SAHM's

wilsontl19191

How do you entertain LO during the day? My mom is home with him 3 days a week and she says he's bored. He doesn't play with his toys and he doesn't have the attention span to color or play with puzzles. All he does is sweep, open and destroy the kitchen cabinets or play with my make up bag or kitchen utensils. On nice days she takes him outside but that doesn't last very long either. I bought him a pool and a water table for when it gets hot. Anything else I'm missing? What seems to work for your LO? Sorry, I'm needy today.
Also, Dh works every single weekend and he's been working 16 hour days to save up time off for baby 2. I try to take him to the park and such, but it's getting to be too hard. I feel bad that he's not being entertained!

Nita2603

We have a sandbox and a slide and climber thing. He loves those. He plays with the dog, has trucks and loves bubbles.
We also go to the playground once a day.

missyishere

crystaladult:

We go on about 3 walks a day and usually go to the park once a day. I don't know what we're going to do when it gets too hot to be outside. She hates the pool. I need to find some fun indoor activities as well. I've finally got her to watch TV Super Why! and that gives me a little break during the day. She likes playing in her play kitchen and pushing her shopping cart and stroller around everywhere.

I saw on Parenting someone suggesting using the water tables inside as a sensory toy, putting beans or rice inside instead of water for kids to play in.

missyishere

N loves her Signing Times for when we're stuck inside! It's the only show she'll watch. She's cool with Elmo in the car, though. She has an easel for drawing, lots of balls, and she loves to push around her toy golf bag.

lissfriedrice

Story time once a week at the library and the bubbles you can get at Gymboree are great for inside on those icky days are things I can think of besides what others have said.

kagl08

The kids love their play kitchen. It's probably their most played with toy. It tames DS's need to open, close and pull out everything. I do not allow my kids to go in my kitchen cabinets because that's just too much work IMO. Also, I made the kids a train table and they both love it! DS plays with it more than my DD. He loves to play matchbox cars on it. And books. And Super Why! Best show ever! TV keeps my sanity, plus DS learns from it. The Fridge Phonics ABC's from Leap Frog are also played with all the time here.

Then it's outside for us too. The kids love balls, and Tonka trucks and dirt and sidewalk chalk. My DD drives my DS in their Power Wheels Jeeps and that keeps them entertained for a least 30 minutes. And walks. They love walks. 

CMonkey515

DS plays pretty well independently. He sometimes plays with his toys, and sometimes seems bored of them. He LOVES his hot wheels/matchbox cars right now. We have a small box full and they can keep him busy for a good 45 min. If he's in a really bad mood or not feeling well I'll put on a kids movie (don't judge) and depending on the movie he'll watch for awhile. He doesn't care for coloring, but we just started play-doh and he loves it. I just have to keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't try to take a taste, but he rarely does. He likes finger paint. I also will put a few colors of finger paint in a gallon freezer bag and tape it to the glass door. He likes to mush the colors around and make trails with his fingers in it.

I take the cushions off the couch, and his crib mattress out and lay them all on the living room floor. He will jump around on those for awhile. We put on corney 80s songs and dance around the living room, jump around, and be silly. We used to read a lot, but he won't really sit still for that as much lately. We have M&D animal magnets. He loves playing with them, and will move them back and forth from the fridge to the dishwasher over and over. That keeps him happy while I make food, or clean in the kitchen.

Now that the weather is nice we set up the back yard with a ton of stuff. We have a climber with slide, a playhouse, sandbox, swing, water table, various sized balls, a motorized toddler quad, bubbles, and other little toys. We try to be out for at least an hour if its nice. We sometimes take walks. He has one of those cars with the handle on the back for the parents to push. He will tolerate sitting in that for a walk much longer than sitting in the stroller. We joined a playgroup that gets together at the various kid activities going on at local library's, parks, etc. a lot of moms host play dates at their homes too. We try to go to something at least once or twice a week. I sometimes take him to the play place at the mall. Between all of that and meals, naps, errands, and various other day to day stuff we keep pretty busy.

wilsontl19191

Thanks, ladies! I just got back from Target and TRU and bought him a watering can, sidewalk chalk, playdoh, a golf set, colored bubbles, a sand activity center and his very own little tikes wagon. I hope this will help!

pennysuedog

Violet also like being outside, she has a play house, she loves sidewalk chalk and her sandbox.  For inside she loves her big ball, train table, her truck(that she can ride in), playing in the bath tub, bothering the dog. She want to do whatever I'm doing, and she likes ripping apart her books.

Stewartandmaura

E is big on outside activities right now too. It's about to get too hot here so we are trying to take advantage of the weather while we can.

Her favorite things are going on walks (sometimes in the wagon, sometimes I let her walk carrying a bucket to collect things along the way.), playing at her water table and the dog water bowls, swinging, and sidewalk chalk. She loves sandboxes, but we don't have one.

Inside, she likes to color (if I color with her), push her stroller and shopping cart around, take all the books off her bookshelf one at a time and flip through them, and play with big lego blocks. Also, we are big fans of dancing to booty music. 

She watches tv twice a day and plays on the iPad usually once a day.

ETA: We go to storytime once a week, kindermusik once a week, and a gym class. Also we play at the mall play area once a week. Mostly cause I'd go insane if I didn't out of the house.