Bored Toddler, Stressed Out Mom

C., My girl is the same age. I have noticed the same thing!!!! It seems she requires my every waking second of attention, I miss the days when I could pee without having a discussion, I am here for ya!!-**J.

Here's what I do on a "good, schedule day" take my son to school then wake up my daughters at 8am, they eat breakfast after watch some tv then we dance for about 15 minutes then we sit down to do the ABC, 123 and other learning activties then shower, then eat lunch and then a nap. Wake them up and go get Brother from school. On Mondays after school we have a quite evening, Tuesdays we go to McDs, Wednesdays we go to the park, Thursdays we go to my cousin house and they play in a little park if it nice outside. I never had a problem w/ my children being bored someone is always coming over or we are out doing things or home doing things together. Have you tried getting him involved with your household duties holding the dust pan while you sweep, putting the clothes in the dirty, washing dishes w/ you and helping you cook. We have books and toys everywhere for them tooo everyone that comes over freak out but I say hey they are kids and if they are happy than why not. They love reading they have hundreds of books and endless copy paper to draw, color, cut, fold and just have fun with. Outside chalk/paints are fun too.
Now I stated at the beginning on a "good" day when the girls are just totally out of their minds I just put them in the car and drive with the windows down and sing with them. Have fun with your little and cherish this time with him b/c when the other little one comes it will be hard. Take lots of pictures too.
L.

Well, not everything will always be "easy" and "enjoyable." And if theres one thing toddlers are not, its "predictable." It sounds like you're getting a little taste of reality. While we might want everything to go a certain way, and even for our children to behave a certain way, that does not not always happen, And YES children DO go through "phases." (The hardest for mine was around 18 mo. and just before turning 3.)
But they are lot easier to deal w/ if you do not have these set expectations. Not everything can be solved by a book either, sometimes you have to just let your motherly instincts do the thinking for you. ~~~Just sit back and ride the wave~~~ this is a LEARNING experience for both of you, he is testing boundaries to see where you stand and like you said it is a "phase" which means it will pass.

My daughter is now 2yrs old.. When she was 10 month till just a few months ago I was takeing her to gymboree. She loved it and what she learned there we took home and play. I know thats a cost thing but I think she enjoyed get out and playing with other kids. Now I have her in a preschool class one hours once a week and she just started horse back riding once a week. If you want to look at gymboree they have a website also.. not just a clothes store.. Have fun and good luck

Are you part of any playgroups? I have found that my son (13 months) is so much happier and sleeps better when he gets out and plays with other children. Even a trip to the local playground or a walk in the neighborhood helps tremendously.

There are tons of mom's groups/playgroups with stay at home moms just like you with little ones your son's age.

Something else you may not have thought about...he might be getting his molars if he hasn't already. My son is an early teether and is getting his molars right now. He has been fussy especially when he wakes up and before going to bed. If that's the case, some infant motrin or tylenol should do the trick. Are his gums swollen? Does he chew on his hands or tug on his ears? It's always a possibility.

Take care and good luck!
L.

My daughter is 17 months old as well. She loves any activity that involves her getting my undivided attention - reading in my lap, singing (particularly songs with motions - Itsy Bitsy Spide and I'm a Little Teapot are great!), playing chase, etc. I have also noticed that lately she loves to be social. She's not in Mother's Day Out or Daycare so I try to find other opportunities for her to be around kids. We go to the indoor playground at the mall quite a bit, and I've recently joined the Y. She loves to go there and play with the other kids while I get some exercise and a little me time, which, as a stay at home mom is exactly what I need!

It's unfair, but 17 -48 month old boys have WAY more energy than you!

I have had 3 of them boys, plus helped my mom when I was a kid with 2 younger brothers.

Boys need a lot to do!
Me and my boys: went to the park, played in the backyard, built forts out of the furniture, went back to the park....on rainy or cold days, went to the mall (early) and ran around the mall (before the stores open), find a mom nearby that you can make play dates with, make a bowling game out of plastic milk jugs and a soft ball, put those boys in the bathtub with boats and measuring cups....

Here's a winner idea that I claim: get a big plastic box at Wal Mart (only as big as you can lift), fill part way with a huge bag of rice from Costco or Sams, let boys take a small set of Match box cars or spoons, etc... into the rice. They will be busy for hours. Cover the box when done. Vacuum the kitchen.

When boys get bored and don't have enough adventurous, new things to do, they get fussy. Just don't compromise on the discipline. They still have to behave and be respectful, etc...age appropriately. I found that too much TV or videos made my kids MORE fussy. Boys need to move. Forget about a clean house or getting things done.
Once in school, you can clean the house.

My son is 16 months olds and I am a SAHM and he is constantly changing activities. I worked at a child enrichment center before having my son, so I got most of my ideas from that. Some stuff we do is water play with a big bucket of water and some cups and spoons, playing with beans the same way (less messy than water!) we color and play with play-dough and stick stickers on paper. All things that help with fine motor skill development. he also likes to read. His favorites are books that he can interact with like "Pat the Bunny" and "Peek-a-boo Kisses". And he also has scheduled time to play with big blocks in his room, so I can have time to clean up!! Hope this helps, if you need more ideas, feel free to e-mail me!
A.

I have a 16 month old boy and he is pretty good about entertaining himself for a while. But, when he's fussy we sing songs that involve hand motions or counting on your fingers. He especially likes 1 little, 2 little, 3 little kitty cats. You just count each kitty cat on your fingers and when you get to ten they purr or lick or meow or do something that makes him laugh.
Also, I think he's at the age when they start getting mollars. That could make him fussy.
I also wanted to say I envy you having a set schedule. We're not so good about having a schedule yet.

Maybe switch up the schedule a little. Arts and Crafts time, stringing pasta on string, or going for a short walk, a drive to the store. I stay at home with mine as well, Morgan tends to get bored on the weekends more and I notice that becase he starts acting up. I started taking him along to ,"HE'B", for some reason he loves going there. Ryan is 2 yrs old, I rotate his toys. I have a closet with thier toys in it. When I notice that they are getting bored with the toys, at nap time take the others down, and exchange them its like they hae new toys again. There are other things like gymberee and maybe a play group, but when I was preggie ( ours are about the same months apart) too tired. Does your little one like to jump? an excersise trampalean helps them burn off some energy,too. Anyways hope this was helpful.

I have 2 little boys age 2 and 5 I think when they hit a certain age they need more to do, Do you ever put him in like a mothers day out or something like that. I really think that would make a huge diff. Also children know when something is not right like you being pregant, and they don't know how to handle it so the way they express them selfs are to act out. I hope this helps you out

C.,
Maybe the cold weather has kept him inside too long. Do the two of you enjoy the outdoors?
He may want to be more flexible with his schedule. He may be taking the predictability of his schedule and trying to imprint some change onto it. He may be trying to see how he can change things up a little.
Then if his attempts are unsuccessful, he may get frustrated.
At his age he is learning about his independence. Even in small doses, it is important for him to grow up into a capable thinker. A ruler of his own being.
Let him lead the way once in a while, just be sure to keep him safe and dont give into everything all at once and the two of you will have as much fun as ever.

Oh that sounds ever so familiar...My first son, (now 3) was a schedule baby...I loved it & he took well to it. Then 22 months later came my other son...woo-hoo...and all my scheduling went out the window...He was soo different! I can't even tell ya! From the sleeping to the breastfeeding, everything! I was beautiful though! I am so blessed to have such different little boys. What really helped durning that time was I meet some mommies, started meeting them for playdates and the best thing that has ever happened to my boys and I was meeting them....now we always meet, have playdates, let them run around, take them to the zoo regularly during warmer months etc....if you wanna meet just drop me an email & I will call ya up and we can hang out...let the kids run around..they need it, so do we! :O) hugs, A.

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well my little one is the same age but we usually take him out in the morning and then come home he takes a nap. sometimes he just roams around the house and plays with all his toys. he has a tub full of toys and a bookshelf full of books. then his brothers get home from school and he plays with them. or hell spend time with me and his newborn sister. so he has a full day. sometimes we take him to the park and stuff. a schedule is good but sometimes you need to change it up a little cause he will get bored. do you have any familly with kids to so he can go on a play date? well get out there and have some fun you only live once. im saying it cause im pretty much like you with a schedule and stuff, but im ready to have some fun with my kids. well good luck with your pregnacy and everything.

Hi! This fussiness is pretty common at this age as they begin to gain more independence, desires, opinions, but aren't able to fully express/understand feelings, etc. My daughter is also this age and we are going through a little of this too. It sounds like you are a pretty attentive mom already and tuned into your child - which is great! Has your child started coloring yet? My daughter has discovered it and loves it! Nothing settles her down better than cooling down at the kitchen table with some crayons/book. Also, even with the weather as it is, we need to remember their bodies need to move around. I recommend indoor playground areas where your child can get some socialization with other kiddos and run out some energy. Every trip to these kinds of places offers new experiences/people to meet. Also, my oldest started having interest in specific areas of learning at this age like counting aloud, learning colors, beach, etc. My daughter loves any kinds of books - but we still just point at pictures and name things as she really can't sit through a picture story still. Oh, another thing that helps my 17 month old is now the choices in certain areas and language that takes the focus off the fussiness and back to what the child needs. Like, "Megan, do you want to have water or milk in your cup?" or "Megan, use your words so mommy will know why you are sad." etc. Hope this helps.

My kids LOVED the Baby Einstein products. They have toys, books, CDs and videos. And both of them turned out to be very smart...whether or not this had anything to do with music and brain stimulation, we're not sure. Anyway, it worked for us.

When my son was at this stage, I started taking him to Gymboree Play & Music. It's a great place that helps with play time and gives you ideas on what to do at home, also it provides a lot of social interaction. They are located in McAllen.

Well, I can tell you that when my 2nd child was born my daughter was 19 1/2 months old and I used to play with her all the time. She seemed to be doing things I didnt want her to do. Now both children are into everything. I am 35 weeks pregant with my 3rd child. There are ways that you can keep him occupied. Like with both of my girls we have tv time, play time. bath time and reading time........
I try to spend as much time with my girls as I can to make sure that they are having a good time.... I hope that this is helpful for you....