What things should I be doing with my 1yr old?

[Elmo311]

Hi!

So I've got a 1yr old boy and 9 week old baby girl. Nursery is too expensive at the moment so I am just wondering what I should be doing with him at home so that he is not 'behind' the children who go to nursery?

We have been to sensory classes (but he is almost too old for this as he is walking now ) and some toddler groups when I can manage to get out of the house.

He has toys and books etc and is very good at playing by himself too.

I think I'm just feeling some guilt as I've got another little one to look after too!

He understands a lot and i walk round the house with him pointing things out like the lights, door , chair etc and now when I ask him where those things are he will point to it (super cute )

What things do they do in nursery ?

It sounds like you are doing all the right things. If he was at nursery he would probably be in a room with 1-2 year-olds - in my experience, some of the activities they do are a bit over the heads of the babies who have just turned 1, so I really wouldn't worry too much. Some suggestions:

• If he can walk, take him to the park and point out birds, plants, animals etc
• Sing lots of songs - they do lots of nursery rhymes etc at nursery (as you might expect!) and I think it helps enormously with language etc - anything with actions is good as he can learn the actions over time.
• Messy play - anything with water is good e.g. a bowl of water with some cups (e.g. the stacking cups you can get very cheaply) so he can pour water from one to another and splash about. They do this a lot at my daughter's nursery. Sand is good too but needs more supervision as he will probably try to eat it.
• Sellotape some big pieces of paper to a wall and let him scribble on them with crayons? Again, he will probably try to eat the crayons so you might need to do this at a time when the 9 week old is playing ball and you can supervise him a little. Or maybe some chunky pavement chalks, if you have some outdoor space? When he is a bit older you could also maybe get him a little blackboard/whiteboard on an easel.
• Playing with animal/people figures (e.g. the Happyland ones are good and often up for grabs on eBay) - these are good for stimulating imagination and are used in many nurseries, I think.

The other thing that might interest him is helping out with the new baby (e.g. fetching wipes) - DD's nursery have baby dolls that all the kids seem to love, particularly the little pushchairs to put them in.

I really wouldn't worry about him being behind kids at nursery - nurseries do more activities but also have more children to look after, so he will be benefiting loads from the interaction with you. DD started nursery at a year old, but I don't think she really benefited from it development-wise until she was a bit older, particularly as it took her a while to settle in. She's now 2 - I'd say it's definitely positive for her now, but I don't think it has made her any more "advanced".

@irecitethegruffaloinmydreams Thank you for being the only one to reply to me :)
Great ideas there and you've made me feel much better so I really appreciate it!

Hello. I'm a SAHM with a newly turned 2 year old and a 7 month old. like you, we do sensory classes and toddler groups. In addition, we go to the park every afternoon so my dad can interact with children more. He always makes a friend for the afternoon. We also do messy activities in the tuff tray, art and crafts, baking, sensory activities. Look at Pinterest and Instagram- so many ideas. We try to do an activity a day and go out to a group or walk in morning and the park in the afternoon.

Haha ds not dad!😂

I dunno why you think your child would be behind just cos they're not at nursery. DD is 1 and been at nursery for almost 4 months and she is nowhere near to understanding all the words you say your DC can, never mind pointing to them on demand, and nowhere near to walking (she is only just starting to cruise very unsteadily). All children develop differently and at this young age I would be inclined to believe 1-on-1 care is probably the best for their development! But obviously not possible for all of us to facilitate all the time.