[MommaLura]

I guess my 2 year old has hit the "terrible" stage. I know part of it is not being able to go outside because its been so cold and he's bored and I'm at the tail end of my first trimester so I'm moody and tired. We're having trouble getting him to listen to anything at all, he whines ALL the time, and everything is a battle. He's normally a very pleasant child to be around, very sweet.

So, mamas, I need some ideas and support. What does your day look like? What are some indoor activities that excite your toddler? Ect. He'll paint for all of 2 minutes, I though that was a good idea. Oh, and most days we don't have a car because we only have one and its too cold for hubby to take the motorcycle.

Can we say SPRING???

 

[EzzysMom]

man I am so there with you, although I do have a car, but she just whines and cries over everything so she can 'do it self'. I cannot wait for warm weather. I took her out in the snow today while it was snowing, she cried and whined out there too, but at least I got some fresh air.

 

[DaisyMay]

How about filling a cupboard at his level with saucepans, wooden spoons, plastic utensils and cups etc - and other things that he can do no damage with. Let him discover and empty the cupboard, play with the contents, maybe give him some blocks or other small items for him to "cook" in the saucepans (my son used to "cook" magnetic fridge letters this way). Maybe the fact that you have let him discover the goodies himself, rather than give them to him as an "activity" will hold his attention for longer.

Maybe get him to help you with some baking, or even do some special messy "baking" (like mixing flour and water with his hands in the sink) - something where making a mess is OK.

Take the cushions off the sofa (or pillows off the bed) to make a floor trampoline/climbing frame type thing, then get a sheet and make a hut out of the cushions and sheet. Get him to bring his favourite toys/animals etc into his special house.

I realise that all these activities are sounding a little on the destructive/mess-making side. Maybe alternate this type of thing with a story or jigsaw or something a bit calmer!

 

[puffingirl]

We have been stuck inside a lot lately too and nerves are definitely frayed. Some things that get us through a good 30-60 minutes of fun:
Play in the tub--no focus on cleaning selves, just pouring stuff, playing with toys, etc.
DJ dance party--she grabs CDs out of our shelves at random and we listen to a song or 2 from each and dance
Mama's bed---we get a stack of books from her room, her favorite loveys, snuggle on my bed and read and read and read

I can't wait for spring either.

 

[youngnhappymamma]

Some activities we do:

take a short walk (even in very cold temperatures) and gather some nature to bring home and play with, etc

go to the mall for mom to mall walk while child rides in stroller with a snack or two and then play at the mall play place/toy store for 1/2 an hour

go for a drive

play with flour at the table

play with colored rice on a sheet/blanket on the floor (use some food coloring in a bit of rubbing alcohol to color a large bowl full of white rice)

pots/pans and a sippy cup that drips a few drips of water at a time

a few minutes of activity songs to get the wiggles/energy out before some quite play

felt animals or shapes to stick to the couch

bubble machine and some good, fun tunes to listen to while spazzing out under the bubbles

cheap dollar store window clings to stick on the window/sliding glass door/oven door and pull off and stick back on, etc

palm-sized rocks to fill pie pans with, fill bags with, etc

a well-timed video or two (especially when you're pregnant) can be life savers on winter days!

 

[mamaGG]

I'm right there with you. Constantly hearing 'baby do all by herself' these days which also makes it hard. And she LOVES the snow all of a sudden which kinda stinks because a) I hate it and b) she won't wear snow pants.

The things she seems to like are play doh...especially with the little cutting tool set and/or the letter stamps; coloring - mostly pictures we print off the internet. She likes looking at the computer and picking the ones she wants to color. Or just drawing. She also likes to paint. Baking sugar cookies - we just buy the roll of dough and then roll it out on the counter, cute shapes, bake and decorate. But that's good for at least 45 minutes! And I just have to say at the risk of being scorned - that sometimes I just need her to do something by herself! So she does have a couple of DVD's and a little DVD player so she can watch them in whatever room I'm in.

Good luck. I can't imagine being at this stage and being pregnant too. My hat's off to all you pregnant mommies!

 

[physmom]

Funny, I just posted the same thing today! Since my thread has less responses I'll include my ideas and say what my one response was. Great minds think alike, right?

-Hanging out underneath sheets/blanks. It helps if they are black and white with some design because it makes the light that comes through the white part look cooler. We chat, sing or just push the sheet up and down. She loves sheets for some reason .

-Wheelbarrow. I hold her hips and she walks on her hands around the place.

-Monkey Bars. She likes to go to the bathroom and grab on to the towel rack (it definitely supports her weight) and hang there and try and climb up the wall.

-LOOONNNGGG bubble baths full of tupperware and plastic shampoo bottles. If I'd let her this kid could take a bath 75% of the day

For SeaBean, I hope she doesn't mind!

- build climbing hill out of sofa cushions. I put the long ones on the bottom to create steps and she climbs up (two levels, sometimes three if we are very careful and surround the area with pillows).

- obstacle course - add a task to climbing like 'now crawl back through this tunnel' or 'now run to this corner and throw the ball. now run back and climb up the hill!"

- baby dodge ball - we have a couple of those light play balls (from the big bin at the grocery store). She runs and we lightly throw the balls "at"/near her as she runs by. She actually thinks it is hilarious if one hits her.

- we have hardwood floors so sometimes if we are in our fleece PJ pants, we sit on the floor with legs out in front of us and push ourselves around on our behinds. Sometimes she sits in front of me and I push us both. I look at it as a workout. LOL

 

[MommaLura]

Great ideas, mamas! Thank you very much. I don't mind too messy at times, it does seem to be what he enjoys most. Thanks for the support too, I know this is a stage for my ds and me. Soon I will have more energy and that alone will help

 

[naturechicplus1]

i know you asked for inside ideas...but I'm all for really bundling up more and going outside. kids are pretty resilient to the cold since they're moving around faster than us. even if we get out for 10-20 minutes in the morning and afternoon it really helps a lot!

 

[UrbanMamma]

Yes, it is the phase of "on Own." Mine is 28 months.

Train tracks (ikea, brio, etc) are our rainy day friends. It is a new track every day.

Sorting things... change, 9 bean soup, whatever. Obviously, if you have a child that is still mouthing everything, be careful.

Puzzles. We've recently gotten into simple jigsaw puzzles. He does best with 6-12 piece animal themed ones that are really sturdy - they are hard to find at that smaller size but SOOOO worth it. It is also good for teaching him to ask for help rather than scream when he gets frusterated.

Bean bag toss. They are easy/cheap to make and can be thrown in the house.

I'm tempted to teach him "memory" one of these days.