Play Time with 20 Month Old

Have her help with whatever you are doing. Sort laundry by colors - match socks, cooking, cleaning, etc. I started my son with chores about 18 months old because he though it was fun. I know how hard it is to have a rough pregnancy and a little one at home - been there. Limit her to either 90 or 120 minutes of TV daily.

Read, color, paint (crayola colorwonder products are awesome!), do collages using cut up magazines.

Don't forget naps! She should still be taking at least one good sized one!

I found that it helped to have a list of things we "could do" on hand so that when I was too tired to think of something I could fall back to it.

Hang in there, pregnancy does end eventually. Now I have a 6 month old also!

Hey give yourself a break. I have a 23 month old and 9 month old, so I totally get it. Thank goodness my older one likes the Fresh Beat Band to keep her occupied, so I can at least try to give the baby a quiet bottle at his bedtime. Kudos to some of these other creative moms who apparently have ten times as much energy as I do. I just try to at least get her out doing something every day. On bad days that may just be taking her "babies" out for a walk (with the real baby too) and on better days it's a trip to a class or the museum. When the weather breaks, it'll all be much easier. Oh, I found that those Fisher Price Little People keep her SUPER occupied. We have the bus and she spends tons of time putting the people in and out of the bus. And it's small and portable! Good luck.

Scrap paper and washable markers!
Read a book--this will be great when the baby comes. I would read a book to my older child while I was nursing the baby.

My son loves books and books on tapes. You can have books in tapes in the background instead of the tv. I also compiled a kid friendly playlist for the iPod and we listen to that in the background. I suggest books and music since your daughter likes media.

I love what some of the other moms have said already...they are more creative than I am. I don't like the tv much but it is probably because I like it so much!! lol I know that it drags me down and is not good for my little ones but I too sometimes resort to it. It is especially hard when someone is sick. My girls are currently 3yrs4mos and 15mos. I just wanted to say that whenever I turn off the tv the let down is the worst right away and I prepare for it and just know that it is coming. Of course another tough moment is when I first say no if I don't turn it on...there is this time between saying no to tv and her finding something else to do that is rough. However, what I wanted to encourage you with is that it goes away...the crying/whining/complaining stops and both of my girls have figured out how to entertain themselves. I provide the toys and they play with them...often in their own unique ways...like putting giraffes in her microwave because it is a cozy bed. I suppose when she was younger she would pull books off the shelves and leaf through them. Music and dancing helped as well as pushing toys, strollers etc. I have always been happy when I have stuck to my resolve that it will be a no tv day...no tv morning or afternoon, etc. They have always found something to do if I stick it out - and I hardly ever directed the play. Good luck - it will get better but her learning to play independently will be a great skill once the new one comes, too!! :)

You can always lay on the floor and play with her. My sons love for me to build block towers that they take turns knocking down, get out their play kitchen plates and they "fix" me something, big knobby puzzles, race pull back cars in the kitchen, play with playdough, color, sit and do hand movements to children's music. Gosh, the list can go on and on! Just think of what would be fun for her!

We have the TV on a lot too, but I almost always sit on the floor with the 2 boys (3 and almost 1) and they are always playing. I think most of us moms need to resort to TV at some point. You could try "The Fresh Beat Band" on Nick Jr. Both my boys dance around to the music, so they're at least moving around.

Also, in addition to the other great suggestions you've gotten, I think a basket of musical instruments is a great thing to have on hand. Maracas and tambourines and drums. We also have a little piano that has a drum beat track and a microphone. Even the baby adores "rapping" into the microphone.

Things that my 22 month old son loves include:

books-I think he would let me read to him all day sometimes. We have a bunch, but it's also fun to go to the library and check out new ones from time to time (and check out a story hour if they have one)

drawing at his easel (we got a pretty inexpensive one at Ikea)-chalk, crayons, markers, finger paint, etc-he loves it all

water-he loves baths, if I'm low on energy and he's getting restless he goes in the tub or at the sink with a few cups and a few inches of water and he loves it

puzzles-we do them so much I am sick of the 6 puzzles he has and I want to get more

help me in the kitchen-cut out cookies, help measure ingredients, stir

play "drums" by which I mean a bowl/pot and spoon/chopsticks

dance-turn on the radio and go nuts

sing-he loves learning the motions to new songs, maybe you can incorporate songs from her favorite shows

playdoh

blocks-stack em up and knock em down

He also has toys he likes to play with independently-cutting food, cars, play barn, play tool bench etc.

Does she have any dolls? My parents got me one right before my sister was born and I did everything with my doll that my mom did with my sister. Might give her something to do and help with the adjustment.

Good luck!

Hi There,
I also often think my kids are watching too much TV... they are 3 and 5 and I am also 6 mos. pregnant. My 5 year old daughter goes to pre-school 3 days per week (2 full days and a half day) and my son is in a home daycare 2 days per week while I work. They also take gymnastics class and have some playdates, but I have to admit, they do watch TV in the mornings while we are getting ready and after lunch for "rest time".... the hard part now is trying to pry them away when rest time is over! Anyway, try to limit the TV to certain parts of the day. One thing I have done a lot of recently, is go the the library and get books of their favorite Disney Movies, Dora etc. The other day after watching a short Dora episode, we did a Dora alphabet floor puzzle. Then I printed out some Dora pictures I found on the internet and let them paint them... before I knew it the afternoon was over and most of it was playing/ painting etc. Another activity I have used over the winter months is to take the kids water table (or a large, shallow tupperware bin) and put dry pasta or beans in it. Throw in some spoons, cups, buckets, shovels and plastic animals and pretend it is a sandbox. Playdough and playdough toys are always a hit. Also, try giving your child a cookie tray with whipped cream or pudding on it.... finger paint with it, then eat it! One snowy morning we had an indoor picnic. We spread out blankets and the kids put every stuffed animal they had on the blanket and we all ate french toast together on the living room floor. I admit, sometimes it is easier to just put the TV on, but try to limit the duration. Also, try to do activities that you can engage her in, but you don't have to constantly entertain her with (you can walk away to do a quick chore), so she learns to play by herself. In some ways it is easier now, because my kids can play together and entertain each other, but I also have to constantly break up fights!! Good Luck!

if you have a puppet or even regular stuffed animals, you can put on a little show while you are sitting on the couch. Talk in different voices and sing silly kid songs. This was my daughters favorite thing at that age and now at 4, she does the voices and is an awesome pretender. You can also sit on the floor and play with little people with her if you have those... put them in cars and push them around and have them climb around the little houses and stuff. My daughter LOVES TV, but we only allow 2 shows a day. Since these are the things she always liked as a substitute, your daughter might too.

Good job realizing you want to do things differently for your daughter. Here are some things that helped me. We only had one tv (none in bedrooms). Then, we limited it to a certain amount of time per day. Basically, doctors have been saying for 30 years that children under the age of 2 should watch no tv - it seems to lead to shorter attention spans. Pediatricians have a campaign of 'less than 2 hours per day of any electronics for all children'. So, I found it helpful to use it only as a silver bullet - when I needed it to get dinner on the table, for example. So, 5-6pm or whatever time that is for you. Then I wasn't trying to quit cold turkey (which we know doesn't work for dieting), but was also giving myself parameters.

It takes time to retrain oneself to 'relax' in a different way. Just like we don't want our children to be trained that when they are hurt, a cookie makes them feel better, because it inculcates a habit of feeding sadness, in the same way, we need to teach (mostly by example! so hard) our children how to relax in healthy ways - a book, a puzzle, some beautiful music.

Children also love routine. not necessarily rigid, but knowing an order for the day. I had a playdate scheduled pretty much every day. At 20 weeks, she is still napping or having quiet time in her crib for 1-2 hours, so that is good nap time for you, too - in your own room. I found that if I gave my child undivided attention for 30 minutes, then I could expect her to entertain herself with her toys for 20 minutes so I could get some things done. If I put my child off, trying to get stuff done, she was more clingy and demanding - so starting off with some play time worked well.

wake, breakfast, play, clean up (she plays), you clean up together (she can help put her toys back), play date with 10am snack, home for lunch, play, she plays while you do a chore, nap, snack, play, she plays, tv while you get things done, dinner, family time, bed.

In the evening after dinner and before bedtime, we went on a walk (in Michigan winters - 20 was warm) every evening. That way the kids were occupied in a stroller and we could talk a bit.

We went to the library once a week for story time and brought home 20 books. So, reading daily is a great way to spend time. Just take 20 books home - you will realize what books you like and fine tune it over time. Illustrations are really important b/c she is looking at them - so make sure there is beauty in both illustration and language. Don't worry about things being over her head - children love to hear language. Mother Goose nursery rhymes are great. I stayed away from obnoxious, farting, boogers, etc - b/c I don't think children need help being grose - but they do need help learning to be kind, compassionate, helpful, sacrificial and other oriented. I'd have my child on my lap and she could help turn the page. It was okay if I didn't read each word and I'd ask a question about what she saw in the picture.

Other things to do are have a CD on and sing the songs. Libraries also have tons of music. Pandora is great online, because it will choose music for you based on your interest. I don't know if you can choose Raffi... Ballet music is great because most girls love the sound and they think their mom is beautiful and graceful no matter what!

And it is great to set up playdates where you drop her off or have another child over. I found that 1.5 hours was enough time at that age and that I had to be present - I couldn't expect to get anything done during that time. The kids are happy, you get a break or the mom gets a break, and you build community by depending on each other. Ask someone to watch your child while you go to your OB appt. - and watch that person's child while the mom relaxes with coffee with another woman - no kids! - or goes grocery shopping.

I have found that being a SAHM does not mean I need to be home much and it certainly doesn't mean I need to be home alone with my child!

Congrats on number 2