Lockdown with a one year old

[EmilyG1989]

I only want to hear from those who are bored shitless and can't entertain their babies for shit because they just eat everything and want to watch the telly all of the time. I've started to mix it up by getting Alexa to play random music so I don't have the drone of love monster going round in my head all day.

[quote EmilyG1989]@Hangingtrousers I have so.many.toys. He just eats them 😂 I've built loads of megablocs animals though 😀[/quote]
At that age was mixing the yogurt with food colours and used it as a paint. I usually placed newspapers on the floor (I have wooden floors) and let her paint with colourful yogurt.

I found reading up about play schemas really helped me identify what activities my DC enjoyed the most, they're divided into different groups, eg transport - so like using a mini trolley/wagon thing to take things from a to b, or enveloping - they like hiding in boxes, wrapping themselves up in blankets etc.

www.teachearlyyears.com/enabling-environments/view/supporting-schemas

I have a just turned one year old... who is only about 40% of my worries. I am now also stuck home schooling her four year old big brother, who has recently been referred for assessment for autism.

My baby is physically tiring, because she wants to eat everything and climb everything. But she does at least nap, which the four year old doesn’t. And when she tries to have her one nap a day, he bangs and crashes around us, waking her up. So I don’t even get that moment of peace.

It’s tiring trying to teach a little boy who, it’s becoming increasingly clear, struggles with learning more than the other children in his class. He doesn’t have the fine motor skills to write his name. Gets angry if I ask him to watch a five minute phonics video. And I can’t give him proper attention anyway because I’m chasing his baby sister around. Most days I feel like crying from a weird mix of boredom and stress. But am just trying to remind myself that we’re all fed, warm and healthy - and once these cold, dark lockdown days end, life will feel amazing in comparison!

@thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter thank you hun, he has a trolley and basket with lots of fruits and foods, he likes putting things in the basket for about 10 seconds. Haha! He loves being in his box of balls but I just look at him and feel sorry for him, I don't know why I just think he's so sweet bless him. DS is walking, I've bought a puddle suit and I'm STILL waiting for his wellies to arrive. I plan to let him step in a couple of puddles when they arrive. Sounds silly but I'm not confident with him outside walking, we've not really done it. So I've kitted him out with the intention to do more outside. Me and DH took him over the field with a ball last weekend and he just looked lost and a bit worried, obviously it's all so new to him he wasn't even sure what was under his feet 😂💙

Oh @Bringallthebiscuits that sounds so so hard bless you. It must feel conflicting having a diagnosis pending for DS when the state of the country is what it is right now. I hope you find improvement when things ease and you can do more that he enjoys. Could DD have her nap upstairs in her cot so DS doesn't disturb? I still use white noise for my boy (he's always had it to sleep) and it's drowns out the background noise xx

@thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter I'm going to read that link in detail, thanks so much for that. I can see his little coggs turning daily and picking up more and more so I'll hopefully get a better idea of what will suit him and he'll be interested in xx

Thanks @EmilyG1989, it feels good to talk about it on here and let it all out!

I’ve never managed to get either of my kids to sleep in their cot in the day :( But at least my baby is sleeping in her cot at night now, which is lovely after many months of co-sleeping.

We tried some outside walking today, like you we haven’t done much of it yet. I bought some size 3 wellies but those turned out to be too big for her, so have put them aside for now. She wore her little shoes instead and that went well but on grass she kept landing on her face. Can’t wait for the days when she runs ahead! Let us know if the wellies go well.

No problem, we all get mum guilt. I remember my Nana telling me you never stop worrying about your kids, that she still did - and she was 90! It was said to be reassuring/kind but I recall being horrified that I'm still going to be a ball of angst about parenting even in my twilight years 🙈

Omg could have written this. Also have 13m old. She watches so much CBeebies... the guilt. She's been walking about 3-4 weeks but can't quite master walking in wellies in the garden or playground. Meet her a bit more advanced for that I think which is annoying as she just wants to crawl in muck 😂

We are all boring ourselves in this house. No amount of toys or TV brings enough entertainment 🤦🏻‍♀️

*need not meet!

Thank heavens for this thread - I’m not alone! I have a 17 month old and a newborn and DS definitely watched WAY too much TV. He eats everything in sight (I’m with you on the no need to hoover ha ha!) he also loves to destroy things - books, my beautiful megablocks creations, anything that parts can come off. I struggle getting two kids outside at the same time, between feeds and naps but I try, or I take one into the garden while the other naps. Lockdown life is HARD!

Can I join? My DS isnt 1 though, hes 10 months. Repeating 'no, dont slap the tv', 'no, dont pull hair', 'no, dont chase the cat' is getting fucking tedious.

As a previous poster has said, my average day in parental leave lockdown has involved following my boy around the house as he sources new objects to bite, tug, bash, swallow, rip, push over, or just generally destroy. The most effective weapon I have had is the walk, at least an hour a day! Also, as someone's said, compartmentalising the day kind of helps mentally as well

Mine is 18 months , I’m bored shitless

Also it’s so hard to home school the older ones with him trying to trash the place. I told myself I wasn’t going to drink so much this lockdown!

I love you all, thank you for making me feel less guilty, I'd really been beating myself up about the telly!
I don't even know what his normal will look like!
He also likes to pull apart anything he can, usually using his teeth 😂
I sometimes struggle to get out, I don't get excited about it I have to push myself to do it. Hopefully a few more times and I'll have that get up and go xx

This thread has made me feel so much better! My one year old has occasionally started crying when he sees the living room because he's bored of being in there. Cue lots of time in the hall chasing a ball and pushing his walker up and down, up and down.

He won't play with anything for longer than 2 minutes and mostly just wants to empty his toy box/bookshelves onto the floor. Tried colouring but all he does is eat the crayons. Tried making saltdough but he hates the feel of it. So now I just let him roam and cause chaos.

I do try to get out every day though. It does help

Also way too much CBeebies. Baby Club and Toddler Club are good.

Morning all anyone want to swap 1 year olds today mines in the grumpiest of moods. I feel like I've done enough to fill an entire day including good old baby club and it's somehow not even 9am yet...

@Same4Walls I'm working all week upstairs and training someone new over the phone, don't know what I'd rather! My hearts going out to all of your entertainers today (or failure to do so 😂🤦🏻‍♀️)

@Moonbabyskalimba I'm with you on all of this! Getting out for a bit is helping xx

We emptied a container of tomatoes and then put them back 🙄. Then squished them. I’m bored shitless.

@Macake 🍅🍅🍅 haha xx

I'm working all week upstairs and training someone new over the phone, don't know what I'd rather!

Oww I'll definitely swap if I get to talk to an actual human being who can talk back!

We've had a small bit of respite where he was entertained by the bin lorry and now we are back to being a huge grumpysaurus. I may brave a walk out to pick up some toilet rolls soon (dear god when did my life become so dull...)

Mine isn’t even 9 months yet. But he’s crawling and semi walking already. He obviously doesn’t understand no

Recent entertainment:
Robot hoover - just turn it on and baby and cat spend a happy 15 mins chasing it around.

Fly swapper stick - he found that in basket and seems better than a toy.

My handbag. Just left on floor, he pulled all the crap out and threw it everywhere

Dh headphones he found, chewed one over ear foam bit.

Amazon boxes.

Feed them spaghetti, just for the lady and tramp amusement

Oh and new coffee table, new climbing frame apparently. They can climb on and try and dive off head first, ideally without breaking a limb

We have one of those bubble machines which DD loves, cellotape on her jumper which she enjoys peeling off entertains her for ten minutes.