I'm a mom of three and still clueless! Help :(

[rosegarden620]

Two questions regarding my 17 month old:

1. What activities and toys does your toddler (closer to this age) find most entertaining? Since my older two are well into their elementary school years, this all feels new to me again. Please include what you do for art activities.

2. How did you prepare you toddler (closer to this age) for a new sibling? She'll be 18/19 months when the newest sibling arrives- so soon. We've been doing the "where's baby?" "Give baby a kiss" material. She's kisses my belly and rubs it, but also has no qualms on crawling all over me. I was thinking her own baby doll. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Signed,
Clueless mom of three Soon to be 4

 

[SarahBear]

I have a 19 month old. He's pretty easy. It's once they get older that it's harder to entertain them... He likes books, toys, and being physical. Some "activities" he's enjoyed recently though are playing with rice (just stick it in a big bin and let them have at it. Sweep or vacuum afterward!) and painting (He painted a pumpkin for Halloween. It was his first experience with paint). Unlike my oldest, he seems to like costumes. There are plenty of toys around the house and he likes the duplo and he has a favorite truck. He enjoys the dolls, but Violet is protective of hers and he only has one small one that frequently gets lost. He's getting another doll for Christmas. We also have huge pillows that he likes to throw himself into and a toy kitchen that he enjoys. He likes going for walks (either toddler paced or in the stroller), playing and exploring outside, going to the library, and walking around pretty much any public place that he's allowed to walk around.

I have no idea how to prepare a child that age for a new sibling... Understanding is so limited. Perhaps show her a birthing video as she might not REALLY understand that there's a baby inside you. I showed my daughter birthing videos when she was 2 because she was also at her brother's birth and this helped her understand what was going on and so she'd know what to expect.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Theres 21mths between my eldest 2...I didnt do any prep at all and there was no issues x

 

[rosegarden620]

Thank you! That's a huge help in itself. We are moving and I want to make sure I have things to keep her entertained at our new place. Everything here makes noises and lights up and she's not a huge fan.

As for the sibling help, that's also helpful and helps calm me down knowing you both did minimal preparation

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Smaller gap made it easier for them I think. I suspect I will have issues this time. My 3 yr old wants mummy to herself!

 

[JumpingIn]

Zach is 17 months. His fave home activities are:
Pretending to vacuum by pushing a stick around the house. He does this for about an hour a day at least
Playing with his toy kitchen and pretending to eat/make food
Helping me bake cakes/make pancakes
Finger painting (we do canvas and paper)
Pushing cars/trains around
Making marks on his chalk board/on paper
Pushing his dollies around the garden in prams
Going for local walks
Dancing to music
Making music with his instruments
Reading board books, especially ones with flaps
Climbing all over the sofa/bed
Hide and seek
Pulling Duplo apart
Play Doh
Helping me empty the dish washer
Splashing around in the bath with his bath toys
Climbing the stairs
Chase/tickles
Emptying containers and refilling them
Playing with nesting boxes
Watching his bubble tube
Sometimes enjoys arranging his toy dinosaurs
Will sometimes help me build a train track
He likes sound books and will sometimes happily sit pressing the buttons and turning the pages himself
Emptying the peg basket!
Harrassing the cats
Climbing in and out of his ride-in car