How to entertain 2 year old with zero screen time

[Gayu]

Hi...

I am mother of 2 year old... My daughter plays in each toy for only 15 minutes... I need to play with her... I will play with her but for the time I cook I need her to play herself... But it was not happening...

Can u please tell me what activities suits a 2 year old...

I give her play doh crayons but these all need my supervision else she may put on her mouth... Plz suggest activities for 2 year old

This is why CBeebies was invented. Don’t fight it.

Will she "help" you cook? But agree with PP, embrace the help of CBeebies!

Hoho is not wrong

I mostly have the same issue with DS, although recently he has started playing with his teddies by himself for a decent length of time (having previously shown virtually no interest in them). He put them to bed, gives them cuddles, puts a muslin over them like a blanket, and says "night night" 😍

What about a toy kitchen? That's what we're getting DS for Christmas. We're hoping he'll spend hours taking things out of the cupboards and putting them back in again...

A whole day of screen time = not the best
Screen time while you cook dinner = no harm done

Plus some of the programmes give them different ideas about things to play at.

Op I've tried to cut screen time to nothing. Meant I've had to give up afternoon cooking. Make stuff the night before that you can just bang in microwave

Activities that have kept my 2 year old independently entertained this week:
Dolly picnic
Toy cars running down a ramp
Building blocks
Aquadoodle
Playmobil
Musical toy bus thingymajig where every button plays a different tune.

(Plus a little bit of Bing and Mother goose club)

Something Special on CBeebies is lovely, it has makaton sign language in, its probably the most educational one. My DD is 20 months and loves Hey Duggee, she interacts with me as she watches it and it makes her laugh and she repeats some of the words. I think it’s fine in moderation!

Can you find a pile of stuff that dd can't break and that can't hurt her that you just ge0t out when you need 10 mins? Dd used to love a pack of plastic cups which she woukd sit and arrange for hours! Also a bowl of dry pssta to arrange. She likes jigsaws and flicking through books 'reading' especially ones with buttons. Also an aquadoodle or magic painting

The first thing my DS would play with independently was dry pasta. I used to get a load of varying size/material containers that he could pour it in and out of. Had tricolore pasta at one point too, that was popular.

But tbh until they stop putting things in their mouth you are looking at nap time or CBeebies when you can actually get shit done.

Ds was like that. I found challenges helped.

Simple things like go to your room and find 2 teddies with matching colours / shapes etc.. bring them back and then off to get something else for them (play food etc)

The large lego or building blocks, build the biggest tower etc..

We the built it up over time to longer challenges. I think some kids just need to learn how to play alone. Ds is 8 now and and although he never actively chooses to just go play, once he starts he can play quite well alone for a period of time.

I am with pps though, unless you have a specific reason why no screen time, before dinner is the perfect time. Limited time with a natural cut off and it has helped create a good routine now the dc are older, screen time is after homework and before dinner. After dinner there is no screen time (except weekends when sometimes we have family movie night). Always been like this so they have never thought to argue

I don’t think screen time is as bad as some people make out.
With my pre schooler I literally tried for months and months to teacher her colours and numbers and got little back. I then let her watch some educational songs on YouTube and she knew all her colours, shapes and numbers within a few weeks.
Screen time something that will take her interest and can also be educational if you use it properly.

The CBeebies stuff is educational as are a lot of the you tube videos (just make sure you check them first)

You could also look at Pinterest a lot of it is rubbish but I’ve found some really good ideas on there.

A compete fail safe for me that always kept my children interested was water play. You don’t have to buy anything specific just put her in the kitchen with you so you can watch her with the water, put some warm water a bit of bubble bath and some plastic cups and bowls in there . This has literally never stopped being fun to my children.

As suggested, toy kitchen is marvellous. Mine loved messing about with pots and pans, also used to like hanging stuff on a little washing line.

Drawing pictures, books. Music, singing.

A bit of telly.

My eldest DC was happy to fiddle around with pots and pans on the floor or to arrange things on her little table as long as she was in the same room as me and we chatted together.i agree with toy kitchen and the idea of sending DC to do errands. 2 DC together are less of a problem. My youngest was hopeless at amusing themselves and cbeebies was my saviour . However I did have to adapt what I cooked to meals that required less preparation.

Cbeebies.

Or pots and wooden spoon on kitchen floor while you are cooking.

Or sit them at the table to dk some colouring while you cook?

I really, really don't understand this blanket hated for tv. Of course it should be limited and the programmes chosen wisely, but so many children's programmes are educational. Why be so anti something that is educational as well as entertaining?

Anyway, it will probably backfire when they are older. If something is banned then it becomes more desirable. Everything in moderation and it loses its mystery.

Definitely Hey Duggee. Only thing that keeps DD from following me into the kitchen!

Thank you all for suggestions... I am not against showing educational channel... My daughter s going to be 2 years and still she was not talking proper words... Mostly everyone says it's becoz of screentime... I feel very guilty about that... I knew not all kids are same and one day or other she ll speak.... Whenever she have screentime I feel very guilty n I feel I fail somewhere...

Thanks for all the advice kitchen toy aquadoodle bubble bath... Cbeebies hey dugges...

If you are concerned about her language development then have a word with your health visitor - they’ll know about milestones and whether you might benefit from seeing a speech and language specialist.
Please don’t feel guilty about 15 minutes of CBeebies so that you can make her tea! If you are talking to her, reading to her and singing with her then you are doing everything you can to help her speak, and a bit of tv may even help?