AIBU to ask what you do all day with your two year old...

[PassTheCremeEggs]

Particularly if you also have a baby?

I struggle to think of things to do and think I must be such a bad (or lazy!) mother. My creativity in thinking what to do to entertain my nearly two year old that doesn't wreck the house (painting is just horrifying) is seriously lacking. AIBU or do other people struggle?!

I have a 2 year old and a nearly 5 month old. It's an event of I leave the house at all in a day.

I've decided to surrender to mess, paint and the toddler 'helping' with cooking and housework. Props Pig is my friend. Yanbu.

If* and Peppa pig. What the hell is props pig?!

Get out to playgroups in the morning, then in the afternoon park/gardening/trip to the shops etc. get them to help with housework- fetching and putting things away.

Baking is always good, play dough less messy than painting (just), or aqua draw type things. Jigsaws, duplo, reading, water or sand play, pottering in the garden. Meet up with friends.

I found a good sling for the baby (Ergo or similar) makes it easier to deal with baby plus toddler.

My two year old is my second so school run takes up a lot of time.

And two year olds are tough.

Nearly 3 year old and 10 month old and Peppa is a life saver in this house too.
Lots of drawing and trying to encourage some play together - building towers for DD2 to knock down. Getting to the local park is good, but can be a real mission. Before DD2, I used to take DD1 swimming a lot, but can't do that on my own now and it makes me sad

I have an 18 month old and there was a time when I had a 2 year old and a baby. I went out every day.
I had a double buggy and went to playgroups, park, walking, supermarket, visiting friends (I do that now with 18 month old)

At home, I had washable felt tip pens, aquadraw stuff, play-doh and just lots of toys, books and the cbeebies.

I never did crafts or painting at home. That's what playgroups are for!

My Dd was 2.4 when DS was born. We found the winning formula to be 'up and out' in the morning, to playgroups, gymnastics, friends houses. DS would usually have a nap and DD got her entertainment.

Home in time for lunch, and then she would either have a kip after lunch or a bit of TV quiet time. Expect in depths of winter we often went to the playpark around the corner around 2.30 or 3 which killed some time before dinner. We live in an area of tenement flats so most of our local friends, like us, have no private garden. This means our playpark is well used and there are almost always friends to catch up with.

I could have written that! DS1 is 2 and DS2 is 8m - it's a blinking nightmare! Most of the playgroups around here are either under 2's or over 2's so I can't take both of them. I end up mooching around in the park, getting DS1 to 'help' with the housework, colouring, building dens...

DS1's favourite thing at the moment is for me to hide a toy/book etc somewhere in the house and get him to find it. Of course he usually makes a mess doing it

I have a 2yr old and a 5 month old, today we've
Had breakfast
Tidied up and sorted the dry wash pile
Took the dogs out, him on bike, baby in sling freaking hard work
Came home and had lunch
the afternoon has been spent playing with toys/watching TV, he's now upstairs annoying his brother while the baby naps on my lap even tho I need to put a wash on

1. nothing we have ever done has wrecked the house the house is child proof and they paint outside.

Find out about local groups, toddler groups, messy play, pay as you go activities.

Going out in the morning is good, and being at home in afternoon.

I could have written this!
I have a 2 year old and a baby, we do some reading, playing with duplo/mega bloks/toy cars/trains etc. I recently got there little IKEA table a chair set (£17) which is great for doing things like play doh on. When its not raining heavily I also shoo the toddler into the garden to stop us all going stir crazy.
I've just started trying to find toddler groups to go to as well (although I tried one today at the library which left me in tears) I'm hoping for better result s from different session at a big children's centre later this week.
I also try to involve dc1 in a bit of baking etc.
Poor dc2 spends a lot of time in his bouncy chair

Just turned 2yr old and 11 week baby here. I try aim to get out by 10.30am ish (peppa pig on till we leave house so i can get washed and dressed!) usually go park/cafe/group/library. Today we went to a singing group. Then back for lunch and nap which takes us to 2pm ish then either painting (feel your pain!)out in garden etc or pop to shops then dp back around 5pm whoop whoop!!
I would go insane in house al day with a 2yr old. Have to get out!

I only have one 5 month old but my dsis has a three year old and a 4 month old.

She goes out every morning to a playgroup (great for 3 year old to run round and baby quite likes looking round/holding toys/napping) or library activity.

Home for lunch time

Afternoons they might go to the park/play with toys (with cbeebies), playdough, drawing/colouring, 'helping' with cooking/housework.

I used to find it tough even though I only have one 5 month old [shame] but my saving grace is going out every day. I go to groups/activities in the morning then in afternoons we might visit a relative/play with toys at home/go to the supermarket etc.

Nogbag that's my fear of groups... Poor you - what happened to make you cry? I've pretty much avoided them so far because my eldest has been in nursery 3 days a week while I've been at work so I feel she gets all the fun painting and messy stuff there to last her the week. But I'm on maternity leave now and about to move house where I can't get her into nursery until I go back to work in September. And I'm dreading it!

when I was sahm and ds was 2 we did soft play often with friends prob once a week, rhyme time at library, park 3 mornings /afternoon per week. Have zoo membership so would go frequently - alone or with friends, other baby group (did different ones) , swimming, farm baby group, cooking and painting at home and he is also one for playing with figures and house/castle etc so we did a lot of that and then he liked role play where we have characters and drive to the beach or go shopping, have picnics with play food or from tv shows - I spent a lot of time being meg or not or fireman Sam or Elvis - depending as to what character he deemed fit. We also met friends and had lunch out or round at friend's house.

We went to a toddler group where they do stories and songs and an activity. The story and song bit was fine, sat with baby and toddler, all was well.

However the activity was on 2 little tables, ds1 went over to join in but it was a free for all and he was nervous since he'd never been before and the ladies running the session were busy so I put ds2 in the pram and went to help him. Ds2 starts crying so I go to try and settle him, then back to help ds1. Eventually, as ds2 wasn't settling, I picked him up and went to try and help ds1. He needed some cotton wool which was on the other table and I pointed it out to him so off he trots but he can't get within a metre of the damn stuff as the table is surrounded buy kids and parents. I said very clearly to him, 'the cotton wool is just there, say excuse me' and not one parent moved and one of the women running it just smiled at me whilst I tried to calm a crying baby and direct a lost looking toddler.

Eventually it thinned out so I could get in and help him a bit more to finish it off.

I know I probably should have just asked someone to help us out a bit but I get nervous in new situations where I don't know anyone. I was disappointed tbh that the women running it didn't even offer to help my son, or even just pass the sodding cotton wool rather than just smiling at me! The mums didn't seem very social either (except 2 or 3 who obviously knew each other) I tried to make eye contact, smile etc but everyone seemed very interested in their shoes!

Crying was probably an over reaction, but I felt like just the tinniest bit of help would have made can massive difference and allowed ds1 to get on with the task. Instead we both ended feeling unwelcome and I felt it was my fault ds1 hadn't enjoyed it. [Sad]

Oh I know it only sounds little but i understand - I would have been upset too. I don't get why people are so unhelpful in these kinds of situations surely the point of them is to be friendly! I feel really guilty for not going to them but I just find them such hard work, particularly when the mothers are cliquey

I know, where I used to live there was a lovely children's centre so I think I've been spoiled.

The next one I'm going to try is more of a general family one so I'm hoping that'll be better. I've been some with incredibly cliquey mums, it was horrible! I made the mistake of trying to talk to one once, she looked at me like I'd just popped up out of nowhere and spoken a foreign language.
I think its such a shame when these type of things happen, but onwards and upwards I suppose!

I never bothered with baby/toddler groups after the initial classes I took with ds (baby yoga, signing and massage) as they just seemed like too much hassle.

I have 2 toddlers (19 months and 3.1) and on the days I'm at home I just let them play with their toys. I don't do any structured activities, I just read with them,play with their toys with them, watch tv with them and talk about the programme or just leave them to it.

On nice days when the grass is cut they play in the garden - we have a playhouse, a slide, a seesaw and a bench - whilst I sit nearby. I take them to the park -there's a lovely one local to me with a separate section that you have to pay to get in but is well maintained, clean and has lots of apparatus suitable for younger children. I take them shopping or I take them for walks - we live in a relatively rural area and have plenty of woodland and parkland on our doorstep.

What I'm getting at is that you don't really need to 'do' anything with them at home; if you let them I find that a lot of children are happy to just play and make their own activities and games if they have the opportunity.

I have DS1 (5.4), DS2 (3.0 but delayed so developmentally more like 2) & 9 w.o. DS3. Also have experience from before as DS1 was 2.3 when DS2 was born.

I find the key thing is to get out each day. Toddler groups are great as toddler can play & baby may sleep or often people want to hold them if you don't mind that. Also these places are full of other parents who are bound to be sympathetic to a screaming baby or tantrumming toddler, and there is often a cup of tea on offer If there are no toddler groups, the park is good on a dry day or soft play on a wet day. As somebody said before, if you can do these in the morning, you can get home, have lunch, nap, play, bath, bed.

If you can't get out, now is a good time of year to get in the garden lots, if you have one. A sand/water table is great, as is a little gardening set (both my big DSes love digging in the garden),a ball & a slide, plus maybe a ride-on or Little Tikes car.

Good indoor activities are baking, colouring, puzzles, building bricks, toy trains. Plus don't be afraid to have some Cbeebies each day if you need it! Also, I have found that DS2 likes to 'help' with the housework, so will pass me things from the dishwasher, follow me around with his own dustpan & brush etc.

Final thing - playdates. If you know anybody with DC the age of yours, suggest meeting up with them & you can have a coffee & a chat & DC can totally ignore each other play together. If you go to each other's houses, at least the DC will have new toys to play with once in a while, iyswim.

This website has a lot of ideas - some can be done with stuff you have around the house, and some need a bit of an investment in terms of time or materials, but there are loads of good ideas on there...

Whoops - theimaginationtree.com/

I'm so glad people have said they sometimes have the tv on!! I always feel guilty when I put the tv on but if I want to make the tea, wash up (or have a 10 minute sit down!) I can guarantee my DD will sit still and watch fireman Sam or peppa pig!

My DD goes to nursery in the morning while I'm at work so in the afternoon I try to get out and about somewhere. We go to the park or a play group (although most are in the morning) or visit friends. Sometimes we paint or play with toys and one afternoon a week we tend to do household jobs. But I do feel bad sometimes when I see all the photos on Facebook of the things my friends get up to with their children and it seems we don't do anything exciting in comparison!

I used to go to a parent and toddler group two mornings, a music group one morning and a session at the library one morning. Once I had made some friends at the toddler group we started meeting up for coffee at a softplay centre the other morning or occasionally at someone's house. As soon as we got home they had lunch/feed and went straight up to their cots (22 months between them) for a nap. I used to nap too as I worked night shift. I let them sleep till 4 then we played in the garden or went to the park if it was dry or played with their toys until dinner time. Then bath, story, bed.

Out to toddler groups, friends, parks, places I had annual pass for. Anything to not be in all day.