Seeking Activities for 21 Month Old During Dinner Prep Time!

My son usually watched a movie at this time of day. He realy likes Blues Clues and Baby Einstein. If he is not watching a movie he is usually playing in his highchair in the kitchen with me. Some of the things he plays with are magnetic alphabet letter I give him a cookie sheet to put them on he really likes putting them on and off and we talk about the letters and colors of the letters while I cook. Maybe you could try this with your daughter.

Good Luck
Tina
P.S the magnetic letter are jumbo ones there are like 3" by 2" you can get them on line.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi
Just a note. You said she eats crayons so becareful with magnetics, because if she swallows them it could be very very dangerous. You can look this up on the web if you want to. I know my friends kid can do anything he's so good, but I have to always watch my son.
Sue
I hope I don't sound mean. I just heard about the magnetics and thought I would say something. I know my son alway put everything in his mouth.

The only thing that saved me during dinner prep time was a drawer full of kitchen stuff. Clear out a bottom drawer and fill it with random stuff- the less it seems like actual toys, the better. Though my two year old can actually be up on a stool "helping" me now, she still goes to the drawer when helping gets boring. Our drawer has a bunch of plastic spoons, paper plates, paper cups, coozies (those things that keep your can cold) colorful napkins, a rolling pin, anything cheap, disposable, and non-sharp I can throw in there. Bright colors help. She likes spreading things out, making a mess, staking it up etc. Then I just shove it all back in the drawer when it's time to eat.

My kids love to play with uncooked rice and beans. Just get a shallow rectangle rubbermaid bin and fill it with dry rice and beans. Then add some spoons and cups and let them go to town. I place a large sheet under the bin to make clean-up a lot easier. You can also add different "treasures" that they have to hunt for-little animals, coins, play jewelry. Make sure you get one with a lid so you can snap it shut when you are done. Then only get the bin out during dinner prep time so it stays "new".

I don't know your financial situation but at that age I hired a teenager from the nieborhood to just come in for an hour or 2 to follow around my son. He was then free to do whatever he wanted with supervision. The teen loved it and my son grew to look up to her as a big sister as time went on. She actually also traveled with us and her pay was the vacation....

I do most my dinner prep during nap.
Also, try playdough in the high chair to contain her, puzzles, books... maybe a short educational video, although I don't really support tv till they're older.
Mini snack to keep her busy but not fill her up for dinner.

Preparing dinner usually starts in the morning for me. I make dinner prep (cut the veggies, mince/marinate chicken, etc) when my 22 mth old daughter is eating breakfast. I cook or bake when she's having her afternoon nap. Half an hour before my husband comes home, I start warming up the food, preparing the table (if my daughter wants to "help", she can play w/ the colander, spatula or peel/eat garlic).

30 minutes of TV/DVD could be an easy answer to your problem! A.

Have you considered an educational video? Or letting her help you make dinner?

I find the same problem with my son as well.

I find that if I give him a pot and a spatula, he can mix something for me & "help" make dinner with me. I've also given him a healthy snack, edamame or brocolli or popcorn and he "cooks" with that.

I've also found that at times having a neighbor's daughter come and play with him/entertain him some days.

On really bad days that he's COMPLETELY underfoot I let him "load/unload" the dishwasher or I cook one-handed and dinner just takes longer.

I feel your pain and just know you're not alone.

I have an elderly Aunt who often pays a visit in the afternoon. She has endless patience for my 22-month-old. Previously, I hired a teen-aged girl to help me after school for a couple of hours. I basically think it is best if someone with new energy can come over to the house and give you a bit of a break.

You could try the Your Baby Can Read program that she can watch while you cook dinner or maybe a Baby Einstein video. It will buy you about 30 minutes at least of the baby being occupied. You might also try to get the Tupperware out and plastic measuring cups and let her play with those things only when you're making dinner. I don't let any of my kids in the actual kitchen when I'm cooking. My pediatrician made me promise when each of them first came to him. Too many kids get hurt that way. I have my youngest play in our dining room just off of our kitchen where he's in plane view. It is a challenging age. The only other thing I can think of is to try to do all the dinner prep stuff while the 21 month old is sleeping at nap time then be available to do something else during those last few hours before your husband gets home. Maybe plan a lot of slow-cooker/Crockpot meals for this winter so you're not too stressed right before your husband gets home.

Try playdough. That age usually loves it. You can make your own or purchase it. Give her some things to play with it such as a plastic knife, small rolling pin, cookie cutters and show her how to make balls and snakes.
It is not bad for her to eat it, but doesn't taste too good.
Also try some books that have noise buttons of animals or toys that do. My children were in a bouncer that I hung on the door between the kitchen to the pantry and they loved boncing up and down, but they were a little younger than she is. Try giving her cups from the drawer to play with, spoons and a pot to bang. I entertained with what was on hand. Also assorted cans to stack and roll. I have a small kitchen, but the eating area is where the boys played. Watch her with beans, dry pasta or rice though. It sounds fun, but she could put it in her nose and ears (I had a son who did that about this age) or choke if she puts in in her mouth. A scooter car type of toy that she pushes with her feet could be used in your porch area. My kids like to ride around on those through the house ;)
H-
P.S. If you want a home made playdough recipe email me
____@____.com

I now have a 2 year old and I feel your pain. What has worked for me was letting her play with the tupperware and giving her a pot or pan and some plastic utensils to cook with while I'm cooking. When dinner is almost ready I had her clean up what she used before she ate dinner. Now she has her own little kitchen and she cook and cleans her "food and dishes" when we do. She even uses her "food" to feed her baby doll. Hope this helps.

My just turned 2 year old is also quite busy during my dinner prep time! I was going to suggest coloring, but I see that she eats crayons. Have you tried colored pencils? That has been working for me. Playdough is another good one. We also play music and dance around while I cook. Or books on CD.

I feel your pain. My husband stays home with our son during the day, so when I get home from work and it's time to cook dinner, my son is all over me to participate (and my husband is ready to hand over the reigns). He has a cabinet full of tupperware that I let him dig in. We also have a carousel full of safe utensils (plastic spatulas and the like) that I let him un- and re-load. Sometimes I'll hand him a pot and a wooden spoon and tell him to bang away. I also have a container that has some macaroni noodles in it that he likes to dump from one container to another. The kitchen floor is often a complete disaster by the time I'm done cooking, but it's worth it if I can keep him occupied enough. After dinner he helps clean up while we all do the dishes. When none of these things works, I cook one-handed with him on my hip so he can see what's going on. Best of luck!