Here's the deal; I don't know anything about toddlers. Yep. Heard it here first. I'm not a big "kid" person, I've mentioned that before, so I've never been around them a ton. I didn't really baby sit, I don't have young cousins, VBS and nursery duty usually makes me break out in hives, so yea, not so good on the toddler front.
What do you DO with them all day??
In the span of about thirty minutes, BG can go from blocks, to books, to outside, to inside, to tearing around the kitchen, to banging pots, and back again. It's insane. I have not sat down during the day in four days. My house looks like a tornado swept through it. I'm spent.
It's like she started walking and WHAM, that's all she wrote. (which if one person says I told you so about her walking, I will shank you. I am still OVERJOYED that she walks now, I just need more entertaining tricks). So seriously, activities? And I stayed at home to SAVE money so please don't list fifty different classes because that's not happening. And we live in the South, where it's been over one hundred degrees by noon the past couple of days, so lots of indoor activities would be great (although I will take some outside ones).
Keep in mind, the child is insanely active. She does not like to sit still. Even her "sitting still" activities like puzzles and blocks become standing ones when she carries them all over the house. So there's that. She's not a big book fan (another post in itself), she doesn't really want to be held, and she's weird about textures.
Wow. No pressure huh?
For real y'all, I need some help. I'm out of ideas. Ready.... go!
K thanks. :)
12 comments:
Have you tried a water-table type thing yet? Maybe in the garage? where its shady and okay to get wet still? And is she only taking 1 nap a day? I survive b/c of the fact E takes two naps a day. I pretty much ALWAYS go out in b/t the naptimes...even if its to the park, or the mall just to walk around, or SOMETHING. E keeps busy with random stuff....pulling cabinets apart, throwing her shoes down the steps...(pretty much anything OTHER than her toys).....
Does she like TV? I am sure people roll their eyes about that but I watched TV as a kid at my babysitters house and I have such fond memories of reading rainbow and seseame street! Peebs loves tv although these days that he can move he generally only watches in the car but still.... it entertains him and helps when he is crankypants! My nephew spends about 80% of his time playing with a water hose! My mom just let sit trickle for him and he loves it. She also lets him stand on a chair at teh kitchen sink and play with water and dishes in there....
Good Luck ! Report back with your findings as this is right around the corner for me!
Welcome to the world of toddlers. First, see if she will help you with things. I know 'helping' creates more work but you'll get something done. When Isaac first began walking he'd polish the floor with a spoon while I put away the dishes.
Baby Enstein, sprinklers, and the ability to do things lightening fast. When I had to do something with the door open like take in groceries I'd put Isaac in his high chair and spray some reddiwhip on the top. He'd play with it, then eat it, and I'd get the groceries in without crying.
Now that he's older we go to splash pads a lot and to stores to explore when it's super hot. We go to playgrounds TONS when its cooler out. Usually doing that each morning will tire him enough to get a good nap and I do house things when he naps.
Also, I trade babysitting with another mom one day a week for 3 hours each. I use that time to clean house because otherwise I find it impossible. You'll make it! I promise! It gets easier when they get more comfortable with you being in the room next to them rather than the foot next to them.
This cracked me up! I have no help, I just need the same help!
I don't think I have commented before. I enjoy reading your blog. I understand your question having a 4 and 2 year old.
They are busy busy! I thought my oldest was a busy girl til my second daughter started moving. Then it was nonstop!
A couple of things your daughter might enjoy..
spread out a big towel/blanket on the flour. Fill tupperware with water. Give her a few extra tupperware containers and measuring cups. Show her how to scoop then pour in an empty one. It is messy but sometimes can occupy for more than 5 min.
Wash and clean a parm cheese container (the refrigerated kind) and have her put uncooked spaghetti noodles in the holes on top. Good fine motor practice. Or you could use straws (they might be easier for her age).
Hide some little toys of hers (like little people, cars, etc) in a bowl of rice. Again messy, but she might have fun looking for them.
Hope you get lots of good ideas!
Here a couple of websites that you might poke around for more ideas...
http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com
http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/
Hmmm...I'm enjoying reading the ideas in the comments. Here are a few from me. Keep in mind Kirsten is a few months older (she's 16 months) so these may be just a few months ahead...
1) Have her help. Even if it's not really helping, like getting you clothes out of the basket to fold. Taking her dirty clothes to her clothes hamper. Putting her shoes away, etc.
2) Kirsten loves playing with her stuffed animals, giving them "drinks" and "feeding" them. I wrap up her baby dolls in blankets and she carries them around.
3) K has a purse she love to put things in and take them out of over and over again.
4) Play with magnets on the fridge or dishwasher while you're in the kitchen.
5) I have a big ziploc bag full of plastic (safe) kitchen things. Cupcake decorating bottles, measuring cups, spoons, etc. She LOVES when I give her the bag, she'll sit and play for what seems like forever.
That got long! Good luck, let us know if you find any wonderful ideas, Lord knows we all need the help! :)
Coming from a non-mom... haha... Just from watching my nephew, I totally understand what you mean! They are full of energy and excitement, and TV?? Forget about it! Now that the weather is warming up, I wonder how she will like water? Maybe a little baby pool? Gosh, I am no help!
Obviously I'm in the same boat of trying to figure this out, but in a case of strangely perfect timing, my friend just sent me this list of stuff-to-do-with-toddlers: http://counting-on-me.blogspot.com/2011/05/101-things-to-do-with-your-toddler.html
Some of these I hadn't thought of before, though #101 made me want to tear my hair out :-).
We turned a large cardboard box into a semi-house for our daughter when she was about that age. We let her scribble on it with crayons (it was her first exposure to crayons), cut a little door and a large window flap (folds out almost like a tray on one side. She'd spend 10+ minutes coloring on it for the first few days and then she would open and close the door and the window flap (she especially loved this because she could bang it open and play "peek a boo" out of it). And we'd put a few small toys inside of it and she'd sit inside and play some too. (here's some video where you can see the box http://lifetimemm.blogspot.com/2010/03/hayleys-bait-shop-diner-house-per-her.html) But really, she would also do the million things a day and still does so, um, welcome to the insanity! ha :) She also had a shopping cart that she would fill up a million times a day and push all over the place. I work during the week so I only have 2 full days with my girls so we do what you do on those days, wreck the house/create insanity and then follow wherever her mind takes her (or now, wherever her escaping sister takes us)
Manning is a lot like BG. Busy, busy, busy! I like to allow contained messes. Like allowing him to drag out all of the Tupperware and stack it and throw it and then we clean it all up together. I'm not a big believer in "baby proofing" so he's had to learn what's not allowed to be played with, but his room is set up in a way that I feel comfortable letting him play on his own in there, and I make him for at least thirty minutes a couple of times a day. I often put on Yo Gabba Gabba because he likes the music and dances while he plays, and it keeps him in the room.
Also, I've turned bath time into a daytime activity just to allow him to have fun. I realized at night it was always rushed and he loves it so now I let him play in the bath and sometimes he's in there over thirty minutes. :)
I hope this helps and sorry it's poorly formatted- I'm commenting from my cell phone. :)
I am obviously not here yet but I can already tell that my girl got the busy gene, too, so I'm sure in a few months I'll be coming back to this post to read all of the suggestions ... and I'll be asking you for the same advice.
i'm a little scared for this age and need all the help and pep-talks i can get too. its going to be here to soon!
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