18mo hates soft play, any other ideas?

[strawberryswing]

I'm very stuck on what to do with my did on days off!

She hates soft play, messy play etc anything that is busy with people. She will stand and cry and cling to my legs and wont play with anything.

Does anyone have ideas of what I can do with her in or out the house??

Trip to the library
Local museum
Park
Beach
Swimming

in addition to Ken's suggestion, you could try a garden centre (some have pet zones, aquarims and play areas)

Check if your local library has a baby music session. Dd wasn't a fan of soft play but would sit on my lap and shake a rattle like the other children.

Is there anything like a city farm near you?

For Londoner's only the Stratford Discover centre is a godsend.

Feeding the ducks/squirrels in the park?

My son was a very shy toddler and used to do the same, now he's 4 and full of cockiness confidence and races away at soft play - they all get their confidence in their own time.

When he was that age, we did a lot of going to the park (although if anyone every queued behind him on the slide, he'd take himself out of the queue and let them go down first - so, getting him down the slide could take ages!) when he was that age (esp during school hours so it is quieter and only a few preschoolers/toddlers about).

We did a lot of play in the house with his toys, we did some craft stuff (painting with dabbers) but to be honest he was probably between 2-3 yrs before he really got into that in a big way. He loved megabloks and you could build towers with him and play with little figures with him for hours doing that.

I don't drive, so to be honest soft play wasn't really an option for me (neither was beach/swimming etc as too hard to get to from where I live) but I find that 18 months they just want to play with you (esp if they're shy) so don't feel that you're being remiss, by giving her some pots and spoons to bang about, or letting her 'measure' out pasta into tubs - she'd probably find that a great afternoon (Our son loved 'sweeping' at 18 months so we'd get him involved in tidying up....

Mine was the same. But tbh, I hate noisy places too.
Swimming at quiet times.
Parks
Anything outdoors, really, esp jumping in muddy puddles and quieter playgrounds
Shopping in small doses
Cafes if not too busy
And in the summer, sand and water play at home.

We have three disastrous theatre trips under our belt and have sworn to leave it fir several years. The audience terrifies her. The actors terrify her. The music....(you get the picture)

Wildlife/nature reserves
Farms- they are usually quieter during the week as well which is a bonus
Rhymetime classes at local library

Parent and child swimming lessons
Get together with a small group of friends

Am I the only one whose dcs, at that sort of age, spent most of their time "helping" me do the things that needed doing - ie the shopping and the washing and the cleaning and the gardening, etc? - So much language, and maths and 'knowledge of the world' from just going about your everyday 'stuff' that needs doing.

Bookbug at the library. It's often quiet and a good introduction to other children being around. it's boosted my DS's confidence so much.