SAHM of toddlers... (or anyone)

[petesgirl]

How do you keep your toddler busy/happy/out of trouble all day???
We are used to spending a couple hours outside each day but now the weather has turned cold. DS really isn't interested in toys for very long and he just ends up getting into trouble and then I am constantly getting after him. We are both super bored of our usual activities (cars, blocks, puzzles, play doh).
I need ideas to keep us both sane!

[belovedgandp]

Leaving the house every.single.day was my key to sanity. It worked better if it was in the morning. For some reason leaving and then coming home made whatever was at our house seem so much more interesting.

I did a lot of toy rotation at that age. I had four laundry basket sized baskets of toys. I usually had one of them up on our main floor to play with and the other three stashed away in the basement. I'd rotate the basket every 5-10 days.

[crl]

Go out. Even in the cold. I used to take ds to the park in the snow. Stroller rides all bundled up. Trip to the mall to ride the escalators. Library. Museums. Gymnastics class. Indoor pool swim class. I have always said I suck at the stay at home part of SAHM. With ds I aimed for a minimum of one outing of some kind every day.

Catherine

[SnuggleBuggles]

Exactly like pp. Ds2 started preschool just 2 mornings/ week when he was 19m old for that reason- get out and do something. The gym/ their childcare almost daily during the week works too. We really tried hard not to be at home in the AM. We hit museums, the zoo, indoor play places (paid ones or free like at the mall or Chik Fil A). Playdates. We did Music Together. Never did well getting to library story time but that works too. Lots of places have mommy and me type classes that can be fun; sometimes they are stressful if your kid isn't into it though. Errands... gosh, we just really stayed busy. Home for lunch and a nap. :) After that, I tried hard to let my kids learn to play on their own some and they did pretty well.

[twowhat?]

Agree to get out when you can.

I often just didn't have the energy to get 2 toddlers ready and in their carseats and out the door, so I usually resorted to walks in the stroller for "out of the house" time. But we spent a lot of time in the house and I found that finding (relatively) safe non-toy household items for them to play with kept them pretty occupied.

A kitchen sink filled with bubbles was a favorite. Other favorites: The Tupperware drawer. A pile of scarves. A pile of socks. A pile of pillows (I'd take every pillow in the house, plus couch cushions, pile them all up and let them at it). When I stripped sheets off the bed, I'd let them play in them before laundering - they LOVED to play with sheets, hide under them, toss them up so that they'd catch some air underneath, then jump on the bubble of air. Bubbles in the backyard. When they were about 15 months old, they found the cases of canned dog food and spent a good portion of the day stacking them. Rice in a big rubbermaid bin with cups, etc for scooping. Aluminum foil. Bubble wrap. Cardboard boxes - cut doors/windows in them if big enough, or just hand him a box and a bunch of (washable!) markers.

And finally, TV:)

[specialp]

We are pretty much gone from the house from 9 until lunch or after lunch. Always home by 2 for nap. We have an activity every morning at the same time: library story time 2x per week (and we play on the indoor playground at the library with the other kids for a while after story time) and gym childcare 3x per week while I work out. After that, we run errands, meetups, meet DH 1 x week either for lunch or afternoon coffee, etc.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Leaving the house every.single.day was my key to sanity. It worked better if it was in the morning. For some reason leaving and then coming home made whatever was at our house seem so much more interesting.

:yeahthat: this, a thousand times this. if it was really nasty outside i would just take them to a grocery store or something. or i would go to a playdate at someon'es house. usually in the morning, like at 10am, then back for lunch so then it would be naptime after that. it was worth bundling up 2 toddlers just to get out!

[JBaxter]

Yes somewhere for something DAILY. Try a toddler class or play group too.

[TwinFoxes]

:yeahthat: this, a thousand times this. if it was really nasty outside i would just take them to a grocery store or something. or i would go to a playdate at someon'es house. usually in the morning, like at 10am, then back for lunch so then it would be naptime after that. it was worth bundling up 2 toddlers just to get out!

:yeahthat: Bundle up and go. It's only November, think how bored you'll be by February! Museums, mall play places, rec centers, play dates, My Gym type classes. Get out as much as possible. Also, I put them in parkas and lined jeans and hit the park. After Snowmageddon I had to drive around to find a park that had been shoveled. They had fun, I was much colder than they were because they were running around.

When you can't get out, bake, play with soapy water in the sink, treasure hunts, etc.

[daniele_ut]

We bundle up and walk DD to Kindergarten. It's a mile each way and it takes up at least an hour of the morning. Then we usually end up running some errands or we go to the gym and he spends an hour in their playroom. Every other week we have a mom's group at our church. If it's really cold and I'm feeling claustrophobic we will go to a local playplace for an hour or so. By the time DD gets home from K it's lunch time, then nap time. Once big brother gets home from school it gets much harder because I'm supervising dinner, homework, running to scouts and to swimming, all while trying to keep DS2 out of trouble.

[Momit]

Agree with PPs about getting out every day. Sign up for My Gym, go to the indoor play area at the mall, do story time at the library, have a playdate. Museum memberships are totally worth it - you can go for an hour or two then leave and not feel like you have to spend the whole day there to get your money's worth.

I also bought a few books - Gymboree has one, then the other two are Toddlers Busy Book and Preschool Busy Book. They have games, recipes, crafts, activities etc., one for each day for a year. I am not creative with ideas so these really helped me.

When you are home - put on music and dance, build a blanket fort, give a bubble bath in the middle of the day. It's hard when the days seem so loooooong.

[egoldber]

Preschool? :)

[petesgirl]

Thanks for the ideas! We usually do get out as much as possible but we have had my car in the shop this week - - I think it is really causing cabin fever to know I can't go somewhere!

[smilequeen]

I need to leave the house every day too. My little guy (will be 3 in Feb) has been in 2 days and 3 days of morning Montessori too which has helped me a lot. Zoo, museums, little gym/gymboree/my gym classes, story time at the library or Barnes and Noble. I love B&N because I can get a coffee and he'll play on their train table like it's the greatest thing in the world (he doesn't touch ours at home). I've done that since kid 1 :) I'm also on #3 though, so I don't feel guilty anymore if I pop in a movie so I can kick my feet up for a few minutes :)

[Mopey]

I second the soapy water with toys in the sink, works so well! Also, I just posted about how pom-poms were a hit (big light bowl, measuring cup, old TP roll and she was good for an hour!).

We also just broke out this tunnel (http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Happy-Giddy-Tunnel/dp/B0032MYYBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384712845&sr=8-1&keywords=melissa+and+doug+tunnel) which I bought for her last Christmas. Mopey and her friend who was over for breakfast had a ball!!

I'll keep thinking but yes to the getting out no matter what. To that end Mopey is also getting this from someone for Christmas (or earlier): http://www.landsend.com/products/toddler-boys-stormer-snowsuit/id_257782

[AngB]

I need to leave the house every day too. My little guy (will be 3 in Feb) has been in 2 days and 3 days of morning Montessori too which has helped me a lot. Zoo, museums, little gym/gymboree/my gym classes, story time at the library or Barnes and Noble. I love B&N because I can get a coffee and he'll play on their train table like it's the greatest thing in the world (he doesn't touch ours at home). I've done that since kid 1 :) I'm also on #3 though, so I don't feel guilty anymore if I pop in a movie so I can kick my feet up for a few minutes :)

Our B&N has a lego duplo table plus the train table. :)

[joonbug]

When DD was about 1-1.5, I made it a point to get out every single day. We walked a lot then, just bundled up and around the park with a stop at the playground to waddle around. Trouble started around 2 when she didn't want to stay in stroller anymore ! Also went to walk around the mall, library, even Target lol. Some meetups with other moms, found them online.

[shweethart]

I'm total opposite. I hate going out everyday. Messes up the sleep and chore routine. We rotate toys a lot. We play with certain toys downstairs in the morning than upstairs in the afternoon. The kids have a toy for every developmental aspect, mood, art project you can think if. Toys are kept in bins so when I pull out a bin it's so novel they are entertained. We read a lot. I'll sit with a pile of books and read till I have no voice it seems. They do get 60-90 min of video in the afternoon so I can get dinner done. This is after there nap which is usually 1-2 hours. I let them get bored and figure out what to do with open ended toys. They like running around in costumes from the dollar store these days. We sing and dance to music etc.

[Tondi G]

If you need inspiration for crafts I love this website http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/

[flashy09]

I do bookstores like Barnes and Nobles (local branch has a lego table, train set, reading nook, cafe) and another independent one with a kids floor/story time. We also do a reading and music class at a preschool and a weekly Gymboree class. Playgrounds/arboreteum even in the cold. I am lucky in that i have a group of about 6 mom friends with kids within 2 months of each other and we get together at each other's houses for playing and lunch. But basically like others have said, we just get out!

[DualvansMommy]

I do local Gymboree mom & me class 2x a week, a weekly trip to B&N after a Gymboree class on Fridays. Those days usually take up our whole morning and we do lunch ( eat out or I bring PB&J to local nearby park) then come home for his nap by 130.

The other days my DS goes to daycenter 2x a week, as I find that's invaluable for him to get consistent socialization and me to do big errands & appointment type of things.

[barkley1]

I'm another one that doesn't feel like we have to go somewhere everyday. DC go to preschool 3x a week for a few hours, and LOVE it. Dd couldn't go Friday bc she had a fever, and boo hoo'd for 20 minutes when DS got out of the car without her! We usually have a play date once a week, a trip to Grandmama's, etc.

I also have a whole Pinterest board full of stuff to keep them busy. Some elaborate, some not. Seasonal crafts, pipe cleaners and a colander, bird seed ornament making, pop rock painting, stuff like that. Lately, Pumpkin Slime/Goo has been a favorite (2 hours of play the first day!).

[AustenFan]

Another homebody here. We play outside every day as long as it's over 20 degrees and not raining. I found that driving around every morning was stressful and really messed with DS' mood. Now I try to limit playdates or outings (even for errands) to every other day. My kids have to nap or rest quietly with books from 1-3 pm every day until they start kindergarten. Someone else recommended rotating toys--that is huge for us, as is picking them up in between. When we have ten different kinds out, my kids frenetically go from one to another for two minutes at a time and then "get bored" in no time. When I just have play food and dolls out (or train tracks and blocks), they can play for much longer stretches. My two year old will sit and listen to 20 books at a time if I'm willing. We read a lot.