I Need Ideas to Keep My 2Yr Old and Me Busy

I have a very active 19 month old, and I stay at home with her while working full-time out of my home (I am currently a nanny to an infant girl) and we definitely have those days of PBS and Sesame DVD watching maybe two times a week - it's okay to plop your little one in front of some educational TV for an hour or so while you get done what you need to do around the house. I'd never get any housework done if I couldn't sit the kid in front of Sesame for a hour or two so as not to bother me while washing the kitchen floor or cleaning the bathroom, so don't feel bad at ALL about that! I found myself in the same situation as you when my daughter turned about 1, and was really eager to get out of the house.
Your two year old is now becomming more creative than he ever has been, so utilize those skills to keep him busy - take out some old magazines, a glue stick, and a piece of construction paper and make a collage of animals or people (some theme). Fingerpaint, build things with play-doh, create a story on a piece of paper with stickers of his choice. Take simple "nature" walks around the neighborhood and collect different leaves and flowers and inspect them when you get home - point out the birds, the bugs, the cats, anything that you see around to create conversation. I take my little ones to the park at least twice a week so that they can get some socialization with the other kids (and it gets em good and tired). Sometimes I give my daughter a bath at an unconventional time of day to mix things up. We go to the grocery store and I let her hold all the fruits and veggies while we talk about them - when I want to get a starbucks coffee, I get her a cup of milk in a starbucks cup which keeps her busy and happy.
You just have to use your imagination to bring a little more fun to things that you might do everyday. Call on your teaching skills (I am a teacher as well) and do things with your son as you would with your students - expand on otherwise boring or monotonous tasks to make them fun. Go to the nearest bookstore and let him pick out some books for himself. When I was a kid I loved it when my parents let me make "concoctions" by putting all sorts of different spices from the spice cabinet in a bowl of water (keeps em occupied for HOURS). Be creative, but dont think you have to go so out of your way to make things fun ;)

I am going to go against the grain here and suggest that instead of finding new ways to entertain your child, you step back and let him learn to entertain himself. I think too many parents these days run themselves ragged trying to "keep them busy" and it is doing a real disservice to kids. Provide him with open ended creative toys such as blocks, cars, people, playdough, and my personal favorite, felt boards. :) Model for him how to play with them independently, like go to the blocks and talk out loud as you build a roadway and drive cars over it, or make a tower and knock it down. Make up stories as you play by yourself and pretty soon he will know what to do. Sometimes when kids are used to being entertained all day you have to teach them how to play, so whenever you introduce a new toy get down on the floor and model it for him and pretty soon he will get it. I really believe kids need a long period of time of independent play every day. I joke around that I "ignore him all day" and go about my business, but my 3 year old is so creative and independent because of it. Good luck!

Hi T.,

I'm in the same boat. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and a one year old and they are VERY active. I think of something new and then we do it and it becomes very old. We do everything from hide and seek inthe backyard to making snow cones. I have a neat Mickey Mouse snow cone maker and the kids think that it's awesome to watch. We sing alot of songs and read alot of books. Do you live near a library, take a walk there and do story time and pick up books to bring home or read in a park if you live near a park. Hope this helps.

T. L.

Have you thought about joining a local moms group? I'm not sure where you live, but The Mommies Network (www.themommiesnetwork.org) has groups all over the country. My local group has made a huge difference for me.

I'm not sure what area you are in, but I recently became a Baby Signs® Instructor and we offer a number of free play classes throughout the Sacramento area. These classes are a chance for parents and their babies to get together and learn a little more about signing with their babies or get together with other parents who have signed with their babies. Your son, being 22 mos old, probably talks quite a bit (I am also a mother of a 22 mos old little boy), but if you're interested in learning more about these play classes, feel free to email me: ____@____.com. I hope this helps.

HI T.
Have you thought of joining a playgroup or activity with your child? I dontk know what area u live in, but you can join a local community parks & recs classes for toddlers. If you have the resources there are gymboree, little gym, music together, classes as well. I think the best way to fight the boredom is to team up w/other moms. I found a great resource to meet moms is www.matchingmoms.org. When i relocated from NYC I was lonely & bored the 1st few mnths. Once I had a good network of friends to do playdates with to have lunches, picnics, parks etc. it made the day so much more fun.
Good luck

Do you drive? The Parks and Rec departments in Manteca and Stockton have some wonderful Mommy and Me classes to get you up and about. The libraries all have preschool story times, as does Barnes and Noble. If you go to the mall early, you can have the play area all to yourself! You could also join the Mall walkers group... put your son in the stroller and talk to him while you do a mile around the mall..... You mentioned you wanted to learn sign language... have you looked into BabySigns classes? You and your baby could learn together! :)

Dear T.,

Sounds like fun, but you do need more people involved in your fun, for sure. Look in the Yellow Pages for PreSchools. Here where I live there is a community preschool with classes for 2 year olds and their moms. We took my grgrand daughter and her brother there and it was great for them, and we got to know a lot of lovely moms and dads. So call the school district to check on that also.

There might be a private parent participation preschool too. So, the yellow pages would be good for that one.

I used to take my grgrandchildren to a nearby park that has age appropriate play equipment and moms and dads and grandparents from all over town went there too. When my gr grand son was 2 or less, I would climb on the equipment with him, or just follow him around as he got acquainted with other kids. Take shovels and buckets, enough to share and that brings the kids over too.

Sincerely, C. N.

hi tammi

check out motherssupportnetwork.org. this is a group of moms that get together with there kids most of the kids there are around your sons age one of my friends is involved in it they have singing time and play dates they gather at different parks around the sacramento area and sometimes they go to the zoo and fairytale town and all the mothers there are nice and welcoming so its good for the both of you not just your son. they do have a website which I gave at the start of this message and they have different groups they have one in Folsom and Greater Sacramento it's all on the website I hope this helps go out and have some fun. :)

Join a play group! I belong to MOMS club of Antelope. We're there for each other. We do things with the kiddos but also have moms night outs and just get to network, vent and find support in people who are in your same position. MOMS Club International is found in every community and is open to all moms.

Have you thought about joining some classes w/your son? If you live close to a YMCA, check them out. Check your local Park & Rec department as they sometimes offer music, gym classes or mom's groups. If you have some money to spend, there's also Gymboree. I did this w/both our boys (luckily I worked for them so classes were free) & all 3 of us loved it. With our first son, it was more for me so that I could get out of the house & meet some other moms. As you know, being a SAHM can be isolating. Going to the park is also a great way to meet other moms. Good luck!

i have the same issues with my 18 month old twins. here are some things we do to keep busy and play... build tents, play with bubbles, we go to the playarea at our local malls, we go to the park in the morning when it's not so hot, i take them to my parents property to run around and play with balls, we go meet daddy for lunch and walk around the busy downtown streets, grocery shopping, mall shopping, playgroups when we can, we also attend a music together class once a week. i hope this helps. i still feel like the girls need more interaction. try www.meetup.com for playgroups in your local area.

Dear T.,

As an early childhood educator and a parent of three children, I too found myself overwhelmed with creative ideas for my children. I consider myself to be very creative and talented with hands on materials and ideas, but doing it everyday, almost all day was toooo much for me! I started subscribing to magazines like Family Fun, Parenting, Jr Science, and, "The Mailbox" for ideas. The children had a blast with all the new ideas. Their favorites included: making vocanoes, decorating cakes, making hats for different holidays, knitting, and drafting (they surprised me with their drafting skills), and so on. Don't underestimate their ability to master certain skills. Just keep in mind, that everyone learns at their own pace. As you know, all these experiences helps develop their small/large motor skills, helps problem solve, and most important, they learn through exploration. Exposing young children to these types of execises while they are young allows them to be creative, outgoing, and will make them feel confident when given new experiments in school. Your son may be bored if he doesn't have friends his own age to engage with. There are serval mother-groups in just about every neighborhood that you may be able to join. Like adults, children too need others their own age to socialize with. Good luck, feel free to email me with any questions.
P.S. Have you thought about the posibility to operate a childcare business from your home? Take care!

E.

I have a similar problem expect I have a 3 year old and another that will be here any day!! I don't know if you guys have been there but Funderland (across from Sac Zoo) is a great place for an outing and it's inexpensive. Also some of these Jump places for b-day parties do open play on certain days. It's like $5 and it's a great way to let your 2 year old release some energy. Good Luck