What do you do with your 2 yr old all day if you can't leave the house?

[Dot-to-Dot]

I have a 22 month old dd and a newborn.  The  newborn, of course takes a lot of time time and attention but when I do have a free moment and I want to play with my dd, I'm kind of at a loss.  Here's the problem, the heat index is 110 here and there are heat warnings and ozone alerts everyday...the park just isn't an option as much as we'd love to go.  The mall, target, grocery store, everything is kind of a far drive meaning it totally messes up our little schedule with the baby...I just don't want to manage a toddler in public while trying to breastfeed.  It's just out of my comfort zone to go anywhere besides a drive thru unless I have dh with me to help.  We have a baby pool, but the amount of time and energy it takes to set it up exceeds the time and enjoyment we'd get out of it and plus, I don't even think the baby should be out in this heat and humidity.

We've been watching Sesame Street, we're sick of the toys we have, we have practiced pouring water and scooping beads and that sort of thing but we are just plain bored now.  What fun things do you pull out when you and your toddler are bored to tears?

[SilverFish]

do you have any kind of mom and baby cafes in the area? we have one... it's a 30 min drive, but would be totally worth it for me... it's got a playing area for toddlers, snacks and drinks, air-con and is totally breastfeeding friendly. i see lots of moms there with their older kids and newborns... the moms sit and nurse and chat, the toddlers run around. i would look around and see if there's anything like that. also, LLL meetings, free or cheap play gym times at the Y, anywhere that will somewhat occupy and contain your toddler, while you sit and do what you need to do with the newborn. i feel you on the getting out of the house issues, but i think it would be a good idea to try at least once or twice a week.

can you organize a playdate or two with some of your friends? do you have a backyard or balcony? i would put a little baby pool and sprinkler out and toys, and then put the newborn in a bassinet just inside the door. the newborn probably needs less supervision than the toddler, so you and the toddler can play in the water, and keep an ear out for the baby at the same time.

my dd really likes emptying out cupboards (especially if she thinks she is not supposed to touch them), coloring on paper and sticking stickers around the house, taking very long baths at random times of day, eating popsicles (i make a smoothie and freeze in tiny pop molds)... relatively mess free, lasts a long time and is entertaining. since it's not sugary, i let her have as many as she wants! 

when we have to stay home, we just do things as slowly and methodically as possible... but really, it is very very hard to entertain a 2 year old inside for very long. i would be trying REALLY hard to get out as much as possible. on the bright side, the newborn will hardly be a newborn in just a few short weeks, and hopefully you'll find it easier to get out. 

[poetlizabeth]

Here are a few ideas for indoor play:

-art supplies- finger painting, using dot paints, or tempera paint with a large brush may be fun

this is probably best for when the baby is sleeping (young toddlers usually needs pretty close supervision when painting)

-sensory activities, you can take a large container and fill it with sand, cornmeal, water and soap for washing toys or with anything else that is fun to explore

-making play dough many good recipes can be found on line, there is also an easy microwavable play dough recipe (I will look for it and post it)

-starting some early imaginative play, such as talking stuff animals and puppets, setting up a play house or pretend kitchen or building forts with blankets and pillows

-if you have the space bringing riding toys or small bikes inside is fun. I pick the rugs and move back furniture and let the 5 year old I take care of ride her bike in the basement

-is there a library or a community center nearby? It is good place to meet other parents and young children. Libraries often have toys in addition to books and many have story hours and sing a longs geared to toddlers

     Hope this helps, if you would like more ideas let me know.

[Dot-to-Dot]

I so wish we had a play cafe - so much so that dh and I keep talking about opening a franchise.  There are no drop in gym sessions or anything.  No gymboree, I would love that, too!  Very little opportunity for toddlers here.  We're fairly new and I have a hard time finding any like minded mamas and therefore haven't really found any friends for play-dates yet.  Even harder now that we don't get out much...I know I need to get out there and meet people.

With our set up, the pool thing just won't work unless I have another adult, there are concrete steps involved with a big drop off to a concrete floor and it's just too dangerous for my wiley toddler unless dh is helping.

Funny after I posted this I thought to stick her in her high chair with some ice cubes to play with!  That did keep her busy enough to allow me time to make her lunch.  I might be able to do a bath....we actually have only one bathroom and it only has a standing shower.  We usually bathe her quickly and can only barely fill the bottom of the shower with water so she can't even really scoop and pour water.

I'm full of excuses!  Sheesh!  Sorry.  We're just in a bad set up with this house I guess and we hate this town and the weather.  Nothing to do and awful weather most of the time.

Alright, well, I'm gonna try a bath and maybe get ice cubes out again later.  ...and also just pray that the next 8 weeks go quickly and the baby is more portable in the Fall when we can enjoy some parks.  Thanks for your suggestions!

[Dot-to-Dot]

I hadn't seen the second set of suggestions when I responded before, thank you!  Play-doh might work...hmmm, maybe.  Boy, I'm not sure if she's ready...I'm picturing it smooshed into the carpet (our house has all white carpet).  I could gate her in the kitchen maybe.  I just don't think it'll keep her attention that long.  But, I guess pkay-doh is cheap so it's worth a shot.

I've just decided art supplies are NOT going to happen until baby is a little older.  She doesn't really go off and take a nap and leave me free to supervise toddler.  It's a constant juggling act between the two of them.  (I should have mentioned that the baby is borderline colicky and dealing with reflux, wants to nurse constantly as she empties her stomach by spitting up constantly and can't sleep well due to her symptoms). 

I would LOVE to resume our weekly library trip but really, she just runs away and pulls books off the shelf and I was okay with handling that as an age approriate kind of thing but with the baby it sounds too overwhelming right now.

These really are good suggestions...I think it's just gonna be a tough month or two with baby being so teeny and the weather being so lousy.  Okay, but now I've ice cubes, possibly bath and play-doh! 

[BellyBean]

I was really worried about giving my 20 month DD play doh, but she does really well (considering).  She know it has to stay on her little play table or the kitchen counter.  I couldn't believe how quickly she understood (and followed) those clear directions. 

It's really hard when you are sick of all your stuff.  We have started rotating our toys and it really helps!  I am still sick of them, but she finds them new and exciting :)

But we love doing puzzles, coloring with washable crayons on blank printer paper, running circles around the house (not sure you can do that with a newborn), doing chores like sweeping, vaccuming and laundry, play doh, baths/showers, we bring outside toys in like small slides or cars, put cloth diapers on our dolls, cooking (even if it's pretend, like pouring water and other random things into a bowl and stirring), pet related things (throwing a ball for the dog, feeding the dog, pouring water in her dish...maybe pretend you have a dog :) you could even have her pull a stuff animal around the house to walk the dog lol), I bought some washable water colors to try but haven't had the guts yet, speaking of...maybe pudding painting, I hear kids love that!  What about hide and seek with things, like you could hide something and she would go find it.  I just thought of that and might try it next week :)

I'll keep trying to think of things, I know how horrible it is to be stuck in a rut :)

[VocalMinority]

My kids all liked "cooking".  I get out several different-sized (unbreakable) bowls and pots, measuring spoons and scoops and pour some dry goods in several of the bowls:  flour, dry beans, uncooked rice, cornmeal...  Even my older, developmentally-delayed kids understood that they were getting the chance to "cook", like me, and did not stick the dry beans in their mouths and choke.  This usually takes up a decent chunk of time, with "measuring", mixing, pouring and, of course, feeling the different textures.  Try to get her to count spoonfuls, or come up with words to describe the different foods.  A splat mat works well with this!

I also find a lettuce knife to be indispensable, with toddlers.  They look like big butcher knives, but they're plastic and won't cut skin.  You can get them in the kitchen utensils section at Target or Wal-Mart.  Let your kid chop up almost any vegetable or fruit, bread, cooked chicken... They feel very grown-up and it's good for manual dexterity.

Hide and seek?

Build a tent with a sheet and chairs?

Get out all the kid-safe "medical" supplies you have:  Band-Aids, Ace bandages, bulb syringe, digital thermometer, ice pack, tweezers, toothbrush, pen-light, magnifying glass...and set up a "vet clinic" for stuffed animals.

We also like painting with condensed milk.  You pour a little in the wells of a muffin tin and add a bit of food coloring.  Make sure your toddler is the one to mix the colors.  (They marble for a while and look neat.)  It makes a very pearlescent, pretty paint.  And when she gets bored of painting, she can taste it!  Just don't save any of the paintings.  They attract mice!

[Carrie Posey]

With the play dough use the high chair so you can keep the mess contained and not on the carpets.  Take her clothes off and give her some yogurt or pudding with a bit of color in it and encourage "painting" just plop a bit on the tray. 

[Dot-to-Dot]

Some really great ideas here!  Thank you!  I am getting a lettuce knife TOMORROW!  She will love to have the chance to cut up some bread and stuff!  And I'll be trying several of these other ideas, too.  Thanks ladies!  (And if dd could thank you, she would, too).

[Marissamom]

I have a 26 month old and a 4 month old. a good carrier has been a lifesaver. 

we sing songs, read books, color with crayons, I just got her plastic toddler scissors to learn to cut with, sensory tubs (currently filled with crafting pom-poms and glass stones that I got at the dollar store), bubbles, now that the baby is older she likes to play with him (peek-a-boo) and push him in his baby swing. she also helps me do laundry, I tell her what to put into the basket, then we take it to the laundry room, then she hands me the clothes to put into the washer, when the laundry is clean she pushes the laundry from the door of the dryer into the drum, when it's dry she pulls the laundry out of the dryer and puts it in the basket to go back upstairs. she also helps unload the dishwasher, hands me the silverware and plates. she takes lots of baths, we go for walks in the evenings after it cools off

[akat]

I find if I put on a Laurie Berkener cd or the little 'toddler music' Pandora station I created, my 18 mo. old is much more likely to happily entertain himself [with whatever] instead of asking me to entertain him.