Let's talk play groups

sassy_mommy

Are you involved in a play group?  If so.......

1. How do you manage with your younger LO while the older LO plays? 

2. What activities have your seen for the under 2 age group?

CaitlinJ22

playgroups for us were hard when DS turned 15 months since he was getting annoyed with a lot of kids and started to hit. When DD came along I would only have a few kids over at a time and it was still hard since he was getting used to DD, and he saw the other babies as a threat as well. 

Once he got closer to 2, it was better, but there is no way you can have a converstaion with another mom at all. Its more for getting the kids energy out. We go to barnes and noble and read, or play with the train table. We do the children's museum and gymboree. We try to go to peoples houses that have little kids and have baby proofed...if there are no gates, we dont go. Its too hard to relax even a bit. Mainly we did one on one playdates and that was better. I realized real fast which moms I felt comfortable around and which ones I couldnt even handle being around their kids and home.  

kcisthebombdotcom

We do story time at the library twice a week. It's for kids 2 and under and works great for 2u2. I either put LO #2 in the carseat or hold her in my lap when DS is playing well alone. We also do tummy time and I grab some toys for her to play with as well.

moonfaerie

My playgroup meets mostly at parks, so I have to wear DD2 while chasing DD1. I have left DD2 in the carrier and set it down next to me while I push DD1 on the swings, but it's getting harder to get away with doing that. DD1 used to just want to swing; now she wants to run around and do other activities that require my constant help. It's nice when DH is able to keep one kid while I take the other to a playdate.

I also recommend story time at the library. For one, all the other parents understand, even if they have one kid while I have to tend with two. Secondly, at our libraries, storytime is in a closed room, so even if DD1 gets loose she can't go far or get into much trouble.

Playdates at my friends' houses are still a bit tricky, becuase some friends have much older children and therefore no longer have their house baby-proofed, or they have infants for which they haven't had to baby-proof yet. Soon it will be easier to take my DD1 to certain friends' houses as their babies get more mobile, but it is true that you can't really relax and visit with your friends when you are dealing with 2u2.

sassy_mommy

Thank you all so much for your replies.  This gives me some ideas.  LO#1 is 21 months and LO#2 is 7 weeks, so I am looking for things to keep us all happy throughout the day.    Thanks again!

bim38106

Playgroups are the best! I'm in 2 different groups. One group is with moms who all had #1 around the same time, then most of us had #2 around the same time as well... so that's the best for our 2u2 dynamic. The other group has kids of all ages, but it still works great because our playgroups tend to be smaller.

Honestly, of all activities I do with the girls, playgroups are the easiest. When DD2 was a NB, she would sleep in her carrier while I kept an eye on DD1. Then DD2 would just sit on the floor and play by me. Now DD2 runs around and plays with all the older kids and I can once again sit back and chat a bit with my friends while the kids play. I do keep a closer eye on DD2, but DD1 is totally fine doing her own thing.

It's tougher if we meet at a park...when DD2 wasn't walking, I kept her in the Ergo while chasing DD1 around...then it was winter so it wasn't an issue. Now DD2 tries to do everything DD1 does so it can be tricky, but they're both so independent that it isn't a huge deal.

As far as activities, like PP mentioned, library story times and music classes are great.

Gymboree offers a music class that I did last summer w/ both girls and am doing again this summer. DC2 is free until 13 months w/ paid DC1, so that was great! And both girls loved it.

We also now go to a lot of indoor play areas (well, when it's not nice out I know which ones are busy or not and try to go when it's calmer. Again, DD1 does her own thing and I can chase DD2 around.