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Becky J
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| Posted: Nov 03 2010 at 12:27pm | IP Logged
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My youngest child is almost 14-months-old. I think I am out of practice having a toddler because I am finding it difficult to "cope" with her toddleresque behaviors. My husband insists we went through the same difficulties when our other kids were younger. But maybe it just seems harder the third time around because, with three kids, I have more work to do but a harder time getting it done.
It seems like, when I am trying to get something done, one of two things happens. Either my daughter can't find anything with which to occupy herself, so she walks around fussing and wanting to be picked up. Or, if she finds something to occupy herself, it is inevitably messy, naughty, or dangerous.
How do you deal with matters when you have a child in this stage of the toddler years? How do you pay bills, make grocery lists, cook meals, do laundry, homeschool your other kids, etc.? I'd appreciate any advice!
Becky J
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Nov 03 2010 at 12:44pm | IP Logged
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**14 months is a GREAT age to be on your back! I alternate between letting them play, and then pop them in the Ergo for awhile. Then, let them down and play again.
**Contained areas near to where you are working
**Bathtub -- we often "do school" in the hallway outside the bathroom while the little ones are in the tub
**On your lap....being firm that this is "lap time"....no climbing around....just playing with a variety of things in front of you.
**Highchair----rotating toys, projects, etc.
**Strapped in booster chair at ANY table or area where you are working. ie: when I'm doing a job that requires a ton of movement and they can't be on my back, then they are in an extra, expired car seat that floats around the house for this purpose.
**Crib---again....working in the bedroom or paying bills, etc....while the toddler is playing in the crib.
**a childproof BEDROOM with a gate up.....child is in the bedroom playing, while I do paperwork, organizing, or working with another child on the other side of the gate, so they can see me/us. You are literally within touching distance, but they can't go on the ATTACK.
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: Nov 03 2010 at 2:32pm | IP Logged
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As always, Suzanne is right on.  
I have a 19-month-old girl who is trained quite well to stay in the room I tell her to--that is absolutely essential for me. We have done that with all our children and it helps me handle the household so much more easily when I know exactly where my little ones are. Not that she doesn't need reminding now and then. But she pretty reliably stays where I ask her to.
When she is whining or getting into trouble, I put her on my back for a while in the Ergo--that thing is an *lifesaver*. The problem is she doesn't usually want to come down from there.  Other problem: sometimes the baby is already in there. But it does keep her happy and occupied when she gets her turn.
Like Suzanne suggested, she loves sitting at the dining table with me while I'm handling chores in the dining room/kitchen. (She doesn't really like her high chair except for mealtimes and short periods, so I put her in one of the older kids' booster seats--she loves the novelty of it.)
Siblings are also a great help. I will give the "big kids" (my two 4yos) an idea for a game to play with her, and usually she will follow along. Honestly, I have found the toddler age a little easier now that I have the older ones as helpers. I have trouble remembering how I used to get to the bathroom without an older sibling to watch the toddler.
And I do leave a lot of chores for her naptime or when my husband is home. Saturdays are super busy! And as soon as my toddler goes down for her nap on the weekdays, I am a whirlwind around the house, prepping dinner, washing dishes, cleaning, organizing. I try to use that time efficiently. My one regret there is that I really would prefer to spend more of that naptime with the older two doing more big-kid things. So it's always a struggle to balance it all.
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Nov 03 2010 at 3:57pm | IP Logged
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Having a camping/field chair like this one is helpful too. In place of these we've had various other "on the ground places for me to sit"....
::bean bag chair
::a futon cushion without the frame
::a twin mattress
::a piece of thick foam
---all pushed up against a wall. When you're on the floor at their level, little ones tend to be more content for longer amounts of time. As opposed to sitting on a couch or a regular chair at a table----they know you're not "with them." But, if you're on the floor, they have more of a chance of playing in the nearby vicinity for longer amounts of time, even if your attention is completely NOT on them.
It's not unusual for my husband to come home and find the older kids on the couches and at the tables, and me on the floor in my camping chair with littles playing around me, while I work with an older child or do paperwork, etc. Well....not NOW (8 months pregnant) of course.... ...but under non-pregnancy-circumstances! 
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Nov 03 2010 at 4:10pm | IP Logged
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including them whenever you can might help too.
They can carry non-breakables for setting a table.. they can use a dry rag for helping to dust low surfaces.. or a damp rag to help clean the floor.. or a spray bottle of water and a dry (to start out) rag to clean the lower parts of glass doors.. they love to play in a sink with a bit of water and soap suds a few things to pour with. They make great "dump trucks" when you're mixing things up.. you measure and let them dump the measure cup or spoon into the bowl.
Basically they're looking for mom's attention and/or to be included. giving them paper and pencil or crayons in the high chair while everyone is at the table using the same type of things makes them feel included for instance.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Occupying a toddler?
