To think "Ah, bless!" at people trying to entertain a baby/todder over the LONG summer.

[LynetteScavo]

I will entertain your baby for you, if you will have my 13yo DS, 9yo DS and 6yo DD.

I will even pay you/offer you a weekly spa session.

Come and slate me, and tell me how difficult it is to entertain one toddler over the summer.

Nailak. Yes, ours used to and usually for 8 weeks not 6. I wasn't one to spend my days touring all the baby and toddler activities but it was nice to have a few things to attend.

I agree with BB. It's really not difficult to entertain a toddler but it is frustrating when we can't go about our normal routines because parents of school-aged children don't know how to "entertain" them.

I'm only off one day a week with my 2 yo, and know that I won't bother going swimming when the schools are off because of the bigger kids crashing into us (mucking about - not malicious). Even the playgrounds are less pleasant when surrounded by whinging teenagers turfed out by their parents, when they would prefer lying on their beds with their phones and TVs.

The only place that is improved by the schools being off is the beach nearby, as there are loads more kids to play with and plenty of space - but the way this summer is going, that might not work out this year.

I do remember the mild panic I once had, realising toddler group, baby gym, singing etc was closed for 7, sometimes 8 weeks, but funnily enough I was able to entertain my toddler with the park, a can of shaving foam and "weeding" otherwise known as pulling up the entire garden, and visiting freinds for coffe. We survived. It was cheep. (No car for us in those days)

I long for the days when standing on a railway bridge for 3 hours kept my toddler entertained.

Apparently I now have to practice cursive writing, "take DSs to cricket somewhere "I need a willy guard" go to the skate park, where DD will be very bored, buy more hamma ( the best bit of the summer) explaine why I can't afford to pay to football camp, basket ball camp and go to proper cricket "where they wear cricket whites" and have sleepovers (Who the feck inveted sleepovers????I want to go back in time and kill you so they don't exist."

As I said, give me your toddler who spends 12 hours out of 24 asleep, and I will entertain them with endless finger painting, paddling pools, chocolate crispy making and reading Each Peach Pear Plum. >

Nailak, yes my local children's centre closes for the summer, as do swimming lessons and music classes.

Entertaining older DCs is easy- if I remember my childhood well I would play out every day with my friends. I am one of 4 kids and my lovely late grandma managed to have us and our 2 cousins most days, unless we were at play scheme. I also managed to wash, dress, feed myself and walk unassisted to wherever I was going unlike most babies or toddlers.

I shall gladly swap my 17 month and 5 month old who incedentally are a pain in the ass all year long not just for a few short months for your (capable of feeding themselves and going to the toilet for themselves) children. I used to love nannying for older children- total cake walk. Can't even go outside here because the sun is too fierce for the youngest :(

lynette don't your DCs have friends?

school holidays makes it easier i think. i have preschool-toddler-baby age range and term time is a pain because of nursery drop off times which only gives u a narrow window to go anywhere, get anything done so holidays is good.

will be going to childrens centre, which is not closed for most of the summer. but if everything is closed then it does get hard, so can sympathise if that is the case for some people that all their groups and activities close for 6-8 weeks!!!

i would have thought older children are easier tbh but then as my oldest is only 4 i dont really know. but there seems like more options available once they are all out of the baby stage, like cinema, bowling and all those kinda things as well as being more able to entertain themselves?

Ah, enjoy your rose-tinted glasses then.

Well well my children's centre is open all the way through so my new baby group in my brand new building will continue.

As will my buggy walking group

Just err need to get rid of ds(6) to somewhere

There are easy bits, and difficult bits of having children of any age, surely.

I wish someone had done that for me, but they didn't.

Toddlers= work of the Devil

My youngest is 21 and I STILL GO ARRRRGGHHH

I posted earlier this week about how to keep my toddler entertained for an afternoon. This is not anything to do with the holidays. We don't go to any organised toddler groups so we're not missing any of that. It's mostly to do with DS being unwell recently plus the rain so we are stuck in the bloody house day after day. And my one eats paint. Or playdough. Or colouring pens. And there's only so much cbeebies I can watch.

I'm not disputing that you are having a more difficult summer than I am, but at least your children will sometimes concentrate on one activity for longer than 15 minutes.

I'm definitely going to miss the naps when they stop though!

Not all toddlers sleep for 12 out of 24 hours. Many still don't sleep through. Mine gets up around 5am on a good day. I have toddler, pre-school and school age dc. The school age is, for me, the easiest as she spends all day reading or playing in the garden. The pre-schooler will amuse himself to a great extent and these two play together beautifully. The baby wants to walk all day (he cant- i have to lead him round, back breaking) and is just learning to tantrum if he doesn't get his own way. DH will work at least 12 hours a day, 5 days a week all summer, no holiday for us this year.

All children (and all families) are different. What is difficult for one is easy for another.

Yes, my DCs have freinds. Lots. Which involves them trashing my house and garden. sans parents and having sleepovers. (I am due to invite children here for the night. Give me strength. And Redbull)

I fecking love my rose tinted glasses.

I'm at home with a toddler this summer - easy peasy! (have other kids too)

Naps? Oh, I am feeling smug now. I have been known to put a DVD on for the DC lock the front door, and have a quick nap on the sofa.

Not advisable with a 3 year old.

I'm almost looking forward to it now.

Even better we could let your DC entertain my toddler and we can go down the pub!

My favourite way to entertain my toddler is to borrow my niece and nephew to keep her busy :)

i will lend you my just turned 4. when he has bitten you, scratched you, headbutted you and beaten up his big sister, you will want yours back.

My children at 5 and 3 are much easier to entertain than when they were 3 and 1
Basically because I can throw them in the garden, they can actually properly play with each other and the older one no longer does laps of the house at full speed (too often)
and they both love the awful Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

gamerwidow, if my DC treat your 3yo the same way they treat our cats, it may not me advisable. They do love the cats, but they cat's don't really want to be dragged around and have tea parties or sit in a tipi.

The pub does sound enticing, though.

Do you know of any which aren't near canals? (Why do they do that? Who though "I'll put a pub next to a canal so a toddler can wonder in/a teenager can do a stunt on the lock and fall in While their parents have a nice cold alcoholic drink or 10?" Not well thought through, IMO)

I have 8,5,3,1 and 5 month olds. The three little one are home all year (3yr old starts nursery in september) the day with just those three is quite pain free. Add the older two and it gets more stressful because of just one things and thats bickering. Babies dont bicker the 8 and 5 year old all they seem to do lately is argue! So i spend most of the day distracting them from that.

Well I can't wait for the holidays! No rushing around, panicking because we're out of bread and yoghurt; hanging around for activities. My children are very active and very full on but I'm sure we'll be fine. can't wait to stay in our pjs all day too they are 6, 4 and 2.

I can't believe how much you are all complaining!

redwhiteandblueeyedsusan - It sounds to me as if you are getting down on the same level as your 4yo. There is a reason adults are taller than children. Stand up women, do NOT physically get down and try and reason with him - yes I know the books say to do this.

(Been there, done that, got the 4yo hand print on the side of my face)