Some more ideas to keep them occupied:
Have a toy rotation… a box of blocks, a box of duplo/lego (even different sets of lego kept separate), a train set, a box of cleaned recycle stuff like yogurt containers for littles, or recycle craft stuff for preschoolers, playdough (cheap and easy to make a big batch at home and keep it in the back of the fridge)… keep these toys out of their reach/sight until you take them out. If they haven’t played with them for a while, then they’ll respond like it’s a new toy and it keeps their attention longer. (Then put it away again!.. keeps the house tidier this way too).
On our back porch that is off the kitchen (safe and gated) I can keep the toddler and preschoolers busy out there for a long time by occasionally handing them a pitcher of water to play with (this applies to summertime of course!). If I were to only provide my kids with 3 toys that get the most play value of all… water, sand, and lego!
Sometimes we get down a few blankets and throw a couple over a kitchen or coffee table, or a couple of living room chairs, and voila… a fort!
Sometimes I think they are seeming more attention-seeking just before dinner because they are getting hungry… perhaps they weren’t too fond of what we had for lunch and didn’t eat as much as they should have. Sometimes while I am making dinner I put out some super-healthy snack (like raw veggies or apple slices) for them to munch on… but it has to be something that it won’t bother me if they spoil their appetite a little for dinner.
Sometimes I feed the baby his dinner first before I make dinner, or I feed him in his highchair while I make dinner (3 or 4 spoonfuls and cut some veggies, 3 or 4 spoonfuls then stir a pot, etc…)… he’s usually happy to watch what I’m doing while he waits for some more… or I give him safe kitchen utensils or small unopened bags of food… anything but what’s in that boring toy box (seen it, done that!)
I have a sling… sometimes nothing works and the baby gets carried in the sling while I do something like vacuum, laundry folding, cooking… they like being carried, that’s the way babies are.
Sometimes I let the toddler play with water at the sink while I cook… a little attention still is needed to ensure the water is staying in the sink though… but water will keep them very very occupied.
I think there are a lot of good ideas in a little book called “365 Things to do Without TV”… some title like that… I haven’t read it in a long time; maybe someone can confirm/correct that title… I’m sure there’s more ideas in there that wouldn’t be very parent involved.
Use your imagination… ultimately they want your attention more than anything else… maybe there are creative ways to give them your attention that don’t require you physically… perhaps start and lead a game where they are acting out different animals, or they will pretend to be construction equipment and build a road … sometimes we play ‘fetch’: the boys are ‘Rosie’ and ‘Bernie’ (two favourite neighbour dogs) and we have a soft cloth ball that I toss and they take turns fetching it by crawling and grabbing it in their teeth and bringing it back to me and I say “Fetch, Rosie”, or “Fetch, Bernie”, and “good, Rosie”, “good, Bernie”–they LOVE this game! (My husband has reservations about treating our kids like dogs though :wacko: )
When I had only one or even two little ones, I had none of these ideas yet and our life sort of revolved around them a lot more, and it didn’t matter if things weren’t always getting done because “this too shall pass”… but it’s been 16 years now and I still have little ones (and another due in December) so now getting dinner on the table and the laundry kept up and homeschooling the older ones and cleaning the house and weeding the garden… well, it just has to get done; it can’t wait until they’ve outgrown this stage. I’m also very blessed to also have some older ones who can keep them entertained/supervised (like when I have a bath!) It sounds like a lot of work or very difficult to have many children, but really it’s no harder than having just one or two little ones. I have more experience now and can get things done more efficiently (there isn’t that big emotional learning curve like when you’re a new parent), and the kids entertain each other more, and the older ones are doing some of the chores that I used to have to do all by myself. For some things there is more work (eg more laundry), somethings are the same (still 3 meals, just bigger pots), but some things are easier with more kids to help out (I can leave them all in the car for a series of quick errands like pick up the drycleaning, mail a package… and I even have a built in babysitter now). If you enjoy kids and want more, but you are feeling uncertain if you could manage any more, then believe me that it was really hard for me too to have 1 or 2 children… I find it a bit easier now (with 6!) even though it still definitely keeps me from getting bored… ever! Watching them all grow and learn and develop is such a miracle and such a pleasure that it makes it worth it to freely give up a little of the ‘me’ time to pursue my own interests… there will be lots of time for that later. If you know that you don’t want to have any more children, then please do me one honour… never say in front of your children anything like these common phrases “oh, I couldn’t handle any more children”, “oh, two are enough for me!”, “no way, I’ve got my hands full with these two”… people will ask you if plan to have more, but there are much better responses that won’t hurt your children’s feelings. Well, this is getting off topic, but I hope that everyone is enjoying their little blessings, even though it isn’t always easy to get things done, and maybe some of these ideas will help. Limiting TV helps kids to keep longer attention spans too.
He can wash veggies, pour salt and do lots of different things
