How to entertain DS 18 months when selling on the market/fair

[lovemynathy]

I am planing to start selling on markets/fairs and I need to take my DS with me. Could you please give me some ideas how to entertain him when I am selling.
Thank you :-)

Honestly? I wouldn't attempt it. You are stuck in the same place for hours if selling at a stall, your only options are to either find someone to look after your ds, or to find someone to sell your stuff for you.

How long in the day? Does it cover naps/meals?

I don't think that's going to work at all, sorry! Really stressful for both of you.

EBay instead?

I've done markets myself for years and it's quite a stressy thing to do and you really need to know your target market or you won't make hardly anything.

I agree with backforgood.

Is there nobody else who can look after him?

Also, you are likely to have people chatting to you and depending on what you sell, people all around the stall. You will need eyes in the back of your head to make sure dc doesn't wander off or some weirdo doesn't wander off with him (horrible as it sounds).

Sounds like an insane idea sorry. How were you planning on keeping him still?

I have seen this work, that's the good news.

The bad news it was in the Carribean, where the market women often had their children with them, they even used the draws under their stalls as a make-shift bed. BUT it is a hugely different culture, very much the whole village raising the children, and older ones (5 year olds) looking after little ones.

I have run a stall at a school fair with a child of this age, but it only worked because my older children at 5 and 7 could take the money and the little one was sleepy. It was still crazy, and we were just running a connect 4 type game, if it had been complicated it would have been impossible.

Sorry.

Could work if you took a playpen with you, lots of toys and you have a docile dc! If it were for a few hours and you had good relationships with other stallholders or there were other children present to entertain he may just love all the attention! My dd would have tried to run off at that age but now she'd probably love chatting to people! I know a facepainting woman who runs a stall with her two year old milling about. Depends on the child!

Sorry, I think 18 months is about the worst age possible for this arrangement. What other options do you have?

Thank for sharing your thoughts. I am trying to earn some income as a sahm. Unfortunately we don't have any relatives here and I was thinking about an options where I dont need a child care. The idea came to me when I met a woman at one of the baby groups. She was selling books and her 18 mo was with her. It is easier in baby groups as DS can join in but she said she was selling on fairs and markets with her DS. I am going to invite her for a coffee to ask her how she does that. Play pan sounds doible, I also thought a back carrier, maybe try a bit of everything. It will be for about 3 hours. I think I just go there first to check out how it positioned ans what is going on there. Maybe just stick with Internet as nothing worth the risk. Thank you for your time, really helped me to see it better, very difficult to put it in the business plan :-)

actually for 3 hours i think its fine. plan for his nap to start before you set up (so pop him in buggy maybe and walk around 15min before you need to set up). then you can set up and start whilst he takes a nap. take a playpen and he can play in there for an hour or so once awake.

if you split up its not that bad

1hr nap
30mins on chair/portable highchair with snack/drink/ playdough/ megasketch draw thing. he can also 'help' with customers talking to them etc
1hr in playpen/ or toddling around if safe
30 mins on chair again with you

back in playpen with you pack up

this depends on times of day. for example if it was in the afternoon i know with mine they would nap 2 hrs, so less time to entertain etc.

in fact i do a similar thing but from home (so possibly safer), as i work from home 2 afternoons a week with no childcare. they are 18months and nearly 3

so on those days i pick up from nursery at 12, home for lunch together.

1-3pm they sleep - i work
3.15-4.15pm they have snack/drink/ and play at the table with toys/easy puzzles/ crayons/ playdough/ or latest is waterplay in bowl on kitchen floor with spoons etc.. (in just nappy/pants) - i work at table on laptop, adding encouragement every so often

4.15-5 - i stop work and we all go outside for run/walk/play/jump in puddles

5-6 -i work on laptop in lounge, i set up so train track/lego etc and they amuse and play with themselevs or each other.

6-8pm- we eat/ read/ bath/bedtime.

8pm onwards i catch up if needed

so 3 days a week i work out of home.

and on those two days home i work 8.30-11.30 alone (3hrs), then roughly another 4 hrs once they are home , 2 hrs whilst asleep and 2 hrs whilst awake. dh drops them at nursery at 9 on the way to work so we only pay for 2 1/2 hours of childcare on those days.

3 hours selling, then add another hour each side as you try and get your vehicle near your pitch and set up/ strike. Unless you can load it all on teh pushchair/ bike trailer.. but then what kind of market is it? indoor with table provided or outdoor pitch only?