Activities for Busy 15 Month Old

Of those attending the service, is there an older child/teenager who can play with her in the other room?

My poor mother missed most of my new son's baptism because she kept worrying about my older son's noise level. She repeatedly left the sactuary, and finally didn't come back in at all. I wish we had made other arrangements.

Pick up small toys (hand sized)wrap them in little gift wrap. If your child understand's language make a deal every 15 min worth of sitting and they will get a toy.

Any one toy probably won't work, a variety is likely to do a better job.

I have been through this situation many times and there wasn't any toy that would keep either of my children quiet for an hour. I have come to the realization that it is very unreasonable to expect a toddler to sit still for really any period of time. If this church has a nursery I would highly suggest using it so you don't miss out on the baptism. If you have a babysitter or someone you trust to tag along and help you so you aren't stressed or completely miss out on the event I would highly suggest it. Otherwise pray for a nap during the service! As far as the restaraunt I would take along snacks in case she can't wait for the food to be served.

At this age, you could get her the Crayola Color Wonder markers or the fingerpaints. It makes the colors appear, but if she colors on a table cloth, no worry. I introduced these at about 14 mos. with my oldest when we were invited to a very nice restaurant, out of town where we did not have anyone to watch her while we went. And those only came out for quiet occasions, so it was a real treat for her.

Like the others have said, she is too little to be expected to sit still, if she acts up, out of politeness to others in attendance, take her out for a few minutes. As for the luncheon, ask that her food is brought out immediately. This allows you to feed her, and hopefully by the time yours comes, she is still in good spirits and you can enjoy yours.
My husband and I used to ask that our kids food be brought right away along with one of our meals and to hold off about 10 min. for the other. One would eat, one would cut up the kids food, feed them, and by the time the second entree arrived the first parent was about about done and able to take over, so we'd both get a hot meal. It's what worked for us, thankfully it is better now! Good luck!

I've been a Catholic all my life and my children have gone to Church since they were two months old. I've had many Sundays where I have endured my children's occasional yipes or embarrassingly loud questions "why is THAT lady's hair so red?" And yes...I remember the constant motion in Church...they somehow know they have to be SOOO quiet and it must make them go crazy. There were times I felt like crawling under a pew because my children misbehaved. If they were very distracting - I would remove them, briefly, then return. I now look at those moments in other "newer" moms and miss them terribly. Children aren't supposed to be perfect in Church and adults shouldn't expect otherwise. Children learn how to act in Church by being in Church. They have to start somewhere if they are going to grow up going to Church. I never wanted my kids to hate going, and they don't. We now have our favorite little kids in church. My children are amused by them and I am able to tell them..."oh...YOU used to do THAT!" Maybe others don't like it but I love hearing those little voices - kids humming loudly after the music stops, hearing "vrrrrrrrmm, vrrrrrrmmm" coming from somewhere. Bring books, crayons, little stuffed animals to hold, Cherrios or anything that holds her attention now, except for those items that could drop and clang 20+ times. Also, leave those items at home that, in the event you don't find it immediately, she would scream. If you need to get a baby sitter because you don't want to be distracted by her, then do it. Otherwise, please know her vivaciousness wouldn't bother me - and at the point that it may, you'll be on it. Enjoy the Baptism.

Hi L.,
You said it yourself - you'll end up having to walk with her. I have family events as well and for those, I usually don't go to the church. If you must go because it's a close family member, then sit towards the back and you and hubby can talk turns walking your daughter around outside during the ceremony. Or, you can go to the church alone and have hubby and baby meet you at the resturant (if time and transportation for that is available).
As far as the lunch goes, walk around with her and try to get her a little tired and get her appetite up. Don't sit down until they start serving the food. Feed her lunch, bring some toys and hope that she sits for a while. But I'm sure she'll end up wanting to walk around and explore. My son is the same way - that's just what they do at this age. Don't be embarrased by it - most people understand. And if you have to leave right after you eat, so be it. Don't dread it. Who knows? She may surprise you and be more calm than usual! But if not, that's ok - don't try to hush her or sit her down - she's a baby and we all understand that they can be quite a handful. Have fun and enjoy the day and your precious little one :)

Do you have the option of getting a babysitter?

I have an 18 month old and there is absolutely no way he could sit still or be quiet through an hour of a baptism and then lunch. For our child, that is way too much to ask of him.

My advice...bring lots of books and snacks. My little one loves to look at books and if he's eating puffs he'll sit for longer than you'd think. It may not be the populr thing to do, but it'll will keep him occupied. Good Luck!

I would bring a bag to church with me for my daughter. It would have crayons, pens, plain paper and coloring books. You can put the crayons in a zip loc bag so you don't have to deal with a box. Kids love to have any kind of plain paper. Bring a lot with you. You can even cut regular paper in half. Giving a pen to my daughter would keep her busy because I usually would not give her one being so young. She kept busy coloring with it because it was different. Of course I kept watch to make sure she was only drawing on paper she was given. If you go with your husband, try to keep a space in between both of you. This way your daughter will have enough space. This will also keep her from disturbing people on either side of you.

Does your daughter have any favorite snacks that are quiet? Also, bring something for her to drink in one of her cups.

Does she like to look through books?

M.