I wonder if you could help me. We’ve recently had a new little addition - Baby Ella is 9 weeks now and it seems since she’s been born all my 5 year old son has done is watch telly!! Can you give me some easy ideas for a sleep deprived mama of some activities/games/play to do with him. I feel so guilty that I’m not doing much with him at the moment but can’t seem to organise myself.
Yes, my first thought was play doh too. We have the play-doh ice cream shop and it really does get played with loads. A paint set with colour blocks. Do you know the one I mean? A special drawing pad, marble run and holztiger or shleich type animals but then I think both the boys play with them together.
Don’t worry too much. I can remember thinking that ds1 was watching too much television but it doesn’t last for ever.
aqua-draw mats are good,you can get the rainbow ones and it’s only water that gets everywhere so not much of a problem cleaning up. let him use a cup of water and a brush. my little ones had one and played with it loads until i folded it away wet and it went a bit moldy(so don’t do that with one lol) hope this helps love Caren xx
Congratulations! And try not to beat yourself up - it takes *ages* to adjust to two - we have just recently settled into some kind of rhythm, and Jude is now 5 months! I found quick, easily put downable stuff is best - or getting the older one involved in something you are doing without baby; Grace loves “helping” me cook, or sort washing. We have a whole load of very simple puzzle books - dot-to-dots, stickering etc, which are great for doing together, require very little thought and can be quickly abandoned when the baby wakes! Much easier than things like painting! Chalking outside is good too.
Oh, and Grace’s all-time favourite activity to do with me when Jude is asleep is…..to make up the cloth nappies with fleece liners! She tells me very proudly “these are for my baby”.
We’ve been through a fair few sticker books lol and spotting books (think where’s wally style) we got these
Or as Angie said ‘sorting’ washing is good fun, she pretends to be a washer lady coming to help lol (brilliant!!) or playing postlady and delivering me ‘parcels’ from other rooms keeps her bizarly occupied
We used to play games like snap, pairs the memory game, dominoes, tri-ominoes ( triangular shaped dominoes) and the orchard board games. We also painted with the colour blocks that have already been mentioned and played with play doh. The sandpit outside was good in warm weather.
I remember trying to read to my oldest in the afternoon and finding myself on the sofa alone half an hour later because I had fallen asleep, lol!
Like others have said this is a phase that will pass. I would not beat yourself up about a few extra hours of television at the moment.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the Imagination Tree link - it is wonderful!! I’m in the same situation (9 week old baby and a four year old) and that website is EXACTLY what I needed. I put out playsilks for DD to discover this morning and they were played with non-stop from waking up until bedtime (no exaggeration!) I’ve made a pink discovery box for tomorrow and I’m having to restrain myself from digging in to the pink rice, glitter, feathers and other bits and bobs I’ve put in there! I am so excited about the activities I’ve got planned for her (dead easy for me to set up, but incredibly open-ended for DD) and it’s tricky to decide which to do first lol :D Thank you again xx
We did quite alot of things but tried to keep the mess down, pre cut crown shapes to cover with stickers, the little craft kits from Wilkinsons - lots are self contained and little mess
Also chalk on black board or patio, cup of water and a brush for the patio, slide, wendy house, etc. Paint pens from elc are great, we haven’t had mess with them yet, colouring books, sticker books and sticker story books.
Go fetch games are great or even throwing balls or bean bags into a bucket type games are good as you get to sit still Self contained gaes like building blocks where you can cheer on if needed
