To think weekends with baby/toddler is so boring

[nameisnotimportant]

I feel like we're stuck in a rut and all we do is go to the park over and over again and count down to nap time. What do you do with your baby or toddler at the weekend that you actually find fun/entertaining.

Which area are you in? What would you like to do on weekends?

With 2 year old DS we: catch up on the cleaning and laundry (we work FT), he 'helps'. We go to Chatsworth or NT properties around here and walk, we have lunch or dinner out, visit friends or have them over (usually friends with DC to play with DS), get the train or bus somewhere (DS loves both), go to child-friendly museums, swimming, soft play, grocery shopping, cooking, painting, chasing the chickens around the garden, raking leaves. Occasionally we'll go somewhere like a zoo or theme park but not too often.

What we did before. Tbh im finding weekends go too fast now. One day we go somewhere as a family eg national trust, walk, etc. Other day food shop. Dd just comes with us. Shes now three. She makes our weekends more fun as enjoying showing her different things and she points out things to us..look mummy feather... im a bad mummy i hardly ever go to the park. Something i know we should do but too busy. If we see a park on our travels we made an enough to go

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I feel the same OP. To be honest, one of the main things that turns me off is that she hates going anywhere in the car, and isn't great in the pram either, so it kind of puts me off. Some really good ideas here though if you can put up with the racket getting there and back

Also, these threads have taught me that everyone else seems to think that food shopping/shopping in general with a toddler is a nice thing to do at the weekend, which surprises me as I thought more people would share my view that it makes something that is a boring and annoying chore without a toddler into a task that is boring, annoying and has the chance that the toddler will kick off and you'll have to leave before you actually have all your food. I genuinely thought that everyone with small children also gets their shopping delivered.

Library. Cafe (he's got his eyes on Tesco cafe at the moment!). Shopping. Walks. Grandparents houses. Film days.

We usually have one day relaxing mostly at home with a walk in the local park with friends, and the other day we try and go some where like a museum, a NT property or a farm. We live near London though so there is no shortage of things to do. Where are you OP? Maybe if you let us know people could make suggestions.

I got a sand table for the garden and it's ace. I can sit still building sandcastles with my boy instead of driving dump trucks round and round and round and .....

I know what you mean OP, I found it quite straightforward when DS was immobile and I'd just put him in a sling and go and do what I wanted. Now he's 2yo, it isn't so simple!

I sign us up to anything going on, so Diwali crafts and stories at the local library, Christmas light switch ons, anything really!

We have an annual pass for the local zoo so go there a lot. I try to plan a bigger day out once a month, and then fill in with swimming and child friendly museums.

We always go out for brunch, cheaper than dinner and DS is less tired so behaves better than dinner.

I also got a big scooter so I can scoot with him rather than struggling to keep up and yelling 'wait for mummy' all the time. It's really fun

Cant (and adults) be allowed to stay at home and just be ? If the children are at school or in daycare maybe they need a day of nothing, maybe they could finally get to play with the boxes of unused toys they have. Lots of Mums complain their children are tired or have tantrums, is that such a shock when they never get a days rest ? Children dont need to be entertained 24/7
What child looks forward to going to Costa at the weekend ? Poor wee souls

Babies or toddlers? The two are very different beasts! I found toddlers much harder, because from walking to about 3, all mine wanted to do was run round.

Go on the train,make a day of it.You dont have to go too far.But the kids love the train.

I’m a sahm so I do things like that during the week! Weekends are for relaxing at home or for leaving her with daddy so I can go shopping or get my nails done!

• Babies and toddlers in buggies/carriers are portable and can nap anywhere. I went hiking around Alaska with mine at one point

And ignore all comments like this. Not all children nap let alone 'anywhere'. And as for hiking around alsaska with a toddler hmm*

Exactly this! Mine has been a champion nap refuser since 5 weeks. Naps in a carrier were hopeless - ‘Oooh look there’s so much to look at, it’s so much fun....oh now I’m overtired, I’d best scream and scream until I’m sick’. Buggy, Snoozeshade and LOUD white noise all the way.

Anyway, back to the OP, I get you and fully agree. DD11mo refuses to crawl and is desperate to walk but can’t get up without help so ‘relaxing’ at home is probably more stressful than anything else!

If you live in a town or city with good amenities then I guess walks round museums etc might be nice? Coffee etc depends on the baby; we can’t do coffee shops, as we either have escaping from the highchair and loud demands to walk around holding hands or outrage at being strapped into aforementioned high chair. NT is lovely but then you have to factor in fuel cost/danger naps in the car on the way home etc.

So I am part of your boring weekends club and am offering virtual moral support. We will walk round the village, go on the swings, look at the doggies, come home for lunch, have a nap (half an hour, don’t get too excited about a rest), maybe nip to Tesco or - exciting change of pace - walk the OTHER way to the swings and do it all again!

I used to visit friends and bring my toddler with me.

What would you be doing if you didn't have your toddler in tow?

Lowandlucky
Children dont need to be entertained 24/7
You posted what I wanted to.

Mine loved nothing more than emptying all the kitchen cupboards, and dragging blankets and pillows downstairs to whatever fort I could make for them out of the couch cushions or under the kitchen table.

They enjoyed helping me fold laundry too .

DD is 1 but we also have DS 8. We go for a walk into town, or drive somewhere to feed ducks, take the train into town or drive, go out for lunch, occasionally visit friends/family. There's a park nearby that does a kids explorer trail, which is basically finding clues and pictures of animals (or whatever theme) they've put up on the trees. Some weekends we don't go anywhere and just chill out at home. Stick a movie on and get the toys out. It's okay not to be busy every weekend. Sometimes DS likes to chill out after a week at school and after-school clubs and I enjoy relaxing just as much as going out and doing something. And DD is happy to toddle around and play at home.

Bless you, namesarenotimportant. I don't think we did anything much at weekends, wasn't much different to during the week except for the days I worked (part time then). I know we all had a lie in which was very important! Went shopping (food), which was boring but if we combined it with a meal or snack in a cafe, that was a bit entertaining. Sometimes people would come round. At times we went out somewhere different or to someone else's house.

We played of course but we did that on other days too. It was nice for him to have his dad at home at weekends. Of course he saw him during the week too but at weekends he had him all the time.

It was all nice and gentle, I do not remember worrying about not doing anything different, we were all happy at home and in the garden if the weather was good. Later on my child had friends who would come over or he'd be invited to theirs. Our neighbours on one side were lovely, they had two gorgeous children who often came to us and sometimes vice versa.

Music played a big part in my little boy's life from a very early age. He learned to play instruments (in his own way0, and sang, liked watching musical stuff on TV. and copied, especially the posing bits :-). We enjoyed that and encouraged it. Also read quite a lot to him (and I read for myself when I had the time). Drawing too.

I'm sure you're doing a great job, name. Please don't worry about it, let things evolve naturally. They aren't babies for long.

for you to cheer you up. Not that you were miserable but you did seem a bit worried and I'm sure there was no need. Things work out.

I remember that well, not having that Friday feeling but dreading 2 fractious days. It passes, I promise. In the meantime I tried to get us all out, even if only for a short walk somewhere. Our second home was the local play park!

Found some nice NT houses to spend time in their garden.
And have a nice lunch/cup of tea before heading back home with sleepy children.
Also museums that are more geared towards children (so they won’t mind a bit of running around) or proper museums when still in a puschair.

Children dont need to be entertained 24/7

My memory of that time is that the issue wasn’t about entertaining them. It was about

• the fact they needed to get out otherwise they would climb up the walls.
• I, myself needed to get out of the house to do something mildly interesting for me even with a baby/toddler in tow.

We love IKEA! Older Dd goes in the creche for an hour, both love jumping around and running through the furniture, play in the kids bit (they have play tents, rocking horse in a special little kids bit), sitting in the different trolleys, very cheap breakfast/hot dog/ice cream, then ours has a little under cover outdoor playground when you come out end. Perfect free/cheap activity. We are only 10 min drive away from ours and go once a month or so in the winter when the weather is terrible!

What child looks forward to going to Costa at the weekend ?
DS does, he loves going to cafes or out for lunch/dinner. I think he likes the busy atmosphere (and cake obviously)

Everyones different, I love pottering but DS takes after DH and gets restless if he's been indoors too long. Lucky for me that means I can send them both out at the weekend even if its just to tesco.