Help me plan my day with 3 year old!

[Tiredandemotional123]

I have a very active 3 year old boy and I am also heavily pregnant. We've been up since 5am. So far just watched TV because I'm knackered. We plan to go to the local splash park later which will use up a couple of hours but then what? My other half doesn't get home until 7pm. I'm tired, uninspired and hot!

Yesterday we spent the morning at a playgroup, went to the park, played with water in the garden, watched (too much) TV, did drawing and he had a water fight with next door neighbours.

He wants to do a lot of pretend play at the mo where I have to be a character too. I find it fairly intolerable tbh but go along with it for about 30 mins max. He doesn't entertain himself.

How do you fill your days?

What are you planning for lunch OP? Could you take a picnic? I think some tv is fine in these circumstances.

I’d aim to take him out for a walk after tea, if you can. It will be hopefully cooler and he can use up some energy. Get you get him to help out at Home? Mine liked being given jobs at this age like dusting or hoovering or even just passing the pegs while you peg out.

If he likes pretend play, could you set him up with a pretend cafe and get him to cook up some meals. DD always liked me to be the customer.

Get him to water any outside plants too. Have you got any outdoor chalks, those chunky ones? They are good. You can okay noughts and crosses or write his name and ask him to write it underneath or just copy patterns or make his own.

Another thing you could try is giving him a washing up bowl with plenty of bubbles and getting him to wash some of his toys.

At 3 though, I don’t think you’re going to get much down time, unless he still has a nap.

Good suggestions, thanks. I think we do quite a bit but each little activity last a few minutes only really. I'm finding it exhausting to think of things and don't have much energy to be active myself!

Give him a bucket of water and get him to paint the fence.

Get him to make sandwiches.

Buy some fairy cakes for him to decorate.

I have been there OP! Heavily oh in the summer with an active 3 year old. Are there any museums you could get too. There are often cool, and often have a dressing up area for kids depending on what the museum is about. Also lots of things to look at even for the most active mind. We spent a lot of time in the Fire Engine museum in Sheffield at this age.

Ok so we'll walk to the shops to buy stuff for a picnic, go to the splash park / scooter track and have the picnic, come home and hopefully the neighbours kids will want to play!

Can't think of any museums locally but I'll look into that one.

Might also hang out in the supermarket freezer dept

Sounds like a nice day Tired. I’d forgotten about painting the fence, mine used to love that. Bubbles would also occupy them for a short while and I could have a sit down while I blew them.

Are you sure about the splash park op?...schools are out. Wouldn't your local pool be a bit easier on you?

We have a splash park just over the road and it gets absolutley ridiculous in the holidays.
So many unsupervised kids and nowhere to sit it's bad enough when its just the locals, come holidays we can barely use any local facilities they suddenly become a hotspot for out of towners.

Not all schools are out!

Our local splash park makes you book and limits numbers. It’s not that bad is school holidays.

Schools are still open here until Thursday/Friday. Splash park was busy but got a bench and a friend came with her kids which makes things easier. My son fell asleep on the way home and is now having an unheard of nap on the sofa!

Don't know if its been mentioned but I was in a similar situation, heavily pregnant with a young dc. Someone suggested giving them a bath in the afternoon and it worked a treat (broke up all the screen time). DC would spend nearly an hour in there at times doing water play x