While I'm folding laundry or working in my room, I'll put him on my bed. He loves to be up there and bounce around. Funnily enough, he respects the edges and is very careful not to fall off. While I'm folding the laundry, he loves to help me and it's so cute to watch. If I'm getting ready, he sits and watches me, totally fascinated. It's so cute.
He is not a big fan of watching TV-maybe I just haven't found the right video he'll sit still for more than 2 minutes. Except Sesame Street. Wohoo! I'll turn it on while he's eating breakfast in his high chair, and he'll watch quite a bit of it, totally fascinated. I think it's just the right combination of movement, live puppets, and cartoons.
Cael will also color with crayons. To contain him, I put him in his high chair with a piece of paper and 2 non-toxic crayons. That way he can't color on walls, furniture, etc. I was thinking I'll probably only let him color in his chair for as long as I can so he only colors on the right things. It's cute to watch him color because he grasps the crayons so tightly and makes these teeny tiny marks. We like to give those notes to Daddy when he gets home.
What else do you guys do to entertain your kiddos?
Lots and lots of toys :). Samantha thinks its helpful to pull the clothes off the couch when I take them out of the hamper. I usually let her play with her clothes. If I need to do "dangerous" chores like vacuuming (I could see her running into the vacuum since she's not afraid of it), I'll put her in her crib with some toys. I also do that when she's awake and I need to shower. She's getting too big for her exersaucer, but I usually put her in there if I need to run downstairs to the car or for laundry. Yes, I leave her in the apartment by herself sometimes. Don't call child services! She really doesn't like being left in her high chair if she's not eating. When I'm cooking, she usually paces around the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteHave another baby!!!! It will be very entertaining for him.
ReplyDeleteI had the same problems with Josiah as a baby. We would take a lot of walks in his stroller. It was great exercise for me and he loved being outdoors.
We also started finger painting at around 18 months. That was a blast for him and took a lot of clean up time but worth it.
One thing I didn't do with Josiah that I do with Nathan is play pen time. I give him a toy that he hasn't played with in a while or a bunch of balls. He will be happy in there for a while.
Another thing is the good old tupper ware drawer or cabinet. Nathan and Jojo both love this and it will keep them busy for 1/2 an hour.
Be thankful that you are in beautiful california and not in snowy, cold Russia. You have a lot more options than I do. Oh, yeah, Babygym at Grace was great too. Josiah loved it except that he wasn't very attentive during the circle time but it taught him a few things.
Did I read that correctly??!!! He takes 2 - 2 hour naps!! How can I get my son to do that??!! What time does he go to bed at night? What time does he get up in the morning? I'm lucky if I can get him to take one 2 hour nap during the day. He has so much energy! He didn't get that from me!
ReplyDeleteMelissa - are you still crushing poppy seeds into his cooked cereal? Too much nap time? I was hoping for a photo of one of Cael's notes to papa, if they're not too personal. Yes, you should have a few more grandchildren. They would also be entertaining to Cael....
ReplyDeleteI like Natalie's comment about having another baby...I was thinking the same thing! Getting an older sibling to entertain is even better-so here's hope that Cael will be able to keep any other Pidal children well entertained when you need to get things "done." I've always tried to "involve" Anna in chores (laundry, vacuuming, dusting, tidying). They take longer but it's good training:)
ReplyDeleteOh...and I can't believe he still naps so much. I'm counting is a blessing that Elijah takes ONE 2-hour nap!