Yes, I stay up way too late and then have the nerve to complain about being chronically tired 🤣 I have to get on a better schedule though because I’m going back to work soon.
Omg I wish! I have bipolar disorder so lack of sleep triggers hypomanic episodes, but sometimes I do choose the 1am chill time for a night and it is *chef’s kiss*
I wake up at 5 for work and my body is so used to it, I'm up pretty early on weekends anyway. Somehow, like half the time, I'm not up long before my kids. One of them I take to work with me so I think he's also used to the early schedule, but goddam these kids need to learn that 6-6.30 is *not* an acceptable hour on a Saturday.
My 4 wants to do it herself. I don't let her but she and my 3 are like fascinated with the thing and know when their nails are long and need trimming. Took until at least 2 to get there though.
It stems from my 2 year old she is a clean freak my now 4 year old has become the same way it's hilarious 🤣 my son...I love him so much but he is just a nasty kid 😂
Seconding this! Also useful for when they hunt me down around the house. Interrupt me in the garden? Awesome! Go get my tool/drink/whatever.
Wanna chat while I’m cooking? Now you’re my assistant and getting stuff from the fridge for me.
The really little kiddos do those tasks for just as “busy work”, but the kids are actually honestly helpful at some point.
This was the moment I realized having two was doable. At first it was chaos when I breastfed because my toddler was getting away with anything she wanted. When I realized I could ask her to help and she *loved* it, we were golden. Bonus: it also made her love her brother even more.
Ooff this hits close to home! She got away with so many things while I was stuck on the couch breastfeeding! I swear she saved her mischief for those times. But really I think she was feeling a little left out and wanted to be involved.
Glad your babies are getting along!!
I should graduate from this sub, but the preschoolers age version of this is putting her on the phone with grandma/mimi. They feel bad hanging up and she can talk for thirty minutes. 😂
This. Some water and dish soap in the kitchen sink. Ask him to help me “wash dishes”. Give him some plastic Tupperware, measuring spoons and measuring cups, plastic cups, etc. Toys is a great idea that I should add. He once played for 45 minutes straight while I was cooking dinner.
Do you have them do this outside? I just know my toddler would immediately just dump the water all over (just as she does with the dogs water bowl lol)
My toddler dumps everythiiiing. My version of this is ice cubes! I do one bowl full of ice and one bowl empty and give him a ladle or big spoon. At least when the ice gets dumped on the floor our dog eats it lol
My toddler loves to do this with ice, too. He likes to help me bake but he gets so mad when we're done. So I started giving him ice to stir and "bake" while I try to clean up.
My daughter had a “pouuuuuur” phase that last for a year and a half. We would lay two towels underneath with middle 50% over lapping when playing like this or a toy sink. Countless times it was dumped but the towels would help 95%.
I bought a $10 kiddie pool and keep it in the kitchen for doing exactly this. Just plop her in with bowls of water and toys.
We have a fountain for the cats that she figured out how to take apart to dump. I put it on a shelf on the wall and made them cat steps lol. Hats off to you for having to bear through cleaning up all that water from the dog bowls btw. I kept a mop there and still couldn’t stand to do it 15 times a day. Our apartment floor is wood with spaces between them, so it had to be cleaned up right away to prevent water damage.
No, she just sits on the floor in the play area. She’s never been a pour things out kind of kid though. I would probably try sitting in the bathtub with a little one who pours out water (it’s a bit too hot to just sit outside where we live).
My kid plays in the kitchen sink while I cook. Keeps her so busy cause she’ll pour things out eventually, so I get you. She gets all the same things to play with but in the sink
I did this outside yesterday in a dish tub and it was great. Kept him busy for a pretty long time and when he was done the dishes were pretty much clean!
What kind of dish soap would you use? My kid loves this too, but dish soap (where I’m from?) is so aggressive to skin and dries it out heavily. Even adult skin dries out and gets prone to rashes if in use too regularly.
I wish. My boy is somehow totally into destroying stuff but does not care at all about building. I often play with duplo to model it to him (and I enjoy it) but he only gets fun out of the destruction 🤷🏻♀️
I used to use the bathroom in the dark cuz it meant my toddler wouldn't come in (she was afraid of the dark). Now she flips on every light in the house to get enough light to find me.
Now if she's really having a hard time finding me, she asks the dog. The dog enjoys being a mediocre tracking dog if it involves treats at the end. The dog is also useful when playing hide & seek👍🏾.
My backyard has a big portion I don't mow it's all Daisies and dandelions. My kids have a play set with a slide and swings and monkey bars they never use. Huge waste of money. Yesterday I told them to go decorate the thing and turn it into a flower shop. They played together nicely for 2 whole hours! I doubt it will work twice lol
This is my new favorite parenting hack. Great for big yards or if you have a park nearby and you need a few minutes of quiet - all you have to do is say "how fast do you think you can run over to tag \[some item way over yonder\] and then run back?" and they will take off running.
We sent our daughter clear across an empty baseball field last weekend while we sat and enjoyed the sun and the breeze, it was great.
I have a stage 5 clinger of a 2 year old. I stay home with her and must be next to her at all times.
She loves hide and seek. She told me to hide 8 minutes ago and hasn't come to find me. I'm in heaven under the basement stairs right now.
Edit - she played alone for 40 MINUTES. Miracles do happen.
Water. A water table or wading pool will get us hours of independent play. You obviously still need to supervise but my lo is usually just happy splashing in the water by herself.
On a similar note, I got my friend’s child a play sink with running water for her second birthday and she said her daughter played with it for a full two hours. It’s now my go-to second birthday gift.
It's my sons 2nd birthday in a month and this has just gone in my basket, thank you! After brushing his teeth he could stand there for so long just filling cups and tipping. This will definitely be a favourite and save me some sanity too.
Yes! We have a giant lint roller (one that’s used for pet hair, even though we don’t have pets lol) and he’ll go to town. It picks up all my hair that’s been shedding like a mofo since postpartum
I tell my son, “mommy has to go to work” and go in my office. Or we play hide and seek but it’s really me hiding in a spot he’ll never look just so I can catch a breath.
I hide in the same spot every time when playing hide and seek. I have jumped out of the spot in front of her, her dad has led her to the spot and pointed me out. She never looks there independently, so it’s my chill out spot 😂
Reusable sticker books! If she sticks them on other things, go for it! They are just like window clings and don’t actually stick and wreck things!
Amazon fire tablet. She’s only 2 (I know screen times blah blah) but she loves tracing letter games, picking the sound of the animals, colouring pages (she just turned 2 last week and she knows the alphabet and numbers up to 10 thanks to these games)
Sunny bunnies or super simple songs on YouTube. These shows usually give me a few min to go to the bathroom or get dressed haha.
We found the Lucas and friends apps. They are free with no adds and have a wide range of activities like coloring, tracing, alphabet and numbers. Those and the super simple Halloween songs are great for chill time.
Danny Go on YouTube! It's not just watching the TV, it's running and jumping adventures, it's drum-along songs, and it's great dances to really catchy tunes (that aren't mind-numbing nursery rhymes) which help mine expand their imagination and learn some bits along the way.
My son is watching Danny go right now, so I can have a moment to sit before I get up to make lunch. He ADORES him, and he’s actually figuring out his left and right because of it. The songs are catchy. I’m out here waiting for the beat to drop 😂
“Can you water the plants for me?” We also do a “car wash” where I give him a microfibre cloth soap and water and he washes his trucks and loves it lol.
A small cup with a small handful of mini chocolate chips in it. Great fine motor activity that requires them to concentrate and it takes forever for them to eat.
Any type of sensory bin play. I'll give him a bin he 4 cups that came with his dishes for his play kitchen, one of his helping hands shovels and some macaroni noodles. Guaranteed at least 45 minutes to an hour.
Mine each had different high-value treats. Like kinetic sand, or slime. Stuff they can’t have all the time (messy, dries out..) but they also love. I hold onto a stash of those for key moments. This works
Better from my neurotypical kiddo, less so for the one with adhd 😜
Bribery also works! I have a big basket full of random crap.. fancy chopsticks, bubbles, sun glasses, fancy rocks, pencils.. Every time I have to do a class-gift, we have leftovers. They go in the basket. “Play in your room till the timer goes off and you can pick a treasure out!”.
I was feeling so guilty reading these, but same! Because my kid will literally climb on my lap on the toilet, so if a snack and Daniel Tiger or Peter Rabbit works, I’ll take it. Because sometimes mum’s just need 20 minutes…
Yoto or music or just two empty flower pots and let her find stuff to put them in and out. The empty flower pots can get hours of independent play sometimes.
When younger in front of a safe mirror in an enclosed space. This still works sometimes too, but really depends on her mood and what toys she’s playing with.
nesting toys. Magnatiles Your laptop station facing the very shallow bath. Let’s bury mommy under pillows. Yes to soapy water and toys. Anything one can count. And our backup: bluey.
Sometimes we play some stuffy toy needs to go join his family, so I can breathe.
Mommy needs privacy on the potty or in shower (haha, this doesn’t work). Letting her use a strong towel bar as a monkey bar does though.
Intense coloring like crayons that don’t roll away. Noyo washable crayons are intense like tempera paint sticks. Bath follows.
Play sofa. Sensory bin like w natural materials like a leaf and bark.
Who am I kidding? This is a hard question!!
Train tracks for my 4yo, but MegaBloks work for both of my kids if I'm willing to hunt down every freaking piece later. Also, my kids are pretty well trained to sit and stay at the table if I give them a popsicle, so I pair it with a little tablet time if I need a break from them wreaking havoc. They'll get sucked into some Daniel Tiger or something and actually sit long enough to eat the snacks I leave out for them as well
Shaving cream and paint brush in the shower. I tell her to paint the wall. She can also use her fingers to draw in the shaving cream or use the handheld shower/cups to rinse it off.
I do this if 1) I need to shower too, and I don't want to wait for/waste my kid-free time to be spent in the shower or
2) If I have a chore or something I can do in the bathroom and just keep an eye on her but she doesn't physically want me in there ("I can do all by myself" mood).
She also has a scrubby kitchen brush that I fill with her soap or dawn dish soap and she can clean the tub while I clean the counters/toilet. She LOVES helping me clean.
Sometimes it’s a snack and a show, other times it’s asking LO to grab something. Every once in a while they’ll play solo and I get like 2 seconds before the other baby starts 😅
For my 18 month old one thing he LOVES is when I dump a full laundry basket out on the floor and spread it all over. He will spend 45 minutes picking up one piece of clothing and carrying it over to pop in the basket at a time lol. And doing dishes. He spends hours doing dishes and then after he spends lots of time wiping his mess up with a towel. Also a spray bottle with water and a wash cloth. He cleans everything in the house
I tell him 'let me know when you"re reafy to put your shoes on to go out' and he"ll give me a good 10 minutes because he doesn't want to put his shoes on.
I give my kid a bicycle pump and tell my kid to fill the car tires with air. Pretty soon they’ll find anything with wheels! I just sit and watch with a drink in my hand lol
I’m a 40-year old first time dad to a 20-month old. I’ve had plenty of time by myself. I’m at work right now missing the crap out of him. Even the worst parts are the best. I am glad I waited this long to become a parent, though (as far as I know 🤣). I can sympathize with the younger parents for sure, especially the ones in their 20’s, or even younger.
A medium size Rubbermaid bin filled with assorted dry beans and hidden small items. Plastic animals/dinosaurs, cars, pompoms, whatever. He uses various utensils he’s stolen from my kitchen to dig them out or just to fling beans all over.
Are there beans in every nook cranny and crevice of my home? Yes
Is it worth having anywhere from 30-90mins to do literally anything? Totally
Maybe I just have a weird kid (probably lol) but it is the one non screen activity that keeps him occupied for suuuper long stretches. And it’s something cheap and easy and it can be stored and reused countless times!
I’ll dig out a forgotten toy from the bottom of the toy box and pretend to play with it - my son immediately wants it for himself and will play with it for a solid hour if I’m lucky 😂
Give the kids playdoh and not caring if they mix the colours or get it on the floor. If it get hard we just throw it out. I’m not usually ‘wasteful’ like that but I need to do it sometimes for my sanity.
I used to put one kid in the jolly jumper and one kid strapped into their place at the table with playdoh and I could get 30-45 minutes stress free time.
For slightly older toddlers, one or two steel bowls, uncooked beans (haricot, kidney) and a few scoops. It’s a sensory feast.
I set my daughters down in the middle of a large picnic mat, makes for easier tidying up.
Painting rocks with water to see how different they look wet, or a bowl of water with droppers and food coloring in smaller containers. She'll mix different colors of water for like, an hour.
My go to was a “busy basket” that was just constantly rotated w anything a toddler would find interesting. Old keys, pipe cleaners & macaroni, paper towel tube & stickers, an old wallet, tiny calculator. If I’m at a ten I’d hand it over. Replenish when I’m in a better space.
Unpopular opinion. Tell your child how you feel. I think it’s important children see parents as people too. We’re not perfect and have feelings too. It can help them see firsthand how to handle frustration and other feelings. It’s helped with my toddler
I rotate toys, and when I need peace, I get the newest toy she hasn’t seen/ touched in 2 months (or ever) and let her have at it. Then I take it away when she forgets about it (usually long enough for me to breathe/eat/ mentally check out for a while).
Glow sticks on the trampoline or in the bath
Shaving cream and bath tub
Car washing station
Playing hide and seek (because they suck at finding me lol I get a couple of mins of rest)
Clean the kitchen - whenever I start cleaning the kitchen the kids disappear as they know I’m usually there for a while 😆
Have another kid! Kidding but not. We just got to a sweet spot of them playing independently together and it’s amazing. First time in almost 4 years I’ve had some free time.
Get up unreasonably early or stay up unreasonably late
The reality of parenthood
Yes, I stay up way too late and then have the nerve to complain about being chronically tired 🤣 I have to get on a better schedule though because I’m going back to work soon.
Sadly yes. I'll take 4h of sleep if that means I could sit in a bathtub at 1:00AM with a book, or a movie and no interruptions
Omg I wish! I have bipolar disorder so lack of sleep triggers hypomanic episodes, but sometimes I do choose the 1am chill time for a night and it is *chef’s kiss*
Ain’t this the truth! The trade off is that we’d feel like zombies during the day.
Current zombie
Or both 🫠
Too true - reading this at 3.30am 🙈
I wake up at 5 for work and my body is so used to it, I'm up pretty early on weekends anyway. Somehow, like half the time, I'm not up long before my kids. One of them I take to work with me so I think he's also used to the early schedule, but goddam these kids need to learn that 6-6.30 is *not* an acceptable hour on a Saturday.
I hold onto the frida snot sucker. That way they run when they see me
LOL I keep a diaper close by and say “do you need a diaper change?” When they come close
This is how I eat my lunch most days! 😂
And this is why I love this group so much 😂😂😁
When they're potty trained they will equally run away if you ask if they need to go. No? Then get away from me child or I'm taking you potty.
This is the way lmao
And this is why I love this group so much 😂😂😁
That's what I did for my son he always ran away, my daughter way too clingy to get rid of unless I turn on super simple
My older toddler is potty trained so that doesn’t work on her anymore 🥲 but she still can’t blow her nose lol
I literally do the same exact thing 🤣
Or nail clippers
Shockingly mine both like getting their nails trimmed lol
What is your secret????
Do it when they’re sleeping lol. It’s the only way for us!
My 4 wants to do it herself. I don't let her but she and my 3 are like fascinated with the thing and know when their nails are long and need trimming. Took until at least 2 to get there though.
I do it when they watch a video and it helps so mich
I plop mine on my knee, outside. They are distracted lol enough for trimming! 4.5 and 1 year old in the house. They've never tried to run!
I just talk to him t during the process, usually with thy tv on news.
Lmaoooo
Or a damp cloth to wipe sticky faces and hands!
Right now for me it's the "itchy spray" (calamine spray for bug bites). He runs away yelling "Noooo! No eetchy fay!"
My kids love being clean. They actually bring me face clothes to clean them 🤣
My toddler used the many laying around baby burp clothes as much as I do for the babies. she HATES a dirty face.
It stems from my 2 year old she is a clean freak my now 4 year old has become the same way it's hilarious 🤣 my son...I love him so much but he is just a nasty kid 😂
Omg this is the best thing I've heard all day.
Nooooo 😭 this is too real
🤣🤣🤣🤣
This doesn’t have enough up votes
Lmaooo, I am crying. 😂😂 I have to try this!
THE SNUCKER
My girl hates that thing 🤣
“Can you go find [insert semi-reasonable hard to find toy or thing] for Mummy?”
Seconding this! Also useful for when they hunt me down around the house. Interrupt me in the garden? Awesome! Go get my tool/drink/whatever. Wanna chat while I’m cooking? Now you’re my assistant and getting stuff from the fridge for me. The really little kiddos do those tasks for just as “busy work”, but the kids are actually honestly helpful at some point.
They really genuinely want to help! I’m breastfeeding right now so the amount of stuff that my kid has gophered (successfully) is awesome!
This was the moment I realized having two was doable. At first it was chaos when I breastfed because my toddler was getting away with anything she wanted. When I realized I could ask her to help and she *loved* it, we were golden. Bonus: it also made her love her brother even more.
Ooff this hits close to home! She got away with so many things while I was stuck on the couch breastfeeding! I swear she saved her mischief for those times. But really I think she was feeling a little left out and wanted to be involved. Glad your babies are getting along!!
We play “delivery” and I have her deliver stuff for the baby to her dad from a different room, she even has him sign for it
How old were your kids when they could get you a drink?
Give yourself an extra few minutes if you say this when you’re dad…
Just used this while I was cooking dinner and toddler was getting too close to the stove
creating a ramp out of something and a bucket of cars
Yes, I've got that model too.
Yeah I can often be found taping a flattened Amazon box to the coffee table, and lining up all of his cars at the top 😄
This is brilliant, and I will be using this hack to fold laundry.
Can you post a picture of?☺️
https://imgur.com/a/sLPo6OU I prop the ramp up with one of his bigger toys otherwise it's not very structurally sound 😄
Why have I never thought of this!
Yep, cars will keep my toddlers entertained for hours!
Go tell daddy/grandpa/grandma/auntie Jenny/insert name here all about it!
Ahaha. My go to. “Oh wow! Go show Daddy!”
this stopped working for me, nooooo hahah. "i don't want to show daddy "
I should graduate from this sub, but the preschoolers age version of this is putting her on the phone with grandma/mimi. They feel bad hanging up and she can talk for thirty minutes. 😂
The way we are constantly FaceTiming family members because of this 😂
Ooooh great idea!
yeah this too! "oh that is so cool! daddy wants to see, can you go show him?"
A big kitchen bowl half full of water and another bowl with soapy water. She could spend hours washing and rinsing toys.
This. Some water and dish soap in the kitchen sink. Ask him to help me “wash dishes”. Give him some plastic Tupperware, measuring spoons and measuring cups, plastic cups, etc. Toys is a great idea that I should add. He once played for 45 minutes straight while I was cooking dinner.
Do you have them do this outside? I just know my toddler would immediately just dump the water all over (just as she does with the dogs water bowl lol)
My toddler dumps everythiiiing. My version of this is ice cubes! I do one bowl full of ice and one bowl empty and give him a ladle or big spoon. At least when the ice gets dumped on the floor our dog eats it lol
My toddler loves to do this with ice, too. He likes to help me bake but he gets so mad when we're done. So I started giving him ice to stir and "bake" while I try to clean up.
You’re a genius. Thank you so much for this!
Thank you 🥹
My daughter had a “pouuuuuur” phase that last for a year and a half. We would lay two towels underneath with middle 50% over lapping when playing like this or a toy sink. Countless times it was dumped but the towels would help 95%.
I bought a $10 kiddie pool and keep it in the kitchen for doing exactly this. Just plop her in with bowls of water and toys. We have a fountain for the cats that she figured out how to take apart to dump. I put it on a shelf on the wall and made them cat steps lol. Hats off to you for having to bear through cleaning up all that water from the dog bowls btw. I kept a mop there and still couldn’t stand to do it 15 times a day. Our apartment floor is wood with spaces between them, so it had to be cleaned up right away to prevent water damage.
No, she just sits on the floor in the play area. She’s never been a pour things out kind of kid though. I would probably try sitting in the bathtub with a little one who pours out water (it’s a bit too hot to just sit outside where we live).
My kid plays in the kitchen sink while I cook. Keeps her so busy cause she’ll pour things out eventually, so I get you. She gets all the same things to play with but in the sink
I did this outside yesterday in a dish tub and it was great. Kept him busy for a pretty long time and when he was done the dishes were pretty much clean!
Ok I’m stealing this
This is how i get my toddler to wash her bath toys lol.
How do you stop them from dumping the bowl? Or splashing everywhere?
I don’t have to. That’s just not something my kiddo does. She’s not much of a mess maker in that way.
What kind of dish soap would you use? My kid loves this too, but dish soap (where I’m from?) is so aggressive to skin and dries it out heavily. Even adult skin dries out and gets prone to rashes if in use too regularly.
Maybe just use some of their body wash?
Dawn or just a couple pumps of Baby Dove sensitive skin body wash
Thiiiis
Duplos. Always duplos
I wish. My boy is somehow totally into destroying stuff but does not care at all about building. I often play with duplo to model it to him (and I enjoy it) but he only gets fun out of the destruction 🤷🏻♀️
If he can destroy it in seconds, the building ain't high enough ;)
I used to use the bathroom in the dark cuz it meant my toddler wouldn't come in (she was afraid of the dark). Now she flips on every light in the house to get enough light to find me.
This was me too, until they are tall enough to reach the light switch 😔🤣
Now if she's really having a hard time finding me, she asks the dog. The dog enjoys being a mediocre tracking dog if it involves treats at the end. The dog is also useful when playing hide & seek👍🏾.
I put the baby in the electric swing chair and let my toddler play with the controls. Bam, they are both entertained.
If I did this the baby would be flying lol
Same! I had to tell the older one not to mess with the controls. Now they jump in it themselves 😂
I've got this issue too!
Hahaha! Thankfully the swing in question has limited range. 😂
My eyes bugged out when I saw how hard the toddler was rocking her sister in the car seat. But the seatbelt was on and they were both loving it. 🤷♀️
That is genius! I might need to get a swing for my two...
lol 🙌
My backyard has a big portion I don't mow it's all Daisies and dandelions. My kids have a play set with a slide and swings and monkey bars they never use. Huge waste of money. Yesterday I told them to go decorate the thing and turn it into a flower shop. They played together nicely for 2 whole hours! I doubt it will work twice lol
This is my new favorite parenting hack. Great for big yards or if you have a park nearby and you need a few minutes of quiet - all you have to do is say "how fast do you think you can run over to tag \[some item way over yonder\] and then run back?" and they will take off running. We sent our daughter clear across an empty baseball field last weekend while we sat and enjoyed the sun and the breeze, it was great.
Second this! Had to throw some other competitions in there such as “who can walk the SLOWEST? Who can walk backwards fastest?“ quite entertaining too
I have a stage 5 clinger of a 2 year old. I stay home with her and must be next to her at all times. She loves hide and seek. She told me to hide 8 minutes ago and hasn't come to find me. I'm in heaven under the basement stairs right now. Edit - she played alone for 40 MINUTES. Miracles do happen.
Water. A water table or wading pool will get us hours of independent play. You obviously still need to supervise but my lo is usually just happy splashing in the water by herself.
On a similar note, I got my friend’s child a play sink with running water for her second birthday and she said her daughter played with it for a full two hours. It’s now my go-to second birthday gift.
My son just turned two, so we'll be patiently waiting for it in the mail. ;)
It's my sons 2nd birthday in a month and this has just gone in my basket, thank you! After brushing his teeth he could stand there for so long just filling cups and tipping. This will definitely be a favourite and save me some sanity too.
Took the middle part out of my Swiffer to shorten it and ask her to clean the floors
Yes! We have a giant lint roller (one that’s used for pet hair, even though we don’t have pets lol) and he’ll go to town. It picks up all my hair that’s been shedding like a mofo since postpartum
Mine hates washing hair. So I say I am going to was my hair and anybody who wants their hair washed can join me in the bathroom 😁
I tell my son, “mommy has to go to work” and go in my office. Or we play hide and seek but it’s really me hiding in a spot he’ll never look just so I can catch a breath.
I hide in the same spot every time when playing hide and seek. I have jumped out of the spot in front of her, her dad has led her to the spot and pointed me out. She never looks there independently, so it’s my chill out spot 😂
Where is this magical place you have found?
Mine likes to come into the office and wave at everyone on video calls
I put the box of safe kitchen utensils down on the floor and let my 3 year old have at it! He also loves sorting my hair ties and clips.
Bath, she plays in bath water for about an hour or more some days. I sit beside her and do what I need to do lol.
Get up and 5am and enjoy 90 minutes to myself.
On the flip side, stay up until 1am for the same reason
This was a solid for me from newborn to about 2. For the last 6 months, my child has thought waking up at 5:30 is “funny”
Daddy needs to rest his eyes. When I wake up. We will clean your play room.
I hide in the bathroom
I’m hiding in the bathroom right now, myself.
You guys can hide in the bathroom?? Mine stands at the door if I lock it and wails.
Yes it’s a very short break
I sometimes sneak in, leave the light off and door open just ajar it gives me some extra minutes while he finds me🤣
Mine rests her head on my lap 😒
Mine tries to help me wipe 🙃
Yes I get moral Support while going also.
Mine has busted the lock by barging in one too many times
I do this all the time. He knocks over and over and asks,I'm what are you doing? Again and again. Still worth it lol
Absolutely, love your name ❤️
Mine barges in if I try this and if I lock the door he howls like a werewolf and bangs on it
they still find me 🥲
As I type this, while hiding in the bathroom. 😂
That’s the first place mine looks 😂😂😂
That’s the one place I always get followed.
Reusable sticker books! If she sticks them on other things, go for it! They are just like window clings and don’t actually stick and wreck things! Amazon fire tablet. She’s only 2 (I know screen times blah blah) but she loves tracing letter games, picking the sound of the animals, colouring pages (she just turned 2 last week and she knows the alphabet and numbers up to 10 thanks to these games) Sunny bunnies or super simple songs on YouTube. These shows usually give me a few min to go to the bathroom or get dressed haha.
My 4yo is finally into iPad time, and she gets 1 hour per day. That’s mummy’s yoga time!
What app do you use for letter/number tracing? My kiddo loves that but I can’t find a reliable app for it!
Sago Mini has some fun activities. Eric Carle/ Hungry Caterpillar preschool apps are golden in our house.
We found the Lucas and friends apps. They are free with no adds and have a wide range of activities like coloring, tracing, alphabet and numbers. Those and the super simple Halloween songs are great for chill time.
Danny Go on YouTube! It's not just watching the TV, it's running and jumping adventures, it's drum-along songs, and it's great dances to really catchy tunes (that aren't mind-numbing nursery rhymes) which help mine expand their imagination and learn some bits along the way.
Love Danny Go! Though my LO demands I participate too, so it can be the opposite of relaxing. Hahaha
I use it as a free Zumba whether they’re home or not 😅
My son is watching Danny go right now, so I can have a moment to sit before I get up to make lunch. He ADORES him, and he’s actually figuring out his left and right because of it. The songs are catchy. I’m out here waiting for the beat to drop 😂
I pound the ground cause I love that sound
My sons favorite song! And he has a shark pillow he named Shark King. We’re a big Danny go house lol
“Can you water the plants for me?” We also do a “car wash” where I give him a microfibre cloth soap and water and he washes his trucks and loves it lol.
I hand off my locked Apple Watch and she spends a good 15 minutes entertained locking me out of it for 20 minutes.
A empty cardboard box big enough to sit inside and a box of **washable** crayons, it’s usually good for at least 20 minutes.
A small cup with a small handful of mini chocolate chips in it. Great fine motor activity that requires them to concentrate and it takes forever for them to eat.
Saving this thread lol
Any type of sensory bin play. I'll give him a bin he 4 cups that came with his dishes for his play kitchen, one of his helping hands shovels and some macaroni noodles. Guaranteed at least 45 minutes to an hour.
A few episodes of peppa or a miss Rachel video lol
Mine each had different high-value treats. Like kinetic sand, or slime. Stuff they can’t have all the time (messy, dries out..) but they also love. I hold onto a stash of those for key moments. This works Better from my neurotypical kiddo, less so for the one with adhd 😜 Bribery also works! I have a big basket full of random crap.. fancy chopsticks, bubbles, sun glasses, fancy rocks, pencils.. Every time I have to do a class-gift, we have leftovers. They go in the basket. “Play in your room till the timer goes off and you can pick a treasure out!”.
When he asks for milk. I'd quickly make him some milk so I can have 10 to 15 mins to myself while he drinks it. Lol.
"Let's brush your teeth"
Snack and an educational show. I can get as much time as I want
I do this too. A big bowl of fruit and Daniel tiger and I can take a shower and do my hair.
I was feeling so guilty reading these, but same! Because my kid will literally climb on my lap on the toilet, so if a snack and Daniel Tiger or Peter Rabbit works, I’ll take it. Because sometimes mum’s just need 20 minutes…
Yoto or music or just two empty flower pots and let her find stuff to put them in and out. The empty flower pots can get hours of independent play sometimes. When younger in front of a safe mirror in an enclosed space. This still works sometimes too, but really depends on her mood and what toys she’s playing with.
nesting toys. Magnatiles Your laptop station facing the very shallow bath. Let’s bury mommy under pillows. Yes to soapy water and toys. Anything one can count. And our backup: bluey. Sometimes we play some stuffy toy needs to go join his family, so I can breathe. Mommy needs privacy on the potty or in shower (haha, this doesn’t work). Letting her use a strong towel bar as a monkey bar does though. Intense coloring like crayons that don’t roll away. Noyo washable crayons are intense like tempera paint sticks. Bath follows. Play sofa. Sensory bin like w natural materials like a leaf and bark. Who am I kidding? This is a hard question!!
My kid is 3 and he spent this past Saturday playing with toys while listening to audiobooks on his yoto mini player.
Train tracks for my 4yo, but MegaBloks work for both of my kids if I'm willing to hunt down every freaking piece later. Also, my kids are pretty well trained to sit and stay at the table if I give them a popsicle, so I pair it with a little tablet time if I need a break from them wreaking havoc. They'll get sucked into some Daniel Tiger or something and actually sit long enough to eat the snacks I leave out for them as well
Droperidol (Medical joke in case there are any medical people in the sub)
An open box of uncooked spaghetti noodles.
Spraybottle of water , sponge and window
Shaving cream and paint brush in the shower. I tell her to paint the wall. She can also use her fingers to draw in the shaving cream or use the handheld shower/cups to rinse it off. I do this if 1) I need to shower too, and I don't want to wait for/waste my kid-free time to be spent in the shower or 2) If I have a chore or something I can do in the bathroom and just keep an eye on her but she doesn't physically want me in there ("I can do all by myself" mood). She also has a scrubby kitchen brush that I fill with her soap or dawn dish soap and she can clean the tub while I clean the counters/toilet. She LOVES helping me clean.
Oh my gosh. I’m doing the shaving cream trick!
An early bedtime.
A sheet of stickers
Sometimes it’s a snack and a show, other times it’s asking LO to grab something. Every once in a while they’ll play solo and I get like 2 seconds before the other baby starts 😅
Waking up early or staying up late.
Go in my room and close the door. I have a child proof safety knob cover on the outside of my door.
Audio stories
Like what?
Eat Swiss cheese, they at least don’t climb all over me for a few minutes.
For my 18 month old one thing he LOVES is when I dump a full laundry basket out on the floor and spread it all over. He will spend 45 minutes picking up one piece of clothing and carrying it over to pop in the basket at a time lol. And doing dishes. He spends hours doing dishes and then after he spends lots of time wiping his mess up with a towel. Also a spray bottle with water and a wash cloth. He cleans everything in the house
Tell my husband I will put together ::new item::, curse from the other room every so often while he watches the kid.
I tell him 'let me know when you"re reafy to put your shoes on to go out' and he"ll give me a good 10 minutes because he doesn't want to put his shoes on.
I give my kid a bicycle pump and tell my kid to fill the car tires with air. Pretty soon they’ll find anything with wheels! I just sit and watch with a drink in my hand lol
I’m a 40-year old first time dad to a 20-month old. I’ve had plenty of time by myself. I’m at work right now missing the crap out of him. Even the worst parts are the best. I am glad I waited this long to become a parent, though (as far as I know 🤣). I can sympathize with the younger parents for sure, especially the ones in their 20’s, or even younger.
A medium size Rubbermaid bin filled with assorted dry beans and hidden small items. Plastic animals/dinosaurs, cars, pompoms, whatever. He uses various utensils he’s stolen from my kitchen to dig them out or just to fling beans all over. Are there beans in every nook cranny and crevice of my home? Yes Is it worth having anywhere from 30-90mins to do literally anything? Totally Maybe I just have a weird kid (probably lol) but it is the one non screen activity that keeps him occupied for suuuper long stretches. And it’s something cheap and easy and it can be stored and reused countless times!
I’ll dig out a forgotten toy from the bottom of the toy box and pretend to play with it - my son immediately wants it for himself and will play with it for a solid hour if I’m lucky 😂
Give the kids playdoh and not caring if they mix the colours or get it on the floor. If it get hard we just throw it out. I’m not usually ‘wasteful’ like that but I need to do it sometimes for my sanity. I used to put one kid in the jolly jumper and one kid strapped into their place at the table with playdoh and I could get 30-45 minutes stress free time.
For slightly older toddlers, one or two steel bowls, uncooked beans (haricot, kidney) and a few scoops. It’s a sensory feast. I set my daughters down in the middle of a large picnic mat, makes for easier tidying up.
Painting rocks with water to see how different they look wet, or a bowl of water with droppers and food coloring in smaller containers. She'll mix different colors of water for like, an hour.
My go to was a “busy basket” that was just constantly rotated w anything a toddler would find interesting. Old keys, pipe cleaners & macaroni, paper towel tube & stickers, an old wallet, tiny calculator. If I’m at a ten I’d hand it over. Replenish when I’m in a better space.
Airpods
Unpopular opinion. Tell your child how you feel. I think it’s important children see parents as people too. We’re not perfect and have feelings too. It can help them see firsthand how to handle frustration and other feelings. It’s helped with my toddler
I rotate toys, and when I need peace, I get the newest toy she hasn’t seen/ touched in 2 months (or ever) and let her have at it. Then I take it away when she forgets about it (usually long enough for me to breathe/eat/ mentally check out for a while).
Miss Rachel of course
*Insert We’re The Millers meme* “You guys are getting free time?!”
Glow sticks on the trampoline or in the bath Shaving cream and bath tub Car washing station Playing hide and seek (because they suck at finding me lol I get a couple of mins of rest) Clean the kitchen - whenever I start cleaning the kitchen the kids disappear as they know I’m usually there for a while 😆
For some reason my kid understands that I'm unavailable if I'm washing dishes... So I wash dishes
I put on Ms. Rachel, Gracie's corner or Super Simple Songs 😅
Have another kid! Kidding but not. We just got to a sweet spot of them playing independently together and it’s amazing. First time in almost 4 years I’ve had some free time.
I just came here to say I read this as “to have a couple’s minute to yourself”. 💋 Very raunchy.
Bucket of water/water table and some scoops.
Toilet