How to Deal With Constantly Needing to Entertain Babies and Toddlers

Being with a baby or toddler 24/7 is so physically and mentally exhausting. The constant need to entertain and provide attention is overwhelming and can wear you down quickly. Today's quick tip is a method I started using with my first child when he was a toddler and it helped me keep some of my sanity. Hope it inspires you too!

TRANSCRIPT
If you’re quarantined with a baby or toddler or both I am sending you all the positive vibes right now. I feel like this is one of the most challenging situations because the little guys need SO MUCH ATTENTION and since you can’t get out they are probably getting in all kinds of trouble inside your home. It is also challenging that you are physically around them 24/7 which means they are consistently trying to seek your attention.

When we moved to Ireland we had a one year old and the initial solitude with a toddler was excruciating. For the first 4 weeks we lived out of suitcases so we didn’t have many toys, books, or anything really. He wasn’t able to do much independently and even if I came up with what I thought were fun activities they would only engage him for a couple minutes. Which drive me crazy when I put in so much effort. When our second was born it was hard to manage both of their attention needs and it just ended up being frustrating all the time.

The constant need to give attention to and entertain small children is draining and can feel impossible. If you are also working from home right now, I actually think it is impossible unless you have help because young children especially younger than 2 really can’t be independent for very long therefore constantly need attention.

You can definitely make a schedule if you’re lucky enough to have a consistent napper but it can still feel like the days are never ending. So if you are one of the lucky mamas or dads in quarantine with a young child, my quick tip is this: make a list of at least 5 things your child loves to do and rotate through this list throughout the day. So for example, our 5 things are playing with the train set, painting, listening to music (my kids particularly like Disney’s greatest hits and Owl City), reading books together, and playing with kitchen utensils. Within the day’s set agenda items like eating, napping watching TV, and going out, I rotate through these activities when I don’t know what to do next. By having 5 things you know your child loves at the ready you can keep rotating them in. You may need to do some trial and error or work up to getting your child to love certain activities. But once you’ve got your 5 it’ll be easy to utilize them whenever you need. Even if you need to do all 5 in a row 3 times to get you an hour, it will make the time pass faster than not knowing what to do. You can definitely add some more adventurous play to have up your sleeve like a taste safe sensory bin using things like rice, edible playdoh, or even just water.

Keep it simple and flexible. Sometimes we don’t get to all 5 things in a day because we were too busy playing with other toys or have other things to do. But by having a set list of things you can provide entertainment at the ready and save yourself the agony of not knowing what to do next. In my experience, kids don’t mind doing the same things on a daily basis and as they grow up or get bored you can come up with  new activities in your rotation. 

Most importantly, remember this too shall pass. It is so draining to deal with the 24/7 needs of babies and toddlers but this time will pass and whether you like it or not in 10 years you will look back and smile.