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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

What to do with older baby/ toddler all day?

45 replies

mrsflux · 24/02/2010 13:06

Ok I'm going to admit that I have the tv on in the background most of the day. I've read sone if the recent threads here and feel a bit guilty so want to cut down.
Ds is 10mo and tunes in and out of tvdeprnding on what's on- even if it's cbeebies so I know he's not a couch potato yet...
What do you do with yours all day?

We do baby and toddler group one day a week, food shopping, maybe trip to shopping centre.

He's cruising confidently so is reluctant to be in buggy lots but not walking so can't take him to park etc.

Yes I am clueless!

OP posts:
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mrsgboring · 24/02/2010 13:13

I have a 10 month old DS2. Soft play is a great space for a cruiser - during the school day when it's quiet.

Library - often there is story time or just go as an expedition.

Swimming and also our local leisure centre does a play session in one of the big gyms (bit like soft play)

If you have a local museum it might be nice for a walk around during the bad weather - and you can look at the exhibits.

Excursions by bus, train, whatever.

Inside loads of book reading, singing, bouncing on knee and rummaging through toys and assorted piles of junk.

When we were on holiday we let both boys shred newspaper to amuse themselves while we packed the suitcase. You'd probably have to tear the paper for your DS but he'd doubtless enjoy sitting in a pile of ripped up paper throwing it over his shoulder and vaguely eating it.

Food - sit in highchair. Give him some squishy food and sit with him squishing it with fingers, baby spoons etc. Also go out to cafe and repeat with cafe food.

There are also various baby classes you can do which are great for the social aspect but quite expensive for what they are.

compo · 24/02/2010 13:17

Aim to go out once a day
to baby groups, library, shopping, for a walk
then home for lunch and nap
then either go out again or just chill

mrsdisorganised · 24/02/2010 13:19

You could focus on bricks, reading stories with bright colourful books, start finger painting (yes messy and usually very short lived! had a go with mine, got some nice handprints out of it!) I'm sure you do all this anyway!
Don't beat yourself up about the tv, but I wouldn't leave it on as a background, good for winding down though
We go on a walk (pushchair or backpack) every day even only if its only for 10 mins, unless its too baltic!

mrsflux · 24/02/2010 13:21

I like those suggestions. Thanks.

Won't be doing soft play though. Whenever we take ds he gets REALLY sick 2-3 days later. Think ours it too big and germy!

Am looking for stuff on in area like story time at library but it all seems to be on days when I'm at work.
ds is a very active boy who won't sit on my knee unless he's tired or eating and would quite happily eat a whole Sunday times if I let him! He loves eating paper!

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Comewhinewithme · 24/02/2010 13:28

DD is 9 months and she likes sitting on the floor with me reading books and she sometimes comes and sits in the kitchen in her bumbo holding a ladel or wooden spoon .

Babysmash is very good and free to download dd loves it.

We also watch videos on youtube of nursery rhymes and she loves these clips

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iLwdv-MeiE

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhODBFQ2-bQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtN1YnoL46Q

babyOcho · 24/02/2010 13:30

Checkout your local childrens centres to see if they run anything. Often have free sessions for stay and play, and other classes as well.

babyOcho · 24/02/2010 13:31

Oh, even if you cannot make baby bounce/story time, the library generally is quite good for hanging out in with a baby. Lots of books and people to look at.

displayuntilbestbefore · 24/02/2010 13:32

Try to go out everyday, maybe each morning, so your DS gets fresh air and can enjoy different sights and sounds. Just because he's not walking unaided doesn't mean you can't take him to the park for a ride on the swings or slide on the slide.
Don't have the tv on all day or you might end up with a child who relies on it for entertainment!
Can you spend time with him doing jigsaws, reading, making things out of cardboard, paper, with crayons, glue, sticky bits, material scraps etc?
Do some baking together? Get him involved in helping you sort the washing or tidy up?
There's a whole host of things to do and he will be happy being involved in as much of your daily stuff as you can safely let him.

Comewhinewithme · 24/02/2010 13:32

Yeah surestart do a lot of free stuff we have a story session ghey getroup on atm and the babies get a free set of books after the course too.

Comewhinewithme · 24/02/2010 13:32

Baby decided to bash keyboard sorry it is all muddled up.

meandjoe · 24/02/2010 13:34

Well it depends on what he wans to do really! At that age my ds hated the buggy so I used to have to make sure I took lots of toys/ snacks if we were going anywhere in it.

I'd say do try to switch the TV off a bit. My s was not the least bit interested in the TV intiul he turned 2 so he wasn't learning anything from it... was just a noise which actually distracted me from talking to him as much as I could so I stopped watching it other than an hour or so in the morning (I like my Phillip Schofield fix!)

I have learned that young toddlers actually don't need you to play 'with' them constantly, in fact they are unable to play 'with' someone, just along side them as obviously they don't understand rules and taking turns etc. I let me ds who is 2 play with what toys he wants whilst I just watch and tell him what he's doing and praise him if he does something new or is playing nicely. Then if he wants me to be involved with something and roll play etc he is now old enough to ask me to play which is a lot easier than when he was your son's age! I used to find when he was little he'd get quite frustrated if I tried to be part of a game or play with a toy if he didn't want me to so don't feel guilty if he's playing by himself a bit.

I take my ds to look round local pet shop, I find that takes up and hour or so with travel time and he loves animals so it's usially a good way of entertaining him a bit and I can chatter away to him about all the different coloured fish and fluffy rabbits blah blah blah. Good cos it gets me out the house too!

I also take him swimming once a week.

Have you tried finger painiting at home with him? Messy but good fun. Just put some plastic sheeting down (we use one of them water proof table covers) with some big A3 sheets of paper to paint on and let him splat away til his heart's content!

We take him to soft play centre about once a week (sometimes more if he is restless at home) but think he was a bit older when we started taking him there. But there's usually a soft baby bit in those centres and a change of scenery is always good for them at that age.

Have you tried getting him involved with house work/ cooking etc. Maybe a bit too young yet but mu ds used to love to play with his toy hoover when I was vacuuming and would go round with a feather duster when I was cleaning, again maybe better when he's walking competantly.

Other than that, I used to let him empty one of my kitchen cupboards filled with baby safe things like tupperware, plastic jugs, cullendar, wooden spoons etc, again it makes a mess but they love rooting around in things and you can sit with him and tell him what things are, also good if you want to get on with a bit of cooking.

Reading, always good but my ds had too short an attention span to actually sit for long at 10 months butmaybe yours is different.

Singing, stuff you probably already do but just singing a song when my ds is bored or stroppy can distract him.

Get a water table or fill a tray with water (again time to use the plastic sheets lol) and let him sit on the sheet and splash about and pour water into plastic cups etc.

Moatly just don't feel guilty if he doesn't have your attention every minute as long as he's safe. They learn from everything, just pouring water into a cup they are learning about gravity and liqiuds/ solids stuff like that. I bet he's fine, you're not clueless but we all feel like we are!

Wow long post sorry.

mrsflux · 24/02/2010 13:36

displayuntil those are the things I'd like to do when he's bigger but at 10mo he's just not ready fir making things or baking yet.

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displayuntilbestbefore · 24/02/2010 13:44

Not old enough? Yes he is! I'm sure he would happily mix some stuff around in a bowl and help you decorate buns or cakes. Pat some chocolate crispies and try and make them into balls and put them into paper cases!
He will also really enjoy sticking things onto paper or making pictures out of shapes.
I did all the things I mentioned with my 3 when they were that age, and younger, and they had a whale of a time.
Yes, it gets messy sometimes, but that's part of the fun!

displayuntilbestbefore · 24/02/2010 13:51

Something else I used to do which ds1 in particular really loved was to cut shapes out of card - circles, triangles, squares - and then lay them out on the floor to try and make things eg a tractor was one small circle, a big circle (wheels) and then a couple of squares for the main body of the tractor. DS would then have a go and it's the joining in and having a go that's the important thing, not whether a child is actually able to do a whole jigsaw or make a picture that looks like anything in particular. DH has many portraits done of him by DCs that actually look more like splodges and mess!
Same with the buns they decorated - wouldn't win any awards with WI but they had a lot of fun putting sprinkles and chocolate chips and sugar flowers everywhere

mrsjuan · 24/02/2010 14:02

Really display? At 10 months? My DD is just 9 months and I know they change a lot but i honestly can't imagine her trying to make chocolate crispies in a month She would just eat it all, including the paper cases. Ditto for sticking things. Jigsaws, maybe - she would like pulling out the peg type ones and banging them.

I like to set up a bit of an obstacle course on the floor for her to crawl around and on- sofa cushions, chairs to make a tunnel, toys strategically placed etc. She enjoys that.

Also, going to the part -only tried her on the swings so far but she's probably like the see saw and roundabout if I sat with her.

We try to go out a lot - even just visiting relatives to get a change of scenery and someone else to play with.

displayuntilbestbefore · 24/02/2010 14:12

Of course your 10mth old won't be making the buns and crispies from scratch, I never said that they would be turning the oven on and measuring out ingredients, but they can easily hold a bowl while you put some flour into it, have a go at mixing the mixture in the bowl (who cares if they eat some chocolate crispie mixture before it goes in the cases?).
They can have a go at putting the washing into different piles, giving them chance to learn about colours,and there are loads of jigsaws and shape sorters around for them to enjoy holding and looking at.
I made collage type pictures with my dcs at that age and they loved doing the basic jigsaws with me - but if you only want to do things that they can do all on their own without you there to assist them then you're limiting all the things that could be done to broaden their learning and enjoyment IMO.

It's being involved and doing a variety of things with you that is enjoyable.Of course you will be doing the lion's share of the baking/picture making/jigsaw doing/laundry sorting but it doesn't make it any less worthwhile doing it with your child.

mrsjuan · 24/02/2010 14:27

I obviously didn't think they would be doing it by themselves And I don;t have a problem with her eating food but i draw the line at watching an entire paper case disappear down her throat! tbh I don't think she could hold a bowl while I poured some flour in (strange chocolate crispies they'd be though ) and any attempt at laundry sorting would end in tears becasue she would find something she liked playing with only for me to take it away again and put it in a pile or the wash but perhaps I am holding her back. I will give it a go in a month and see.

I'm not really having a go. Messy play, getting them involved in daily activities etc is fantastic just wondering if you'd reacalled the ages correctly or if I've got a limited idea of what babies that age are capapble of.

displayuntilbestbefore · 24/02/2010 14:36

If you don't think your child would be interested that's fine (although if you're supervising her I can't see how she will manage to swallow a bun case). I'm not saying you should do these things but I think you're missing out on a lot of fun if you don't ever try them!
I was only offering ideas as OP requested - just pointing out that just because a child isn't fully able to do something doesn't mean they won't enjoy having a go at it. If your child can eat with a spoon then they can mix with it or paint a mark on a piece of paper with a paintbrush.
It's like reading to babies, we do it because it's something nice to do with a baby and they enjoy hearing your voice, not because we think they actually understand everything we're saying- let them have a go at things and explore, get messy....you might be surprised at what your child is capable of doing!

You know your child, I'm only suggesting things I have enjoyed doing with my DCs when they were that age.

mrsflux · 24/02/2010 14:47

displayuntil I think your dc must have had v good fine motor skills. Ds can hold a spoon and sometimes eat off it. Not often tho. Mostly he just waves it about. If yours could eat with a spoon at 10mo they are way ahead of ds and so probably would be able to do all of your suggestions. I'll bear them in mind for later

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mrsjuan · 24/02/2010 14:48

You haven't met her. The girl is an eating machine

Fair enough - mark making etc. I can see. I think I just get edgey about things that can be eaten because she is slap bang in the middle of the 'let's put it in my mouth' phase combined with a rare talent for biting and chewing without teeth (she can eat steak) so most things would make their way down if they went in.

Personally I can't wait until the weather improves and it will be easier to get outside and play in the garden etc. i think that will make a big difference.

Purplebuns · 24/02/2010 14:49

Hi, try switching the tv background noise to music? I often have music on, and I experiment with different genres, to see what my Dd (almost 10mths) responds to.
It is so cute watching her jig her bum up and down, with the music. (She is cruising)
It can be anymusic, the more styles the better imo.

Also, any booklets I get through the post I give to her to examine and shred, same with any newspapers before I recycle them.

Any interesting boxes, and kitchen roll tubes she can poke and roll, around are great fun.

Also silly things, like dancing around the room with her is great or pulling faces she really enjoys. Or getting her to chase me!

Meals are loong in this house. I let her play with her food for ages, carrot sticks and bits of apple keep her entertained for ages!

Also putting her toys in a heap and putting her in it seems to last well.

I also have a low kitchen shelf with tupperware bits which amuses her long enough for me to make a cup of tea!

Sorry if this is too long, I hope it offers you some new ideas

BurnyHill · 24/02/2010 14:54

MrsJuan I'm having the same problems as you, DD seems too old for just looking/playing with her old baby toys but isn't ready for baking/playdough/painting yet. I know because they have those activities at my playgroup and I've tried. She isn't standing yet and that is quite limiting I think. It feels like a lull between babyhood and toddlerhood and I think its a bit frustrating to be honest.

BurnyHill · 24/02/2010 14:55

Sorry, I meant MrsFlux

mrsflux · 24/02/2010 14:56

purplebuns oh good you are similar in your mummying technique to me!
I do all that - well except the kitchen shelf for your dd. Not possible in our kitchen although he does like my cooking utensils when I tip them onto the floor.
Feel bit less guilty now.

Gonna try putting my ipod on shuffle too!

OP posts:
Purplebuns · 24/02/2010 15:03

Ah good
Also putting them in the empty bath for water play and things is fun and less messy.