How to keep 2 year old entertained all day

[Karma1387]

Just looking for some useful ideas and suggestions. Sorry for the long post.

Prior to getting pregnant with DC2 I never let my DC1 watch tv besides the occasional Miss rachel when he first woke up. Unfortunately when I got pregnant between sickness, pain and exhaustion we basically live off the TV currently.

DC2 is due in a few weeks and I would really like to try to cut back down on the TV. He loves watching a film but I don't want to continue with all day having it on.

Thankfully he goes to nursery 3 days a week so he gets a break then and we try to go to my dads once a week but it does mean hes having at least 3 days with an insane amount of TV.

But I find it very hard to know what to do for 10 hours a day with him. Hes not big enough to go around soft play yet on his own and we don't have a lot of groups etc around us that aren't pricey (and honestly I hate them). Hes extremely energetic and its become very noticeable that his behaviour is getting bad when we are just spending whole days inside.

So any suggestions on how to keep a very energetic 2 year old entertained (whilst having a newborn) would be greatly appreciated.

I think your toddler needs to spend more time playing on his own. Not all children can keep themselves busy if they are used to constant engagement with others.

I would sort out the toys he really likes, but give him a set play period for each. Give him suggestions on how to play with it, such as 'let's see how high you can stack the blocks!", or 'line up all the cars for a race in the hallway!'. Try not to let him dump all the toys, as it can just be too much stimulation with no direction.

Change his tasks every 20 minutes or so, on to something else, but tidy up the first set. Also, toddlers love little household jobs. I have a small spray bottle and a cloth for little ones to clean the bottom of the windows, and my first son loved the vacuum so much, I would let him vacuum the rug at the front entrance for ages.

When you are feeding the new baby, you will really find these little 'jobs' for the toddler helpful. They soon learn that when you are feeding, they have time to get into mischief!

Because I'm 35 weeks pregnant and just cant haul myself around them I don't have the energy and obviosuly in a few weeks I will have a baby so I cant really carry baby around inside a soft play with a toddler and other kids running around.

It doesn’t happen overnight! Be kind to yourself. I’m not heavily pregnant. You have to go into it with a “who cares in the outcome” mentality. So if I give him the hoover and all he does is press the on and off button, then so be it! I’ll push it around and say “can you help me push it over there” and he might come and put a hand on it for a second, but it’s still a win. We’ve been building up since he was about 18months, some days great some days less. We have a lot of tv too but trying to cut back and have found activity much more successful than just encouraging playing with toys. With cooking, get him to smash a few eggs, he’ll get the bug haha. I get him to smell everything I put in, let him do the scooping, pouring water into a saucepan from a jug etc.

What if he has no toys he 'really likes' besides books most things he just dumps on the floor and maybe move the pieces around a bit. Sometimea Duplo gets a bit more attention but he usually wants help.

If I'm encouraging him to play independently do I leave him in the living room on his own? Or sit in there but no play with him when hes giviny stuff to me? I dont want him to feel ignored especially when the baby is here.

Thank you thats really helpful.

Just pop baby in a carrier and that leaves both hands free for toddler to help with soft play. That’s exactly what I do, as I say I’m in exactly the same boat with a 22 month old and a 3 month old.

They are so stressful and hard work but I think I will have to try these again once I have recovered from the baby.

I envy your stamina 🤣 clearly I need to hit a gym after having this baby. I find it hard just keeping up with the toddler in the soft play without having a baby attached to me.

But I will add it to the list of things to try to do once recovered.

Honestly I find it harder work trying to keep everybody happy in the house all day!😂 I’ve always found everything is easier out and about, my baby sleeps better out and about than at home, toddler is happier out of the house running off some energy and then filling the afternoons with toys/books/crafts/baking is much easier because they’ve had the chance to run off the crazy!

These things aren't wrong, and he won't do them forever.

If water escaping the bath is a problem, put a couple of towels down. Water in a bathroom is really quite fine.

Engage with him in his kitchen band - sing some nursery rhymes for him to bang the lids along to.

I'm just not good with talking or chit chat. Hence I don't have friends. So its not something I am very comfortable with and I do worry my toddler will start to sense how uncomfortable and stressed I am at things like that if we go. I dont want it to rub off on him as at the moment hes very outgoing.

Maybe really pay attention to the things he likes to do, and find a suitable toy. He tosses toys around? Get soft stackable blocks that he can stack then knock over. Let him toss a ball into a laundry basket in a safe spot (hallway).

Playing independently means to entertain himself, but of course he should be able to see you, and you him. Set up construction trucks in a corner of the kitchen but away from your busy area, etc. If he wants you to engage, remark how fun it looks, and give him another idea for play. He gives you a cow from the farm set? Tell him the cow want to chase the sheep into the barn, and encourage him to interact with his toys.

I might need to get some new pans. Mine are all glass lids. Clearly I need to toddlerproof my cookwear so he can help bless him!

Although not sure how my partner working nights will feel 🤣 may have to invest in some good earplugs!

I will have a go at trying to watch him playing. We have foam blocks but he wont touch them unless we build the tower.

Perhaps I'll have a sort out of his toys and just give a few at a time to see what he actually plays with.

Toddlers are so much easier when they're out of the house! I've had my 3.5 year old with me all day today; i had a coffee while he played, got us ready to leave, went to a play cafe 11-2, he played while i watched and bought our lunch there, then popped to Morrisons and he pushed a little trolley around to help me collect all the items on my short list and then he scanned everything, got home about half 3, tv and snack for maybe an hour, did some drawing and then it was tea time! He was literally lying on the kitchen floor playing while I made tea as he'd had a busy day.

I've done the same sort of days with him since he was really little though. Only difference is I'd go out earlier (9ish), stay out all morning, lunch out, then home for a nap, tv and snack once awake, then some sort of activity in the afternoon like playing with pasta or oats while I sat with a cuppa watching (messy but can just scoop it up and hoover after). He's always played some much better after a busy stimulating day!

My toddler 100% prefers to be out and about. He just also likes a crazy long nap so its a balancing act for him.

I do agree he is so much happier if we are say at the zoo. He isnt so fond if its somewhere he has to be controlled like shopping (my partner has taken him a few times and he hates it as he cant grab everything or run around)

I think I'm going to have to accept that he is happier out and about so we will have to do lots of national trust and country parks and just accept the loss of the naps and deal with the meltdown in the evenings and hopefully within a few months he might not need to much sleep so the meltdowns will stop.

Maybe you should see your GP about CBT re your social anxiety, might well be a waiting list so no harm going on it.

Children need varied activities and other children. Lots of good ideas on this thread about activities but your children will really need friends and you will need to talk to people and be friendly to encourage and facilitate this. It sounds like it will be a challenge for you but worth it for them.

Maybe try it then? Groups are low key. You can see if you come across anyone you feel like could be a friend or acquaintance. Maybe you’d then feel less anxious with a friendly face the next week?
Once he starts school it’s good to make friends with the other parents for support and going to parties and play dates so it all benefits him

OP I mean this gently but how do you expect him to know how to behave out in public if you’ve never shown him?

I’ve always taken DD to do the food shop as something to do out of the house.

‘Can you spot the Carrots?’
’Can you carry this French Stick?’
‘Yes you can carry that random dog toy but we’ll have to put it back’.
‘If you can’t listen to mummy you’ll have to sit in the trolley’.

The things we do day-to-day just as something to do would seem alien to 20-year-old me. When she was 9-months-old we genuinely sat in the library watching the librarian put away books as it was pouring it down of rain and it was keeping her occupied. We walk through the market with zero intention to buy anything. I’m quite strict, if you can’t walk nicely you have to go in the pram. If you can’t play nicely with a pot/lid/whatever item mummy is going to take it away.

Do you have a local FB group that you can ask for suggestions for things on during the week?

No I don’t think so! Libraries are so different to when we were little - they’ve got a lot of encouragement to be more hubs than quiet reading rooms. My local one has crayons and colouring in the kids library too. Give it a try anyway. ❤️

Having had a 2 Yr old in kickdown I tried everything.
My new 2 Yr old now is completely different and goes for different things so here is a list

Duplo
Trains
Rice and measuring cups in trays cups etc
Water painting
Pipe cleaners in pasta strainers
Stamps
Magna tiles was a big one for my eldest it would occupy him for hours
Baking too - decorating biscuits with icing and sprinkles

Hope that helps but like other pp said don't be hard on yourself!

Reading some of these replies makes me think it will get better over this year. He isnt at the stage yet of being able to understand games or instructions. Some of the things you have suggested sound great so hopefully as the year goes on he will start being able to do some of them!

I don't disagree I know he wont learn if we don't go out and do it. What do you do if say they arent listening so you put them in the pram but then they scream and scream (i havent had this but he does it at home which is fine as i can just ignore him until he sorts himself out) but of course out and about other people dont want to listen to a 2 year old screaming and crying for ages. Do you just leave?

I do want to mention he isnt a monster! If we go out for dinner 9/10 times we can be there for an hour or 2 and with the exception of wanting to switch between sitting with me or daddy he is an angel and reads books or colours or just people watches. So he isnt uncontrollable hes just particular about when he wants to be cooperative!

Playgroups. Not necessarily much fun but esp when baby arrives then he can run about and you sit. It’s good as you often vaguely know people when you start school.

Just go places and walk. Go to the library, go to the shop, go feed ducks, go to the park and collect leaves etc. When the baby is here and in the pram just walk places and tire him out.
A tired toddler is a more manageable one. My policy was always to go out mornings and be active and then home for lunch/nap. Then DC should be able to play on their own to a while or maybe watch something if tired.