Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Having a toddler in lockdown is god fucking awful

143 replies

ivftake1 · 05/11/2020 14:26

I've finally cracked.

I'm so so so bored.

It's fine and it will continue to be fine but it's so shit.

OP posts:
CoronaIsShit · 05/11/2020 14:57

Not helpful I know but I will be eternally grateful that this didn’t happen while my DC were young. My 4 are aged between 23 and 10 thankfully.

I don’t know how I’d have coped when my kamikaze twin boys were pre schoolers. It was hard enough in a normal situation!

I lived by the mantra ‘everyone’s fed, nobody’s dead so today’s been a good day’Grin.

This is such a short time in your toddlers life, which they won’t remember, so concentrate on keeping yourself sane and practising some self care whenever you can.

ohnonotyetplease · 05/11/2020 14:59

Sympathies Flowers
I end up letting my toddler watch stuff then feel awful about the amount of screen time she has.....just need a bit of un-whinged time....

Whirlwind14 · 05/11/2020 15:01

I feel your pain! I woke up today determined not to get myself into the place o was last time so we’ve got out of the house and went to the park. Met a friend with her two little ones. Pre-schoolers don’t count thankfully. There’s no way I could do this with a climbing fearless 1 year old and grumpy 3 year old! Hooray for nursery tomorrow!

I second the 5 Min Mum book!

Juniperandrage · 05/11/2020 15:05

this might help (it was a reaction to that godawful "just get puddlesuits!!" thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/a4059672-Trapped-Toddler-Parents-of-Winter-2020-21-Support-Thread-Puddlesuits-at-the-ready?msgid=101177564#101177564

but god yes it is really hard to fill the time and not be swamped by isolation, currently I'm fucking around online while my little one is watching the Minions for the fifty-five thousandth time this year

BiddyPop · 05/11/2020 15:13

Can you get an oilcloth or a sheet of plastic to be able to cover the kitchen table or (preferably not carpet) living space floor? To allow lots of messy play and crafts. It might be an ideal time of year to do a lot of handprint art - like making brown paper into handmade (artisan) wrapping paper for Christmas (finger painting, potato stamping etc), or find ideas for different coloured finger prints to make pictures on the front of cards for various doting relatives....use all the empty toilet roll middles to make snowmen, santas, family of penguins etc to decorate the house for Christmas (whether all of the creations, or only just a handful, actually end up on display is beside the point - the entertainment and occupation of small DCs value is what is important here). Cut strips of different coloured sheets of paper (start with white paper and paint that if necessary) and teach them to make paper chains to string from the ceilings.

Intersperse with "quiet time" every day for reading where you read together.

Get them involved in preparing the family dinner - getting the ingredients or pots from lower cupboards, learning to chop properly, mixing things in bowls, measuring out ingredients, etc. If you have a sturdy stool that they can stand beside you at the worktop, or work together on the kitchen table sitting down, all the better.

And then tell them to go play with their toys (that Mamma also needs time to herself and a stiff gin) too.

LesLavandes · 05/11/2020 15:20

Don't be silly. You are sounding pathetic!

Parks are open. Bring a picnic!

It can be fun... I know

So at hime... creative activities - art, cooking, baking, tv

Loads to do. Maybe it's you who doesn't want 'to do'

GeorginaTheGiant · 05/11/2020 15:24

@LesLavandes and you’re sounding like a nasty twat!

Laquila · 05/11/2020 15:24

@LesLavandes are you being funny?...I can't tell

GeorginaTheGiant · 05/11/2020 15:26

I sometimes genuinely wonder about these posters who come onto a thread on fucking MUMSnet where a fellow mum of small children is really struggling, and their chosen response is smug nastiness. I wonder if those people are so unkind in real life or if it’s some warped online personality that they maintain.

Before you post just think back to your lowest day as a mum and whether your response would have helped you then. No, thought not.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 05/11/2020 15:29

I would like any of the male Cabinet to spend a month in a 1 reception room house with a preschooler and a newborn in winter- then see their policies!!!

jollybobs89 · 05/11/2020 15:34

@GeorginaTheGiant

"Hold on OP - someone will be along shortly to tell you to get them a puddlesuit "
Nearly made me spit out my tea!!!

I feel ya sisters!!! DD the same age and a 7 month old! Nursery was shut last time thank god it's not this time so I get two days to put the house back together and spend quality time with the other baba! I know I'm quite lucky in that respect! Let's just hope that the whole of November doesn't pour with rain!!

I used to say screen time was limited but it's gone out the window these days!

As long as they are fed and watered your doing well 😀

ivftake1 · 05/11/2020 15:36

@KitKatastrophe

Much easier this time around because you can meet a friend (outside) with your child. Under 5s arent included in the one person meeting one person rule. So I can go to the park with my child, my friend and her 2 children and thats all fine.
Not twice a day everyday though
OP posts:
ivftake1 · 05/11/2020 15:39

@LesLavandes

Don't be silly. You are sounding pathetic!

Parks are open. Bring a picnic!

It can be fun... I know

So at hime... creative activities - art, cooking, baking, tv

Loads to do. Maybe it's you who doesn't want 'to do'

Kindly fuck off!
OP posts:
waterlane · 05/11/2020 15:42

Totally with you. People who say 'oh just get a puddle suit' are arseholes as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to try to keep a bit of structure to the week as much as possible as I find endless, unfilled days overwhelming. I actually really enjoyed Halloween as it gave us a 'theme' for several weeks so will be doing this for Xmas in a few weeks. I find the Twinkl website really helpful for resources and learning and printing off and cutting out is an activity in itself. I try to vary up walks by taking a scooter one day, taking the dolls pram another day etc. DD has just turned 2 and enjoys sticker books now which is a nice quiet time activity. Obviously we do have a fair bit of tv time. Tomorrow we're going to the park and next week I will meet friends for walks to break the week up. Also going to make the most of the supermarkets being open and do the shopping (didn't last lockdown as was pregnant)

ivftake1 · 05/11/2020 15:42

@LesLavandes

Don't be silly. You are sounding pathetic!

Parks are open. Bring a picnic!

It can be fun... I know

So at hime... creative activities - art, cooking, baking, tv

Loads to do. Maybe it's you who doesn't want 'to do'

To come back to this point. I DO so much. While doing ivf.

Maybe I would like a rest, is that a bad thing? No.

OP posts:
OnlyFoolsnMothers · 05/11/2020 15:45

Kindly fuck off! Grin thank god u said it, I hate the playground in the rain is great mums! No it isn’t it’s wet, it’s cold, can’t go down the slide, muddy wellies to clean on top of everything else misery

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 05/11/2020 15:46

Also if your child doesn’t nap- that’s approx 10hrs in a day to fill that doesn’t involve them eating.
Baking: 20mins
Drawing: 30mins
Blocks: 10 mins if lucky

......

MellowBird85 · 05/11/2020 15:48

@LesLavandes ODFOD

Any chance you can get them into childcare for 1-2 days a week OP? This has saved my sanity.

BiddyPop · 05/11/2020 15:53

Oh, sorry, I completely forgot to add that after creative play or lots of cooking/baking etc, often the DC will be dirty and need a bath - throw them in, throw in some bath toys or a plastic jug/glass/bowl or 2, and let them have a good ole splash around. That will use up at least another half an hour - up to an hour or more on good days!! Grin

And teach them to "help" you doing jobs - making beds, carry things as you move around the house, small sweeping pan and brush while you use the big brush, give them a dry cloth to "dust", they can sort socks into the right pairs while you fold laundry, hand you the pegs for putting clothes on the line, tidy up the toys together into the right boxes.....

If you keep them busy enough, they will wander off to do their own thing voluntarily at some point....

LittleMissLockdown · 05/11/2020 15:54

Not quite the owner of a toddler yet but I'm here to offer my support to the statement of how much it all sucks.

My small person (almost 11 months) is on the cusp of walking, he naps for approximately 1 hour a day if im lucky and a fly has a better attention span. We go for walks every day even in the pouring rain but there is just so much day to fill and it's so monotonous.

It's also incredibly lonely. Im pretty sure I would now gladly sell a kidney for the chance to have a real life adult conversation during daylight hours.

Frostedlantern · 05/11/2020 15:55

I would like any of the male Cabinet to spend a month in a 1 reception room house with a preschooler and a newborn in winter- then see their policies!!!

Love this, so fucking true.

Op ignore the twats. Toddlers are damn hard work at the best of times.

ivftake1 · 05/11/2020 15:56

[quote MellowBird85]@LesLavandes ODFOD

Any chance you can get them into childcare for 1-2 days a week OP? This has saved my sanity.[/quote]
No doing ivf so don't want him in nursery

OP posts:
Helenj1977 · 05/11/2020 15:58

I'm with you op. My dd has just turned 2 and we back to sleep regression and she's a little sod at the mo.

Not having anyone come to house is the worst. Just to sit with her so I can get something done.

ivftake1 · 05/11/2020 15:58

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Kindly fuck off! Grin thank god u said it, I hate the playground in the rain is great mums! No it isn’t it’s wet, it’s cold, can’t go down the slide, muddy wellies to clean on top of everything else misery
I don't mind the cold and wet so much the much lauded puddlesuit means he can still slide etc etc etc. It's the TEDIUM that I'm complaining about! My daily life has been the same since 19.02.2020
OP posts:
BoudicasBoudoir · 05/11/2020 16:00

Flowers OP

Doing IVF is hard enough without all the extra crap at the moment.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread