How do you occupy your time? I am new to being a SAHM and feel like I am constantly trying to find activities to entertain my toddler. She is such a good girl and plays well independently. I spend most of the day following her aroud the house, talking to her, but she doesn't really play with me. At times I almost feel like I should be doing more. Any suggestions on what to do to keep busy.
I dont go somewhere everyday. Gas is too expensive. Story time at the library, the pool, playground, the mall play area and the zoo. I clean a lot! DO a Lot of laundry, and wipe a lot of butt all day. : )
I am a little jealous of mom's who get bored or lonely staying at home. I have two special needs kids (one adopted, one foster), so between doctor's appointments, therapy (speech, PT, OT), meetings with birth parents and social workers, I get so excited if I have one day a week that I can stay home all day!
I leave the house once a week if I am lucky. With two kids I am pretty busy, but when it was just my son it got a little boring (he plays well by himself too.) I read alot.
My husband is a part time SAHD and they get out once a week to go to some place fun like Home Depot. On the other days my husband spends a lot of time outside with our son. They do fun things like wash the car, pull weeds, feed the birds/squirrels/ants or ramble around the yard doing not much of anything. When my husband feels like he should be doing more, I usually ask him what else he thinks he should be doing. He spends all day watching over our son which sounds like plenty to me. Typically he winds up agreeing with me, admitting he gets a touch bored since our son is good about playing by himself. Our part time nanny doesn’t take our son anywhere except for long walks around the neighborhood. Our family has a laid back dynamic and we don't like being busy people so it works for us. Good luck.
aaaaack - don't mess up her play time! :)
I mean, as a WAHD, of course we play together. But it is PRICELESS to know that i can leave him alone and he'll happily occupy his own time.
Some other activity suggestions:
* explore the backyard
* walk the neighborhood
* light switch time! (that's huge at our house)
* grocery store
The key is kinda like vacation. If you try and do everything - everyday - it burns you out. So we apply our vacation schedule - One "activity" per day.
For me, that's afternoons. Every afternoon me and little man play together. No phone calls, no computer - just us. Some days it's giant lego blocks, some it's emptying out the kitchen cabinets to lift weights (he curls the gallon containers of oil or vinegar), some it's exploring the backyard, some it's a walk in the stroller, some it's the park.
We don't leave the house everyday. It's not a moral imperative. :)
well, with 4 kids, the "down time" kinda takes care of itself :)
It can be lonely, I will be honest. Try to find a group to be involved in, like MOPS, or another church group. That can help. When my first 2 were little, we would go to the zoo about once a month, and the museum sometimes too. We also did a lot of parks and picnics. I always kept busy at home with chores etc. I tried not to always be "on-call" to play, only because you can't always do that, and its good for your children to learn to entertain themselves with their own imaginations. My advice is to try really hard to build a strong support system for yourself by reaching out to other SAHMs.
Your daughter sounds perfect, she SHOULD play well on her own :)
We got out a LOT when mine were little (I would have gone nuts staying in the house all day!) Mostly we went to different parks and hooked up with different friends, but we also went to the library, the zoo, the beach, stuff like that. We did a few mommy and me type classes at the community center, like kindergym.
At home I kept myself occupied with housework, yard work, cooking, reading and doing exercise videos while my kids played nearby. I was always engaged with them, talking to them, etc. but the only times I REALLY sat down with them was to eat, snuggle and read books to them or watch a show or movie together. And they would often "help" me around the house, making dinner, folding laundry, picking up toys.
Not all mommies are playmates, and that's okay! Your toddler's job is exploring the world, so as long as she gets a chance to do that in a safe, healthy and stimulating environment then you are doing your job :)
Yep, being a SAHM can get very boring, until you start having more kids and then you wonder what you ever did before kids;) When it was just me and my first born, he was the same way, he played beautifully by himself so it left me twiddling my thumbs. I finally joined Gymboree to make some other mommy friends and it gave me something to do each week. I also did projects that were fun (man I miss those days!). I contacted all my family and had them send me their favorite recipes and I compiled them all into a family cookbook. It was time consuming when I wanted it to be and not, when I'd rather be cooking dinner. Oh, I almost forgot, I had also joined the local chapter of a stroller exercise group that met every MWF at 9am at a local mall. Having things scheduled into my week like the Gymboree and the exercise class really helped with not feeling so bored and lonely. But, seriously, cherish the "nothing to do" moments now, because as soon as you have more babies and then school starts etc... you'll get zero free time!
Do I get out of the house everyday? Yes, but I don't leave my house if that makes any sense. I'll go outside to do yardwork, but I'm not really going anywhere. There's usually enough outside to keep my son (and I) occupied.
No I don't , at least 2 days a week I go nowhere. But when I do go out its an activity such as bike riding, rollerblading, walking, going to the park etc.... I don't drive so my three kids and I stomp the concrete a LOT.
My days are very busy though, cooking , cleaning , playing etc...
We only left the house once or twice a week for an outing. I think it is GOOD that she is a self entertainer and you should encourage that. In addition, find moments where you can be together but that does not have to be thru play time.
Take her to the park for fresh air and a change od scenery. Library or book store doe story time.
The beach.. Picnic in a park. Festivals, farmers market.
Fresh air and sunshine are great for toddlers.
go to yahoogroups.com and join a sahm group in the area. they chat online about stuff you are going through and have playdates. some do more than others so sign up for as many as you see locally then if you want leave those that don't appeal to you. there are also mommy and me classes you can try at rec centers. i was always taking mine all over the place when they were little.
If the weather allows take a walk or go to your local park. You can walk around the mall when it is rainy, some have play areas now for the kids. Have you looked into local mom groups? You can try meetup.com or yahoo groups.
My daughter is in school now but I go for walks around the block if I don't have errands to run. When my daughter was a toddler we went to the library, joined Kindermusik classes and did play dates at the local park.
We get out 3-4 days a week for 2-3 hours every morning. I like to socialize as much as my kids do. Afternoons I like to spend at home with the kids, mostly playing outside now that spring is here.
For activities we go to the library, moms group w/ childcare, and a play date.
Check out the site productiveparenting.com for lots of great activities to do with your toddler. And enjoy the fact that she can play by herself!
No. However, when I was between contracts, I did get out more. Just to the park or a walk or run an errand. These days I am part of a Meet Up and go to a Meet Up once a week at least, and usually have at least one more kid-activity in the week (a playdate, for example). If I have to get SD from school, I take DD and try to go to the playground first. If she's playing happily, get something done that you can't do as easily with her under foot.
I get out every day. I won't bother you with my exact schedule but some things we do are toddler program at the environmental center, music/storytime at the library, meet other moms at the pool or playground, ymca for an exercise class, standing once a week playdate at a friend's house, walk the dogs on a trail, errands like grocery shopping, toddler gymnastics. I rarely have a day where I'm at home all day. We get out to our activity every morning, run an errand, come home for lunch and nap and then it's time to pick up big brother at the bus stop. good luck finding fun stuff to do in your town!
Join your local Mom's Club. Our chapter has meetings, weekly activities (crafts, games,kids in the kitchen), play groups, a monthly Mom's night out and a monthly activity for the whole family. Just do a web search for International Mom's Club and locate a chapter in your area.
join a moms group. meetup.com has some. play areas at the mall are good also. i used to go to walmart alot......my son loved it.
We get out of the house for a walk to the park at the least on most days. It can get a bit dull sometimes, although I do feel a bit guilty saying that. It's hard talking to a toddler that doesn't really talk back all day! Being a SAHM is a gift that I appreciate, but it does get a bit monotonous at times. My guy will play really well by himself too. I let him, I want him to be an independent kid. Lately I've spend a bunch on amazon for books for my Kindle...this could get pricy! He plays with whatever and I read...for a lot of the day.
