DS is 2 in a week - how much socialising should he do?

[TottWriter]

I do worry about this quite a lot. My DS is two next week, and at the moment doesn't really see many other children on a regular basis.

We take hom to a p+t group once a week, and most of the children are around his age, but he doesn't really interact with them all that much. I've become friends with one or two of the mothers there, but we haven't met up very often outside of the group, partly due to my own shyness, I must admit.

It's complicated by the fact that my DP has depression and gets very anxious going out, but is my carer as I have epilepsy, and so neither of us are comfortable with me taking DS out by myself for very long. (I do still have fits fairly regularly unfortunately.) I'm also currently pg with DC2 due July. (Eek, I know!)

I worry that my DS isn't interacting enough with other children, but physically can't take him out all the time due to money and health constraints (the more tired I am the more fits I have). When children come here he is very friendly and shares his toys (almost a bit too insistently) but will often point at them and say 'baby' as though they are something to be observed rather than playmates.

I know when he turns three we will be able to take advantage of state-funded pre-school, but until then we can't afford childcare, as I'm on ESA with my partner home too as my carer. We are exceedingly skint, to the point where going swimming regularly or taking him to many activities is beyond our budget. Parks are great in the summer, but the weather has really exaccerbated this in the last few weeks.

My DS seems very happy, and is polite and friendly to everyone, as well as content in a group situation, so I'm not worried about him being nervous - only that I'm being horribly neglectful.

I wouldn't worry too much if I was you - you are taking him out once a week to interact (they don't really do much interacting at this age anyway and it's more like "parallel play" than playing together). This and seeing other children at home from time to time is probably OK until you get the funded place.
BTW your little boy sounds lovely - I take my 2.5 yr old out all the time and he is a shouty, grabby, pushy little horror

Ah, mine saves all his shouting and grabbing (and pushing and rolling on the floor) for when he's at home. Little monster is (usually) a perfect angel in public, so no one believes us when we tell them how bad he can be!

Well, apart from the odd moment where he lies down face first on the pavement rather than get in his pram. People give us odd looks coz we just let him lie there for thirty second before trying to pick him up. And the other week he was screaming all the way home. Literally. (Thankfully we're five minutes walk from the town.)

As Gargula says really. You can't expect a 2yo to do much interacting with other toddlers, that doesn't really happen til they are past 3yo.

DS is nearly 3yo and tbh he sees other children when we are out and about and says hello at the playpark, or we visit other mums on a one-to-one basis for play dates. That will be it really until he starts nursery 5 days a week in 5 months time. I don't take him to mums and toddler groups and he's well-adjusted. They learn to interact later on in nursery/school.

He sounds perfecetly normal to me too.

Have you tried asking your HV or Mum's at playgroup if there are any free activities on?

We have a free storytime at the library, our local school does a play drop-in one afternoon a week and we have a local NCT meetup once each week with a totally voluntary £1 admission. All great for getting out and not spending!

Hi, don't worry! Apparently they don't learn to share and play until they're 3yo.