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Hit me with your best winter/ rainy day toddler activities please!!

32 replies

user14943608381 · 16/11/2021 14:01

I’m 39 weeks pregnant with a 25/6 month old, so not that agile for much outdoor activities without DH. Plus winter is around the corner and let’s be honest it will rain, a lot and with a newborn, won’t be easy. So I’m looking for lots of ways to keep my 2 year old stimulated and entertained on those wet days, with a new baby. Bonus points if it works for the last weeks of a painful pregnancy too!

So far things we have at home:
Puzzles (she’s completed them and is bored of them need to tidy them away)
Blocks
Role play kitchen/ house
Colouring books
Sticker dress up
Play dough
Finger paints
Regular paints
Baby yoga (not a fan)
Water pen drawing pads
Glow pads

What else can we do that doesn’t cost the Earth or require too much to be bought?

Also any suggestions to jazz up generic fresh air walks when we do go out?

We’ll do:

Parks
Feeding fish/ ducks
Leaf collecting
Leaf colouring

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
mynameiscalypso · 16/11/2021 14:05

Trains? My DS is obsessed with his wooden train set and it's also the #1 toy at nursery. I occasionally have to tell him what a marvellous track he's built but other than that, it's also quite self-contained.

HauntedDishcloth · 16/11/2021 14:26

Do you go to any local baby & toddlers groups if you've got them near you? Usually they are very kind when you have a new baby! Or libraries might have a storytime/crafts. Try museums & garden centres as some have clubs for youngsters which might be running again post-covid. Also:

Magnet building toy - get one with pieces large enough not to be a choking hazard

Building with toilet rolls (full, unused ones)

Dressing up box

Baker & Ross website has easy craft kits, also Hobbycraft

Yes to trains, and toy farm/zoo/village to set up

If any charity shops near you, look for different toys & take your old ones to donate

For walks, check online for "treasure hunts" of things to collect or spot, like different kinds of berries, numbers on houses, letters on signs etc Collect things to make into an easy collage or simple craft later at home.

OHthatbanana · 16/11/2021 14:27

Put together little boxes or bags of toys and activities that you can pull out in emergencies. So maybe contain a small toy (dinosaur or similar), some different stickers, some magnets or something to put together, some flashcards, a mini book, a random item they can imagine as something else, something for counting or sorting etc.

Toy rotation in general so you can always grab there attention with something pulled from the cupboard.

Allowing one cupboard in the kitchen that they can pull all saucepans etc. from and entertain themselves.

Messy play but as contained as possible. So a big tray on a mat with lentils, rice, pasta etc. And pouring things.

If no worries about something messier then water pouring in the sink or kitchen. I once involved tea bags too so ds could make 'tea'.

Bubble wrap and lots of it.

Ripping up paper and maybe sticking it afterwards.

Making 'treasure maps'. These are good for walks too, you can collect or spot things.

Reusable stickers that can go on windows.

Magnitiles

Marble run

A pot with a slot cut in the top and they can post bottle lids or pop poms etc.

Big cardboard boxes for colouring, playing in, making a house etc.

A pop up tent or homemade den.

Getting all the cushions off the sofa and doing gymnastics or just rolling around on.

Hmmmm that's all I can think of right now... my usual fall back is a movie on a rainy afternoon but ds is older than yours.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

user14943608381 · 16/11/2021 16:04

I don’t do any groups rn, I just can’t lift my little girl in and out of the car seat, let alone allow for temper tantrums out and about, probably won’t with new baby until 8 weeks or so, giving me a little chance to settle and hopefully get some semblance of a routine.

Love the treasure hunt idea and the farm/ zoo. DD can focus but needs some structure or else she loses focus In like 10/15 mins.

OP posts:
Lostthetastefordahlias · 16/11/2021 16:34

Its a good idea to keep an eye out for cheap musical toys in charity shops etc as both toddler and baby will enjoy these - put them in a box and have “music time” playing them/ dancing with scarves etc.
We have a second hand star projector and would lie in a dark room with torches and some calm music - again both liked it.
Kinetic sand is not cheap but it is used so much more than playdoh here.
If you are not against tv, on iplayer both Toddler Club and JoJo and Gran Gran have toddlers doing real life stuff you can then copy. The toddler also “helped” watch baby club and sang songs to baby etc.
Stickers if DD likes them.
We only had one pushchair (it lies flat for baby) so on walks I would tell toddler Dd she could have a turn on the way back if she walked well on the way there - then put baby DS in the sling and her in pushchair on the way back, might mean it can be an enjoyable walk for you too.

Carleton · 17/11/2021 18:59

Mini Disco lights and disco dancing, you can put some songs on YouTube. Mine loves going on his rocking seesaw to music

Wbeezer · 17/11/2021 19:05

A favourite of my three was making a "boat" by pushing the sofas together (luckily we had scruffy old sofas). I would rearrange some cushions with a blanket over the top to make a cabin and provide provisions and soft toy passengers. Stick a dvd on too and it would keep them occupied for a whole afternoon. Plus i could be a passenger too and put my feet up at the same time!
They still remember it fondly many many years later.

WinifredTheWondrous · 17/11/2021 19:09

Are they running any toddler groups near you? If you can find a good one with friendly people, it's an absolute godsend.

Play doh?

Will dc go into soft play without you? If so, that can actually be surprisingly restful!
Duplo
Disney movies (yes, yes, screen time is evil etc, but a necessary evil sometimes)
Games like pop up pirate or jenga

WinifredTheWondrous · 17/11/2021 19:10

Oh sorry! Just read you said no groups!

TheWayTheLightFalls · 17/11/2021 19:12

Chuck them in the bath with bubbles/water paint/Duplo/floaty things/squirty things.

Spiceup · 17/11/2021 19:17

It's still easier to be out than in IMO.

Waterproof playsuit and wellies then:

-Puddle hunting for a good splash
-can play on all the equipment at the park
-chase a ball
-follow a nature trail

Lostthetastefordahlias · 17/11/2021 19:35

@Wbeezer that sounds excellent - going to try that with my 3&1yr olds tomorrow!

user14943608381 · 17/11/2021 23:12

She might do, but she’s reserved at first, especially with a lot of people around she’s quite small for her age so it’s not exactly the safest either and because she’s small she gets pushed around too.

She’s also an utter nightmare with any sort of all in one suit, she screams bloody murder and takes them off.

Love disco lights/ a projector she’ll like that. Jenga too it will appeal to her destructive side lol

OP posts:
Letsallscreamatthesistene · 18/11/2021 02:19

Get an box - whilst you're at a park get her to fill it with nature bits she likes - leaves, ferns, flowers etc. When you come home get her to make a picture incorporating all the bits.

(You obs need glue and crafty stuff)

immersivereader · 18/11/2021 02:43

www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipes/no-cook-playdough-recipe/v7a0hvfx

^^

Homemade play dough

immersivereader · 18/11/2021 02:45

Torch
Magnifying glass

mommybear1 · 18/11/2021 03:32

You can get separate waterproof sets my DS also hates puddle suits we got him so wader
Type trousers and a normal raincoat and he's fine with those. I see a bath has been suggested, we use a disco light and bath lights with glow sticks and call it a disco bath DS loves it and will happily stay in it for ages. Shaving foam hide and seek is another hit here (use a tray put some objects on it and spray shaving foam over) you can either get LO to close eyes and search or use a blindfold. Lots of variations of hide and seek sometimes a treasure hunt for forgotten toys. I have three spots I can "hide" in and it takes DS a good while to find me 😂.

Mummywantsaweewee · 18/11/2021 04:32

@Namechangetimes100 I’ve got a three month old and two year old. Don’t feel bad if you end up using the tv more than you want to /expect to. I’ve ended up using it more than I like but ds1 loves stuff like Graces amazing machines, blippi and watching people use power tools so although it’s on a lot, he actually learns a lot too. He’s learning colours shapes and parts of vehicles, and he plays with his own cars while watching and discusses what he’s watching with me too.
He’s not that keen on crafts etc yet (paint only entertains him 5 minutes) so I just take him outside for ages in garden and with walks, I just chat about everything we see (ds1 walking, baby in carrier) he’s in wellies for can jump in muddy puddles (like props pig 😂)

Mummywantsaweewee · 18/11/2021 04:33

Peppa🤣

Ohbedhowimissyou · 18/11/2021 04:44

Simple food recipes? Ie get some sheets of puff pastry, and then with a bit of cheese and egg wash make cheesy stars. Or of course the old classic, chocolate rice crispie cakes. It fills time making them (especially if it involves stirring) and then you can use them to bribe for good behaviour!

Ohbedhowimissyou · 18/11/2021 04:51

Oh also, pasta pictures - draw the outline of something ie an animal and then they fill it in with dry pasta. If you make paste with flour and water that fills up even more time.

If you celebrate Christmas you could also make decorations together - paper chains, paper baubles, salt dough ornaments etc.

Also, and I appreciate this isn't an activity as such, but there's no shame in sticking them in front of the tv while you are trying to rest up! You'll need time for yourself!

BirdyBee · 18/11/2021 05:31

Playfoam is good, when I had a 2 year old and a baby, I made my dd her own baby changing bag with a few toy nappies, wipes, toy bottle ect it helped when I had to change/ feed baby, also a bit of TV when it was cold and wet out side and a huge magnetic white board that was about £5 provided and still does lots of entertainment. We also decorated rich tea biscuits with a bit of icing and sprinkles ect

tzarine · 18/11/2021 06:07

We'd take out some blankets & make tents.
He loved finger painting, so I'd get the huge paper out. I hate cleaning.
We'd bake cookies & decorate them.
Watch a matinee, complete w snacks & darkened room.
Outdoors
Walk to library.
Walk to ice cream.
Walk to Science Museum

Have fun.

TheScenicWay · 18/11/2021 06:15

Soft balls to play catch with
YouTube for toddler exercise when you can’t get out
Indoor kids golf toy
Bubbles
Balloons

sashh · 18/11/2021 06:21

When we went on long car journeys my mum would sometimes make us a 'lucky dip' which was an A4 envelope with individually wrapped bits and pieces and on the envelope was written things we had to see, when we saw one we could tick it off and open a present.

I know that's too much for a toddler but you could incorporate the treasure hunt so a treasure hunt to the park when you get inside the gates she gets to unwrap something, if you see a squirrel she gets some nuts to feed them etc etc - I wouldn't do it every day.

Teddy bear picnic, get out the soft toys and have a picnic of cherry tomatoes and tiny sandwiches, in summer this can be transferred to the garden or park.

Old rolls of wall paper are great to draw on the back of, you can draw around her, then you can decorate with whatever you want. You could do baby and big sister growing charts using the same paper and drawing round both each week.

I have an instant camera and that is a big hit with younger relatives, my cousin's 3 year old explained very carefully to his grandma how 'it's white at first, then you wait for the picture'.