To be worried about staying sane stuck inside all winter with a 2 year old?

[Lardeedar]

Is anyone else struggling at home with a 1-3 year old that isn’t in nursery? My options before were park, playgroup, or friends/family visit at theirs but now The weather is turning I’m just having to keep her inside all day every day and we are both losing our minds!! The playgroups are all shut and now not allowed in anyone’s house.

You know the age where they won’t stick at anything for more than 2 minutes because all they want to do is explore new objects, places, people?! She literally cries when she sees that we’re coming home.

There’s a few outdoor play sessions Thank Goodness but mostly they are shutting everything down. I’m genuinely worried about her development and my mental health being cooped up with her crying continually asking for Hours and hours of tv. Anyone else?

We're off to soft play this morning. 90 mins total cost of 8 quid.
Yesterday we went to the woods and walked the dog, picked up some leaves.
Some days we walk to feed the ducks.
Local playgrounds are open so we go to different ones every week

Pinterest is your friend here. Lots of good cheap craft and messy play ideas for toddlers.

We have been getting out everyday even if it's to costa for a baby chino and meet a friend. I pack his backpack up with some toys he will sit and play with or colouring. I'm very lucky in that'll he's happy to do that for an hour or so! Then we go to the park, walks, feed the ducks and have a pass to the local gardens which is just more walking and the same sort of thing but it makes a massive difference to my sanity!

Have you got friends with toddlers you can meet? We have managed to see someone a few times a week which helps immensely and enjoying it whilst we can in tire 1.

A local cafe has a stay and play which is £2.50 and just a cafe with toys and they clean between sessions... haven't ventured to soft play but might if they weather is horrific.

@dontdisturbmenow I think you have to consider there are vulnerable isolated mums too and hence toddlers.

I'm not complaining, we're so lucky and quite happy really, but my toddler and I don't see another soul except each other for over a week or more when DH works away, and otherwise during waking hours. I'm due another baby soon and though I feel quite ok about it at the moment I'm very lucky and surely for some who aren't so fortunate that's a perfect recipe for PND, where there is nobody to even notice?

Also to note in tier 2 we can’t meet other households in a cafe
I’m trying to utilise what is open before we undoubtedly hit tier 3 or complete lock down

Look on eBay for a good all in one and wellies.

I am not disputing that looking after a toddler is more difficult than it was before lockdown, I am disputing the statement to this should be the government funding for kids to have access to free childcare at even an earlier age than 2 when there are other groups which as a whole have a significant higher need for extra funding.

I'd much rather any extra funding, which doesn't exist, went to schools, the nhs, and social care.

Oh and apparently the children centres and gov run playgroups won't reopen until social distancing ends. That's what the hv said.

The children's centres in our area have reopened - you have to book for stay and plays and it's limited capacity and masks for adults but they're open and it's great!

I'm in Scotland so Library not open other than as click and collect by appointment.

Cafes are open but frankly eating out is ££, makes me fat (no will power around cake). Also rammed because only "out" option...

Non essential use of public transport is discouraged

Leaving "health board" discouraged

Swimming is adults only lane swimming

Organised groups are very limited in numbers and you can join the wait list - we're new to the area.

DS gets sad when we pass a play area we can't use.

Others have already said about going out anyway in warm gear, so here’s a few ideas for when you’re in that used to help me with my two year old. (I had a health condition that limited our going out).

• use clothes horse with blankets for a tent, give ‘picnic lunch’ in there
• build indoor assault course out if sofa cushions/under tables etc.
• make a road for toy cars or horses out if masking if painters tape on kitchen floor.
• make a paddling pool in washing up bowl, cover kitchen floor with newspaper. (Can do painting with fingers and toes before this or just use it as a play area for bath toys)
• start making Christmas decorations or cards/drawing Christmas pictures to slip into cards
• find a couple of board games you don’t mind playing with them
• get a huge piece of paper (Or tape normal paper together) and let them loose with chalks on it
• use cushions on floor and pretend floor is lava, they have to get across it in cushions.
• play the animal impressions game, you name an animal, they have to move like the animal (eg, frog, horse, cat) can add sounds if want to
• Do some fimo clay, you can make nice Christmas gifts of their handprint with this. My ds also made blueberries for his toy kitchen.
• give them some long playtime baths.
• make a house out if cardboard for their small figure toys. It always seems to go down well. Or use a large cardboard box for a rocket and read Whatever Next.

Sometimes I found that if I sat with the toddler, though they were playing or making and I wasn’t, it was enough to keep them engaged a bit longer. That meant sometimes I could sneak in a chapter of a book, which helped me to feel less crazy. Also a chat with a friend during the child’s telly time use to help too. No adult conversation/activity makes me feel like my brain is melting after a while. Obviously I still engaged with my toddler for the majority, but just a few minutes of a book could lift my spirits.

i can really relate. We're lucky to have quite a few things around us to do outside. But, I am really scared of the lack of social interaction for myself and my little one. We moved to a new area just before lockdown and havent met any families where we are. So thats the hardest thing for us.

OP I hear you. I have a 3yo, I can't drive and I'm pregnant and constantly tired. I get out for walks when I can but i miss playgroups etc. We used to go to 4 groups a week but none of them are happening any more. Soft play nearby is closed (and was always a bit manky) and the library isn't open for browsing. We meet a friend occasionally at the park and go round my parents once a week but mostly it's 'mummy play with me' over and over again

Not sure if it's an option for you but we've got a membership for our local zoo, with the absence of much else to do, it's well worth it as it has numerous play areas and activities. Farm Parks are pretty good too. Obviously it only really helps if they are really local.

I wouldn't have thought we have the capacity to provide all 2 year olds with free childcare. Mines and several of her friends are on waiting lists.

So that mummy can have some time for herself?

No so the child can have normal social interaction and play with other children.

It's recognised that children that attend nursery from 2 even only for only a few hours do better than those that don't. That's why low income families get free nursery from 2. The rest of us didn't need the free hours because there were plenty of play groups to go to. Now that is not the case, and at the private groups they are not allowed to interact with the other kids. So it only seems fair that all 2 year olds should be given some acsess to nursery. Even if only for one morning a week rather than the usual 15 hours.

I would rather attend play groups with my dd, but that's not an option.

I know it’s messy, but mine used to love sitting in the wooden floor with bowls and spoons and I’d give them an old tub of porridge oats and they’d sit for ages spooning them into bowls, stirring in saucepan with a wooden spoon etc.
Might not work so well on carpet!

I'm very worried that those of us with children that can't access nursery during this time are going to be massively behind those that are in nursery, especially with socialisation and confidence

Agree with this, but it won’t be just because of no nursery - toddlers aren’t currently getting anywhere near the number of the small everyday interactions that assist their social development. Things like travelling on public transport, learning to choose and order food in a cafe, buying a loaf of bread from the bakery and general social niceties. Plus the lack of interaction with their peers. They’re just not seeing enough different people in different contexts.

DD was at home with me full time until two, so I know how tough it is. So glad she’s now at nursery two days a week, as this is pretty much her only meaningful interaction with other children at the moment.

We are quite outdoorsy and do get outside every day but I have no idea where all these MN puddle-jumping children are - on every recent trip to the park where it’s been a bit rainy DD and I are the only ones there. We collect autumn leaves, make collages, do Baker Ross crafts, cook and bake (The Gruffalo cookbook is great) and all the rest but we’re also lucky in that we can afford private swimming and some of the pricey paid for classes - otherwise I’m not sure how I’d manage.

I do think we’ll see some issues emerging in a few years with this cohort of preschoolers - diminished social and communication skills being the most obvious one.

“The children's centres in our area have reopened - you have to book for stay and plays and it's limited capacity and masks for adults but they're open and it's great!“

Not here. No swimming pools for toddlers (and I have a baby too), just Lane swimming. Library is 15 minutes only, one-way, queue to get in, no touching books you aren’t getting out. Museums closed (mostly run by older volunteers round here) or social distancing / one-way systems make it very difficult with toddlers, especially when the loos can only be accessed from one direction and they are only just out of nappies

As I said previously though, it is worth seeing what churches are doing - one near me has a coffee morning and you have to bring your own toys now but there is enough space for toddlers to roam without people getting worried about social distancing and the older people who go have all been so lovely and kind with chatting to my toddler and saying that it’s nice to have some contact with little ones. My toddler loves staring at stained glass too, and carvings on the font etc

I hear ya.

DD is 16MO so at a funny age, not quite big enough to do anything other than the swings at the playground and not at the stage to walk nicely on reins without stopping and putting something questionable in her mouth every nanosecond

We luckily can afford lots of paid activities so we do soft play, trampolining, farms weekly, we also do a playgroup but like others have said it is so sad having to keep them socially distanced and it hasn’t really gave me a chance to strike up conversations with other mums and make friends.

@fanmail

i can really relate. We're lucky to have quite a few things around us to do outside. But, I am really scared of the lack of social interaction for myself and my little one. We moved to a new area just before lockdown and havent met any families where we are. So thats the hardest thing for us.

I’m in the same position as you. I recently got an app called NextDoor where people can sign up in your local neighbourhood. Introduced myself and put out a message saying if anyone wanted to go for a walk with toddlers etc and have met a couple of families that way.

Thanks to lots of people for the helpful suggestions.

If you're on Facebook see if there's a local mum's group on there and look through/ask for ideas.

Not very environmentally friendly but mine is slightly obsessed with buses at the moment so we have been known to drive around looking for buses on really rainy days (thankfully the depot is nearby so we're guaranteed to see at least 1)...We've also driven to building sites to look at diggers.

Oh yes during lockdown when I had a newborn I used to take the baby and toddler to a bench opposite a house that was having building work done and had a picnic lunch :D
Also a footpath that had a view of a busy train line

Do you not have anywhere nearby you can walk and play? People do go out when the weather gets colder if it isn't raining. It is nice if you have a bit of green space close to shops, you can have a leap around and do shopping.

However I do appreciate it must be difficult, people with young children have my greatest sympathy at this time.