Sick toddler...going stir crazy

[Beansandneedles]

Am on day 6 of quarantine with my 2 year old who's had d&v since last Wednesday. NHS advice seems to be a case of just riding this out/calling back in a few days if no improvement. However, I'm climbing the walls!

We don't often watch tv so reached the limit of how much screen time we can both hack quite quickly. She's in that very mum-centric phase at the best of times so when she's poorly it all gets all the more intense. Also increasingly emotional as this illness goes on.

Any ideas for activities for us today to keep me sane? I feel like I've read all the books in the house a zillion times.

Water play?
Make moon sand?
Messy play with oats/other edible messy play?

Colour water with food colouring or water colour and let him pour different colours together to see them mix.

Bake cookies and decorate them? (If he's already over the D&V of course and just quarantining)

sadly not over it! Is eating well, but wouldn't want to eat any baked goods she's been involved with just in case 😂

this is a good idea! Might crack out the baking soda and vinegar experiments too. Thanks!

i didn't know you could make moon sand!! Defo looking that up right now

It's super simple - just flour and oil in the right quantities. Mine could do messy play for hours!

Long bath with toys just for fun. Crack out the bubbles, and possibly some water-safe other toys like duplo or plastic animals to add to the fun.

Messy play with something like shaving foam or yoghurt and food colouring 'paint' in the bath beforehand to stretch it out even more.

A slightly different form of screen time, but you can find someone reading almost any children's book aloud on YouTube – could be useful if you want some storytime but are desperate for a change of books.

My two year old enjoyed making Easter bunting yesterday (just triangles of coloured paper with holes punched in, we stuck stickers on them and threaded them on a ribbon). If you've got tissue paper, cut egg shapes out of greaseproof paper and glue bits of tissue paper on, then put in the window for Easter decorations, it has a nice stained glass effect.

Get all your socks out of the drawer and get her to help pair them up / find odd ones etc.
If you already have an immaculate sock drawer then mess it up first 😂

Put a washing up bowl of water on the floor so she can give some of her toys a bath (duplo, plastic animals etc)

Hope she recovers soon, it's miserable being stuck in. Do you have a garden?

The activities that keep my 2.5 year old happiest when stuck at home are:

-Duplo

-Tipping out the recycling bin and building junk models (houses, garages with ramps)

-Kinetic sand and toy diggers, biscuits cutters etc

-Teddy bears picnic for lunch

-TV interspersed throughout the day, not all in one go or he gets restless

-Bath (put unusual things in to play with, like various bits and bobs from the kitchen, shaving foam, toy animals etc)

These have all been so helpful thanks! We did moon sand and science experiments this morning, then she toddled off and played by herself (unheard of!!!). Resetting whilst she naps now.

She's had more baths than usual and getting upset about that so definitely trying the Duplo trick next time.

Should get me through a few more days! Thanks for the support all xxx

Glad to hear you're both surviving! Mine also plays well on his own if we've done something together for a while first.

If she like swimming, costume and goggles in the bath is also fun.

My son also likes to build a den with a bedsheet over it, lots of cushions and teddies and we put lights and torches in it and read books.

I also find that if I'm doing something like decluttering the house he loves joining in and flinging things about. So if I'm going through clothes of his to pack away/send to charity shop etc, I fling a random assortment in a box and he rummages through himself quite happily.

She's my little side kick and helper whenever we're home. Though we're usually out most of the time. Sorting laundry, emptying the dishwasher, anything in the kitchen, gardening, shopping etc then the rest of the time we do magnatiles, colouring, read books, a bit of silliness with cuddley toys. But she's just sooooooo emotional ATM and doesn't want to do anything I suggest. I built her a den yesterday and she refused to go in and cried her heart out 🫣 so I'd run out of energy and inspiration, but luckily there is MN! <3