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?

I think it would depend on how much you're used to chucking money at the situation, as it were. So children who are used to being entertained with things like soft play, ceramic cafe visits, trampoline parks, sports clubs, jo jingles classes, swimming lessons, will be much harder to look after than children who do less of those activities and are somewhat used to entertaining themselves, regardless of age.

Toddlers and teens I reckon.

Mine are in between at 9 & 10. They are bickering a lot which is driving me nuts, but I remember the toddler years... And at least I'm clever enough to help with home learning at the moment 😂. I'd feel really out of my depth with GCSE physics for example.
And the hormones now are hard work - not looking forward to having a 13 & 14yo!

The 6 year old dog and the 4 year old cat.

8 year old child is a dream compared to those two

@ItchyScratch absolutely agree with you:

*I’m going to go with 2-3 year olds.

Not old enough to understand why you won’t take them to a park, nursery, play place, see friends.

Not old enough to play alone so need constant attention.

Get bored easy.

Up from 7am til 7pm*

I get so angry when people tell me it's good for children to be bored, that doesn't really apply to toddlers. DS plays nicely with his toys but he still requires constant supervision and/or spends all day clinging to me like a limpet.

Mine are 1 and 3. Yes the need to constantly entertain them is seriously draining! Youngest doesn't even have any interest in films/tv yet for a little break.

I'm kind of glad I don't have 6/7/8/9 year olds though. How do you entertain them at home all day without gluing them to a screen? At least my 3 year old is happy with whatever stupid little games/arts stuff I come up with.

I've a 16 and a 13 year old and I have to say they have really understood and stepped up.

The usual bickering is much reduced, as they're making a real effort to get own / find space when needed.

We do school work together in kitchen 10-2 each day, then I continue working and they have free time. They have a daily bike ride, bounce on trampoline, FaceTime friends and the like. DD1 even requested a jigsaw puzzle and we've all been doing that together in the living room.

DD1 was pleased not to have her GCSE exams, but is being sensible and using the time to read ahead on her A level courses.

We play board games together and both dc do more chores. It has been all rather pleasant so far....

I think the toddler years or infants would be far worse. My daughter at that age needed so much more interaction to burn off her energy. She used to exhaust me, even when I was able to get her out at an activity every day.... she would have been a nightmare in isolation, gives me the shudders just thinking about it!

Mine are about to turn 2 and 3.5. I quite strongly dislike them both most of the day. My husband is working 50 hours a week as a key worker. I normally spend at least 1 day a week with my parents assisting. I am currently spending every waking hour (and most of the night as of course neither of them sleep well!) trying to keep calm. It's not working. I would rather flout the lockdown and get arrested at this point to be honest.

@InfiniteSheldon

95

was thinking the same

also how old is Ant Middleton?

I find the premature access to Facetime, Zoom and the constant request for my phone to connect to her friends frustrating as I am quite private but feel that our house is under surveillance from other families now.

I'm glad someone else has articulated this! I feel like sometimes there is nowhere in the house someone is not having a conversation with someone else, walking around all the messy areas, or constantly negotiating over whose Zoom call is more urgent...

I have 3 year old twins and an 8 month old

Think it depends on the individual children. ds would have been fine as a toddler in the back garden with a few toys, out for a walk, painting/drawing, playing for ages in bath, cuddling up and watching TV to wind down etc.

He is fine now as a teenager. Out in small back garden and indoors doing exercises, kicking a ball about, out with the dog for a walk, school work (before holidays), board games and the obvious talking to friends on PS4.

Some of his friends are not so good. Refusing to go out at all (either for a walk with parents or for a run etc) and mood spiralling lower and lower. I would find it much easier to distract and entertain a younger NT child than a teenager who is struggling with confinement.

I have a 3 year old and she has been brilliant. She loves that she doesn’t have to go to preschool and she has now stopped asking to go to her grandmother’s house.

But then, she does have a good understanding of the current situation and knows we have to stay away from other people because of the “germ” as we call it. She talks about her cousins coming round to play when the “germ has gone away.”

She does have plenty of space to play inside and out which helps. We also have our own land as well so we sometimes take a walk there.

I would say it depends on your circumstances as to which age is hardest. From what I’ve heard from family, I’d say 5-10 would be the hardest.

Late teens/early 2os with girlfriend/boyfriend. Absolute nightmare!!

I'm glad other people with toddlers are finding it relentless. I feel much less alone.

I have a 9 month old and a just turned 2 year old, the baby is a doddle! We are both working from home and it's a nightmare with the toddler

the haunting sound of those music books in which the battery is dying and just sounds demonically possessed with the added brucie bonus of her obsession with pooing in her potty every time she goes for a pee

lilbumblebee I KNOW it's not funny. I remember, and my only parenting strategy then was to GO OUT. But you did make it sound funny. Strength to you.

Lol @ infinitesheldon!

We’ve a 4 year old and both adults wfh. I’m bloody fed up today

It's difficult for everyone

Ages 1-3 I would think.

My ds is 15 months and I’m pulling my hair out. He’s been walking since he was 9 months so he’s very active to the point where he’s in constant danger of hurting himself (think climbing up onto a high, thin windowsill and toddling along it). He’s trashing the house as we basically live in a small, open plan box. Every cupboard has been ransacked, the mop is never safe, the bin is emptied every 2 minutes, he’s nearly smashed the tv 5 times now...I try to occupy him with craft/baking/jelly/paint but he’s not that interested and doesn’t stay still for more than 5 minutes so I’ve given up and now I feel like the laziest mother. He can also somehow open the stair gate so I have to take him with me every time I go to the bathroom or need anything from upstairs (where he’ll pull everything out and throw it in the bath/ loo if I turn my back). The thing that saved me as a SAHM was to take him out of the house for a few hours. I can’t do anything for myself during the day other than glance at the tv while I’m watching him and try to keep on top of the mess. My life feels so unfulfilling at the moment. I was due to start work in May and I was really looking forward to it and planned to make the most of my time with ds before that. I feel like I’ve been robbed of that time now and he’s stuck with a horrible, frustrated mother.

I see loads of posts on Facebook from mothers claiming to be so thankful for this time with their kids and I feel so guilty that I don’t feel that way.

Toddlers can be hardwork but IF you have a garden you can let them run around quite easily. They are needing a lot of input but that’s the case regardless of the lockdown.

Primary age children need less entertainment but they won’t be able to let off steam as easily in a small space. So better if they are the type to be quiet and draw for hours. Much harder if they normally spend their time on their bike/running around.

Whatever age you've got...