To find it expensive keeping preschoolers fed & entertained?

[pirateblue]

I mean, it is, isn’t it? Or am I doing it wrong …?

I think it’s partly dependent on your child @Overthebow . There’s no way I’d be able to convince DS that colouring is a really fun activity! DD is just a baby but thus far seems a little more laid back so she may well be happier to spend an afternoon at home without destroying its contents!

My dd goes crazy with a day at home, but the libraries all have colouring and activity sheets and somehow that’s more interest then colouring at home.

@pirateblue what does your son like to do?
What's his favourite things?

I loved colouring as a child - bit gutted DS isn’t into it. Ah, how I pictured sedately colouring next to my lovely calm children

Anything physical really. Parks are great but since DD can only really go on the swings it can be a bit tricky. Soft play is a good shout and we have a couple of those role play centres near us which he loves. He does enjoy the odd library visit, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t be able to sell it twice a week every week. I found a brilliant indoor adventure playground type place but that’s not cheap either - loved it though.

I agree though they do eat a lot of food, there’s no way my dd would just eat one slice of bread sandwich with some ham and be full. I try to keep the cost down by making things like flapjacks, cutting up apples for snacks as they’re cheap and bananas for snacks as well, cutting up cubes of cheese instead of buying kid cheese, big tubs of yoghurt, peanut butter on toast, pasta salad, rice salad, garlic bread.

Clothes from eBay. Keeping certain things as a treat eg soft play. Lots of things are a choice — not medically indicated shampoo, but other things. Strawberries were a treat when mine were younger!

I do sympathise OP but the trouble is that kids’ costs only get higher as they get older so as a mum of older ones I have a different perspective.

I think that's why it's costing you so much. Most people don't do a paid activity every morning and then sometimes pay for something else in the afternoon.

Why is it that they are so unhappy at home? Do you need to set up some more interesting activities?

You keep saying you have to get them there. Is there nowhere you can walk to from your house?

@Clubtropicanna the thing is there’s a balancing act between ‘this costs actual money’ and ‘the cost to my sanity’ - SO much better out of the house!

ebay isn’t free. Neither is Vinted. It really adds up. I’ve ordered DD some summer clothes from Vinted; obviously much cheaper than new but still a cost IYSWIM.

@pirateblue do you have a garden? Maybe he'd like something like a swingball to whack at (a possibly free one if you look on Freecycle or similar).

@Riversideandrelax there isn’t to be honest. We live on a country lane with very VERY fast cars, tractors, lorries thundering past and no pavement. Some places are closer than others of course .

At that age what you need are friends who are in a similar income bracket. All of the cheap and free things are so much better with company. I found that sticking with the same groups and parks helped as you get to know everyone who is regular

We do and he’ll play in the garden but I’d be lucky to eke a whole days entertainment out of it.

Yup that was kind of my style - my mantra was 'do I look like a clown - I'm not a children's entertainer' and my mums voice in my head 'no one ever died of boredom;

I did things with them every day - walk to the shops, visit pet shops, bake cupcakes, painting and weekly - farm, park, zoo. We also went to the library every week to pick books.

They grew into well rounded young adults - cut yourself a bit of slack OP and let them run a bit wild and learn to do stuff independently, including play.

and yes - wait until they are 13!

I agree. To feed them a healthy diet with lots of fruit and home cooked meals is expensive.
sure there are cheap activities but these do become dull for adults and it’s been so rainy for so long.
Most places around here at least cost parking which is £4 before you do anything else. I also like to do a variety of things to help his development.

We do Swimming on Monday morning £6.50 for me and the two children. Free playgroup and then gymnastics -£5.50 - on Tuesday. Library on Thursday -free. Playgroup Friday -£3.50.

The rest of the time we mostly walk, we live near a forest and the toddler will walk for 2 hours+ most days. We look for mushrooms, worms, spiders, tadpoles etc.

Also, drawing a card and walking to the post box to send it to different family members is a favourite activity. As is baking cake.

@pirateblue it sounds tough.
On a positive - he'll be at school soon so some of his energy will be used up there.

Have you got a garden?
if so, get a mud kitchen and you can play with that no matter what the weather put on a rain coat and wellies, get a bucket of water and some big brushes and paint the slabs and walls, fences!
Buy a trampoline for a birthday present, keeps children busy for ages.
You can go to the park in the rain, my children loved it even more 🤣
Beach, same applies, no matter what the weather, wellies and coats!
Puddle jumping, also a paddling pool, same again wellies and rain coats, you can do anything regardless of the weather

My kids are the opposite. Now they are teenagers it's way cheaper as they just want to sit on their phones. Yes the food is more though. When they were younger they needed excitement. Sieving flour, jumping in puddles bored them. They liked theme parks

Ah, I understand now!

I was lucky when mine where little there were all sorts of places I could get to on foot.

@Ithinktomyselfwhatawonderfulworld … this is partly it. I mean yes, no one died of boredom but that isn’t to say that being stuck at home with the same toys and the TV on is brilliant for children (or adults!) either.

DH has accused me of spending too much money (semi jokingly) and while he is right it literally all goes on children’s food, clothes and entertainment. I know once I’m back at work that will ease off, partly because I’m earning and also for three days a week they are fed and entertained by nursery!

Walks in the woods are physical and free. An Ordnance Survey map will show you all the footpaths and woodland in your area. Exploring in nature is a fab part of childhood.

I went to the church groups etc to meet people for myself, not so much to entertain DS. I swapped numbers with other parents I met there and we went to each others' houses loads. Parenting is SO much more bearable with friends, and meeting at home/park is free.

Watching the local building site is free.

Also this. Small children love just absorbing the world around them.

Entertainment not so much - but mine costs me a fortune in fruit

@pirateblue
I apologise if you thought my post was judgemental, that was not my intention. I was just trying to explain that we had no option years ago but to find our own entertainment. And don’t get me started on when I was a child….

However, I get that your son doesn’t want to sit down and colour in so what about building a den in your living room out of sheets and blankets, or go in your garden hunting for bugs, under logs or counting birds going over, imagining what the clouds could be. Set up a ‘road’ on your living room carpet for his toy cars.

I was just trying to suggest things that were free and at home, therefore fitting your criteria.

He has a trampoline but definitely not five hours worth of entertainment.

Park in the rain - no thanks 😱