Yard work and young toddlers...

sophie206 · May 2011

What do you do with them while you work in the yard? My DD is 1 and very active. She won't just sit and play on a blanket with toys, she wants to explore everywhere, but she also still tries to put random objects (rocks!) in her mouth. I tried the packnplay but she acted like I was putting her in jail out there. Any other ideas? Or do you just work while they're napping or DH is home at this age? I figure once shes a bit older she will be able to play a little more independently.

laney75 · May 2011

Would a sandbox work?

Otherwise, yeah what I've had to do is wait until my husband is home and then we tackle the yard at the same time and keep an eye on the toddler, or work during nap time and keep the monitor out there with me.

I love being out in the yard with the kids but it is definitely a challenge sometime. Right now my infant keeps crawling to the planters and trying to put bark in his mouth.

naturelle25 · May 2011

Today I had to clean out the garage and I waited until Lilly was at PDO and Owen was asleep. Hes not one to sit and play in the pack n play now that he started to walk.

mattlovesme2006 · May 2011

I wait until DH is home....my two are super active and like to run across the street to our neighbors house where their friends live. It's terrible, but at the ages they are now, I try to avoid outside Embarrassed

so I would love to hear some ideas, too! They also hate to come back inside which is very frustrating, as I wind up dragging them kicking and screaming... Tongue Tied

JOEBunny · May 2011

I tend to do yard work when I have friends over for a playdate. We can let the kids play in the yard and I can pull weeds and spread mulch or plant flowers. Our yard is small, and we have a big front porch with a play area beside it for the kids, so it is easy to chat with people while watching the kids. I could not do it when DS was smaller if he was around without having another person there.

Read2Me · May 2011

When Eva was smaller, I would put her on our front porch with a few toys and then gate her in. I could usually get about 20 minutes worth of work in that way before she got fussy. Now, I love that she can "help"- so much fun!

wheelsonthebus · May 2011

I tried everything when DS was that age and found that I just had to either wait until he napped or wait for a weekend. He is now 2 and I can finally do my gardening with him. haha

Mrs.Hizzo · May 2011

When they were little, I found that giving them their own plastic garden tools helped. Then they were content to sit next to me and "work," and as long as I wasn't moving around too much, I could keep an eye on them.

regenab · May 2011

Can't be done. Stick out tongue My girls are almost 3 and don't nap and I cannot get any yard work done. My DH is only home 3 days a month, so you bet, we do a lot of yardwork when he is home. I have a lawn service that does my weekly mowing, edging and blowing. But I still need to weed my flowebeds and clean things up when DH is home or everything becomes overgrown.

Since yours is so young, I would do it at nap time or when DH is home.

My biggest issue right now is cleaning my pool. I have to do it once a week this time of year including pulling the big filter out and cleaning it because we are in the start of hot humid summer weather here and pools turn green fast if not kept up. Luckily we have the safety fence around the pool, so I go inside that and lock it and let them run around on the pool deck playing with outdoor toys while I clean for 30 min. And when I pull the hose out to clean the filter outside the pool, I usually fill their splash table and they play in the water next to me cleaning.

Liz342 · May 2011

My DS will happily sit in his radio flyer wagon or sometime his stoller while we are outside playing and I'm letting DD run around. He definitely would not stay put if he wasn't restrained somehow though and when he is outside playing around, I am on his every move.

detroitblondie · May 2011

My almost 2 year old just wanders around, plays with some outdoor toys, sits on the porch and rolls his cars around. We go outside while my 1 year old is napping because he would do exactly what your DD does- eat dirt, etc.

JCM · May 2011

I tried this a few weeks ago & it didn't go well! She was entertained with what I was doing for about 5 minutes. Then she kept trying to wander off. I brought out our play pen & she hated it! It was so stressful! I just wait until she's napping for DH is home. Maybe next spring I can get her more interested.

Temp174496125006552 · May 2011

I couldn't do yard work with Ben when he was that age. He would tolerate the pack and play for 10-15 minutes and then he wanted to get out, so it wasn't even worth it to schlep it outside. He was (and still is) super active, so I had to wait until he was napping or when DH was home to really get anything done.

Even now, at 3 years old, I'm pretty limited in what yard work I can do with him outside with me. It never fails that if I want to do something in the front garden, he keeps running into the backyard (and vice versa). We don't have a fence, so he's got a lot of places that he could run and I just don't feel comfortable not being able to see/hear him. Occasionally, I'll give him a 'project' (ie, take your wheelbarrow go over there, collect all of the pine cones and bring them over here) and that will occupy him for a few minutes and then I can do something in the yard...but mostly he just wants to run and try to climb trees.

Fashiongal1973 · May 2011

We put DS in the pack and play with a million toys and put him in the shade. He is very good at playing by himself and loves to throw everything out of the pack and play and then I go put it back. I also work outside while he naps.

Want a personalized experience?

Yard work and young toddlers...

Re: Yard work and young toddlers...

Choose Another Board

Search Boards