What do you do with Lottie all day long?
You would be surprised how many moms ask me what I do all day long to entertain Lottie. We don’t watch TV during the day (maybe an occasional sing-song baby einstein show while I am cooking) or play on the ipad… so what else is there to do?
Winter is tough because during the summertime we will spend 3/4 of our day outside running, playing at the playground and in the yard. So when it gets cold we have to get creative to burn off that toddler energy!
My top 5 favorite things to do with Lottie in the winter
Arts and Crafts
This one takes some time to train on the “not eating the play-doh” and “crayons don’t go in your mouth”, but once they are out of the putting everything in their mouth stage I love doing arts and crafts with Lottie. You have to be ok with getting messy, but that is most of the fun for the kids. Let your kids explore and color outside of the lines, there is no right and wrong way to create art! We love doing finger paints and playing with stickers too. Anything that gets her little mind creating is fun to see what she comes up with.
Dance Parties
We’ve been doing dance parties since she was itty bitty! Here is a throw back to when she was 9 months 🙂
Whether we get out pots and pans and make our own music, or dance around the living room to Taylor Swift’s shake it off music video, I love spending time in music time with Lottie. We do freestyle dance parties, and are now pros at clapping our hands and stomping our feet if we are happy.
Play dates
Invite other mom friends over. You need adult interaction, and when the kids are over at your house you can sit back and relax a little bit, instead of chasing them around the playground. Have a standing playdate with your friends every week, with the understanding of whoever can make it that week will be there, but no pressure on showing up – we are all busy!
Cook together
She’s only 18 months, so she isn’t stir frying our dinner yet, but you would be surprised what these little ones can do. Even if she’s not actually helping me cook, I give her a bowl and a spoon with some cheerios to pretend she’s helping me cook and that keeps her engaged and entertained. These kitchen helpers are great for kids and give parents a little more comfort in knowing their kids won’t fall off the back of a chair as easily.
Soccer in the basement
We have an unfinished basement and when it comes to toddlers in the winter, they are one of the best ways to pass time. Lottie and I bring all of her toys that we play with outside (soccer balls, cars, lawn mowers etc) downstairs and spend a few hours running around our unfinished basement!
What are your favorite winter activities when you are stuck inside with your toddlers?
Don’t miss out on Raising Robinson’s updates and favorites of the week!
Have a great holiday with your littles and families! Until next week!
We made a little indoor playground in our unfinished basement last winter and Molly loved it. We hung a swing from the wood ceiling joists and put a sandbox down there. Since its concrete, just sweep it up and dump it back in:)