Ideas for toddler while I'm nursing new baby?

[WhyTheHeckMe]

I'm booked in for csec in 2 weeks time. I have a 2 and a bit year old that I breastfed till he was 7mo and would aim for similar this time.
Ds absolutely loves being out and about, so I'm still going to send him to nursery 3 days in the first few months but I'm worried about the days at home when it's just the 3 of us and dh is working.
I've seen ideas of nursing boxes to keep them busy but all the ideas seem very American and I can't work out what to do for ds?
He is quite crafty at nursery but never shows any interest at home. He likes playdoh, water play, cars and trains.
He has lots of happyland toys, lego, building blocks etc that he's not fussed out. He's not overly imaginative despite me and dh playing with him a lot. If you let him choose what he'd do all day it would be playing hide and seek (he'll do this for hours ) and watching peppa pig (something we limit at present but I can imagine will be on more and more after baby). He doesn't have a tablet or play with our phones.
Do you have any other ideas?
He likes books but only at bedtime (delaying tactics I imagine), in the day he isn't bothered.
Please help if you can :-)
Thanks

How about a cuddle and an audio book?

Stickers? Colouring in books and some new crayons?

Have you tried different types of books to capture his interest, lift the flap or the ones with finger puppets in or that's not my touchy feely ones.

Sensory toys - shakers, pompoms, flashing bouncy balls

A doll for him to copy you with nappy changes and feeds.

Look up play hooray on Instagram or Facebook, lots of fab sensory and role play ideas, normally pretty easy to set up.

cartoons, cartoons and even more cartoons. perhaps with an occasional movie thrown in too for good measure ;-D

I relied heavily on cbeebies, books and stickers in the same situation

It sounds like my DS is similar. He was 2 yr 3 m when DD was born. Fortunately in the early days I had help so the hours on end spent feeding the baby he mostly had my DH or grandparents or nursery to entertain him.

He likes
videos and games on iPad/tv
Little jigsaws. We have one that is matching up a load of 2 piece ones that he loves
Stamps (washable ink)
Kinetic sand. I love this. I put it in a big shallow plastic box and he digs around in it with toy diggers etc. and it makes v little mess
Stringing beads onto a string
Just playing with his toys. Lining up cars and putting them in his toy garage etc
Duplo

Stickers I’m not a huge fan cos he can’t seem to get them off himself so I end up having to do it. And he ends up wanting me to stick them and then has a tantrum if I put them in even slightly the wrong place.

He does like to read, and to colour in. But for about 30 seconds so I don’t usually bother with them but my friend’s DD will sit for hours.

If cartoons works, don't feel guilty, they won't be traumatised that you've parked them in front of the TV for 45 minutes (or 3 hours) at a time. Mine are just about to turn 3 and 1 and cbeebies was a life saver in the early days

A baby of his own to look after so he can copy you; a doll or teddy bear with all the baby equipment too.