Hellobee

I’ve said time and again how much I love having a toddler – this age is hilarious, insane, and fleeting and I’m loving every second of it. One of the aspects of toddlerhood that can be frustrating, however, is that at this age they lack a lot of independence and that means it can be darn near impossible to get anything done around the house when Jackson is awake.

Over the last year or so, I’ve been slowly testing out different strategies here and there to try and find some things that are effective in keeping Jackson happy and busy while I run a quick load of laundry or unload the dishwasher. Here are my go-to tricks for keeping him busy so that I can actually get some things done:

Getting some “help” to get a project done!

• Ask him to help. This is my go-to trick, and it works as long as the task I’m needing to accomplish isn’t anything major. Jackson loves to be helpful, and he always wants to be doing whatever I’m doing. So, when I’m cleaning I’ll find some aspect of the task that he can help with and act as if I can’t survive without his assistance. He usually takes the bait, and then he’ll happily work alongside me for at least 10 minutes or so. This trick also works well with cooking, putting laundry away, or minor yard work!

• Have a “toddler zone” – for us, it’s the bottom left-hand drawer of the dresser that sits underneath our television. Jackson knows that his crayons and coloring books are in there, and his little toddler table sits right next to the dresser – so if I’m really busy and just need a few minutes of peace, I send him to color and he’s usually happy to do it because it’s an area he can access with zero assistance and he feels like a big kid getting to pull toys out and play without me needing to help. We have many friends with entire playrooms dedicated to this purpose, but that’s not a reality for us right now so we try to create space in each room of the house where Jackson can be totally independent for at least a few minutes when necessary.
• Practice independent play time. This is such an important skill! For as long as I can remember, we have worked on setting aside at least a few minutes each day where Jackson plays by himself without any additional support or attention from adults. Many people tend to feel like they’re ignoring their kid when they don’t play with them all the time, but research has shown time and again that independent creative play is huge for child development. Kids need to learn how to entertain themselves, and you’re only helping them if you create time in your day to dedicate to that. Slowly start to build up your toddler’s tolerance for playing alone, and soon enough you’ll be able to work for 30 minutes or so in peace while your toddler plays happily and independently. It’s a win-win!
• Magnets and stickers are your friends. Our dishwasher is perpetually covered in a layer of dinosaur, jungle animal, and letter magnets. Jackson used to play with them a little more often when he was younger, but the magnets are still a great way to get him engaged and busy when I’m doing something in the kitchen. He’ll move them from one appliance to another, he’ll re-arrange them, and he’ll carry them around the room making noises. Same goes for stickers! One little sheet of stickers will keep a toddler busy for minutes at a time. We especially love those removable stickers that come with scenes in a book that you can re-arrange over and over.
• Practice using “first, then”. We use this phrase a lot with Jackson: “First (whatever I need to accomplish), then (whatever he is wanting to do instead)” – over time he has learned that I’m not going to change my mind and he will wait much more calmly for me to do whatever it is I’m doing. For example, if we’ve just had dinner and I need to wash the dishes but he’s begging to go outside and play, I’ll tell him “first I need to wash the dishes, then we can go play.” He’ll usually stand behind me going “you done now?” every 15 seconds or so until I’m finished, but it’s a great way to head off a tantrum if I just need a couple of minutes to wrap up whatever it is I’m doing.
• Embrace the mess. If I have something that I really need to focus on and I know it’s going to take more than 5 or 10 minutes, I know it’s time to break out the big guns – the messy  toys. Jackson has a kinetic sand set that he absolutely loves to play with, but it ends up creating a mess all over my floor so we don’t bring it out too often. Because it’s a toy that he sees so rarely, it will fully entertain him for much longer  than most of his other toys. Same goes for finger paints and other messy activities – they work like a charm when I need a bit longer to get a few things done!

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What are your tricks for keeping your toddler entertained when you can’t play with them?