My only child toddler is bored out of his mind

amother

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 12:00 pm

He’s not 2 yet. I try doing activities with him but he’s not very interested yet. I just can’t fill a full day schedule. We’re so bored. We did everything last week. All the ideas that kept him occupied for 20 minutes last week is old news. The only thing that will keep him happy is watching videos which we limit to an hour or two a day(and even that’s too much). Help! How am I supposed to keep him happy in a small apartment with just his old folgies for company?

Stars

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 12:05 pm

If videos make him crazy try interactive games or exercise. Google which ones are good for 2 year olds.

amother

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 12:07 pm

He loves videos and it doesn’t make him crazy but he can’t watch 8 hours a day. It’s 12 and I’m all out of ideas how to entertain him.

thunderstorm

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 12:11 pm

read books, playdough, finger paint, a few minutes outside without anyone else around, coloring, dancing with music, sing songs and motions, bake something together. My 20 month old made her own challah on Friday for the first time. It was adorable.
It’s ok to just let your toddler sit and do nothing for a little . It’s ok.
You don’t have to be busy with DC the entire time. Down time is good too.

amother

Lavender

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 12:11 pm

I have the same as you. One toddler under 2. Were also going crazy. I keep giving him food cuz that keeps him busy for a bit. I also got some balloons for him that I keep blowing up. He loves them and runs around the house with them....

amother

Cerise

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 12:12 pm

Have him join you when you're doing laundry, making dinner. Talk, talk and interact. Ask for his help.

SuperWify

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 12:16 pm

Same thing here. I prepared some Pesach learning but he won’t sit for longer then a minute. He wants to watch allll day. He’s 3.

SuperWify

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 8:01 pm

Today was nuts. He eat and messed up every room. Colored the walls. Did not let me work. Eat snack after snack all over the house.

The kid that hates going to school asks for Morah today! He’s so bored I feel so bad!! But it’s hard for me to entertain him all day I’m busy cleaning his messes preparing food and trying to work.

Please help!

amother

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 9:07 pm

SuperWify wrote:

I feel for you. My son started asking to go to sleep! That’s a new one. Crazy times... I ask my dh to take care of him for at least one block of time a day because I just need a break. Can you do that? Work then and spend time the rest of the day with him? I also bought tons of projects and craft supplies in the hope that something will interest him.

amother

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 9:09 pm

joss3 wrote:

Hours long bubble bath with tons of toys. Just like swimming Smile

Ha I bought bubble bath soap today because I thought he’d love it and find it entertaining but he hated it and I needed to get rid of all the water and bubbles and refill it. But he has been taking long baths these days, even eating supper in there.

amother

Coffee

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 9:19 pm

same here, one 2 year old. got crayons, stickers, kinetic sand, play dough, music - jewishmusicfm has lots of good pesach old songs which he loves, books, I try to rotate the toys so that he doesnt get bored of them but he still likes the same few...

SuperWify

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 9:38 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

My dh watched him 90% of the day... the problem is he kept running to me.

amother

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 10:01 pm

SuperWify wrote:

My dh watched him 90% of the day... the problem is he kept running to me.

Same same. I went to lie down today and after a few minutes he came banging on my door yelling “mama” so there went that.

agreer

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 10:44 pm

Long walks? In the stroller, then out of the stroller, then back in. Perhaps you can drive somewhere new, park the car, walk around and then go back in the car?

I like to break up TV time into two 1-hr sessions during the day.

Also....it is NOT your job to entertain him. He needs to learn how to entertain himself.

Rotate toys so he has "new ones" every few days (I.e. put them away then take them out)

Put on music and let him dance.

amother

Violet

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 10:58 pm

It's impossible for toddlers to be bored. They are hard wired to explore the world. Boredom is just about impossible unless all external stimuli have been taken away.

Toddlers have short attention spans, but that's not the same as being bored. Try to vary his experiences over the course of the day, and don't expect too much.

Preparing meals is an exciting activity for them. So is cleaning up.

It can be mind-numbing for an adult to spend all day with a toddler, but just because you are bored doesn't mean he is too. Hang in there!

SuperWify

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 10:59 pm

trixx wrote:

Practical life - cooking, baking, cleaning.

Not easy to do with little kids...

amother

Brunette

Sun, Mar 22 2020, 11:03 pm

SuperWify wrote:

Not easy to do with little kids...

If you're up for it, when I hand my toddler stand on a chair by the counter and wash dishes or cook or bake with me he loves it. Everything takes forever and there's a mess after but he's the happiest kid on the planet for that time.