Please tell me your Playdough rules for carpeted houses

[mamacoffee]

What do you do? How Do you keep the stuff off the carpets? We've just got our cleaner to do a thorough clean off the carpet in our living room and a week later it's got loads of little bits stuck in again!! Please tell me where I'm going wrong! Currently I tell the kids (who are toddlers) they have to use it on the table only and not walk around with it and I keep a plastic mat (quite large) under the table.

Please help bc the dcs and their cousins all love it since I made it and it really keeps them entertained in a brilliant learning activity for absolutely ages!

No rules needed as Ds is quite tidy with it and keeps it on the table. We occasionally have to hoover up a bit but never noticed it getting stuck to the carpet. He did somehow manage to sit on some yesterday so be interesting to see if it comes out of jeans.

I find paint far worse and glitter just gets everywhere. We made glittery decorations last week and I can still see the odd glint of it here and there.

Who cares about mess? Posters on here are far more houseproud than I've ever been - as long as my son is happy, I'm really not that fussed (I have a cream carpet in the livingroom (bought before kids...) that is now pretty manky from various spills, etc - hey ho - life goes on.

They're only little for a short space of time, bring on glitter, paint, playdoh and glue-ing - no way is he only getting to do that at other folks houses - I want him to have messy fun with me!

Make it the same colour as the carpet.

my Mum often tells me she wished she's spent more time playing with us as kids instead of worrying about the housework (still had a nice childhood but mainly remember playing with my brothers, not Mum) so I follow that. The house is clean but not my main priority.

we've just recarpeted the living room. the shop gave us a massive offcut of lino for our playdoh which we got dd for Xmas

I'm kidding myself right?!

How do you stop yr child from eating it? My DC is 2.5 and loves as good nibble. Always supervise him however its like he's never been fed, he can't get enough of it which ends in tantrums and tears every time!

Make it with more salt?

Outside only

Which means it has a limited time span too (although admittedly longer than in UK). Suits me fine the feel of it makes me want to be sick.

Both DC get ample opportunities to play with it at crèche/school so I don't feel too mean.

the playdough is definitely staying, i'm definitely more in the camp that prioritises fun over tidiness! just want to minimise the mess and find the best way to do it!

problem we were having was more little bits of it so picking it up etc we were doing already. i think ive figured out from watching closely lol that tiny little flecks can go flying or fall off their hands or from the table...

i'm hoping switching rooms for playdough will solve it.