To ask those of you with toddlers…

[AisforApplePie]

What a typical day or weeks looks like? I’m struggling to entertain my two year old. Single parent, no nursery and no one around to take DC off me, so it’s me from 6am till bedtime with a nap in between, 7 days a week. Also DC has a very short attention span.

what activities do you do during the day and on weekends? Obviously there’s parks and taking the bike out etc, but I’m thinking more in the home? I got out the drawing pens today and after 2 minutes DC was done. I’ve a lot of time to fill!

if you and your toddler are together all day, what do you get up to?

Oh, sorry about the voting, there’s nothing to vote on.

Painting! Do they have the attention span for crafts? Why don’t you look at getting a second hand toy kitchen? My little one can spend hours playing with it!

We get out as much as possible, I try to avoid too much time at home because as you've said the attention span isn't there! We either do a big walk in the morning after breakfast or swimming is another favourite! Kills a few hours and DD is nicely exhausted for her midday nap. Once shes awake we might play at home for a bit, drawing, stickers, she loves her pop up tent and taking her teddies in, she has a toy kitchen and has started to enjoy 'making dinner' but we tend to go to a play park in the afternoon to burn some more energy and then it's dinner, wind down, I always do an evening bath even if she's not particularly dirty just to kill another 45 minutes ish and play upstairs then wind down for supper, teeth and then bed. It's a long day that's for sure!

Also occasionally I will also take her out for breakfast to a little coffee shop, just for a change of scene and to break up the morning

I couldn’t survive without our (brilliant) nursery.
so impressed with anyone who can, but also strongly recommend nursery

Baking, craft, jigsaws, painting, mid day bath with bath toys or bath bombs, paint the fences with water, lots of outdoor play in the garden, bike /scooter rides, build dens.

My DD really likes arty stuff so she will sit drawing or doing an aquadoodle for a good chunk of time.

She's also good at 'helping' do chores, she'll potter about upstairs whilst I fold and put away washing. She's got a pikler triangle that she'll climb up to occupy herself too, I tend to keep different toys upstairs so they are more novel when we spend time up there doing jobs.

She also likes helping make dinner or toddler friendly biscuits/cakes. Often I'll give her a few little bowls with oats, flour, rice etc in, and she will happily mix those on the floor and make a reasonably contained mess whilst I do other things.

I also rotate all her toys and she gets about 6 new ones each week (sometimes I only change 4 of them) as allegedly this encourages deeper and more imaginative play.

Play dough is also a big hit here, even stacking the tubs and knocking them down, as well as using shape cutters.

Also a big fan of 'helping' in the garden and pottering about, watering the patio etc. she isn't really into pavement chalk but we have got some.

Sometimes I don't even feel like we play with her toys very much. I do tend to go out every day we are together else I get cabin fever. Either to feed the ducks, walk the dogs, go to a coffee shop etc just to break the day up a bit. A whole day entirely at home I find very tough!

Can’t afford nursery. X

Thank you to everyone who has answered, some great ideas for me to add!

Go out to a baby group in the morning (usually free or £2). Home for lunch & a nap. Play at home or go out to park in afternoon. In wintertime we might do more going to a cafe or organising a play date or local garden centre has fish to look at. Basically I try and get out of the house as much as possible 😊

Playgroups where parents stay to play can be a cheap and pleasant way to spend the morning; I also made good friends there. Often churches have open access playgroups.

Across the week I do a mix of …
forest walks, playgrounds, ride on the bus somewhere, visiting a friend, church playgroups, soft play or other paid activity like swimming or gymnastics, garden play (trampoline is a life saver), painting, library, baking fairy cakes (it’s carnage 😂), conker picking, getting a babycino somewhere, walk around garden centre, visit pets at home and look at the animals, walk round ikea is always good for killing time….museums, national trust, zoos etc but these can work out expensive.

I try and limit it to x2 paid activities a week as it can become really expensive trying to entertain a 2 year old. Church playgroups are really good as they are only a pound or two.

I really empathise as my toddler is chaos and if she spends anytime in the house she turns it upside down. I generally try and tire her out in the morning and then have a slower afternoon. Xx

@AisforApplePie, are you in the UK, are you not entitled to the 15 hours free provision for two year olds? Don't be afraid to use screen time.

Our routine at that age was basically: out in the morning, home for lunch, quieter afternoon, dinner, short walk/playground, bed.

Love a church playgroup, even though very atheist! Our children's centre does nice stay and play. Library. Swimming.

At home brio train set kept his attention the best.

But I wasn't doing it 7 days a week - that is really hard. I wouldn't feel guilty about some TV time.

Don’t feel you have to fill the time with activities, it’s fine to just let them potter about and play with their toys

We go out twice a day, every day. I can't cope at home! Park, city farm, soft play, toddler groups. If we're stuck at home then drawing/'writing', playing with dolls, play doh, Duplo, books... but tbh we end up with a lot of screen time.

I work 3 days/week and she goes to nursery during that time which also breaks it up a bit.

I salute you OP! Must be very tiring. Playgroups etc are great and allow the little ones to play while you chat to other mums if you want to. I might be wrong but if you are receipt of universal credit, you can claim up to 85% of childcare fees I think? That's if you wanted to consider nursery for a day two, perhaps allowing you to work a little if you want and are able to. Very individual but I couldn't survive without nursery days!

I’m utterly useless with crafts. So I sympathise.

We break the day into two stints. Morning is a class and usually park or similar. It’s the afternoons I really struggle with.

Church playgroups are really good, it’s usually only £1 or £2 optional donation to attend. They’re often not very good at advertising themselves so you might have to go and read all your local church notice boards.

Libraries can be good if you’ve got a local one. Ours does a weekly story time that’s free.

For reference DD 19mo, has 1 nap a day 1hr 12-1pm

In the Morning

Swimming
Park
Stay & Play
Toddler Music Group (weekly)
Library
Library Story Time
Seasonal annual membership to a nature reserve
Local museums
A wonder round the shops/post office errands (tend to go to charity shops and £ land looking for sticker books)
Food shop

In the afternoon varies

Dog walk (everyday) this usually takes an hour because she wants to stop constantly
Cleaning
Washing
Plays with toys
Play in the garden
Batch cooking/baking
Dance around to music

Recently got a tuff tray, I use it to stage some of her toys sometimes but planning on being a bit more creative as it gets colder

Also at 2 maybe you could do painting/colouring/baking together?

DD1 is 2.5 years old and although she goes to nursery 3 days a week, we do a mix of the following on the other days.

Local soft play - £4.50 for 1.5 hr session but she can do it all without my help so I can sit with the baby and have a coffee!
Toddler group
Swimming - lessons or just both going to the local swimming pool
Park
Library
Local lake to feed the ducks
Visit family

Baking - not often and when we do I use the box of duggee/peppa pig/paw patrol stuff
Painting - paint pens are excellent for less mess!
General playing with toys - both together and alone she will play with her dolls house & her toy kitchen and play food
Get her to help prep food - DD is starting to use a toddler knife to help cut cheese or spread things on bread to make a picnic lunch
Watch films/CBeebies - we usually have the tv on in the background so she's not glued to it but will sit and watch her favourite programmes, which helps when I'm feeding the baby.
Get her to help with chores - DD loves to help unload/load the washer or dryer, likes to help empty the dishwasher, put shopping away

Nothing to add to the others but have a look at 5 minute mum on insta, she has lots of craft/activity ideas that are cheap/free and take 5 mins to set up

Also, my DD will spend ages just looking at the books we get from the library. I really can't recommend the library enough.

Get up, breakfast and out of the house, whether that be for a walk/bike ride, swimming, go out in the rain or the wet weather, go to the woods and explore nature, get messy, something that’s genuinely gonna knacker them out for a nap.

It’s so hard at that age because they just want constant stimulation don’t they! I had maternity leave with a 13month old and a newborn and I just had to get out the house or I would go stir crazy and so would my DS. Even now on the weekends I have to get them both out just somewhere in the mornings. Now I work full time and DC in nursery I do miss the days of adventure with them. But I can completely understand where you’re coming from.

We have lots of parks near us so rotate the ones we go to. Childrens centres to visit. We have 2 soft plays. Trampoline parks do morning toddler sessions which are great.
at home I don’t expect much focused play- it’s a 2yr old. They like emptying their toys, eating the pencils etc.