how many times a week do you take dc to places/round friends

[thegardener]

Just wondering how often mums took toddlers out to playgroups/friends/park etc.

I'm a sahm & at the mo go to 1 toddler group a week and have friends over/go over to friends 1/2 times a week probably go to the park every other day and walks usually twice a day. i don't have a car & with ds nap times can't always go very far.(18months)

That sounds a good balanced week.
I'm trying to sort out something similar i hope! could probably try finding another toddler group to break the week up a bit but there's not much round here really, there's another toddler group a mile away that we were going to but it's a bit of a hassel to get there without a car, could get a lift occasionally but you have to faff around with car seats and do be honest i was a bit fed up with it anyway.

Any ideas of what else i could try please

work full time so none of this!

thegardener - it sounds like you are doing quite a bit already.

Like you I am a SAHM (also don't drive), we walk to the park, to town, to feed the ducks, we sometimes have a play day with friends, sometimes we visit family (who have no small children), we also do a singing/music class at the local library once a week, which we both look forward to .

DS1 who is 2 is in nursery two days each week, which is good for all of us as we aren't able to get out and do things as much as before as DS2 is only 3 wks old and almost constantly feeding. I think DS1 is really benefitting from having the opportunity to socialise a bit more and do all the messy noisy play we don't do at home.

Being a SAHM can be a very solitary way of life so getting out of the house is essential !! However, I do tend to avoid mother & baby/toddler groups as they are usually a bit strange IME.

My dd has a friend over or is over at a friends house most days. I have been lucky to have made some wonderful friends who have kids the same age and we are always handing them off to give eachother a break.

Didn't mean to offend, I do realise not all M&T groups are freaky...I did say 'IME' . I just found them to be a bit cliquey.

Phew!

3 / 4 days a week
we do little gym & swimming the rest is playdates (very informal) we just hang around at each other's houses or take them to soft play area/library/walk

your program sounds good.

DS 3.5 starting nursery every morning in a couple weeks. I suspect he'll just want to lounge at home in the afternoon. Going to cut it to 2 afternoons activity. Rest of time just let him roam free in the house to do whatever he fancies. If friends drop by, great but I will not push playdates unless he asks.

What you do sounds great. We have a toddler soft play thing on Mondays, singing on Wednesdays, sometimes a toddler group on Thursdays and meet up with other mums/nannies at houses about 2/3 times a week.

DD is 13 months but am finding she is at her happiest just at home with me. This morning at singing her little fists were clenched with stress. So may rethink her social life! Think she would freak if she went to a nursery like some of her friends.

We go to toddler group on wednesday and the rest of the week we usually meet up with friends (from playgroup mostly!) at the beach/park/swimming pool but I usually only go out for half a day as DH works shifts so we spend the other half day at home with him.

This week we went to a friends monday morning for coffee morning thing, tuesday was the beach, wednesday was playgroup, today we went to the beach again and the lido as well and tomorrow we are picnicking in the park with friends.

Don't do anything with anyone else at weekends as all of their DP's have weekends off so it is family time

Mon meet up with antenatal lot
Tue dd1 playgroup so take dd2 for a swim or park
Wed Same
Thurs Usually at home (catching up day and shopping)
Fri Take both dds to a toddler group (hunted around until I found a really lovely one)

I found adjusting to being a SAHM really hard so for me, to have a weekly routine is really the way to go. I feel more organised and in control, leaving a day free means I can do something lovely and spontaneous or, if needs be catch up on stuff around the house..

We go to one toddler group a week (ds 16 months), go swimming with SIL and her 2 youngest once a week, and might go to her house (or have her round here) once a week. That's it.

I'm ooking at starting one more activity per week in September, but I don't want to be doing them every day of the week.

We do other things, but not with other mothers/children (don't really know many where I live TBH)- walk the dog, shopping, go to playgrounds etc. I like to have one day a week where we don't go anywhere and have fun at home.

DS is 2 and a half. Typical week:

Mon & Tues - do something active in the morning (park if dry weather, softplay centre if not), afternoon - play at home or potter in the garden

Wed-Fri - DS is at nursery

Sat - He has football club in the morning; just me, DS and DH in the afternoon / evening -usually do something like go to the park or swimming

Sunday - sees family, including other kids

Maybe once or twice a month me and DS go and visit friends with children or they visit us, and probably once a month or even less we might go further a field than the local park at the weekend - possibly another London attraction or to the seaside or countryside. DS doesn't seem to bothered about trips out or a big social scene at this stage - he is happiest in the back garden pottering about with his bike or digging for worms.

ds1 is nearly 5, but since he was about 18mo we have seen friends probably 3+ times a week, then also before he started pre-school a music group for a couple of hours one morning a week.
The friends thing is really informal, 3 of us with kids the same age and we just meet at the park for a few hours, or each otehrs houses.
I work mornings, when the kids are with y mum or a CM, and see friends in the afternoons.

ds1 is nearly 5, but since he was about 18mo we have seen friends probably 3+ times a week, then also before he started pre-school a music group for a couple of hours one morning a week.
The friends thing is really informal, 3 of us with kids the same age and we just meet at the park for a few hours, or each otehrs houses.
I work mornings, when the kids are with y mum or a CM, and see friends in the afternoons.

I had the same experiece as washerarus with toddler groups. We don't get on with them and I tried several.
Our week is more random. I am a SAHM. Some weeks we are chaotically busy and some weeks we are quiet. Decent orgaanised things to do are a bit thin on the ground round here so it tends to be trips out for a walk/park or to visit friends rather than something on the same day every week.
We are planning to home educate so do a group 3 days a month so dd can get to know other people in the same situation and that usually leads on to other meet ups, trips to the beach/parties etc.
We just go with the flow really but usually see the same friends about the same number of times a month but not in any kind of regular manner.

dd 16 months she 'does' something everyday..

monday shops am, nursery pm
tuesday toddler group am, see friends pm
wednesday gyminis am, see friends pm
thursday ikea or other cafe am, nursery pm
friday socatots am, library pm

then saturday sunday are family days, see grandparents/aunties etc.

mostly i keep to this sort of routine for my own sanity, does my head in to have too much quiet time. dd seems to be thriving on it anyway. i work 4 night a week, that's when i 'rest'!

Park once a week (if weathers ok)
Shopping once a week (sometimes twice)
Freinds once evry 2 weeks
Swimming once a month (sometimes more)

Thanks for all your messages it's interesting to hear what other people get upto, sometimes you wonder whether you should be doing more/less don't you, but i think i'll stick with what i'm doing.

Surely a mile is in walking distance with a buggy. I routinly walk that or more to the shops or mums and tots.