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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

81 replies

LynetteScavo · 11/07/2012 21:06

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.

OP posts:
LiegeAndLief · 11/07/2012 22:10

"Give me your toddler who sleeps for 12 hours out of 24" ha ha ha ha!

Can I give you mine, who sleeps for about 9 hours out of 24?

Having said that, I also have a school age ds and am quite looking forward to the summer holidays. If only it would stop raining. But they have definitely got easier as they got older - when dd was about 12-18 months and ds was just 4 was definitely my hardest patch. Much worse than when she was a newboron.

HoneyDragonWearingLederhosen · 11/07/2012 22:12

I take the lot. I can ignore anyone Grin

LynetteScavo · 11/07/2012 22:19

Maryz, sorry, I cannot feed you. DD has some fruit thing going one which means she empties an entire fruit bowl in a day, and my boys eat bowl after bowl of cereal after I have fed them an apparently inadequate meal. Hmm.

I want to loose 1st. Now tax credits seem to have stopped I cannot afford to eat = bloody genius. Smile

OP posts:
Maryz · 11/07/2012 22:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ssd · 11/07/2012 22:35

don't lie maryz

my teenager gets up between 8 and 9.30

the pre teen gets up at 7.30

doesn't matter what time of the night they go to bed either

DrCoconut · 11/07/2012 22:39

I find it a bit annoying that activities close down because I can only take annual leave in the school holidays. I would like to take DS2 to some activities at the children's centre we used to go to when I was on ML. But they are all closed. They claim there is no demand for holiday activities Confused

plantsitter · 11/07/2012 22:42

You have forgotten about

The lack of conversation, adult or otherwise

The darting off into the road/ getting lost in big clumps of off-school older kids

The inability to go anywhere where there might be anything breakable or clean

The endless poo and tantrumming

I'm not a playgroup fan particularly but Oh My Christ I hate the holidays with my 1.5 and 3 yr olds.

Flisspaps · 11/07/2012 22:44

I don't mind the toddler and baby, it's DH I'm worried about. I'll swap him for your kids for 6 weeks. He'd like that.

MsOnatopp · 11/07/2012 22:48

As a single parent it is my few hours of peace and sanity without a small child clinging to my arm that I miss. In the daytime without them around you feel like you can get on with things. Ah well, so far so good.

NoComet · 11/07/2012 22:50

DD2 wasn't too bad because she would play with toys. DD1 was an absolute nightmare, you couldn't take your eyes of her for a second.

You could guarantee she'd be climbing something or fiddling with something she shouldn't even if the entire floor was covered in age appropriate toys.

She was absolutely exhausting.

LynetteScavo · 11/07/2012 22:50
OP posts:
Alibabaandthe40nappies · 11/07/2012 22:51

Lynette if you could point me in the direction of a toddler that sleeps for 12 hours I'd be grateful! Neither of mine do - nor would they stand for spending 3 hours on a railway bridge.

As it happens, this year I am looking forward to the holidays. Last chance for lazy mornings and snuggles in bed before PFB is off to school in September We have a few things lined up to break up the time.

LynetteScavo · 11/07/2012 22:51

Did I just type that with a Yorkshire accent?

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 11/07/2012 23:01

Alibabaandthe40nappies, with hind sight, I think the railway bridge thing might have been a bit special particular to DS1. He also liked to wander around car-parks, looking for Audi's . Hmm

OP posts:
Alibabaandthe40nappies · 11/07/2012 23:06
Grin
pinkandsparklytoo · 11/07/2012 23:22

My 5yo DS1 would be happy to spend 3 hours on a train bridge. DH probably would too Grin 18mo DS2 would spend the three hours wearing me out going up and down the steps though,so it's a no go for ne.

mumblecrumble · 11/07/2012 23:26

I am thoroughly excited to have my 4 year old back after a year of school.

I fully intend to revisit this post in 4 weeks time and laugh at my optimism....

Maryz · 11/07/2012 23:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

eastendywendy · 11/07/2012 23:52

I have a 21 month old and a 5 year old. I'll swap until bedtime then I'll have mine back 'cause I need my post 7pm peace and quiet

The 5 year old will talk incessantly about star wars though and get very annoyed if you don't know the difference between anakin, luke and obe not to mention the millions of more obscure characters. I know you only wanted toddlers but, well, he and dd love each other to bits so come as a set....

Dd is a 21 month old ball of terror. She likes to climb on windowsills, shout 'mummy look me' and then fling herself off, arms and legs splayed onto the floor couch. She also likes to vomit when she doesn't get her own way / bumps her face / feels like it and she hates the buggy /reins and holding hands and is a master at undoing buckles and has the whole 'legs turning to jelly' thing down to a fine art.

Will drop them off at 515am tomorrow -enjoy.

CaoNiMa · 12/07/2012 04:04

OP, you sound delightful... So patronising.

TheEnglishWomanInTheAttic · 12/07/2012 05:06

Lynette "Give me your toddler who spends 12 hours out of 24 asleep" ???

So you are very selective about which toddlers you want then, some sleep 12 hours, mine has only slept "through" 3 nights in his life, none of them recently - and those rare nights of sleeping "through" were more like 8pm to 5am, not 12 hours! (He and I have been up an hour already this morning, and up more times than I can count in the night).

I have never met anyone else who's toddler would stand for 3 hours on a railway bridge happily and safely, and I used to childmind toddlers.... Could you be one of those mums of older children who has slightly edited and rose tinted your memory of the toddler years?

My toddler likes to climb anything and everything when he is awake, and he never stays still except during the 45 mins he naps for. He is lovely though :)

My nearly 5 and nearly 7 year olds are much easier because they play together and play out with their friends, and can walk out the gate without running in front of a car, can walk into the playground without making a beeline for the big slide ladder and falling backwards from half way up, have concentration spans of over 3 minutes etc. They do bicker a bit but they don't plot each others' murders and do get on well, and are quite a team.

We do get decent weather here though - better than the UK anyway.

The holidays don't make much difference to my toddler though (except that his older siblings are home) as all those toddler activities don't really exist where we live, and I run the toddlers groups so I'm keeping it open all summer :)

BreeVanDerTramp · 12/07/2012 05:42

I'll take ALL your children if someone will take this 42 week bump for a few days Wink

Pre-schooler and toddler are a dream compared to the giant octopus inside who does not sleep ever

Repeats mantra "this too will pass" Grin

LeonieDeSaintVire · 12/07/2012 08:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

valiumredhead · 12/07/2012 08:28

Imo its much harder to entertain older kids so YANBU - give me a toddler any day!

Mrsjay · 12/07/2012 08:32

some of the parents where i work complain what are we going to do over the summer followed by heavy sighs we are on for 2 hours Grin