I'm a SAHM of two kids. My youngest is 7 months and my oldest is almost 3, but I feel like the toddler is much more work than the baby, because he wants to constantly play or be entertained somehow. He also likes to go places, like the park, the playground, the bounce houses or the children's museum, but it's more work for me to bring him places now that he has a baby brother. So I'm wondering, if you're a SAHM of a toddler, what do you do all day to keep them busy? Do you go out every day? Where do you go? If you stay home, how do you keep your child from being bored?
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I'm not a SAHP, but my neighbor is! We all belong to the local library, and they have activities during the week tailored specifically to SAHP. Do you have a local library near you?
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I only have one kid with another on the way, so I'm not sure how this will change but...
We do a lot of chores/cooking. He'll either help me or play around me.We read books.
We try to go outside, even if it is just in the yard. We'll do yard work together, or he'll play and watch the neighbors dogs while I sit on the deck. When it's rained he likes to stomp around in his boots in the puddles.
He likes pouring water so sometimes I'll set up a water station for him in the kitchen or give him bread cubes to scoop and pour.
I switch out his toys about once a week and he helps me and then usually will happily play for a while that day.
He's not good at playing by himself unless I am also busy so I am a little worried about DS 2 coming and him not climbing on me every time I need to nurse!
When we go out, we go to the library, the playground, or grocery shopping, or the mall play place. We don't go out every day but about 3 times a week to break things up.
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I'm not anymore but I was until Jan! I generally did plan to go out twice most days. It is just harder to keep her entertained at home. Usually I'd go out every morning either to do something fun (library, park, playdate) or run errands. Then a few afternoons/week I'd run an errand as well.
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@2PeasinaPod: Yes, we have a library that does storytime. I could try it again, but I haven't taken my son in a while, because he went through a period where he disliked organized activities. We used to go to a weekly music class, and he would start screaming as soon as we walked in the door and he saw everyone sitting in a circle. But if I took him to an unstructured activity, he was perfectly fine.
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I have a preschooler (3yrs2 months) a toddler (14 months) and a baby (10 weeks).
My big girl has been in part time preschool since 2.5. It's MWF 8:30-12:30. It helps get her wiggles out and gives me baby time. On T and Th we do an activity in the morning (drop in center, library, park) and are home in the afternoon for toddler nap time. The baby sleeps in the car seat or carrier in the morning
While the little girls nap, my big girl and I do messy activities (painting, play doh, markers, etc.) or play with toys that have small pieces. She's starting to help me prep dinner. She likes "cooking" with me so that's a good and productive activity.
Right now she is dusting the floor. Not helpful, but she's having fun and is out if my hair. -
@aprild: If you're looking for a cheap activity, my ILs did something fun with my 3.5 year old while we were there for Easter. They took a shot glass and put a scoop of baking soda in, then a few drops of food coloring, then poured a small amount of vinegar in to make a "volcano". You'll just need a pan or something to "catch" the volcano's eruptions under it! Fun and safe...my LO couldn't get enough of it!
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eta: sorry I didn't read!
What about setting up some Montessori style activity shelves?
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I only have one so it probably skews this a bit but I am finding that a routine for the home days helps a lot. I also keep certain toys put away and they only get pulled out on the days we are home all day. Water play is always a sure hit here so that typically is what she does while I clean- either bathrooms or kitchen.
I really like the idea of "invitations to play" or "strewing" where you don't exactly say " hey, go play with X but you set up a fun activity somewhere they will stumble on it- so a teddy bear tea party or a big tower of blocks or the supplies for a craft. If you Google or Pinterest either term you will come up with some ideas.
We also read a ton those days and I try to plan for dinners that she can help cook.
Most days though, we go out. At the very least we walk into town and get lunch and go to the grocery store or we go to the park or library. We have a few memberships to places nearby so we hit one of those each week, often one day is errands. We also take a music class once a week, typically that's the day we run errands, we just go after class.
Having a playgroup has been extremely helpful too. We do something with that group at least once a week.
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Check your local gymnastics centers, both of ours have open play a few times a week for $5 and it's super awesome. Our library has open play once a week as does a local community center. They all took some digging to find but are so worth it!
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My two are 3.5 and almost 2 and I promise it gets easier! I think the toughest time for us was when my younger LO was the same age as yours and it was the snowiest winter ever. At least then DH worked from home a lot and he took LO1 out to shovel the snow with him. Otherwise, at that age I did take LO1 out to play in the yard/snow while LO2 napped inside. I know not everyone is ok with that but he either napped in the swing right by the window where I could see him or in his room with the video I could watch on my phone. Maybe something like that would be an option for you?
Once we got out of that horrible winter LO2 was close to a year and it was easier to get out. We made a point to get out at least once a day - even if it's just for a walk. Usually we would walk to the playground when it was nice out and I could wear LO2 in the Ergo before he was mobile. We go to the library and free activities like singalongs and story time.
I also make a point to get them involved in helping with chores. They LOVE doing the dishes (playing with cups and water while sitting on the counter) and will help with the laundry. We make games out of sweeping and vacuuming. If the weather is particularly nasty or whatever we will just clean the house. A sponge and soapy water is tons of fun for them to scrub the floors/walls/whatever. And cooking! They love to help me cook. When LO2 was a baby we would do the chores either during his naps or while he was in the jumper or swing and Ergo if he refused to be put down.
Since this summer, my older LO goes to preschool 2 mornings a week, gymnastics once a week (and there is a great play area for LO2 so he loves it too), and we have playgroup one morning a week - so there is only one weekday morning that we have to find things to do. That's usually when we'll go to the library or just do errands or meet DH for lunch or something. It's nice to have a set schedule and I have really really noticed a huge difference from last year when we only 1 one regular weekly activity. -
I was home alone with E all day yesterday and I have a blow by blow list of what we did (because I emailed my mum in response an email in which she said "I hope you're getting a lot of rest").
Watched 2x episodes Peppa Pig in bed
Got washed & dressed
Had an Easter Egg hunt at home
Made porridge together (she didn't eat any)
Emptied dishwasher together
Put in a load of laundry together
Went out for brunch
Attended a local Easter Egg hunt
Walked home
Played jigsaw puzzles
Played with stickers
Had a tea party
Read 7 books
Played sleep overs (get bed covers downstairs on the floor),
Played hide and seek
Aquadoodle
Play doh hairdressers
Played doctors
Got out her train (one she rides on),
Read some more books
Sang nursery rhymes and danced
Cooked a pizza together (she refused to eat it)
Watched some TV
Had a bath
Bedtime routine.If I'm alone with her (as a SAHP would be), I much prefer to get out of the house for playdates, soft play, the park, swimming etc because it is so draining being on all day.
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We go outside a lot. But we Shar 5 acres with other members of DH's family so she basically has run of the place and I don't have any drive time to take her outside. We do 1/2 out of the house activities a week and that's it. She likes to color and do stamps a lot when we stay in. Shes good at helping with chores too. I dont get a ton done while we are here but I get zero things done when we go out, even if it's just for the morning so for us it's play outside or learn how to be bored. lol
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DS is 2.5 and goes to daycare two days a week.
On the three days he's home we usually stay at home- I have some pregnancy related health issues that make it difficult to take him to town right now. (No lifting makes coercing him into his car seat pretty tough!).He loves playing with painters tape. We used it to make a road for his hot wheels cars and he thought it was cooler than his VTech track. At least in the moment. He likes to do art projects where we tear bits of tape off and stick it on paper and cardboard. Sometimes we paint over the tape later just for fun. We also make giant webs across doorways for him to climb through. He likes to teach his stuffed animals how to navigate the tape mazes/webs too and will usually do it with minimal input from me. Towards the end of the roll I let him just peel and stick it.
He can spend a lot of time driving hotwheels cars through different tubes. Cardboard tp tubs, wrapping paper tubes, paper towel tubes, etc. then we try to put other things through the tubes and talk about the ones that are small vs big.
We bake frequently. At least once a week we make pizza dough. I'll measure all the ingredients out and then let him add them to the kitchen aid mixer. He likes to measure the flour out with my measuring spoons so it takes a while. i sit near him and supervise, but he's into it enough where I can get in a few rows of knitting or surf HB and FB. The pizza dough keeps in the fridge for several days and I think it tastes better after sitting for a day or two. We use it for breakfast calzones where we add fruit and peanut butter and it also makes a decent sub for naan bread if you brush it with oil and spices.
We've made volcanos like were mentioned above. You can also use eye droppers full of dyes vinegar to "paint" a tray of baking soda. I line things with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
We bought more bath toys and rotate them. DS will play in the tub for an hour or more if we let him and sometimes it's easiest to set him in the tub and watch him play than to think of what to do next.
Piling pillows in the living room and using them for forts and to make squishy pits is a favorite. Then we turn it into a reading pit.
Bubble blowing with several different wands. It's too cold here to do it outside so we blow bubbles in the shower or tub.
He likes to help clean if I give explicit instructions. "Please help mommy take the clothes from the basket and place them in the machine". It makes it much longer to do chores but he is really proud of helping.
Drawing and painting are also good activities. They drive me bananas because of the mess- DS likes to dump out all the crayons- but he will draw for a long time.
Forts can entertain him, especially if there's a new book to read inside.
I set aside some of the toys and activities his grandparents send as gifts and wait to give them to him on loooooong days. A lot of times we'll FaceTime the person who sent it so they can watch him open and play with it. DS tends to play with the same five toys day in and day out- but a new toy can help him play differently with a familiar toy. And, as long as the packaging isn't dangerous I let him open it himself. That can take a while too.
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We are out every day, either to the park or to run errands, or to go use his scooter. We go out to lunch and have playdates. We bake a lot--muffins, dough, cookies. painting--finger painting, watercolors. And he plays with his toys--trains, trucks, cars, toy kitchen, pretend play. somehow the day passes! It's easier that he goes to bed at 7 due to no nap--the day doesn't feel as long.
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I SAHM and have a 3 year led and a 8 month old. What really saved me is putting the older one in half-day preschool 3x/wk. she started going just before she turned three.
When I have both of them we always get out every morning. We will do park, play date, grocery store, library story time, etc. when we are at hone I try to do a project with my older DD that correlates with what's going on seasonally...like making valentines or dying eggs.
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mornings are usually story time or some class that I've signed us up for. Afternoons are spent running errands or going to the playground or some other sort of physical activity. When it's nice out, sometimes we'll stay home during the afternoon and just play in the backyard.
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We go out every day! We go to our local playgroup on Monday and Wednesday mornings and a music class on Fridays, and my big girl also goes to preschool / kindy three afternoons a week. On the days we don't have a scheduled activity we go to the local park or try to arrange a play date and failing that we spend lots of time outside.
My big girl also likes to help me with chores (baking, laundry, dusting - anything!)
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I work two days a week, but the other days I'm home with my (almost) 3 year old.
I get bored if we stay home too much, but I also believe that too many activities isn't great for little kids. We do story time one day and a play group one day.
We also grocery shop/run errands or meet up with friends on Mondays. Our groups follow the school year, so they don't happen in the summer- then we will go to a local farm, go to the lake, or go hike/play in the town forest.Afternoons we always go outside. She helps me with chores around the house a lot. I basically move in and out of playing with her/doing work around the house. So first we eat breakfast, she finishes before me and goes to play while I drink my coffee and use my iPad. Then we do a little "circle time" where we sing seasonal songs, do finger plays, play with puppets, and read seasonal books. After that I usually go clean up while she plays. The I might go build a train for a while, then I go do some laundry. Yesterday we started organizing a closet.
I'm not a big "player." She plays next to me while I work, or helps me. If she wants to help I just have to be patient- it takes longer and sometimes she undoes what I've done. But I give her little tasks and it helps.
Going outside is huge for us, too. That stretch in the afternoon after nap but before its time to make dinner can feel so long sometimes, but now that is when we go out- pretty much no matter the weather (she has rain/mud gear and good snow gear). That takes care of that hour which is often hard for me.
Our rhythym changes- sometimes we get into the habit of an afternoon walk to the playground, for example. She likes to sit on my lap while I use the sewing machine and occasionally can push a button, so sometimes that becomes part of it.
There is a book called Mitten Strings for God: reflections for mothers in a hurry. It's definitely a little preachy. But whenever I am having a tough time at home I re read parts of it and it has been so helpful to me. It's about how to slow down with kids. Might be something you are interested it.
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@aprild: If we don't go out (which I agree is much more difficult now that I have two) the days can be very long! Something that kept him entertained for a while yesterday was a little water play. I laid out a big towel and filled up a couple small bowls with water. He spent almost an hour giving his bath toy animals (turtles, ducks, fish) a "tubby". We didn't leave the house yesterday so today that is a must!
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LO is 2.5 and we go out most days. I would say one day per week we will stay home and have a low key day. We'll play in her play room, read books, play with Playdoh, paint, etc. It's a lot easier with just one kid!
The mainstays in our routine are Wednesday play group and Thursday dance class. Mondays we've been alternating the children's museum and a kid's play gym. On Tuesday I babysit a 9 month old in the afternoon, so we hang out at home in the morning that day. Friday we often go to story time at the library. As the weather has been getting nicer, we've been visiting a lot of parks and I'm excited to go to the splash pad and for the pool to open!
LO doesn't seem to get bored at home but we also don't stay home so much that she can get tired of her toys. I also am pretty lenient with TV on days we are home because we usually stay so busy.
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Check the Instagram Busy Toddler. She has tonnes of activities mostly geared to getting toddlers to play by themselves for periods of time - lots of fun looking ideas!
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