how many times do you go "out" with your LO?

[CherryBombMama]

ds1 is 17 months

i try to go somewhere out of the house at least once a day for him. its usually to the park or the market, or target or somewhere similar. we leave generally around 9am and usually are back by 10:30am or so because my ds1 needs his nap by 11am. then he is up around 2pm, my dh comes home at 3:30pm, and by then, i feel like ds1 is getting bored and needs to go out again. keep in mind all this time "at home" we go to the backyard, play with water, dirt, our garden, the garage and its many trinkets, inside he has arts and crafts, toys that i rotate, access to almost everything in the house, except for the bathrooms and dangerous kitchen stuff... yet i still feel like he is bored! he can play by himself for most of the time, but i still play with him alot, mainly because i really want to and he is still kind of young.

should we be going out a second time?

[lifeguard]

I try to get out of the house most mornings with ds but like you by the late afternoon/early evening I often feel like he is getting bored. I've been thinking that we need to start going for a walk to fill in the gap.

[NewMoonMum]

I think it mostly has to do with the child. It sounds like you are doing great at providing him with stimulation! Actually it sounds like about what I do with my 2.5 yo. Lots of fun stuff inside-crafts, little science experiments, books, toys, etc. Sometimes we go out in the morning-for a swim when it's hot, or just outside to the patio area of our apartment complex to throw a ball around or draw with chalk. Afternoons we walk out to meet DH at the train station-about 3 miles round trip, and he always wants to walk the entire thing!

Only difference I really see is that DS gets quiet time every day. Granted, he seldom naps anymore, but he'll still usually get an hour of quiet play in his bedroom. I wonder if that helps get across that I am not there to provide entertainment...he is very good at amusing himself, which is a great help. But we've had "quiet time" since he was born-at first even only 5-10 minutes at a time, and slowly increased the duration. I really don't know if that would or could help you at all, but I thought I'd put it out there.

My MIL has told me numerous times of my DH as a child. They'd be running around and doing errands absolutely all day, and whenever they got home he'd always say, "what now?". OY. So in part at least I think it's the child's personality....but good luck figuring something out!!

[Peppermint Poppies]

I generally go out once a day for a social outing (playgroup, visiting friends, going to the park) and occasionally go out a second time to run errands or go grocery shopping.

I do have a kind of routine for the afternoons (from 4pm onwards) that make that part of the day different for DS and DD. We sit on the floor and fold laundry together, then we go around room to room and tidy things up, then we go into the kitchen and dance to music on the iPod. After that, the kids play outside in the back yard while I prepare their dinner. DH arrives home around 7pm and bedtime routine starts pretty soon after that.

Sometimes if the kids are completely crazy, I'll go the grocery store about 5pm. A change of environment seems to help when everyone is acting like they've been cooped up too long. I do that about once a week.

[CalaRei]

I try to get mine out a few times a week. It's really just running errands right now. I DO want to start doing things that aren't related to shopping, though. I just don't like the idea that we go to the mall for fun, or Target for fun. There's not much else, though, I guess. I wish there were indoor things to walk around that didn't involve an entry fee.

[JessieBird]

We go out pretty much every morning from about 9:00 - 11:30 then home for nap. This could be grocery shopping, playgroup, library story time, farm visit, museum, whatever. I am guilty of going to Ikea for fun from time to time (oh how I look forward to the day Target comes to Canada!) but we avoid malls.

I find those sorts of outings pretty intense as far as stimulation is concerned, and it's also lots of close time for DS and I (even at playgroup he likes to hold my hand and sit in my lap) so I don't feel guilty about letting him play more independently and just staying home after his nap. In the afternoons, I will usually take my time making dinner with him on a step stool beside me. We'll also read books and do other mellow things. Every few days we'll go for a big dog walk instead but often we just stay home. I very rarely schedule visits or organized activities for afternoons.

For CalaRei re. entrance fees - I buy family memberships to museums, etc, whenever I can. It seems like a lot of $ up front but almost all memberships around here give me access to more than one place and it is so worth it to not have to pay every time we go! It means we can just hop in the car and go on a whim instead of thinking about it or budgeting for it in advance.

[peainthepod]

We spend mornings at home and then go out in the afternoon after his nap. Usually it's just to run an errand in town, but sometimes we go to the park and walk along the beach (we live near a huge lake) or hang out on the playground if the weather permits. I'm slow and hugely pregnant and can't chase him very well these days, so our play outings tend to be not much farther than the backyard.

[OkiMom]

Usually we go to the park or library 1-2 times a day depending on the day and weather. Its been really HOT lately and DD2 doesn't deal with the heat all that well so we haven't been doing long periods of outside time but I still try to get them out at least 30minutes-60 minutes at least once a day.Sometimes we go out again when DH gets home from work if I need to go shopping or DH has to go somewhere for work. We have one car so we have to do any errands after DH gets home or during the weekend.

[karika]

I rarely go anywhere really... I mean, I go grocery shopping once a week for about an hour, but I try to time it when LO is going to be asleep. If she is awake and wants to go, I will take her though. I take dd1 to the library alone, I don't feel comfortable trying to keep up with them both by myself in that setting. I go to a mothering group in our area for natural mamas, it meets once a week, but we aren't always up in time. When we do go, there are a lot of other children there and it is in a huge playroom. She enjoys all the toys. We go outside in our backyard most days, even if it is only for 10 minutes at a time. In the hot days, we had our back door open (back yard is fenced, and one of us was in and out with her of course) and she went in and out as she pleased. We also try to go on a neighborhood walk or hike as a family. This is sporadic. Recently we did it 5 days in a row after nearly a month of no walks (of the family type, the male here would take her on early morning walks, just the two of them a lot in the summer). She has been to a park 3 or 4 times in her life. Once she led me to the garage door, then to the car and asked me (not with real words, but she asked nonetheless) to take her for a ride in the car, so I did.

I have noticed with her that she likes to see new things. Luckily, she has an older sister that has a room full of stuff she hasn't seen before, or rarely... So occasionally I go on a 'find' into dd1's room to get some new things for dd2 to look at.

dd1 was not really like this. We lived on 10 acres and went for a walk daily on the property at least once. DD1 never seemed bored, and I did not attempt to 'provide stimulation'. We didn't have as many toys then either. She followed me and watched me, playing with the pots and pans and tupperware mostly.

I have wondered if I should be providing more stimulation, if dd2 is 'bored'. But I have decided that I do not think the children are bored. I think it is our own perceptions putting that out there. I think it comes from our own upbringing that we feel there must be outside stimulation at all times. Our cell phone, kindle reading, laptop, ipod ways. I let her figure out how to entertain herself (ala TCC) as much as I can. She is 20 mo but doesn't color or do puzzles or crafts yet. She does entertain herself, and of course big sis wants to play with her all the time too. We do have a lot of toys built up now, and one of her favorite things is the pretend kitchen, and having books read to her. I try not to let the children be the center of attention or plan things that are child centered, though the park is the exception... this is the way we let children get their energy out in this day and age. If we lived on a savanna, the energy would be used up fetching water and building baskets and whatever else for survival of the group. im longwinded, bye

[nwatt]

We go out twice a day. If we don't, she gets fussy and I feel like the day is stretching endlessly before me. We got to the park, library, botanical garden, children's museum, grocery store, target, local baby gym, play-dates, and just signed up for a music class. This is one of the things that I am most worried about come April when my twins are due (and prior if I get put on bed rest). I cannot imagine our days without all this activity!

[sanguine_speed]

At least twice a day we leave the house, but one of those times is usually a neighbourhood walk. We walk the neighbourhood pretty much every evening, and the out trip is to the park or to visit friends nearly every day.

[Peony]

I go out twice a day but I have to do school drop off and pick up for my oldest, the others just get dragged along. Back when I homeschooled, we usually went out once a day, rarely twice a day. I am on the go all the time now but I don't like to be. I do prefer when they are younger to stay at home more, life is just simpler when they are smaller, and I like that.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by Peony

I go out twice a day but I have to do school drop off and pick up for my oldest, the others just get dragged along. Back when I homeschooled, we usually went out once a day, rarely twice a day. I am on the go all the time now but I don't like to be. I do prefer when they are younger to stay at home more, life is just simpler when they are smaller, and I like that.

Oh, we also go out to get the older kids from school, but I didn't count that as an outing. I suppose it is a change of scenery though at least.

[mommariffic]

I have an 8 week old and a 3 year old

We go out at least once a day. I like to have our mornings home for school, chores/cooking but I do like to get out in afternoons. Friends, errands, a big "trip" once a week to a museum or something. We go a little stir crazy if we don't get out. Sometimes it's just the park!

[greenemami]

We go out for a walk after dinner most days, and maybe 2-3 days a week go out in the late morning/early afternoon for something-grocery shopping, library, playdate, etc.. We pretty much never go out in the car more than once a day unless it is an emergency of some kind, lol. Dd is 3.5 and ds is 6 months. We just like to hang out at home, I don't do a lot of guided activities, although I hope to be better at this in the future. WE have a swingset/sandbox in the back yard, so we are lucky to have access to that sort of stuff without going to a playground.

[lolar2]

When ds was that age and it was a non-daycare day, we usually did an errand in the morning and a short neighborhood walk right after the nap. If I needed to do two errands on a given day, sometimes I split them up.

[SubliminalDarkness]

As little as possible. Ideally, we'd only go out twice a week, maybe a third time if we're doing something as a family on DH's days off.
One day a week we run errands(grocery shopping, bank, etc.) and one day a week we go to the library.

Going out means spending money, IMO. Gas, whatever money you spend buying things, eating out or getting coffee, etc. So we just stick close to home.

[stik]

When my oldest was little and I SAHMed, we went out a lot. We lived between a park and a library, so we had great options within walking distance. Our apartment was small. If we stayed home, we both felt shut in. By the time she was three, if the weather was good, we only came home for meals. We went to the park after breakfast, after her nap, and after dinner. She would play independently or with other kids on the play structures for hours, and I could sit by the edge with a water bottle and a snack and keep an eye on her while I read (I was working on my MA). And then she slept like a rock for 12 hours a night. It was glorious.

[happyhats]

We're a one car family, on a low income, and living in a rural area. So yeah, not nearly as much as others. I try to get her out a couple times a week, even if it's just down the road to her neices. Or her neice comes here. We go to the park, weather permitting, and we've decided we'll have to settle for the one indoor play area in town when the weather gets cold (a fast food joint, but we can just order tea/soda). We also go to my parent's home at least once every week with a big backyard and do our shopping on the weekends.

It's basically the weekends we do the most running because hubby works full time and goes to school. Hopefully once or twice during the school week we get to see our niece though.

[shotmama]

Our situation is a lot like happyhats, one car and low income. Most errands and shopping that require a vehicle are done on the weekends with hubby. Our LO is only 10 months old and she is still stuffing things down her mouth when we're not looking (like, she will jam her bib or sleeve down her throat and sometimes vomit, ack!) so i always make sure someone sits in the back seat with her.

While hubby is at work, however, we do go for a playdate in the same neighborhood almost every weekday, depending on her napping schedule. Her napping may be one or two hours sooner or later than expected depending on when her body decides to surprise poopie on her, so if she wakes up later than usual I know it might be a bad time to visit the play date since the other mother has a more solid schedule than we do.