Toddler Toddler Activities - Nashville, TN

The libraries have story time for free. The local musuems have things also. Where I live, the community centers also have kindermusic and stuff like that. Mine costs $30 for 4 sessions.

Here are some things that you could make at home so it won't be too expensive but will just give him some new things to play with:

I bought the smaller size water bottles at Walmart (I think about 6-8 oz). I put oil and food coloring in some to make bubbles, colored sand, different colored pasta, jingle bells, etc. All kinds of different textures/sounds. I super glue or hot glue the cap back on so nothing gets out. You can really have fun with that! Another thing I did was get some free paint chips from Lowe's in all the primary/main colors. I glue them to a piece of cardstock and print the name of the color underneath and laminate them. I bought a small board book at a scrap/hobby store. Each page had a scrap of something different - sand paper, foil, velvet, flannel, silk or satin, etc. Then write the name - rough, smooth, soft, etc. under it. I also made a picture album of all of the kids/family. Just got a cheap photo album. Album like they used to give you when you ordered pictures at Walmart. Put pictures of each person in the family and then use labels to write their names.
Walmart/Michaels's usually have wooden shapes (car, flower, diff. animals, etc) that are painted. Some even have different textures on them. I bought several of those and a roll of magnet tape and made a bunch of magnets. You can use a small cookie sheet to stick them to if you want. Great - car toy too. I made multiples of all these things when I put them together, it's a great homemade inexpensive gift idea.

I know your son may be a little old for some of these things, but he could help you make most of them, and it would just be a few new things for him to bang around and look at without spending a ton of money. I have a 5 year old and a 25 month old, and I just recently did a lot of these things with them. My 5 year old loved helping me make them, and my son likes looking at the books and shakeing around the water bottles. Good luck!!

Look into things at your local library. Mine has storytime, music and other activities for free. Try to find a Mom's group. See if there's a "bounce house" place around. My daughter(19mths) loves to bounce and it is inside, child contained, so you don;t have to chase after them as much as some places! If you join the YMCA, they have childcare when your little one is 6 wks old and then you could put the newborn in childcare while you swim with your 20 m.o. Try to find a "mother's helper", which is typically a child around the age of 8 to 12 who could play with your son for a little bit. Take him to the zoo, my daughter loves going there. Some movie theaters have free kid's days where it doesn't matter if the child is loud or not. If you can/want to spend the money, there's always Gymboree or Music with Mommy or Kindermusik.
Good Luck!

Does he like puzzles? You can usually get the wooden ones at thrift stores. If you get cardboard ones you can number the pieces if your child is one that would get the puzzle pieces mixed up. On the inside of the box write a number or letter then mark all the pieces with the same thing. Next puzzle, next number/letter. I did this when I worked at a daycare center. It helped the kids to know that these pieces go to this puzzle. The toys also may not be challenging him enough to hold his attention. It may be time to get some different toys. I would also suggest letting him pick out a few new books, quiet toys, puzzles that he can only play with when the baby is eating. Put them in a special box/basket and only use them when the baby is eating. Regardless of whether you breast feed or bottle feed if your son is safe and busy with something that holds his attention, feeding time will be easier. My sons also enjoyed LEGOS. We had both large and small ones. They enjoyed building things. God Bless and Good Luck!

Hi J.,

At most of the local libraries they have story time for toddlers once a week. If you live in the Raleigh/Cary/Wake Forest area there are a few places that my husband takes our 2 yr old for a breather outside of the home.

Email me if you want more info.

I was in similar shoes for a while. I had my son in a 2 year old preschool 2 mornings a week and the other 2 weekdays we had a play group. I got a babysitter one day a week for the shopping or dinner out with my husband. With the play group we visited parks, the kid gym, lunches out, and other activities. It was all very hard to take care of moving two little ones around. I was exhausted, the baby never got enough sleep, and it still wasn't enough stimulation for my toddler. I ended up finding a great daycare/preschool and returning to work. They got all the excitement, friends, activities, and trips. We got some much needed time apart and enjoyed the extra money.

I know YOU're busy w/2 little ones, but now is the perfect time to potty train him (I fully trained all 4 of ours by age 2, so it CAN be done.)

Also, have him do EVERY THING he's capable of to help you w/the new infant. Tell him he's your 'best helper' and have him put the diaper in the trash/pail, bring you a clean one, hand you a bottle or shirt, etc, etc. Most jealousy is created by making the older child feel more 'in the way' than 'beneficial'. Everyone needs to be needed, and this is 'his day' for that!

God bless!

J.,
You may want to get a small wading pool for the yard so that you and your son can play while the baby's napping. Just be careful to always bring him inside with you if you have to check on the baby. Children can drown in very little water in less time than you think. When you're through make sure to empty it. Otherwise, maybe a fun sprinkler attachment for the hose would be perfect. Years ago we had an attachable sprinkler that looked like a yellow flowerpot with a flower in the center. The water pressure would push the flower up to reveal a cute little critter that would spray water out of a hose as it spun around.
There's always the sandbox. You can pick one up at Toys'R'Us and get sand at the Home Depot. They sell really soft sand for that very purpose. Make sure you buy a sandbox with a lid so it can be stored securely from animals at night.
Good luck finding something that works for you all!

Girl ANYTHING. Kids love to have guidance and need structure. Music time, paints, make dough, say funny things to the baby and watch the faces they make, dance, go for walks. Ok, the things that I love to do as a group for little ones is to tell stories and have them answer questions to what I'm reading. My son once came home with this cut out of a horse that he had to paint only with a marble, a box and a drizzle of paint (he had to roll the marble in the paint and on the horse by shaking the box from side to side and swirling it) he had the most fun. You have to be creative and make them think what ever you do is fun. I had to let my son sweep, because he thought he was helping and he thought it was fun. Let him help you with chores, pull clothes out of the dryer, throw clothes into the washer, let him arrange dishes on a bath towel after you wash and rinse them or put some of the away. Any kind of craft, or kid recipe. I hope you get a lot of ideas and some of your own.

at his age he would be happy with a tiny pool in your back yard...another idea is get a sand box... my girls play for hours in a sand box try doing a diff theme each week... cooking, construction, farm ect.... hope this helps!

My son is just over and I have a 4 month old also. We do Stroller Strides 3 days a week which is a lot of fun for both of us. It's an exercise class for moms but fun for the kiddos too. Once a week there's also a playtime after the class for kids. It's very laid back and everyone's understanding if kids get fussy. Which Mother's Day Out program are you doing? My son is starting one as well.

You can take him swimming still... just take the car seat into the pool area and keep it close by. I did this when my oldest was the same age and with a new baby. You dont have play that long and maybe if you find a pool with kiddie area then he might be able to play with other kids.

I cant say that my 20 mth is in the same place b/c he loves to watch Veggie Tales and play with his brothers toys. So unfortunately I cannot help there. Except maybe find a playgroup or maybe a MOPS group that has play time for the kids.

Good luck

A.

Hi!
I was having the same issue with my first son when my second was a baby. A few friends and I started a playgroup, and we each host for a month at a time. It's easier to remember who's hosting that way. The kids play like crazy and go home tired, and us ladies get to see each other too. The hostess decides to meet at a park or McDonalds playplace or her home, etc and sends an email around- very simple. TOTALLY life saving, I'm telling you. Good luck!

What about getting a kids blow up pool (easily blown up with a pump) and then you can hang out next to it with the newborn and he can play in the water. They have cute ones at Target that are around $30.