Advice on entertaining a 2yo please

[EdwardorEricCantDecide]

I'll start mat leave on Friday, DS is 2.5 dc2 due in 5 weeks.

I plan to tackle potty training in the first week or 2, but I'm used to working 4 days per week, and im really worried about what to do with DS while I'm off work, activities will need to be cheap/free.

Any advice?

painting
play dough
dens
balloons
tea parties on the floor/indoor teddy bear picnics
save all your cardboard boxes for model making
cutting up old magazines = collage
pasta pictures
cake/biscuit baking
puddle-stomping on rainy days you kit him up in wellies/raincoat and watch from kitchen window keeping dry
long baths with lots of bubbles
mountain climbing - piles of cushions/pillows with toys hidden in crevices...

am so gonna miss all this next week when DD goes to school

Find out what's on around you in terms of SureStart groups, playgroups etc. as you'll need to get out of the house as well.

Floor puzzles
Simple games (Orchard do some good ones)
play picnics (and real ones, weather permitting)
Planting spring bulbs in the garden
Library (may have special kids' events)
Toy library
The park, of course
Look up friends with children the same age and get to play with other people's toys!

Get him involved with preparing things for the baby

Good luck with it all!

When dd that age, I had a friend with same age child and we used to do weekly art/messy sessions alternating between houses. Worked really well-only one person had to prepare it each week, and the two could be entertained by the other mum while tidying up. We did painting sticking, playdough, baking, water (washing up bowls so nothing expensive needed), cornflour and water. Most often painting with ready mix paint from elc and yoghurt pots so less washing up.

Thanks every1 loads of great ideas!

Is it bad that these things just dont come naturally to me

my 3 year old and 1 year old are currently happily obsessed with feeding the ducks at the nearby pond. highly recommended, and only 50p for a bag of sainsburys economy loaf, if you happen to live near some ducks...

building a tent under the kitchen table using blankets/duvets, then eating picnic lunch under it

Course not. Not many people are born bursting with ideas-like everything else about parenting you pick it up as you go along. Just in case you want it -here's a recipe for play dough that I picked up as I went along!
1 cup (250ml) plain flour
Half cup (125ml) salt
2tablespoons cream of tartar (baking aisle of supermarket)
2tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water
Food colouring if you like - my carpets Luke it without
Mix together (I use hand whisk or stick blender(
Heat in saucepan til it comes together in a lump.
Allow to cool and knead til smooth
If you want it to smell like playdough add almond flavouring with the other ingredients.
Remembered another thing-playing with flour-and generally making mixtures with lentils, rice, flour, water, oil, spices, veg peelings, anything really!

see, my DS is just two (25months) but wouldn't do hardly any of these things yet. He will sit for ages and play with this toy that involves rearranging cogs on a board so he has the dexterity and patience but just shows no interest AT ALL in playdoh or colouring. I am hoping that, as with most things he will just suddenly do it one day!

The ducks idea is great DS loves feeding the ducks this will be good for up to November I think, but as it really comes into winter they seem to get really aggressive! Last winter they chased me back to the car as I ran out of bread.

I was terrified!! although DS thought it was hilarious.
it was more swans and geese than ducks and there were over 100 I would say!

In the run up to Xmas I think we'll do a lot of arty/baking things and try to make some nice gifts also.

DS currently likes colouring (I havent been brave enough to try paint yet)
He is always asking for his playdough but rarely has enough time to get it out organise and play and tidy it away as we're usually just in from work and to bed or have stuff on at weekends.
So I do think he would do everything suggested he does have a lot of patience.

I would say DS would def sit and participate a lot more now than he would have 6 months ago