What do you do with your young children all day?

[BlxckDay]

If they don't go to nursery?

I have a 1 year old and 3 year old with SEN (neither can walk yet) and I'm thinking of taking them out of nursery and becoming a SAHM but obviously don't want them to miss out developmentally or socially but the costs are astronomical.

So I was just wondering what your day to day looks like as I'm considering keeping them off until school.

Thanks

If you can afford to become a SAHM could you still utilise the free 15 hours so they get some social interaction for a few sessions a week. But otherwise lots of playgroups will be available. Depending where you live there may be some children centre groups running and church groups that are free/minimal cost.

Join classes - music, tumbling whatever. Story time at library. Find other SAHM and have coffee mornings or walks together. It can be a very long day. I was lucky enough to have a next door neighbour who was also a SAHM and I spent longer with her than with my DH!

None of mine went to nursery as it was pre free anything and we were skint!
I worked 2 days a week around DHs shifts. I took them out everyday unless someone was ill every day. I made various friends so did it with them, rarely alone.
I went to about 3 different playgroups, various local parks and museums I live in a big city so lots of choice. At least once a week would go out the city to beaches, forests, castles, mountains, national trust places etc
Very occasionally due to money we went to amusement parks, or days out.

In the house they would play with toys , painting, drawing, play doh, digging in the garden, water painting, cook together, pretend play (the worst bit for me!), have friends over.

I was very anal about screens so we watched TV about once a week.

Ps they are all very sociable, the idea they need to go to nursery is bollocks as long as they meet other kids regularly. In fact possibly more so as we did loads of childcare swaps out of necessity so they had lots of playdates, more so than the kids in nursery.

I'm a SAHM and found that after 3yo the other children started disappearing from stay and plays/classes because they were off to pre-school. Mine (now 4) goes for her 15 hours and it is brilliant - she just wants to be social and play with others. We do a music class where there are still a couple of her age (mostly slightly younger though) and I've started her at dance classes with other pre-school/reception aged children. I appreciate its different for you with SEN involved but I'd still say your 3yo will need time with other children their age so do look into using the 15 hours somewhere for that reason.

I was a SAHM and I went with my children to nursery and helped out because I didn’t want to miss out on them.

At home we went for walks, played with toys, did puzzles (chunky wooden ones), watched TV, swimming, tumble tots, sing and sign, music groups, the park, the ducks, played in the garden (sandpit, paddling pool, loads garden toys like skittles) . Loads of things

I only have one 2.5yo DS, but we do a mini music ‘lesson’ and a swimming lesson so that takes up a good chunk of two days once you factor in going to the adjoining soft play that both places have afterwards. We also used to do a general play/music/dance session once a week (that’s more hit and miss now, due to other commitments) which is based at a farm park so that’s another day. Then we do a toddler group in the village hall once a week (I also volunteer to be on the rota to do snack time, activities etc for that one once every few weeks) so that’s us up to four days. The remaining day just depends. Nice weather we might go to the beach or the park or just chill in the garden, play with the sandpit/slide/etc. Rubbish weather, we splash in puddles or bake or do painting or play with play doh.

Today is a swimming lesson day, so we’ve just had breakfast,now we’re playing with DSs train set (well, im
drinking coffee and mumsnetting so 50% participation 😂) then we’ve got our lesson at 10:30, soft play from 11 til probably 1ish, so we’ll have lunch there. I’ve then got to drop off some Vinted parcels in town so will nip to the play park as well, then home by about 3ish, have a couple of hours of colouring/general play time/bit of tv then teatime, bathtime, bedtime!

I have a three year old and a ten month old and on the days I have them both together we have breakfast and then watch TV / play while I clear up. Then we go to a class they can both attend in the morning - one is a music group and one is a messy play type activity - then home for lunch and then we usually go out for the afternoon.

We do a pretty wide variety of things: parks and playgrounds and national trust type places but the weather has been a bit rubbish so we’ve done a lot of soft play, role play centres, museums, libraries and so on.

I don’t have them both every day though; it’s a LOT.

Mine are older now, but I was a SAHM until my youngest started school. They went to pre school for the free 15 hours a week from 3yo. Apart from that, we did a baby class most mornings (there are often cheap / free ones at churches or village halls), home for lunch and a nap, then maybe a visit to the playground in the afternoon or a play date with a friend or a trip to the shops. It helps if you have a garden, a trampoline is a good buy if you have space. I read to them and played with them a lot (building toys, imaginative play etc) but I'm not one for baking with them - it's about finding activities that both of you like!

Was a long time ago but toddler groups, swimming groups, picnics in park, having other mums and kids round for coffee and garden play, water play in streams, soft play, cafes with others, petting zoos.

I'm a SAHM, my son is almost 4 and daughter just turned 2. My son has been going to preschool 15 hours a week since he turned 3. We normally spend all morning out - playground, playgroups, rhyme time at the library, art/messy play classes, gymnastics, trampolining park, softplay, playdates. We're normally home for lunch and a nap for my daughter, then we'll play at home or in the garden in the afternoon until dinner. Luckily we have quite a variety of activities in our area, I think I would struggle if we didn't.

If neither can walk yet - I’d leave them in daycare a day or two - either same day or different days. My nearly 2 year old can’t walk and the days are LONG - she has sensory issues so we can’t do many classes , playgrounds unless she can crawl are a bust - I feel like daycare have more resources for her than I can provide full time day in day out. So she goes 2 days a week to give me some mental space and protect my back!!! Delayed ( hate that word) are hard on your back.

Take it slow and see how you go is my advice

Hi, I just wanted to ask what responses do you give to people who say negative comments about stay at home mums. My MIL keeps giving me digs about me being a SAHM. Once she asked "do you get to sit down much" and another occasion when I was discussing with her about camping with my young children re me getting no sleep, to which she replied "well you'll be fine because you don't work" and that I'll be able to catch up on my sleep during the week. I have a child in school and another who goes to pre school 3x afternoons per week, which I get 1.5hrs free time before school pick up. I just get so annoyed when people say negative things and I feel I work 24/7 and just feel down that no one understands what it's like to be a Sahm.