What do you do with your crawling toddler at the weekend (esp. when raining!)

[JamieJay]

Running out of ideas to occupy 11mo DD on the weekend, especially on days like today when it is raining!

We've a small house and whilst she is happy for play for a couple of hours after waking by 10am she is getting bored and starts terrorising the cat etc.! Obviously can take her out whilst I run errands but they normally only take a couple of hours so after lunch/nap we've got a whole afternoon to fill.

On nice days take her out for walks in her trike, go to the park/beach etc. but am so lost about weekends and now I'm back at work I get quite down if it feels like I'm wasting them.

Have some money to spend on her entertainment but not much which doesn't help. It doesn't help that I have no 'mummy friends' so can't meet up with other parents either.

Live in a city to plenty of access to stuff and loads of ideas for when she is a little older (playgrounds / Techniquest / farm park etc. etc.) but nothing I can thnk of for now.

Thanks

I'm not quite sure what is wrong with a farm (if that's what a farm park is) at 11 months? How about a zoo? The library might be fun on Sat afternoon as you can share books and might see some posters giving other ideas?

Swimming can be quieter in the mornings.

I sympathise with not having people to meet up with - I found it took me ages to work up to doing this, especially as often people want to spend the weekend with their husband/partner, and I couldn't do that. Do you not have any friends without children you can meet up with? Also doing things like soft play or swimming, you might get chatting to some other mums there, especially if you try to go at fairly regular times. Usually the ones who are there at weekends are at a loose end like you are.

I did a few times just take DS to a coffee shop and sit him on one of those booster seat chairs, get him a babycino or carton of apple juice or something and a cookie, and myself a coffee, and sit there with him as though we were having a conversation! That sounds so sad reading it back but actually he loved it and it was nice for me to be able to sit down and do something with him.

Can she walk? Putting on your wellies and waterproofs can be really fun and just splashing in the puddles. Don't go too far from home (or just in the garden) and if she gets too cold or wet you won't have far to go. Then you can make hot milk and snuggle up to watch TV or something.

soft plays with baby areas can be good for crawling babies if they are quite active and it helps to wear them out, also its ideal for raining cos its inside
also you could do stuff like painting at home if you have the space, if its sunny and you have a garden then good to do it outside to contain the mess

Sorry to post and run - been sorting out lunch etc. for DD. Some really good ideas there.

We often go swimming on a Sunday morning (Sat is full of swimming lessons).

Can't walk yet which is part of the problem as she isn't toally mobile but is to active to stay in the pram, guess that is why I'm not sure about the farm etc. as she will want to get down and crawl into everything.

Still trying to find a good softplay - there are quite a few round here but last time we tried one the baby area was over run with older children, DD isn't small and is quite robust but still isn't stable enough to handle being knowcked over.

Will definately take on board these ideas - and try to build up the courage to taalk to other mums when out

I also have a crawling 11 monther and a small not very child proof house (rented so difficult to do what needs to be done) so also need ideas to fill weekends! I do softplay and will glare at parents of older children in baby area if necessary or speak to staff. We also go to local book shop as it has a children's area and a fish tank. Could you get a baby rucksack and take her on walks? They are more tolerant of being in a big, high rucksack than pushchair I find.

I found this the hardest stage with both of mine. She'll probably be walking fairly soon, and that makes life so much easier.

In the mean time, I got a waterproof suit and boots and went to the park as normal.

Don't put her on a wet slide wearing one of these though. It's amazing how far a slippery child will fly

Are there any garden centres near you? They can be fantastic on rainy days not just for a crawling toddler (although mine is walking now) but for older kids too!

Often they have a lot more than just plants and garden related stuff - lots of interesting under cover things to look at (one of our local ones even has Little Tikes cars attached to a few of the trolleys so your toddler can 'drive' around the garden centre whilst you browse ). Often they have cafes (which are usually cheaper than the high street chain ones), little indoor play areas suitable for a crawler, plus a pet centre / aquarium selling tropical fish etc. We while away many a rainy day at the garden centre and it needn't cost you a thing (unless you are like me and prone to treating yourself to far too many one or two nice plants for the garden

My DD is 1 and not yet walking. She loves the fish tanks and animals at Pets At Home - its free too!!!
I got some washable bath crayons in Sainsburys the other day. They have a ball shaped grip. Looking forward to trying them out. Maybe I could turn my bath into a messy play zone with flour and jelly etc...
Going to watch this thread for ideas for myself.

My DS was a very active crawler at 11 months. I'm with BertieBotts, buy one of those all in one rain suits and wellies (although some of the rain suits come with feet) and just take her to the park even if it is raining. (get a good raincoat for yourself). DS also loved the zoo and aquarium in the backpack (we have this model direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-2331.aspx). And like Bertie my DS loved nothing more than a babyccino at costa.
And this time of year there are lots of country shows - again if its raining just put the rain suit on and go anyway. My DS liked crawling up and down the train carriage on the way there (pretty gross as they are quite dirty so bring lots of wipes). Some museums are good for crawlers because they have lots of floor space and exhibits high enough that they can't reach - like bits of the science museum.
Again like other posts we took DS swimming most weeks, i find that its quietest before 10am, and if he had a swim then he would have a really long nap. And soft play areas are fab, we are very lucky and have three near us so spent a lot of time there.
If you can bear the mess, i started painting with DS at about that age. Big plastic floor mat and finger paint - a lot of which will end up in baby's mouth so make sure its suitable for babies (cornflour and food colouring is also an option). You might want to consider doing it in the bathroom so you can put her straight in the bath after without her touching anything or crawling on the carpet. Shaving foam on a baking tray is also good fun. And DS liked "helping to wash up" again this is a bathroom or non-carpeted room activity.
You can also make assault courses for crawlers and cruisers using sofa cushions and chairs with sheets over for tunnels. You could set one up in the evening so your DD can do it when she wakes up.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to post these fab ideas. Will have to sit down with DH, work through them all and start planning a bit better.

Today was solved as we ran errands this morning, came home for lunch and then DD and I went to bed for 3 1/2 hours!! (she's been ill so catching up on sleep this weekend)