To ask. What age is most difficult to look after during lockdown?

[louise5754]

Those with primary age children I think it's will be hard to remember back to having babies and we haven't had the teen years yet to compare.

But.....

I reckon the most difficult age to keep entertained would be the toddlers 1.5-3 ish?!

Anyone else?

Well we have a 3 year old and a 6 day old in a small flat with no garden. 6 day old definitely easier than the 3 year old to keep occupied

I’m thinking though that the amount of space you have impacts this too. If you have small children and a decent garden, it can be pleasant (although bloody relentless) but I imagine living in a tower block with 3 or 4 kids under 10 would be very tough. We live in a cheap area of the country so have a fairly big house. But if we lived in somewhere like London, for our salaries (even accounting for London weighting) we’d probably be living in a shoebox

I have a 12, 10 and 6 year old - it's really easy. I really feel for people with a batch of toddlers.

18, without a doubt!

I am struggling enough with my older two, but thank my lucky stars every day they're not in that high energy, walking properly, can't concentrate for long 2-4 age group.

But would agree also that 94yo GFIL is a pain. Didn't go out most days until this hit, now PILs are struggling to keep him home!

2-3 definitely the hardest!! When my little one was 1 year old I would have managed way more easily with the lockdown but at almost 2.5 I'm tearing my hair off my head!!

36. Oh, you weren't talking about husbands?

Actually a 3, 4 and 5 year old. Having those in the house, that's definitely the hardest

I have newborn, 5yo and 10yo. We do have a garden which makes things a lot easier but 5yo is prob the hardest, but I think would be so much harder if he was 2-3 - that was my hardest age to manage in general I think. The 10yo is quite happy reading/FaceTiming friends etc. but the 5yo is still a bit young for that and is really missing the social side of school (and has been having some anxiety dreams as I think it's still confusing and scary for them at that age).

We have a toddler and a pre-schooler. And we're both still WFH full time. It is tough.
Fortunately we have a garden but like many kids their age, they need supervision, and always WANT one of us to join them which we can't do while we're meant to be working!
Totally appreciate we're very lucky in an awful lot of respects, but I'd love to be able to give them more attention during this time.

I have a 12 yr old who wants to do everything with me. He literally follows me around and hugs and kisses me all day, seriously. Has to show me everything he watches, I get a rundown of everything.

I’m finding both my 2 and 4 year old DDs very difficult! It’s not really the issue of keeping them entertained it’s more that they are not used to me being home so much as I usually work part time, so they have become very needy and compete for my attention constantly. It’s exhausting! DS7 pretty much amuses himself between spells of learning.

@InfiniteSheldon That made me chuckle 🤣

1yo. Can only crawl so not safe outside and Needs constant 121 attention ... however does have 2 x 1h naps and sleeps from 7-6am

88 with Alzheimers and a determination to flout the rules?

40something DH. 🤣
My DC are pre-teen and ok just now. I suspect babies would be fine. I think 4-6yrs might be hardest. Although normally quite an easy age, they may want to go out more.

My 9 and 10 year olds are brilliant. They have had work from school but not lots of compulsory stuff like secondary schools are doing so the whole thing has been quite relaxed even with both of us working on some days. I think 1-4 is probably hardest and also having an only child.

My mum is 80, a lot of her friends are in that age bracket and some were palliative before covid 19.
She hates being locked down, wants to visit her mates before they die etc and it's upsetting.

Mine are 6 & 8 and are great, if they were preschoolers it would have been absolute hell!

Me and DH are both teachers teaching full time from our 2 bed flat with a 2.5 year old and 10 month old. Not in UK so teaching private school with high fees and therefore high expectations of the level of teaching they're getting. It's tough work. Baby is fine. But hey we're all healthy and it won't last forever. Hopefully...

I'm finding it really hard with my five year old because she's really anxious and doesn't want to do anything. I was home with her nearly all the time when she was 2/3 and found her a lot easier to entertain and I don't think at that age she would have had the fear. I do have a garden but it's small. She was happy to spend hours playing in it when she was younger but not so much now. I don't know what it would be like if she were older.

For me it’s definitely my 2 year old toddler who is attached to me like Velcro. The 5 year old is better but I can’t get any work done with the constant interruptions. I’m going to record them saying “mummay.....” - set it on repeat 100 times & play it back to them when they’re adults expecting their first child! Or maybe when they’re moody teenagers.

I have teenagers whilst they can entertain themselves much of the time i really worry about the effect all this is having on them mentally. I keep a family calendar in the kitchen and found this morning that without saying anything my 15 year old DD had crossed out a lot of things i had wrote on in black marker Sharpie pen including the easter holidays and her DofE weekend. She also hasnt been out of the house at all for three days and rarely gets dressed.

Teenage girls... I win!

I would say it's any age for any number of reasons but my sympathy rests with parents of children with special needs such autism, downs, adhd etc. Because they are very much about routine and this situation must be a nightmare.

OAPs apparently they won't stay I!!!