For Moms with only one child at home

Christine - posted on 05/24/2012

I love the iPad 2 even more now I don't mind playing with my son but their are times I have to get organized so I let him play with my iPad 2 he loves it

you can download free games and it keeps

him busy for awhile he's into playing checkers now. And they have a fish tank one where you get to pick fishes and name them and feed them. Ofcouse he still Ike's the. Sponge bob and boxing games too hope this helped

Deanna - posted on 07/25/2010

When I only had one at home she did everything with me. She helped me clean, and we played games while I cooked or did things with chemicals. (her from her highchair or walker) We listened to music and sometimes she just played on the floor with her toys.

Ceri - posted on 07/15/2010

My son asks for TV (mickey Mouse club house) and movies. I let him watch Play House Disney on Saturday AM. (I work M-F full time) TV goes off by 10:30. No matter what time he wakes up. (he is a late sleeper) I play music! All day. We have drums and guitars ect. He LOVES LOVES imagination movers. They are awesome, and not annoying at all. We also listen to They Might Be Giants ABC's and Phineas and Ferb sound track. Anything from Play House Disney that he likes to watch. Then he gets the stuff that he wants to watch, but isnt watching TV.

Crystal - posted on 06/23/2010

My son has a great imagination and can be an only child for life because he likes to play by himself, not that he doesn't like to play with others, but he like to pretend. When he is bored with being along and wants me to play it's usually while cleaning or cooking, so what I do is get him involved. He loves to clean, a piece of paper towel makes his day as mommy is washing the windows, and when we cook he gets to sit on the counter and assist or stand on a chair. He eventually gets bored with me also and goes off and play, but I think for all the moms that are having trouble with their 2 year olds wanting them to play while they are busy they should try and involve them. At this age they start to begin to understand what it is to pick toys up and put them in their room (they don't always go back to exactly where they belong, usually my son just dumps them in his doorway, but it at least lets him participate in what I am doing and is teaching him a lesson). Cooking and baking is fun too because they can dump the ingredients in the bowl with assistance and then help stir!

Josie - posted on 06/22/2010

I have the same problem. No matter what toys you give them, they will always end up wanting you to play with them. My son does not like TV and it's hard because I'll be trying to cook dinner and he wants me to play with him or pay attention to him. He does go to daycare during the day so he at least gets some interaction with other kids. Other than that, he usually likes to help with cooking dinner or doing laundry. I mean he's not really helping but at least he's entertained!

Kirsty - posted on 05/14/2010

there are lots of activities you can do!finger painting (cover the floor with an old sheet,clothes with old shirts etc) and other arty stuff,reading,playing with her dolls.and youre not limited to the house and garden either.take her swimming (if you have friends with kids who are a similar age go with them or see if your local pool offers a group),the park.go on a nature walk and get her to point stuff out.it all helps!but most of all,have fun with her!

Jamie Lee - posted on 04/23/2010

Hello my son is 2 1/2 and is very intelligent for his age. He also gets bored v easily and likes to colour and draw. Also there are puzzles and jig saws for children that age and there very good, keeps the child busy for hours.

Autumn - posted on 04/22/2010

we let our 2 yr old daughter help us with everything. she even has her own play sweeper, broom, iron, kitchen set etc. we allow her to have an hour of tv time but thats it. kids need to go outside and play, or read books. im very busy with work and my husband works to so when i have a million things to do i encourage her to help me and she not only gets to spend time with me, but she loves feeling like a big kid

Siobhan - posted on 04/09/2010

If I need to get something done around the house I will have my daughter watch TV or a movie. If she has already done that & its time to turn off the TV I will have her help me when possible. I don't know about your little one, but my daughter loves to help out & trying to do things on her own. She has surprised me with some of the things she can do. She has helped me fold laundry (she hands me each item & will try to fold smaller items), cook, sweep & vac (with the dustbuster), and a lot of other things. A lot of times when I'm washing dishes, cooking, or cleaning in the kitchen & I know I'll be in there for a while I'll set her up with a project at the kitchen counter (finger paints, play dough, crayons,stickers). I put on music & we dance around while I'm cleaning. We do lots of reading & she enjoys looking at books on her own more & more. She will sit quietly & page through books for about 30 min at a time.

Also get her out of the house every day- even if its just out in the yard for a half hour. I've taken my daughter out even when its raining lightly & we've had a good time- we just put our rain coats on.She has been helping me with yard work now that the weather is warmer. She has her own little gardening gloves, hand rake, & watering can. She helped me get some soil from the garden & we planted some herbs in pots inside. We go to the playground, the library, for walks, on errands, the play area at the mall & i find cheap or free kids activities by looking online & in the local paper. Also try hooking up with other moms & have a playgroup that alternates between your homes. You could even join a moms club & they plan all sorts of activities & usually have reasonable yearly dues.

Another activity that frees up some of my time at home is dress up. My daughter has a big basket full of dress up clothes/bags/shoes & she loves to go off in her room & pretend to be a princess & change outfits.

I hope you will find that some of these ideas work for you- have fun!

Leeanne - posted on 04/09/2010

My daughter Arabella has her own toy room. Not a flash one but everything is left in plain sight so she learns to be able to make her own decision of what to play with. She prefers her crayons, playdough, blocks and books at the moment. But when I am outside weeding the garden or hanging out washing I find she likes to play in her sand pit and draw with chalk on the cement path. Try those. Please let me know how you get on.

Barbara - posted on 04/08/2010

my 2 yr old loves legos, the magnetic drawing boards, books, baby dolls (and all accessories) and she loves decorative boxes and baskets that she can put random stuff into.



most kids will also want to do what they see their parents doing. My daughter has a play kitchen a broom, a vacuum, and her own washcloth to wipe down her toys with (because she kept getting into her wipes)

Sandra - posted on 04/06/2010

Im on the laptop all the time for school, so i got my 2 yr old a 15 dollar kids laptop and she'll sit and play on hers and watch some of her favorite shows, Ice age, Monsters Vs Aleins... i got her a kitchenett set and she just goes round and round playing,. Just be careful, when your looking for your shoes or keys its in the oven.. :D good luck

Becca - posted on 04/05/2010

I have the same problem with my 2 1/2 year old... In this case she wants to watch the TV/ Movies all the time... I let her help me clean the house... She Sweeps... Does Dishes (plays with the water) and she helps Vaccum thhe living room and her room as well.. We also have a big basket of Playdough that she asks for from time to time.. She enjoys this... I am not a stay at home mom so I don't spend all my time with her but when I do I try to make sure it is something creative...

Elizabeth - posted on 04/03/2010

I have all the toys organized into tubs by type. A tub for musical stuff (drums, maracas, tambourines), a tub for puzzles, one for trucks, one for Lego blocks, one for alphabet and number blocks, one for stuffed animals, and so forth. He is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and will play with his trains for a long time, but when that gets old we put it away, then pull out another set of toys and he gets into that for a while. Picking up and putting stuff away in the tub after he's done playing with it is part of the game. If he doesn't want to pick up I tell him he will get a current favorite toy taken away until he does help pick up. Then I follow through.

When I sit down to play with him I spend a lot of time helping him use his imagination and play pretend. They need to develop a good imagination if you want them to keep themselves entertained. One great thing I did is draw and cut out different types of food from colored construction paper. I put them in an old basket, set out all his stuffed animals, and told him they were having a picnic. This kept him going for a while! And now I have another activity up my sleeve.

We spend an hour or two at the playground, park, library, beach, or going to the grocery store almost every day. Getting out of the house and burning off that physical energy is really important.

Krisie - posted on 04/02/2010

We have a pillow fight almost every night. He loves to swing the pillows and I love to pretend I have been knocked down by them and play dead -which consists of me lying on the bed with my tongue hanging out and moaning. Anytime I can lay on the bed - I consider it a miracle so this is also one of my favorite games.

Erin - posted on 04/01/2010

My little boy likes to color.....it keeps him entertained for awhile so I can get things done.

Sharon - posted on 03/31/2010

Depending on if you are up for messy play - but I bought some sauce bottles and filled them with paint then found a big box and made it flat then let him go crazy with the paint outside. He had so much fun making a huge mess he couldn't care less if I was there. Other days I just hosed some dirt and he plays in mud. Indoor play we have the crayola ball paint things and a really big sheets of paper or just his crayons. He also enjoys having a bowl of flour and some water and doing "cooking". I can generally get the rest of the house done before he's sick of that and it's time to clean the kitchen but if I give him a cloth and tell him to get to work on the floor he is happy as larry!!

Misti - posted on 03/31/2010

It isnt a specific toy or game, its about a variety. My daughter is good for about 15-20 minutes with something, then its wanting a change. We have many different things at her access..train set, building blocks, food and dishes, baby doll, books, "magic" markers, etc. She will go from one to the other. My house is a wreck but she is happy and allows me to get some stuff done. She also like to help do laundry or dishes.

Elizabeth - posted on 03/29/2010

My Ivy loves her blocks and i love going over the colors with her, coloring is also a big thing for her that keeps her away from the tv

Michelle - posted on 03/29/2010

My little girl is 2 and we have a craft box w/moon sand, fingerpaint, play-doh. It just depends how open you are to this kind of play. We get the box dwn and she picks 1 item to play with. One day it's moon sand the next maybe play-doh. Keep in mind, it all cleans up at the end and they have a great time making things. If you shop @ target, they usually have great deals on the moon sand.

Sheetal - posted on 03/26/2010

My 2.5 year old usually helps me in the kitchen, loves playing with puzzels and watches his favourite video's whilst mum & dad are busy. We stick to routine which he thrives on.

Amber - posted on 03/22/2010

My daughter loves to wash (ok, play) the dishes. I get to cook dinner or clean and she stands on her chair with the soapy water in the sink and "washes" her cups and dishes. Plus, my floor gets cleaned because I have to wipe up the water from the floor every time :)

Mec - posted on 03/20/2010

It's just really the truth...we have to constantly entertain them. I guess routine helps, if the child knows when he can have Mummy all to himself, he'd be more likely to play by himself when Mummy has to do something else.

Sometimes, I let him 'help' me instead... I let him help me beat an egg and let him watch with me while it cooks. I also insist that he puts his toys away after playing, otherwise, the toys will be put on a timeout and he won't be able to play with them over a certain period.

I do resort to TV sometimes too, usually when I want to use the computer. But I try to tailor my activities around his schedule so that I am available when he wants me. So I make sure to get him to nap so I can do something done. Plus, I also work and have ME time at night, after he's slept.

Heather - posted on 03/12/2010

I take my daughter to story time at our library 2x a week. It gets us both out of the house for a hour or so, which really breaks up the day. It allow her have interaction with other kids and it gives me a little break too. Not only do they read books, but there is also music and dancing and crafts too. Best thing is that it's free. You should check your local library to see if they do a story time.

MALGORZATA - posted on 03/09/2010

My 2 year old loves to watch cartoons on Video(VHS) So what I did is: put the VCR so he can reach and play his favorite cartoons. Now he can sit in the room the hole day and play his favorite cartoons, right now it is "Toy story 2" A lot of children love to watch "Beauty and the Beast".

Alison - posted on 03/09/2010

hi, my 2 year old also asks me to play when trying to do housework, my solutions are to tell her i will play when finished.
i have a box with childs glue stick, paper, glitter, shapes etc.
she sits at the kitchen table with this craft stuff while i clean up in the room.
i will still go to her now and again and help or talk to her, she is quite happy doing this.

Or she will have a damp cloth and she likes to help lol, including putting clothes in the washer and pressing the button when im ready.

Kristina - posted on 03/09/2010

My daughter is also 2. i am having the same problem. she has every kind of toy you can think of but she always wants me to play. So i started telling her no mommy has to clean house. That else leaves me with a 2 yr screaming or a dirty house.

Rachel - posted on 03/08/2010

my daughter loves to use her tag reader and play with blocks. She is beginning to understand that sometimes I can't play with her since i have homework so she'll have to keep herself entertained.

Kelly - posted on 03/08/2010

in Sadie's room are most of her toys and books. she has a desk filled with markers and coloring books. the tv is only on while i take a shower (or she is trying to throw all her bath toys in with me; no fun when your head is all soapy!) afterwards, the tv goes off and she plays. and jumps on the trampoline. and runs circles around the house. or whatever. she's pretty good about entertaining herself. my husband and i believe that children should be able to entertain themselves, for their own good, and the parents sanity! :)

Norlela - posted on 03/06/2010

hello, my lil princess 2 yrs also, having fun watching her fav cartoon, sometimes with vcd. Nowadays, i realised that she like to flip flap her books and start imagine through the picture. Also had toys to play with and she loves to play Lego which can develop sensory and motor skills. She enjoy hours of fascinating play, building one creation after another according to imagination. It's like having anew toy every time.