently watched her. also gave me a chance to get some books for me & pick up ideas from books about bringing up kids.

if i followed that with a drink/feeding ducks etc, it was half a day out for just a few pence.

dd is almost 8 & I still can't get her to walk anywhere without 1,000 interruptions - it's just part of being a kid.

Glad you asked - so much better than sitting there fretting. I'm not the sahm type, and found that age hard to entertain. i used to have chores done by 10, then something planned, even if only going to buy bread. dd refused to watch tv at that age so there wasn't even that option.

Me too kickassangel I left the house at 10 am until about 1pm every day- just in time for lunch and DD nap !!!
We would go to town, park, library, swimming, playgroup, just about anywhere just to get out..
It stopped the four walls closing in on us!!

Right ok... 'play at home mum' makes me feel like a crap mum with the 'at home montissori nursery' thing going on... But good ideas non- the-less!! :o

joric - I kind of know what you mean, but I try to see it as some helpful ideas I haven'thad time to think of rather than umm you're a bit shit if you're not doing all this on a daily basis....

Do you have any mum mates who can come over or you go over there. The friends I made at baby group and I used to get together at each others houses for company.

Some replication of other's great ideas- I do a trip to library, go food shopping, walk in the rain, go to toy libarary at family centre. We also do everything together - washing up, hanging out washing, making beds. Put some water/custard/rice/flour in bottom of bath and let them muck about in it in just a nappy. Make dinner together- they can sit on the kitchen top and 'help'.

Sometimes I just sit on sofa watching shit afternoon TV while I get climbed on/made cups of tea/hit on head with a balloon - you don;t need to be on it all the time

"Helping" with everything you do - washing up, making beds, dusting etc. My DSs used to love that. Agree with collecting boxes - DS 2 made the entire set of Thomas the Tank engine out of egg boxes and the centres of loo rolls when he was 2-3 ish. Just taking the time on walks to talk about what you see - look at things through their eyes. Yes, going to the library to choose books. Going round small local shops getting to know people there. Oh, I miss those days now my two are 19 and 21!