To find it expensive keeping preschoolers fed & entertained?

[pirateblue]

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

How much do you pay for a soft play? I didn't find that age expensive. Bus fares for under 5 are free soft play was around £5. Lunch was a tiny portion or could share mine.

Enjoy it OP because DS is now 9! Size 7 mens trainers and shoes. Activities are a lot more expensive now.

I don’t find it that expensive. Nursery is expensive but clothes and activities are cheap. Sorry 😬

It doesn't have to be expensive. I've been looking after my two today who are 2 and 4.

We went for a walk in the woods and took a picnic of sandwiches and bananas in the morning, home for littler one's naptime while older one watched a bit of Octonauts and then did some building with his magformers, and then went to the library in the afternoon. Ours has a big kids' area where you can sit and read on beanbags, they have jigsaws and colouribg etc too. Tea was pasta with pesto, leftover roast chicken and peas with yogurt and fruit to follow.

We got the bus to the library and that's all the money I spent today.

We have been through phases of doing a paid for group in the morning, like forest school or music and movement, and they're nice but they don't all work for both ages and I don't think the kids mind doing something just us. It's a bit easier for the parents to do a group as it gives the day a bit more structure.

Every age has its costs but also ways to cost less. The young years with good weather was parks, take snacks, so free, soft play free at that age, visiting family and friends, free, of course taking necessary food and items. Getting older costs more I've experienced, you have to pay for activities more, plus they have a voice and know the food available tastes good 😂Then the start of Interests and gaming, sports clubs etc. Not got to the teenage years age yet but can imagine the requests for money to go out with friends is going to mean more costs. 😉

I think the paid activities every morning are what's costing? What are these, are they necessary? Plenty of free activities, like playgroups run by the Council. X

Me too, all the ideas I had but dc had no interest, could do them with nieces and nephews but not my own. So, I had to change my ideals and find ways which suited them and that was taking toy guns to parks and shooting zombies, doing role plays and playing hide and seek at home. Jist got to try and find what works for you, never easy but be open minded and adapt. Xx

I think the more interesting stuff you do, the less they are happy with ordinary things. I find it surprising there's nothing to entertain your child at a church playgroup. Am struggling to think of toys that would be suitable for an 18 month old but not a 3 year old. If it's really that dire, perhaps donate them some stuff from.facebook or charity shop?

I limit the expensive soft play type stuff to once or twice a month and only if it's raining. Don't do zoos as too expensive, or maybe once a year as birthday treat. Free museums. Library and church groups. Swimming. Bike rides, walks, playgrounds. Lots of playgrounds. Visit friends or meet them at playgrounds. We can walk to most things in our small town which helps. Cafes are where I spend too much but otherwise I don't think it's too bad.

If you've a decent garden get set up with climbing frame, playhouse, mud kitchen and be a bit strict and make him go and play on his own.

Anyway it all gets a lot easier at around the 4.5 mark. They can suddenly do a lot of craft stuff with minimal help, rather than you having to do it all for them.

It can be expensive, definitely, but I think setting up expectations very early helps - for yourself and DC. So you mention things like ice cream - but you don't have to make this part of a "standard" trip somewhere. My DC know that we take a packed lunch, and ice cream/hot chocolate/lunch out is an occasional treat, not something they'd expect regularly. Soft play we just hardly ever did, because it was expensive - again, it was a treat not a regular thing. Same with days out to expensive attractions. I figured that small DC who expect weekly trips to soft play with ice cream probably become older DC who expect every weekend to involve an expensive outing and lunch out, so wanted to manage expectations from the start.

-Going to a far away shop to buy milk. It is not fun but life is not fun 24/7.
-Bus to far away ryme time. They will survive and learn how to get on with transport.
-Helping dusting, mopping, other chores.
-Walking dog (yes in the rain).
-TV 30min a day
-Organised story/drama/art time.
-Five meals a day.
-Park in shit weather.

Between that I let them roam around for 15-30min before we move to next activity.

Oh please.
Preschool children do not need bizarre investment.
You can feed them for almost nothing if you cook food at home amd you 100% do not need to buy million gadgets to keep them.

I haven't read the entire thread, but when mine were young, a long, long time ago, I found that two of the best activities, though maybe a little messy, were water play, either in or out of doors and a sand tray or box. I found it both calmed and occupied them . You do have to be a bit casual about the mess, though!

Do they ever just play? With duplo or cars or play kitchen or whatever? Since mine turned 3 they are much better at playing imaginary games - sometimes using toys as props but often just their imagination. They're usually selling ice creams, or going on holiday or being Fireman Sam in his helicopter or a grumpy dragon like today. Often I will play alongside them for a bit but I will be popping in and out doing housework and they will be content playing their own games. I wonder if your kids might sometimes be reliant on you to entertain them and not really know how to make their own entertainment.

Yes, such a great idea which can be extended as children get used to thinking for themselves.

Children need their own time to develop self reliance, creativity, resilience and focus. They need to develop independence and problem solving.

Providing some basic resources, even free cardboard boxes gives children a chance to explore.
Keep anything they build or develop ( say in lego play) so that their ideas can continue the next day.
Support them occasionally by asking questions or adding another prop to support their play.

Providing loads of scheduled, planned and provided activities is only self fulfilling their reliance on others and limiting their ability to think for themselves.

I agree after the initial outlay a sandpit and water tray kept mine occupied. A bucket of water and an old paint brush to paint the fence. A pack of chalks to scribble on the garden path. I was skint when mine were small though so I couldn't really afford paid for activities and going out every day.

@Neurodiversitydoctor haha it's ok it was a joke, I don't buy 3 coffees a day.
Usually it's just the one and I do also have a nice coffee machine at home that I could use to make a coffee that I suppose I could put into a thermos mug but I can't be arsed. It's the simple pleasures in life that keep me going in the pre-school trenches. Having someone make me food and drink instead of me making it for everyone else, including the cats (who are also fussy f**kers but that's a separate thread)

Five meals a day? Blimey well done.
I struggle to think of three!😂

Entertaining toddlers can be done very cheaply in the many ways that have been mentioned, but it’s not for everyone. I think the need for people to go out often and go to different and paid places is possibly more due to parental boredom. Totally understandable. It’s whatever works
for each family.

It is yes. I mean, I could get soaked in the garden every day but I don’t think it would be great for me to be honest.

Teens obviously cost a lot of money but that’s slightly counteracted by the fact that at that point I’m earning a lot more as well! And not paying for childcare.

OP, in a nicest possible way you are starting to sound a little surprised that children cost money.

I’m not - I think my DH might be!

We go to pets at home for a day out to kids love it 🤣🤣.

My toddler is endlessly entertained walking down the road with a stick. Didn’t realise this was so unusual.

I may have missed a post but I’m certainly not saying it’s unusual. But we can’t really walk down my road, stick or not, as we’d get squashed.

and I think therein lies your problem. Children, well humans really are meant to be both physically active and social. But you can accomplish both by slowly walking to the shop to buy apples/ getting the bus to the library. All for minimal outlay if literally everytime you leave tge house you get into the car then have to pay for parking it will cost you a fortune.

All the posters saying how many free things one can do within walking distance, can you please just stop and consider that life might be rather different in sparsely populated, rural areas? I thank god I'm not raising a child where I grew up - nearest library 30 minute drive away, ditto swimming pool, nearest supermarket 25 minutes, nearest cinema 40 minutes. I can think of 10+ soft plays within 20 minutes drive of me now; where I grew up there is one small one within 30 minutes. Not everyone lives in an area with a different cheap church-run toddler group for every day of the week.