Advice on how to entertain 2 poorly housebound toddlers

[Tiredofallthis101]

Home alone with my baby and 3 yo that have hand foot and mouth for at least the next 4 days. Both miserable and can't take them to our usual haunts eg soft play as they are contagious (and probably too poorly anyway). Weather for the next few days looking crappy. Any advice on ways to entertain them whilst not going stir crazy myself?

Oh Lordy that sounds tough.

Thee year old can possibly be entertained by some time consuming activities such as painting the fence with water, sticking stickers on things, excavating toys frozen in ice blocks, posting pompoms down tubes etc etc. Find some 'new' toys down the back of the cupboard. If all else fails whack the telly on and snuggle everyone on the sofa.

You will probably need some wine 🍷 !

Sorry but read that as 2 badly house trianed toddlers!!

Honestly my biggest hit is a jar of coins.

hours of entertainment… like 1.5 / 2 hours.
it was waining so I introduced stacking cups another hour.

my dd napped got up… cups and coins until bedtime.

we also did an assault course / fort building with sofa and pop up tents which was a big hit

Get outside in any scrap of dryish weather that you can.

For indoors get Amazon next day delivery of kinetic sand and a tuff tray. 3 year old will love playing with it and different utensils/containers from the kitchen.

Extra TV time.

Build a den with bed sheets and put cushions, teddies and books in. Kids love a den and a torch.

Teddy bears picnic for lunch. Lay out a blanket, have sandwiches and finger foods for lunch. Google how to make party hats for the teddies.

Make more of an activity out of bath time. Put toys in like Duplo to play with.

Magnatiles, duplo, daytime baths with toys… CBeebies galore. Short trips out for coffee and snacks. Get well soon 🩷

TV.

Playing with kitchen utensils like tongs and picking up pom poms, if you've got bicarb and vinegar in the house you can make bubbly "bath bomb" type shapes - hide toys inside and then dop vinegar on to make them appear, obstacle courses, scavenger hunt for the older one (find two yellow things, find something round etc.), if you've got any cardboard boxes around sit them in it with some markers and let them decorate, play in the bath and Netflix! Good luck!

So did I!

Turn your bed into a min soft play. Take off the duvet, add pillows and cushions from other beds and rooms.

Clean out your pan cupboard and let them play drums with a wooden spoon.

Do you have a garden? And a washing line? My mum used to make a tent with a lowered washing line, a sheet over the line then stones to pin it out.

I bought things from Baker Ross when I was teaching, they deliver in a couple of days and have loads of craft activities. www.bakerross.co.uk/

Outside as much as you can,

Do you drive? Car wash, MacDonalds/costa drive through, do you have a bridge/tunnel near you at all?

Stickers? Ice lollies?

Put the Olympic on as that might engage the 3 year old for a while.

A day in front of the tv really isn't the worst thing.

Thanks all for the advice - and @Sunburnisrareinscotland @ChimpanzeeThatMonkeyNews one is house trained the other definitely not 😂

So far we've done some pond dipping, made a cake, and watched lots of Twirlywoos. Littlest one is really very poorly so not settling to anything and just crying and wanting cuddles so limited in what I can do with 3yo. Will take them on a drive later to see some nearby farm animals.

@catsnore I don't have any wine in buy will definitely have to get some!

Indoor picnic lunch - table cloth laid on the floor and proper picnic food.

Dance music and an exercise game.

Potting up plants - get a pot of basil from the supermarket and split it and repot it. Plant some cress seeds.

Mud kitchen.

Agility course in the garden made from anything you have.

Upside down table, broom handle with a tablecloth and a plank propped on something becomes a pirate ship and walk the plank.

Similar becomes a Roman or Viking ship with appropriate made costumes - beanie hat and cones made from loo roll becomes a horned helmet.

Dressing up and putting on a play, pretend qcting. Set up a phone to film it.

Mini campsite outside and cook some sausages for lunch.

Balloon art.

Origami.

Board games / card games.

Jigsaws

Lego.

Cooking.

Potato printing.

Leaf printing.
Painting.

Fuzzy felt type toys.

Make a big cardboard box into a car/ lorry and go on a trip.

I spy.

Daytime bath? Lots of bubbles and then various cups and then various utensils.
Is there a train station near by? Or an airport? Anywhere where you can park up and watch the action or stick them in a pushchair and stand at the end of the platform out of everyone's way?
Best wishes! It is going to be a long few days

Loads of good ideas. I would add:

Weigh things on kitchen and bathroom scales

Playdough - quite satisfying to make and you can add glitter, colour, essential oils (recipe easily googled)

Rolling things down a short length of guttering from diy store

Cardboard boxes. Junk modelling, fort building or just sitting in the box. When DS2 was ill but too fidgety to rest, he would sit for ages inside a cardboard box.