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So sorry, I remember being preg with a young toddler and it was hard to find activities to keep her occupied for more than 5 mins at time.

Painting? Potato stamps?

If I'm feeling in a rut our local rec centre has their gym set up with a bunch of kids toys (ride on cars, play kitchen, slides etc) and a bouncy castle. The kids love it and it always seems new when we go because I don't take them often. It's easy for me since it's all kid friendly stuff and it's an enclosed space. Our library has programs too. Is there something like that near you?

Did you see my recent blog post about the diy montessori materials? My lo is a bit younger (16 months) but some of those things may be fun for him too.

This keeps lo occupied for a while too!

http://www.hellobee.com/2014/06/25/less-mess-indoor-sensory-bin/

We sing songs (like Brantley Gilbert, Tyler Farr, Blake Shelton lol) and that keeps him entertained for awhile. He loves music and bring sung to. He loves to dance too, so I play the chicken dance for him as well. You could do those sitting down and there's no mess! I use Spotify to build fun playlists, it's free!

He loves bath time as well, he could play in the tub for hours. Maybe that'd be a no-mess activity for you guys, just throw random household stuff in the tub and let LO go to town! My LO loves random household stuff more than his own toys. He'd rather have a turkey baster and spatula than blocks any day.

Idk if you've transitioned LO out of the crib, but my LO is in a floor bed so somedays, I let him play in his room (which is child-proofed) and I chill on the floor bed. Its a lifesaver when he has an awful night of sleep but then the energy of a thousand toddlers the next day!

Is there a Mother's Day Out program in your area? We have a local children's play place that does a program once a week for $20, I think it's like 4 hours. Maybe you could find something similar in your area? My state's childcare oversight board has a provider search engine that allows you to search by Mother's Day Out types of programs too.

What about even enrolling LO in a part-time daycare? It could be really nice to have two mornings to yourself (and baby once s/he arrives) and could give LO a chance to socialize more!

Good luck and congrats on your BFP! H&H 9m to you

Rotating toys works well for us! He's excited to see new stuff. We also spend time outside where I lay in the grass and he runs in circles around me, rearranging rocks. Oh and reading books for hours- it's nice because we can do it in bed!

@MrsMccarthy: I think toy and book rotations can be effective for reducing boredom. Has he ever played with window clings? Or pipe cleaners? Both zero to no mess to clean up.

ETA indoor ball pit with a bag of balls and either pack n play or baby pool?

Wracking my brain for more ideas! Hang in there!

This is a great thread!

One of my favorite easy activities is cloud dough. Four cups flour and 1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable oil, but I heard baby oil is good, too). Mix it up really well. It's super fun stuff. It's a bit messy, so we do it outside, but then there isn't any clean-up!

For me, the biggest thing that's helped me the last couple of weeks is picking 4 things at the beginning of the week: one new activity, one old favorite (these are out of the house), one "craft" (playdough or cloud dough or whatever counts in this category), and one thing we are working on (cleaning up our own toys, etc). That's helped me give myself some structure and helps keep me feeling busy and productive. I think having those things spread throughout the week makes the time he does spend playing with his "old" books and toys more interesting.

Do you have a sprinkler toy? I"m lazy and plug it in and let E run around like a crazy lady outside while i just sit and watch....

@cmomma17: I guess when they say toddler they mean 2+ because my 16 month old can't do most of this. But they Re good ideas for older ones.

@travellingbee: dont you hate that! 16 months is totally an awkward age. Old enough to not be a baby, but not old enough to be a toddler just yet. Sigh.