Help me brainstorm anyone? Pregnant mama with a 2 y/o and no car 5days a week - Page 2

[cyclamen]

This morning DD 2.5 is having a blast using her scissors to snip open about twenty packets of dollar store koolaid into a giant plastic lid.  Cost: $1.  I was going to use the koolaid to dye scarves with but this is more rewarding.  She says she is making a "Christmas."

Water play is always a hit, as are watercolors.  have a big palete of cake watercolors that she uses, and also mix tub water colors in old baby food jars for wet-on-wet which is particularly gratifying for toddlers.  She paints on anything - sticks we brought into the house, scrap papers. 

She helps me with all the house chores, and I agree with a pp that this seems to satisfy her more than anything.

Do you know anyone who could come to your house for a playdate or pick you up?  Your siggy says you are born again .  Do you have a church or group you are affliated with?  I remember in high school, in our church, lots of people gave others rides and no one seemed to mind.  Even now, among my mostly-non-religious friends no one minds giving me an occasional ride some place.  We just take the carseat out of the car at the beginning of the week so that I have it.  I am also able to take the bus and walk places but it sounds like it is not the case for you?

[sosurreal09]

Actually my church just basically kicked me out for nursing DD in the nursery...it's a LONG story But I may have found a new church and I am hoping to meet other like minded mamas!

I don't really have anyone for play dates....Even my nearest LLL friend is like 40 mins away...my family and majority of my friends are like 1hr + (we left that area a few years ago for college and what not)

I'm also a younger mom and well it's getting easier now that I'm getting a bit older but most moms I know from LLL or anywhere else around here are like 30 or 40 which doesn't bother me b/c I have the same views as them on most things. I mean I get invited to things when everyone else is but never one on one and I'm assuming it's the age difference...

We don not have a bus! UGH. We moved here b/c it is so oober cheap but I also had a car when we moved...but we just couldn't afford it anymore with my unemployment gone and with DH in school full time...

[balancingact]

Have you seen the Play at Home Mom website?  Lots of fun cool ideas.  Some cost money, but others don't.  I made playdough with my two year old son, which was loads of fun.  Here is the link:  http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/.  I actually have done very few of them, but still find them inspirational.

I just bought my two year old scissors and paste.  With major supervision, he was so excited about cutting paper and putting paste on paper.  He had very little interest in actually putting something on the paste, lol.  He also isn't too interested in creative outlets, but is very interested in motor skills.

That is rough that you can't get out for a walk.  That is a lifesaver for us.  Have you put her in your kitchen sink with a bunch of bubbles?  This is one of my son's favorite activities.  Bubbles, a few cups, and he is happy for a long time.  I also just take out whatever kitchen things he is interested in and let him play.  Today, it was popcorn.  He had a blast scooping and pouring, especially when I added water.  I just put a large plastic tarp on the floor for easy cleanup.

Other thoughts:

Songs with movement - London Bridges, Here we Go Round the Mulberry Bush.

We are a mostly TV free family, but I am very lucky and have lots of help from my "village" in this.  I hope that your new church is more supportive.  That is the best thing about churches!  Good luck!

[leigh09]

My kids are 5, 4, and 2.  hide and seek is a daily favourite here - we literally play every non-school morning.  If you have a space where you aren't worried about breakables, tag is also fun.  (we do it inside the house too)

As for t.v. - I let my kids watch tv every day.  They are allowed to pick one movie to watch at snack time.  I have my coffee, get started on the daily chores, and we're done for the day.  I blame it all on the "rule"- tv only at snack time.  Otherwise it's not allowed to be on.  If you want to seriously limit it, I would just unplug or something - the tv doesn't work anymore.  Have your child attempt to turn it on too, the "broken" tv would work better with my kids than hiding it.  Even my two year old would know something is under the sheet.

Best of luck.  I'm a SAHM too, and agree it can get monotonous

[OrangeMoon]

Great thread! And lots of hugs OP. Water balloons have been a huge hit for us lately, even when it's cold out. We also got paint brushes and paint things like the sidewalk with water. Spray bottles have been a huge hit as well. We also have dancing time at least once a day. DS likes techno a lot, lol. Tying the string on a balloon filled with air to something up high so we can bat it around. Propping a board or something on the couch and rolling things down it. I'll think on it some more.

[pianojazzgirl]

Has anyone suggest having a dance party?  Put on some lively music and dance around!

And an alternative to tv: audio books.

[sosurreal09]

Update:

Made the TV cover and have been TV free for 2 days! It's going well although I feel like I can't breathe sometimes b/c DD is all over me all day long but she's also teething right now.

I have to go through her toys for x-mas anyway and I will put some good ones away too. I asked for creative things for her from family including an aquadoodle. I bought all fun things we can do together and that will really entertain  her.

I haven't noticed behavior changes yet, she's actually been having more fits but we also have been busy with the holiday and all....

She has been asking to watch Caillou over and over and over again, I have just been distracting her.

DH is not fully on board with me here since he is such a TV-a-holic as is his entire family....MIL even got into a debate with me recently about violent tv not affecting children...so I'm sort of at this alone a my family thought I was a nut for limiting before and for being very specific about what she watches (no disney or pixar besides Tinkerbell) and PBS only but not the late afternoon cartoons b/c I find then too violent (word girl and what not)

Hopefully it will get even easier as time goes by. I am worried about how I will be able to give her my full attention like how I have been when the baby comes...she will be about 32 m/o then.

[pianojazzgirl]

When we went tv-free we had a good 3 days of serious de-tox increased tantrums.  Then it got better.  A week after it was put away the kids stopped asking altogether.  I did have to make a huge effort to have lots of other distracting activities for them.  I worked my butt off for a week keeping them occupied, but even by the end of that week they were so much better about entertaining themselves.  At that point ds was the same age as your dd and my dd was in school all day, so I had a similar scene as you're dealing with (alone with a 2yo and no tv!).  I feel your pain.  All I can do is relate our experience (positive!), and hope (expect?) that it will be the same for you.  Good luck!

[flyrabbitfly]

Originally Posted by sosurreal09 

Thanks so much for the tips BTW! Keep them coming :)

What about limiting the TV any tips with that? I was thinking of sewing a TV cover out of an old sheet and painting a picture on it or something LOL Out of sight out of mind?

What about selling your TV? Is it really so important to have around?

[flyrabbitfly]

Originally Posted by flyrabbitfly 

What about selling your TV? Is it really so important to have around?

oops- just read your subsequent post about the family TV-aholics....
 

[flyrabbitfly]

So, some ideas:

there are washable markers and crayons and finger paint that comes off pretty easy when it strays from the paper. If you don't notice it right away, it can need a little baking soda to help it off, but that is all.

Our DS REALLY loves to:

help me cook- usually I let him pour the stuff in, sometimes he holds a knife handle while I chop, he likes to stir... sometimes I give him his own flour/water or beans/rice etc to mess with- he sits on the counter by me while we do this

finger paint- we give him the paint in smaller squeeze containers and let him go to work- this entertains him for LONG times

pour beans/lentils/rice into different containers

play with water in its many different forms

listen to music/change music/dance to music

roll around the house on a radioflyer (kind of like a trike with no wheels)

play with boxes (climb in and out, stack, put toys into)

play with rocks we have in planters around the house (move from one to the other, put in boxes, put in potties, carry in his chin, or push around on the radioflyer)

water the plants

help sweep

clean the bathroom! (important to use non-toxic cleaners! mostly vinegar spray bottle, baking soda in a powder bottle)

read books- not just kids books but also books from the clearance section of the adults area with good pics- art books, fish id books, animals books, coffee table type books you can get for cheap

copy how we skip- i copy him, he copies me, etc for some reason this is a big giggle time

In general we try to play with him, but not for him: play that is just you entertaining him is the least use to her, and just a replacement for the TV. Play that is about learning what we do (cleaning, cooking, building, making stuff to sell, dancing, etc) is both learning and playing, not just entertaining/passing the time. Play that is connection for the two of you is never boring to either of you and makes the whole at home with a toddler life pretty fun.

[valsblondies]

I have a sandbox in the basement which is the best when my boys (2 and 4) need to zone out .I also have a shallow bin (for underb storage)of rice in my kitchen that occupies them for some time-it is a big cleanup though lol! Scissors and cutting scraps are a favorite for my 4yo.

[meemee]

what i noticed at 2 is all the crafts are meant for older kids. colouring and everything because it all stems from the wrist movement.

so what i did was find a tabletop on trash day out. 6ft by 3 ft. i got newsprinter uber cheap from our local newspaper. i set the table top up carefully and that became our easel and dd with her butterfly wings on could use a bunch of mediums to paint. sponges, brushes, her fingers, a piece of cloth. she loved that. and never ever has painted on the walls or door or anywhere.

i would put newsprint down and cover the floor (no carpet) and dd would paint with her feet. the more messy the more she loved it.

dd was never into toys or puzzles or craft. she loved my tupperwear drawer. rocks, stones, sticks.

the tv was for me. we'd do tv once in a while. meaning dvds. so it was never really a problem.

looking back i dont know how we passed the time, but somehow during winter we always found something to do at home. do u have a map? map was in fact one of dd's first words. we spent a lot of time in front of the map.