Really struggling with toddler in the afternoons. What does everyone else do??

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I'm 7 months pregnant and have a lovely and easy going daughter of 3.2. She's with a childminder 2 days p/w whilst I work, the other 3 days she is with me. We are generally busy in the a.m but I sometimes (often) really feel at a loss as to what to do in the loooooong afternoons.

She dropped her glorious 3 hour naps not that long ago and I feel quite bereft about it. I now just stare down the barrel of 5 or 6 hours until my partner comes home with dread. We do all the usual stuff; puzzles, drawing, pasting, reading, park, 'quiet time' etc, but that still seems to leave a whole heap of free time I'm not quite sure what to do with. I try to avoid TV, but usually let her watch something she likes for a half hr in the late afternoon when I'm too tired to argue.

What does everyone else do to wile away the afternoons??

I feel for you. I have a newborn and an almost 3 year old DD and the pregnancy was tough! She had dropped her nap too, but I managed to get her to have one with me sometimes. She would take books and toys to my bed and play while I dozed, then cuddle up and sleep too. That used up some time!

I'd often have a bath in the afternoon. DD liked to 'help' by pouring water on the bits of me she could reach, or she would play with toy animals in the sink.

Helping get tea ready so you don't have to do it later.

DD will play for a while (longer if I sit with her) with playdough and farm animals or dinosaurs.

Weekly comic and free access to felt tip pens.

The afternoons really are hard as you're so tired yourself. Hope you get more ideas posted.

I usually arrange for one of ds's friends to come round about twice a week.
Then the kids entertain each other while we get a natter.
We do a lot of baking, go out in the garden and collect stones to throw in the stream (ds fave thing just now) or go a walk but I just had a new baby and the weather is crap so haven't been outside a huge amount....(stir crazy emotion)
He can watch Tv while I get dinner ready if he doesn't want to help, sometimes do my chores like washing or sweeping and give him a brush or a cloth and he loves to help.

Today I made soup so he helped with the veg then spent ages making his own soup with his plastic veg and a saucepan.
He is 2 btw. It can be a bit monotonous especially with new baby as they are always asleep and the weather keeps you inside.
There was a really good thread on here a couple of weeks back sponsored by mu cheese and it had loads of good ideas to keep kids occupied through the summer holidays. I don't know how to link to it but someone else may. I have used a few things from there such as a mini sports day and indoor picnic and making lunches together then eating in improvised tent!

Definitely feel your pain, and there are some good suggestions above. You will readjust though. I found it really hard when DS dropped his nap just before DS2 born 6 months ago, and didn't think we'd cope. The afternoons felt endless and he would get grouchy towards dinner time, but now we've re-paced ourselves and can both sail through the day fairly happily.
I also felt thankful he'd kept up the nap for so long, as some friends kids dropped them much earlier. Good luck :)

Ps. You may or may not have a set snack time in the afternoon, but we would go and sit at table in kitchen for drink and biscuits (we called it 'the cafe') everyday which broke up afternoon and added bit more structure.

I now go out in the afternoons rather than the mornings if possible, I find DS2 can amuse himself in the mornings and then I head out when he starts getting fractious. Do you live near things, because I'm guessing at 7 months pg you don't want to drag yourselves too far? I go up to our library, pop to the shops, go and look in the bike shop window, that sort of thing.

Also, I give DS2 a bath or let him play with water, water the plants, chalk outside, that sort of thing buys me some quiet time.

I also throw small amounts of cash at the problem by buying something new n the charity shop to keep him entertained.

Can she help prepare the evening meal? Get her to roll out some pastry or cut biscuits that can go in the oven along with dinner? That, and the resulting game of "who's the best at tidying up" can waste use up a couple of hours.

I try to think of stuff housewives in the olden days did, before telly and that.

I know how you feel - I'm often counting the hours until it's time to go to bed, and I have it easier in the respect that my mum comes over for a couple of hours some days so I can do some work.

DS is 20 months old. Most of our toddler groups (not that there any on at the moment) are in the morning. In the afternoons we tend to play with his toys in his playroom, go out in the garden where he likes playing with soil, visiting the chickens, going on his slide or seesaw or shelling broad beans. I tried baking with him, but I think he's a bit young for that at the moment. The Imagination Tree has some good ideas.

it is a long time isn't it -
friends round is really nice - also maybe you could arrange a couple of play dates where they go on their own - or come to you - could be really handy when new baby comes
I tend to do some short cleaning jobs - maybe time myself so I feel that I have done something
we also - maybe not useful given its holidays -started swimming lessons at 3.30 - there wasn't much demand for that slot as it was very tight for school age children
TV - I wouldn't worry about some - especially as you can put your feet up as
we often go out for a walk - after tea
sometimes we used to have a bath together when DS1 was that age and I was pregnat he thought that was brilliant - and meant he was done in the evening
have a few activitiy ideas ready - like a sticker book or a craft activitiy - that if all else fails you can whip out

Thanks very much for these suggestions, I've added them to my arsenal of afternoon things to do!

Great idea littleblue and anothername re: afternoon bath. I did that yesterday and she happily played for over half an hour. Makes it much less stressful in the evening as well as we're trying to eat together and she often gets too tired to have a bath as well, so that has been a revelation.

The Imagination Tree looks lovely thanks dogindisguse, and has some great ideas.

My partner is taking extended paternity leave when the baby is born so only in a couple of months, I'll have an extra pair of hands....and they will be needed!

Thanks again. Always nice to know your not alone in these things.

xxx

I did the long afternoon bath for DD1 quite a bit and found I could take a little time to read a magazine or space out while she splashed happily.

I used to encourage her to build little forts and houses for herself and her cuddly toys or start some big block building project, and we sometimes went out to the library for an hour or so. I used the TV plenty.