Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

What the heck do I do with her for 6 hours straight??? She is the type of 16 month old that needs to be entertained, she really doesn't play on her own and is all over the place. I feel bad doing my own thing when I am home with her, but also cannot be "on" for 6 hours straight..

So to the BTDT Mom's how do you fill a day that starts at 6 and doesn't lead to a nap until 12pm??

Thanks!

Sorry if this is a silly question/post

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

What time does she go to bed? Maybe start putting her down earlier in hopes that she will sleep later?(my son will do this-well one of them ) In between honestly I sit with my kids for 15-20 minutes and at the end distract them with the ball popper so I can climb over the gate. We read books, play with toys, pick up and down(hey its a workout!) practice walking, eat meals-during which we talk about the food and maybe read another book.

My kids are younger than yours but maybe she would like finger paints(put her in the bathtub to do i.) Arts and crafts, park, backyard, walks...HTH

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

I'm actually in the same exact boat right now, and DD seems to be similar to your DD where she is all over hte place and...so I'm at a loss and DD is only 11.5 months

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Posted by pickles16

I'm actually in the same exact boat right now, and DD seems to be similar to your DD where she is all over hte place and...so I'm at a loss and DD is only 11.5 months

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Jacen is 17 months old and we tend to run errands with him during that period. Errands, grocery store, go outside and play, take a walk, etc.

If you sit in the house for that whole period, you tend to get a little stir crazy.

Otherwise is there a play place you can go to? get a year round membership too? Any play groups in your area? at the libraries?

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Posted by karanthony

Posted by pickles16

I'm actually in the same exact boat right now, and DD seems to be similar to your DD where she is all over hte place and...so I'm at a loss and DD is only 11.5 months

I guess I feel stupid asking b/c I feel like everyone "knows" what to do all day long with a baby/toddler, but when I am home with her, I am fully engaged with her, interacting, playing, singing, reading, etc. but that only lasts so long..not hours upon hours....

that is where I am stumped

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Posted by aliwnec10

Jacen is 17 months old and we tend to run errands with him during that period. Errands, grocery store, go outside and play, take a walk, etc.

If you sit in the house for that whole period, you tend to get a little stir crazy.

Otherwise is there a play place you can go to? get a year round membership too? Any play groups in your area? at the libraries?

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Posted by karanthony

Posted by aliwnec10

Jacen is 17 months old and we tend to run errands with him during that period. Errands, grocery store, go outside and play, take a walk, etc.

If you sit in the house for that whole period, you tend to get a little stir crazy.

Otherwise is there a play place you can go to? get a year round membership too? Any play groups in your area? at the libraries?

Well I work during the week, but on the weekends I don't want to join too much b/c we have occasional plans and don't want that to interfere...during the summer I def. do join things though. We go outside, she loves that! The rainy/colder days are hard, and I feel like there are def. plenty more to come!

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Posted by aliwnec10

Posted by karanthony

Posted by aliwnec10

Jacen is 17 months old and we tend to run errands with him during that period. Errands, grocery store, go outside and play, take a walk, etc.

If you sit in the house for that whole period, you tend to get a little stir crazy.

Otherwise is there a play place you can go to? get a year round membership too? Any play groups in your area? at the libraries?

Well I work during the week, but on the weekends I don't want to join too much b/c we have occasional plans and don't want that to interfere...during the summer I def. do join things though. We go outside, she loves that! The rainy/colder days are hard, and I feel like there are def. plenty more to come!

Well the only time for me to do things is on the weekend since i work too. We take Jacen to the park, duck pond and mainly run errands. Go shopping. Take him to panera for lunch (his favorite). He loves sitting in shopping carts.

Otherwise when i need a break, i turn on Barney for him to watch or Yo Gabba Gabba. Just to have a minute to drink my coffee, read the mail or otherwise.

Otherwise i'd recommend getting a dog.

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

We go out every morning, even if it's just to run around the yard. So when the bfst/morning routine is done, if we are out a couple hours, we come home, he runs around outside a bit, and then it's time for lunch. DS gets up at 7, but he naps around 1:30, so the day is similar.

We have playdates, go to the library, go grocery shopping, do errands, take a mommy & me class once a week, go for walks, it all adds up.

Are you staying in most days? The few days when we do if he's sick or such, really drag. That's when I do find myself wondering what to do next. If you are, I would really suggest getting out more often.

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Just a suggestion...I would try to get her to "play" on her own for awhile if you can. I would start with letting her play by herself for about 5 min or so and eventually build from there. My DD is 10 mo and pretty good at entertaining herself.

I had read somewhere (maybe in a magazine?) about letting your baby entertain themselves and then every few minutes or so, go over to them and comment on how nicely they're playing or something like that. This way they don't cry out for attention. You're just giving it every few minutes. I guess they can learn from this that they don't have to whine or cry to get attention.

My DD will play for about 15-20 min on her own, but usually once during that, I will go over and hug her or say something. Then I will leave her again. This morning she actually played with toys in her crib for about a half an hour by herself. Of course, I spend loads of time with her too, but I think it's important for them to learn to play independently.

Sorry for the long-winded response!

Re: Now that DD is moving to one nap...sorry if this is a stupid ques.

Posted by aliwnec10

Jacen is 17 months old and we tend to run errands with him during that period. Errands, grocery store, go outside and play, take a walk, etc.

If you sit in the house for that whole period, you tend to get a little stir crazy.

Otherwise is there a play place you can go to? get a year round membership too? Any play groups in your area? at the libraries?