Keeping 20 month old busy for 10 minutes

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Forum -> Parenting our children

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behappy2

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 8:36 pm

Hi. So I have a 7 year old and 20 month old and I like to do "special time" with my older one before bed. We do 5-10 minutes from a workbook together by the dining room table. For some reason I am not able to get my toddler to sit quietly for that time. She is always coming to me to hold her. She climbs onto my chair etc. I take out a few toys for her. What can I do? Or do I just accept that this is how it is until she gets a bit bigger???

pause

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 8:42 pm

This is how it is. Smile

das

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 8:43 pm

Have her watch LBB on youtube.

behappy2

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 8:44 pm

das wrote:

Have her watch LBB on youtube.

She will shriek bec she needs to touch the screen or computer. She is very immature. Lol Smile

pause

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 8:45 pm

das wrote:

Have her watch LBB on youtube.

Yeah, after I clicked submit I was going to edit to add that if OP is not averse to screen time, or having a kid play with a phone, that's the only thing that can keep a toddler reliably busy.

behappy2

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 9:00 pm

What do ppl with multiple children do if they want to give each child time alone every day for a few minutes.

Being that she is so young is it ok to ignore her for a whole 5 minutes and let her tantrum while I give her brother attention?

loveit

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 9:04 pm

Put toddler to bed earlier. In my house bedtime goes in order by age, so youngest first. Makes everything much smoother and then older kids feel like they really have that time with you

behappy2

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 9:08 pm

loveit wrote:

Put toddler to bed earlier. In my house bedtime goes in order by age, so youngest first. Makes everything much smoother and then older kids feel like they really have that time with you

She actually need less sleep bec she naps for two hours by day and her body needs less sleep compared to him for her age. So I put them in at the same time. I wish she would need that extra hour. ..

violet1

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 12:01 am

Can you give her paper and crayons and have her sit next to you at the table?

weasley

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 3:29 am

The only thing that kept my kid busier for longer than 3 minutes at that age is emptying my kitchen cabinets! I hate when he does but when I need 15 mins to put on supper or something I'm just grateful for the time!

Teomima

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 5:21 am

So this makes a big mess, but one way I can keep my toddler quiet for ten minutes is by giving her a roll of toilet paper. She'll tear off a small piece, pretend to blow her nose, then stick in the hole of the roll. She'll keep doing this (with all the bits falling out of the hole and all over the floor) till the roll is empty (then proudly present it to me: "all done!")

amother

Yellow

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 11:01 am

My aunt used to give the toddlers in the car a box of Kleenex each when they traveled long distances. 😁😁😁

Optione

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 11:06 am

paper and crayons

amother

Royalblue

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 11:12 am

Box of kleenex works every time. The big ones...

pause

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 3:00 pm

behappy2 wrote:

I also have the problem that toddler naps so goes to sleep at the same time or later.

I give my older ones alone time while my toddler is around. They don't mind playing a game with me while my toddler is on my lap, or my reading them a book with toddler listening in, or even just shmoozing.

In addition, every couple of months I do a "Mommy day" for my older kids individually where the kid stays home from school, we spend the day somewhere together, and the baby/toddler does not come along.

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