what does your toddler do while you sew??

[junewedding02]

i am having trouble occupying my 2 yo while i sew. i hate just turning on the tv or dvd, and he likes to be played WITH (he is an only child ) any bright ideas for independent toddler play?

[Dreamy]

I'm lucky if DS will even play with DH for any length of time so I can do some sewing! I usually only manage to get any sewing done if a) DH takes DS out to run errands, b) DS is napping or in bed for the night or c) I take a day off work for myself. My long-term solution is to give him a sibling to play with

[lizziebits]

Yeah, I can't really sew with just my 3 year old around. I usually wait until my husband is home, he is at preschool, he is down for a nap (rare these days, my pregnant self is usually napping with him!) or when he's down for the night.

I usually do other chores (cleaning, cooking) with him around, but I like to sew to relax and its not really relaxing when you have someone asking you questions and wanting to help.

[honeybunmom]

I have a 4 year old and a soon to be 12 mos old. Last night I discovered I actually can sew when the baby is awake! We have a pretty good sized kitchen where I set up the sewing machine at the kitchen table. I brought some of the kids' toys into the kitchen since papi had banned them from the play room while he paints it. Voila! They were entertained and I could sew. Even after the 4 year old went to bed and the baby was still up, he just sat and played while I sewed. I never knew it could be that easy.

I grant you that neither of my kids is 2 years old. And the baby can't walk yet, so, this set up may not work in a few months. LOL!

[ms.shell]

my baby is 1 and just starting to walk. so far with him, i have had good luck with empty spools. I save empty thread and also ribbon spools in a bin and when he wanders in the sewing room i give him those to play with. he also likes messing with scraps, dumping out the basket, carrying pieces around. from here out, i will save new things to be introduced during that time. When my older son was a toddler, i sewed in the kitchen, and he had a toy cabinet in there. I would change out his toys frequently, while he slept, so that it was always an interesting surprise to see what would be in there, and when i brought home something new that is where i would put it to be found later. i also got a tiny one ring swimming pool and set it up in the kitchen floor with a wee bit of water and some toys for him to play happily and let me sew. i also remember letting him dump out noodles and empty the pantry and make a big mess once so i could finish a quilt on a deadline, lol. now i have a seperate sewing room and the baby will not have a place in there, but like i said i will stash new things for him (that i have made or bought or acquired; maybe even things like new crackers or some snack; anything that will hold his attention and occupy him so i can sew, lol) and give them to him when i am sewing and he is hanging about, hopefully to be played with in the other room. And I definitely use big brother, who is good about helping by playing with baby long enough for me to finish something.

[Katie T]

Sleeps, I mainly sew after they have gone to bad for the night because it is much easier that way.

[leighi123]

Levi likes to sit in my scrap bin (one of those huge tupperware type boxes), he also can sit at his desk and cut fabric scraps with his sissors.
I also have his 'school' set up in that room, with montessori activites, he has a school mat that he can roll out and bring one activity at a time to do This stuff is seperate from his other toys/books so he focuses longer. I also do all of my cutting/pining/ironing on the floor so I can interact with him.

Ocassionally he plays in the yard, its small, and kid-proof and I can see him from the window.

Sometimes he eats, that takes him forever and he can sit at his desk so I can talk to him.

Moon sand on a big playmat... (mess but keeps him entertained, he made 'food' for his baby doll with it yesterday)

[Ideesmom]

My 3 yr old still makes it very hard for me to sew. If I give her jobs that gives me a little time. Yesterday she stuck pins in the pincushion. She has also played with the button jar. dumping them all out putting them back in. I do have toys in the sewing room but that only lasts so long!! So most of my sewing is done when she is a preschool.

[PPK]

Usually when he's napping or in bed for the night. Otherwise I end up frustrated at him for being his normal 2 yo. self...avoidable, so I wait.

[jrabbit]

she tries to push on the foot pedal or reach for the scissors ...



oh - were you looking for creative distractions?

[OkiMom]

This probably isn't an idea that a lot of people would like but I allow my 3 year old to "help" me. For example she presses the foot down when I'm threading bobbins, she likes to help guide the material (she knows not to put her fingers near the needles since she saw me get one in my finger before), puts the pins in the pin cushion (her favorite thing) and helps put things away (seam ripper, extra pins, thread I'm no longer using etc). She actually loves watching me sew and keeps asking when she can have sewing lesson and sew clothes for her baby sister. As long as Im holding her I don't see it as a dangerous thing, shes been around the machines and needles most of her life and knows not to mess with them. She also loves to play with her baby sister while I sew.
My 18 month old is a little harder. Sometimes I put together their big pop up play area in the front room. Other times I put her at the table with me coloring or painting. Sometimes she plays with her sister, other times she sits on my lap and nurses while I sew (this is a hard one though, wouldn't suggest it if you are trying to do something that takes some precision like sewing on sleeves). Once in a while she will help her big sister put the sewing things away. Still other times she will stand by the fish tank watching them or watch our bearded dragon play in his cage. Occasionally when Im not worried about them killing the plants I let both the girls play with the sand table on our balcony, if I do that I set the sewing area up close to the sliding doors so I can be nearby and monitor them. Usually I get about 30-60 minutes in before putting it all away so they can have my undivided attention.

[junewedding02]

Originally Posted by jrabbit

she tries to push on the foot pedal or reach for the scissors ...



oh - were you looking for creative distractions?

LOL - this is us too!!

[junewedding02]

good ideas ladies - i am glad i am not the only one with difficulty getting sewing done! i have a small etsy business - and there for awhile I was stressing out to get orders done and take care of my son . . . but I put my shop on hold for awhile b/c he just needs me I started it for fun and for extra income - but any crafter knows you spend way more time on a project than you can charge for!! and my main job right now is to be his mom - he won't be little forever and I am going to take advantage of it

[Artichokie]

My 2y3m old colors at the table while I sew. She also likes to play in my fabric. I also get some time in while she is eating breakfast and afternoon snack and during nap time and after bedtime. When I am sewing for her she is welcome to sit on my lap and help guide the fabric but she can't sit there when I'm sewing for clients b/c I need to do my best work and I can't do that with her help.

[sunnysandiegan]

When my DD was really young, I started by spending five minutes focused solely on her, then five minutes on my own project while she was in the same room (usually at my feet). I gradually increased the time for both. Once I reached 15 minutes each, then I worked her time back down to five minutes, but kept mine to 15 minutes. Worked like a charm! As she has gotten older, she has been pretty tolerant of me doing my own thing while she does hers in the same room or within view of each other. She is 9 now and wants to help and learn to sew.