What do you do with your dc?

Fabulous

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 10:17 am

What do you play with them? How do you occupy yourselves and them during the day? How do you have time for yourselves? and for the housework? My ds is almost a year and a half but he is a little behind, so think 13-14 month old. Thanks.

mummiedearest

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 10:29 am

it's really a question of having a set schedule. my kids are older than that now, but I scheduled everything around nap time. nap time was divided in half: housework I couldn't deal with when they were awake, and mommy time. nap time, meals and baths were always at the same time.

if your kid can stand up steadily, he can help you wash dishes. I have a two step stepstool that I used to set up next to the counter while I washed dishes. I'd clean one of his melamine bowls, put a little water in it, and give it to him along with a bottle brush. after I cleaned another unbreakable item, I'd give that to him too. he used to pour the water back and forth, swish with the brush, spill on the counter, etc. this was great playtime for the both of us. (and it kept my counters clean.) I have an extra full size apron, and I let him wear it. he loved dressing like mommy. (and you get the cutest photos Smile

)

I sat on the floor with him for a while, but not the whole day. we read a lot of books together, and we did puzzles and whatever other toys he had. he learned early on to occupy himself for long stretches of time, so sometimes I would sit and crochet/read a book while he read his board books or played with a magna doodle. (go get one if you don't have one. they're great for toddlers.) we did a lot of aleph bais, that was his favorite book. sometimes I baked challahs with him, but not often. I got him a little broom. he loved sweeping floor at that age. toddlers get in the way with brooms though, so I'd assign him to the next room. he was always excited to sweep a room by himself. before he could walk, we'd play chase the broom. I'd sweep slowly so he could crawl after it and try to catch it.

my son still loves to wash windows. give him a sponge and a cup of water and he's happy for a good half-hour.

I made a point to take my kids outside everyday for a long outing. that included grocery shopping, pharmacy stops, library visits (see if there's a toddler program in your area) and playdates once a week.

we also danced to music together, had tickle fights, chased each other around on the floor, used mommy as a jungle gym...

get creative, and you can do what you need to and what he wants. it's doable.

Fabulous

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 10:36 am

Thanks so much for your reply. Most of your response was about a toddler who is a bit older. He can't stand on his own. He doesn't know how to color; he would eat the crayons. He doesn't do puzzles. He doesn't play with any toys unless he's stuck in his crib and he has no choice. When I do errands, he doesn't love it because he loves to move and is stuck in carriage because if not, he crawls away and pulls everything from everywhere. He is really not old enough to help me in anything. So I do tickle him and dance around to music, but for how long? That's what I was saying, think a bit younger.

mummiedearest

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 10:55 am

Fabulous wrote:

right. my son is four, and I'm not sure about which younger stage is which yet, but he was standing at 13 months.

do you have any sensory books? check out dk publishing touch and feel books. my kids used to love to sit and touch the textured pictures. they're great for mommy/baby time too.

if your son can crawl, he can chase the broom. tie something fun around the base for him to chase. it'll tire him out nicely.

walking is great for you and him. the time outside is a break for you, really. try going out for around two hours. window shop, chat with someone on the street. get in your vitamin d.

a lot of what you do has to do with your child, obviously. if he's ok sitting in the tub without added support, you can stick him in the tub with a wet sponge/washcloth. let him "clean" the tub while you clean the rest of the bathroom. you can pick things up off the floor by crawling with him. I used to play peek a boo with my kids while sorting laundry. and he can sit in the full basket, that's always fun.

do you do arts and crafts with him? I started my kids on crayons early. crayola makes twist up crayons that are in plastic casing. less chance of them eating the crayons with those. you can let your son paint with ketchup and mustard. give him a piece of paper, squirt some on, and let him finger paint. totally edible. you can do this with baby food too. you can give him a stick of cheese to use as a paintbrush if you want.

I still recommend the magna doodle. my kids chewed on theirs and its still going strong.

and you can start on sturdy wooden puzzles with him. you can also do shape-sorters. mega blocks might be good too. he can practice fitting pieces together. he might be able to stack some of them.

I also used to make plastic cup towers on the floor and let the kids knock them down. we had fifteen cups saved for this with their toys, so I didn't waste too many.

my kids used to love to spill my spices on the floor and play with them when I wasn't looking. I didn't love the idea, but you can pour some different smelling spices in a plate and let him mush them around. it's sweepable, edible, and highly sensory. try it out. as long as you don't have to replace your spices every week (I did, just about) that's a great activity.

and you can always find different containers/cups/plates/pots for him to use as drums. show him how to do it. I'm sure you won't need to be involved once he figures it out. I advise you stick to plastic items, they won't give you a headache like pots will.

Fabulous

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 11:03 am

Thank you so much for the ideas and for taking the time to type them up. I am going to make a concerted effort to try some of them. I'll let you know in a week or two how things are going.

MaBelleVie

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 11:13 am

Fill up a tub or baby pool and have him splash around. Show him how to fill up cups and spill water out, etc.

Play modified hide and seek, hiding behind furniture where you know he will find you, and laugh when he does.

Give him different kinds of containers to open the lid and close- pots, tupperware, etc. Put something silly inside the pot and have him find it.

If he can't color, show him how! Kids love it. Get a non-toxic marker that he can't bite off pieces, and use a big piece of paper. Or, use a magna doodle.

mummiedearest really gave you lots of great ideas!

momomany

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 11:47 am

I have a 15 month old. its sometimes tough to keep them occupied in the winter when its unpleasant to go for long walks or the park.

I let him empty cabinets while I work in the kitchen - I do housework while he naps - he loves to "read"-rip up old magazines - mommy is great to climb on & get airplane rides on (a great thigh workout btw)- he loves noisy toys with blinking lights - he feeds himself while belted in his highchair

MamaBird

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 11:54 am

These are great ideas, mummiedearest! I'll have to try some of them! I like the ketchup/mustard finger painting idea and tying something to the broom lol. That's definitely original!

gryp

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 11:55 am

I have two toddlers at home who like to do nothing except dump the toys out and run. My only relief is that they keep each other occupied- until I try and do laundry, cleaning, or cooking, and then I'm just tripping over them so I save it all for nighttime when I'm exhausted but at least there's no one in my way.

Sorry I have no ideas.

amother

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 12:30 pm

Fabulous wrote:

walk him around the house holding his hands
get him a wagon/baby carriage to push
have him stack rings on a pole, do toys where you need to fit different shapes
toy telephone with different noises - he just needs to push the buttons
baby books with pages made of different materials, flaps etc.
if you cook, have him play on the floor next to you with plastic containers and whisks and other safe utensils.
make him an older sibling to play with him

gryp

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 1:10 pm

Make him an older sibling to play with? LOL.

amother

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 1:38 pm

GR wrote:

Make him an older sibling to play with? LOL.

seriously, a sibling makes it so much easier..

amother

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 2:04 pm

Or not. Some siblings will just fight.

Fabulous

Sat, Jan 15 2011, 3:37 pm

Thanks everyone! Amother, I actually do what we call "walkey, walkey" and walk with him around the house. I do allow him to empty one cabinet (when the child lock broke after a week,I just didn't fix it to give him that outlet).