What to do with a 19 month old?

[ScarlettButler]

I feel I'm a bit stuck in a rut. We sing songs, read books, run up and down the garden or go to the swings but feel now DD is older I should be doing more with her and that I'm a bad mummy that I'm not doing more creative stuff with her. What sort of stuff is good for a toddler her age? I'm just not very good at knowing what's age appropriate...

Play do
painting
sticking
baking

All messy stuff. My children like the messy stuff[hgrin]

Making music with jangly instruments
Dancing to S Club and Girls Aloud CDs[hblush]

Bit less messy

Dancing round the living room, looking at animals and visiting farms, getting her to do the actions to stories that you read over and over and over again, playing chase.

Haven't tried baking. That sounds a bit frightening. [hgrin]

baking - what sort of stuff do you do ghoulishglenda? am a bit nervous about that

and where's good to get cheap paints/sticker stuff from?

Wilkinsons has loads of cheap colouring, painting, sticker stuff.
Baking is great with a toddler. My DD is very enthusiastic. Rolling out and cutting biscuit shapes is popular as is making scones and pizzas. Infact she loves to peel onions!

you can get stickers etc from 99p £1 shops too
if your nervous about baking you can buy the kits from the baking section of supermarket? eg postman pat cookies or whatever ones your dd would prefer, there should be all sorts of ones there

Have you tried gardening? I had DS (18 months) out in the garden today, planting bulbs. Well, lobbing bulbs in the general direction of the holes we'd dug, anyway... We've also been painting flower pots, then planting bulbs in them, to give to grandparents for Christmas.

He loves play-do (search the recipe section on here if you want to make your own) and bake once a week- if I can't face making cakes/scones/anything complicated I get him to help me with making yorkshire puddings on a Sunday.

'Helping' with the washing up is always a hit, too, if you don't mind getting a bit soggy. Oh, and last week I gave him a sponge and a spray bottle, and had him wiping down all the kitchen cupboard doors. Kept him amused for ages, and saved me a cleaning job!

Oh, I'd just relax. Sounds like you're doing a fine job.

Let her run around a shopping mall, go to a cafe and buy a cake for you to share (no way I'm baking with my 20 month old).

Do you have some nice toddler groups you could go to once or twice a week?

Now the leaves are falling, get the wellies on and have a good old rustle in the leaves.

Just plain fairy cakes. I generally try to avoid eating them. Did gingerbread biscuits the other week. It is rare though, I mean I only bake when the children are very bored and would drive me mental otherwise! Not every month week

My 22mo loves a go of a dustpan and brush, or a full size broom actually. Bit of gardening? brush up a few leaves/stamping on them/trash a few plants?

Agree wilkos good for cheap arty/crafty bits. My local £1 shop has some nice colouring books as well, like Dora/Wonderpets stuff on them, cheap felt tips because they get bashed.

We have a swimming lesson once a week, with a playgroup on another day. On the spare day (I work on the other days) I usually get my son to "help" with housework. He unloads the dishwasher, loads the washing machine, "sorts" laundry and dusts.

I encourage lots of independent play, while I mumsnet observe and encourage. He has an older brother so he generally follows around after him.

Apart from that, he does what the rest of the family do. We read stories, chat, go for walks and watch pigeons. He is very keen on flying objects!

DD has shown great interest in dustpan and brush which of course I am encouraging now I realise it is not me being lazy but promoting learning and independent play.

I work three days a week, on other days take her to a rhyme time and try to take her to a park or soft play centre on other days.

Went to poundland this morning to stock up, managed to walk past the kit kats but all the sticker stuff and paints things seemed to be aged 3+ - am i being too PFB-ish to worry about buying these?