What do you do with your one year old all day?

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

I think I am boring DD! I need some activities that would be great to do with a one year old. I take her to The Little Gym, but that's only once a week. We don't have a playgroup and I have no idea how to find one. I also find it hard to go to scheduled activities because they always seem to be at nap time. DD still takes two naps a day. Mornings we hang out with DH because he doesn't go to work until around 9:30. Her first nap is usually around 10:30 so mornings are out for us.

I am not an outdoors person, but I may need to get over that. We play in the backyard (up until the snake incident last week that made me a little skiddish to go back out there!).

So, any suggestions would be great!

[SnuggleBuggles]

-Museums (especially one that has a child play area)
-zoo
-aquarium
-playground with a tot area
-walks
-find an indoor play area where you either get a membership or pay to go every time (there is one in our city that is operated by volunteers so it is a great way to fill your day, meet other parents and get involved)
-we ran lots of errands. They are great learning experiences and they pass the time well.

Just start talking to other parents with kids your dd's age when you go out. I stumbled on my playgroup by just chatting with a mom at the playground. She invited me to the playgroup and it was great.

I wouldn't really worry that you are boring her. :) At this age the whole world is still exciting. Have you read the book "Toddler Play" by Gymboree? It has a lot of good, simple activity ideas that you can do at home.

Beth

[maestramommy]

At one we were going to one music class, and had a playdate once a week or every other week. DD was still taking 2 naps a day, so I hear ya! She also wasn't walking yet, to that put some limits on what we could do. Mostly I read to her, or she played with her toys. Now that she's mobile and down to one nap, we go to the park across the street, and/or I take her for a walk in the jogger (that's really for me), we also go to a park with a Farmers Market. The moms go for a walk first, then we have lunch there, then come home for a nap. I also try to get out to see my parents once a week, and the playdates have stepped up, although they tend to be at either indoor or outdoor playgrounds. Sometimes it's at someone's house.

There are days where we have absolutely nothing going on, and those are the days I take her for a walk, then go to the park across the street. We just got a zoo membership, but we usually reserve that for a Saturday. DD is also getting better about playing/reading to herself.

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

I just need to realize that it's okay that we don't go out and about every day. She has a great time playing here and she has a lot of toys so it's not like she's really bored. (Haha, maybe I am the bored one!) The naps make things tough. Thanks for helping me realize that she's probably content with our daily activities!

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

Thanks so much for the book suggestion. I am definately going to look into that! Thanks for the reassurance that I am not boring her...she really does love to play at home! I just have this weird feeling that we should be doing more!

[wencit]

My son is 13 months, and here is what I think his schedule looks like:

wake up
eat breakfast
nap
eat lunch
nap
play a little
eat dinner
sleep

I feel like he is basically eating or sleeping at any given moment. :) I personally like having 2 naps because it means I get 2 breaks during the day instead of just one. Occasionally, if I need to get a lot of errands done, it's a drag, but I am dreading the day DS drops down to 1 nap.

I also take DS out pretty often to run errands. He's a total people person and enjoys looking and interacting with others. I figure at his age, Target is a pretty fascinating place. We do go to playgroup once a week, and that helps break up the monotony. Can you join a Mother's Club in the area? If you go to www.momsclub.org, you might be able to find a local chapter and join a playgroup that way. I know there are some groups that meet in the afternoons, so that might work out for you. Also, my playgroup is pretty flexible about coming late/leaving early. Since the kids are all roughly the same age, they totally understand the 2 nap thing.

Do you have parents/ILs in the area? Once every 2 weeks, I take DS for Grandma/Grandpa Day, which translates to Mom's Rest Day for me. :D

Our local library also has a toddler story time, which lasts for 30 minutes and consists of stories and music. DS seems to enjoy this. Afterwards, we always get food to go from Whole Foods and have a little picnic in the park.

Don't worry too much about boring your child. I think just getting outside (even going to the mall) is enough stimulation for a 1-year-old, but maybe that's just my rationalization! :)

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

I think your DS and my DD have the same routine! I love the two naps too because she finally sleeps for a good length of time and I get a bit of a break. I wish we had family in the area but we have no one for thousands of miles which sucks! I like your picnic idea - I think I will try that with DD soon!

Thanks for your suggestions and helping me rationalize!

[bisous]

I remember the age well. I wouldn't worry at all that you are boring your DD. It seems like the things that 1yo really *need* to do seem really boring and unstimulating to us but they are terribly interesting and important to them. If YOU are bored, however, there are many things that the PP mentioned that can also be fun for mommy. I think its about striking a balance in what is best for your DD (which might well be playing with a toy on the floor, emptying out your tupperware drawers, etc.) and what is fun and stimulating for Mommy which is in no way a bad thing for her either! I hope you find the perfect balance and enjoy that age--it will go so fast!

HTH

Jen

[elephantmeg]

go shopping
storytime at the library!
sand and water table outside
run around outside (we have an acre of land in the country and he loves to run around!)
go to the park

[MommyAllison]

DD is almost 18 months, but she loves to:

-go for walks (in the stroller, or just walking)
-play at the playground/park (slides, swings, examine the pebbles ;) )
-play in her wading pool
-run around outside
-play with friends
-make up silly games (running in small circles and giggling, laying down with a foot in the air, etc)
-play with the cat
-help me with chores (she feeds the cat, loves to watch me water plants, sweep the floor, helps with laundry, helps with mixing/baking)
-read books

ETA: We will be planting a large vegetable garden this weekend, and I suspect that she will really enjoy digging in the dirt and helping me with the seeds. :)

Hth a bit!

Allison
Mama to DD 11/05

[sidmand]

Working around naps is tough. For a long time it seemed everything was at 10:00 a.m. and that was when DS napped and I couldn't figure out how people worked around that. DS quickly gave up the 10:00 a.m. napping (and never really had two naps), so it was a bit easier.

We did storytime until he could walk. I thought he would be too little, but there was a storytime for his age (and younger) at the local library as well as the local Barnes and Noble. We kind of got our playgroup through the library.

I joined the MOMS Club and our playgroup ended up being kind of a combination of MOMS Club and library people.

I find it's most difficult when they're little. You meet more people and do more things as you go along, but when you really need it (and I do mean YOU), it's hard to find it. DS was great at playing by himself, but he (and I) would get bored without some kind of daily activity.

If she doesn't seem bored, she's fine. However, if you're bored, that's another matter! I found I couldn't just stay in the house all day because I would get bored (and eventually DS got bored too...he likes to run now!).

We did a music class, storytime, playgroup, Baby Yoga, Gymboree, MOMS Club activities...

Debbie
http://b2.lilypie.com/BI7Tm5.png

[anamika]

Singing - I would put in a CD of kids songs and do all the actions and sing (totally offkey but she didn't care!).
She also loved sing-alongs at the public library. She started trying to do the actions herself too around that time.
Now that it's getting warmer, a plastic pool that she can sit in and splash might be a good option too. My DD loved her little pool.
hth

[DrSally]

Library storytime. We go to two that have a children's play area as well. You tend to see the same parents there, so that's nice. Also, check out www.meetup.com and look for a mom's meetup group in your area. You can rsvp to events and go if they fit your schedule. Do you have a park around you? We hang out a lot there.

ETA: I agree when they're taking 2 naps it's harder to get out. We also run a lot of errands. I think any kind of activity is interesting, so I wouldn't worry too much, as pp's have also said. We also put up a sand and water table on the deck and I have a baby gate blocking the steps, and we sit out there when it's nice.

[coachkath]

I was also going to mention meetup.com. I logged on last fall and couldn't find a mom's group near me, so I started one. Now I have almost 100 members - it's amazing how many moms out there are looking for the same thing. Our schedule is very hectic, but with meetup I now have lots of asst. organizers and there's always something going on. I've met some great people and now have lots of options. Some days it's stay inside, some days the world (even if the world is just the park) is our oyster.
Kathy