If I have to sit through one more episode of Jay Jay The Jet Plane i'm going to end up in the looney bin! DD will watch a bit of tv, play with her toys and play at the park outside but I dont know what else to do to entertain her. I'm almost wondering if shes needing to be around other kids and if I should see how she does in daycare a few hours a week. Shes got to get to bored playing with just me. We go to playgroup Thursday morning and she really loves it.

Any advice?

By Kate on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 02:02 pm:

Yes, keep doing what you're doing. She doesn't NEED other kids, she needs Mommy the most. She'd probably only parallel play with other kids anyway. In daycare she'd just get less attention and lots of germs and pick up some habits you've probably been trying to keep her from (like hitting, nose picking, grabbing, etc.) If you can be home with her, that's the best thing for her. At this age I'd introduce playdoh (it's really not that bad....just stay in the kitchen) and let her draw with washable Crayola markers. Crayons are frustrating because they don't press hard enough to make any noticeable lines whereas markers show right up. Reading is great, dancing with her is great, wooden puzzles are fun. It gets a little tedious and boring for us moms, but our kids love it when we simply hang out on the floor making vroom vroom noises and playing with cars and buses and making toy people talk to each other, making toy food sizzle and steam, etc. Build giant block towers and have her knock them over and laugh wildly about it. Lay on your back and have her straddle your shins and 'fly' her in the air. Pretend she is Tracy.

By Mommmie on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 02:07 pm:

Oh, I remember that. I got to that point when my son was about 16 months old. I ended up putting him in FT daycare at 22 months of age and getting a job. It was what both of us needed and it was the absolute best thing for him as far as behavior and socialization.

Prior to daycare we went on two field trips a day, one morning and one afternoon. We went to the library, the mall, the park, the educational toy store, McDonalds, a drive, the pond, the lake, swimming, museums, etc. We took two walks a day. We hung out some with the nanny across the street who took care of a boy 9 months older.

By Rayanne on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 02:09 pm:

I agree with Kate, as usual. She always has the best advice. Do you have a rec. center near you that has things she can do? I have one and for one hour Rylee can play on mats and balls and crawl through tunnels. We've only been there once, but she loved it. It is free too.

By My2cuties on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 02:17 pm:

our girls are what 2 or 3 weeks apart? The only difference is I have my 3 year old too. We have fun and all play together but they also play alot together too. Crayons are not for my dd but maybe for yours I have tried several times with them and all she wants to do is eat them..lol Anyway, make a designated movie time and then the rest of the day is playtime (so that way you won't have a certain theme song going through your head when you lay down to go to sleep ). My dd loves to play with her magna-doodle though and that way she can't draw on anything else. Does she have a little bike or horse that has wheels where she can ride? DD has a horse and loves to ride it around the kitchen table and all through the house..lol Good Luck, your doing a great job,

By Missmudd on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 02:26 pm:

There is a toy made by fisher price that my little guy JUST LOVED. It is a cookie pot that has holes in the sides that you stick blocks through. The best part is that if you stick in anything through the top the cookie pot talks or makes music i can't remember. It kept my little guy going forever and he still sometimes plays w/ it and he is almost 4.

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 02:29 pm:

I didn't think she would be old enough for crafty stuff but maybe I will try that. I was going to buy her a tricycle a while ago but when I told DHs Grandma she called me later that day saying she bought her one for Christmas so now I have to wait all the way until then before she has a bike. I know she was trying to be nice but......

She won't sit through a whole movie, she barely watches 10 minutes of cartoons, I think she just likes the background music. We do dance and she loves that but she always wants to be outside. When my neighbor is home i'll sit out on the lawn with her while DD plays but I get antsy sitting there by myself with no one to talk to. We go to the beach and play in the sand, with the birds and at the park there but she gets cranky after about 1/2 hour of being there. We go to McDonalds but she will only go in the playarea if I go with her because she gets scared when she goes in the tubes, so I end up crawling through there myself.
I guess i'm just stuck in "babyland" and don't have a bit of an adult life so when I try to do things for myself, I feel like DD is just sitting there bored. (Like when i'm on here.) She even takes baths with me, follows me to use the potty, sit on my lap while i'm online. I think I need a break but at the same time I know she needs me. I'm caught in between. And Dhs idea of watching her is looking out of the corner of his eye while he plays Playstation, which caused the gash in her forehead I mentioned earlier this week. Hes *there*, just not mentally.

By My2cuties on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 02:42 pm:

flashback of when my 1st was 1yo. lol We did everything together and I was starving for some "adult interaction" do you have any friends that have babies your dd's age and stay at home too, that was my big problem all my friends had no babies or they worked. I am so sorry I know what your going through, I was there , it does get better though. If I lived in Ca. we could hang out, but that's quite a far drive from me..lol Maybe you could see if your playgroup could meet more often, like at least one more time during the week, I assume that you get along with the parents of the play group so that would help a little, right?

By Kaye on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 03:21 pm:

As for what else to do for her...READ, you should read many many books everyday, this will kill lots of time and really help her along the way.

But what do to for you! Find a group to be part of, not a day care, but a playgroup, you get moms, she has other kids to see. Chruches have programs called MOPS that has a mommy program and childcare for kids. There are other programs like that. Also look into story time at the library, go walk her through the mall etc. If you can afford it go have lunch with her, or dessert, it is a great way to teach her table manners and fun just to be out. When my dd was little we would go to a bookstore like Barnes and Noble and go to story time, then sit down and have a piece of cake. It really can be a great time. Don't give up now, she needs YOU more than ever now and really daycare can't compete. There is a time that she will need social interaction, but it is your job to find that. It will not only help her, but it will help you!

By Kaye on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 03:23 pm:

Oh and one more thing...there is a great book called "where is thumbkin", it has thematic units for toddlers, it kind of focuses on a song. Like baa baa black sheep, and then it talks about the different between soft and hard, color sorting, etc. It is a great guideline for something to do.

By Emdee on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 04:28 pm:

I ditto the bath time, bathroom time, etc. My dd (also 18 months) follows me everywhere! She is my only one right now and it does get hard to entertain. She really like to color--she will climb into her booster seat all day long to color BUT she usually wants me sitting right beside her, so it isn't down time for me. We tried the playdoh thing and she liked it, but got into the habit of tearing it into tiny peices and throwing it on the floor, so no more of that! She loves books and wooden puzzles! It is amazing what they can do at that age--she can't put the pieces in on her own, but she knows exactly where each piece is supposed to go. And we have read books so much that she will actually sit down and pretend to read on her own. She has also started role playing alot. For instance, she will take a baby doll or her stuffed animals and literally spend 30minutes -1hour transferring them back and forth across the room and covering them up with a blanket! That is really the first thing that I have seen her do really on her own--I can actually walk out of the room if she doesn't see me and have some alone time. I know your dd is happy to have mom home with her and that you are already doing a great job!

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 04:56 pm:

I do read to her a lot. She has a Little LeapPad we started with and I read her all the Baby Einstein books I have. She just likes to point out things in the books that she notices but eventually she'll grasp the concept of reading.

I'm definitely going to look into crafts and see where I go from there.
In the meantime, if anyone has an "involved" DH that enjoys playtime with the kids, can I borrow him? I need a facial!

By Tink on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 06:52 pm:

My youngest dd fell in love with her big sister's kitchen at that age. At first it was just pulling all the toy dishes out, feeding her self with a spoon, putting lids on the pots, etc. Now she makes meals for all of us, her dolls, have parties that she caters, etc. Does Kaitlyn like dolls yet? My youngest loves her babies and has since she could pick one up. We got her a baby buggy, high chair, bunk beds, all the bottles, diapers and clothes we could find. Alot of the time, I was changing and feeding them but at least we were both entertained. Lots of luck and it does get easier. PS, you can't borrow my dh but he might be willing to give your dh some tips.

By Palmbchprincess on Thursday, November 4, 2004 - 09:47 pm:

Melissa, I'd send Nate, but it's a heck of a drive. He's much better at entertaining the kids than most, though I have the same problem as you. I can't seem to keep mine entertained without Dora and Blue... and I hate letting them watch too much TV!!

By Kittycat_26 on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 08:18 am:

I'd gladly trade you, Melissa or Crystal. If I have to watch "Finding Nemo" one more time, I just might lose it.

That's all I hear.......Fish, wanna watch fish!

By Kellyj on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 04:28 pm:

When I am busy cooking, on the computer or just when I need mom time I send dd (19 months) on "treasure hunts" I ask her to go find something red or green. Or go find a cow or something that says meow (and she'll bring back her little people cow, a stuffed animal or the actual kitten (that poor kitten will tolerate anything just to make dd happy). Anyway, I ask her to find things that are pictures in her books and she will go find the book and the item. She's always so proud when she finds the correct item and brings it back. Sometimes she will get distracted in the middle and end up playing with the stuff that I asked her to find. Which leads to some bonus quiet time for me.