Staying Entertained When Locked Down: 8 Things to Keep you and your Baby Busy

One minute you’re going about your busy life, dropping your kids off to daycare, going to work, and coming home. Then, this invisible MONSTER places a dark cloud over everything. Next thing you know, the world as you know it is turned upside down. Not only may you be adjusting to working from home, but now you have to figure out how to juggle that new way of living and how to keep your baby/toddlers entertained.

In these uncertain and scary times, it is easy to become overwhelmed with new challenges. BUT, I am here to tell you WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER! I wanted to share some great ideas that I use, myself, during the day to help keep the girls entertained and having fun!

1. Books– We LOVE reading books! It is such a fun and interactive way to learn. There are so many other pros to reading we sometimes don’t even realize. Reading books to your babies helps with language development, increased exposure to words, and cognitive development. Associations can be made as well, such as making the particular animal sound for a specific animal on the page. Our girls have basically a library here, so we just read books on repeat and it never gets old!

2. Coloring– Who doesn’t enjoy getting lost in a good coloring book with some great crayons?! This is a great way to have FUN, explore colors and kill time! I honestly never even thought of coloring as an option for my girls. I thought they were too young and it would be a disaster if I tried, but after talking to my mom for some ideas about things to do with them during this quarantine, I decided to try it. I got Frozen coloring books because they L.O.V.E. Anna and Elsa, thick crayons and it was so much fun for all three of us!

3. Finger paints– Some of you might be thinking finger painting with toddlers?! You’re crazy! This was another suggestion made by my mom and I had that exact reaction; “I cant finger paint with them! They put everything in their mouths!” Well, there is a way to make edible finger paint, so its perfectly safe for your babies and toddlers! The recipe consists of three items: corn starch, water, and liquid food coloring. You can find the recipe here. Strip them to their diapers and lay paper on your kitchen floor and let them make a mess! It is such a blast! Just like the coloring and crayons, and it’s another way to help teach them colors! Truly a win win.

4. Dance parties– They say music does things medicine can’t, and this is especially true during a time like we are faced with now. Music allows you to let loose and simply have.fun! Dance like no one is watching and sing at the top of your lungs! Your child isn’t judging your skills, they are just looking at a parent letting loose and having a blast with them. It doesn’t get much better than that!

5. Going outside-F.R.E.S.H. A.I.R.! Just saying the words makes me happy. It is a mood booster x 4858466338746, and the change of scenery is nice as well! There are so many different things to do outside! To name a few of our favorites, the girls and I love going for long walks because they get to relax and stay cozy while I am able to get some exercise to help decrease any anxiety I may have! It is so refreshing. Cozy Coups anyone? They LOVE them and its so much fun to push them around! Sidewalk chalk is another fun thing to do. Its yet again another way to teach colors, and you can make games with chalk too!

6. Bring outdoor fun inside– Right now, where we live, it is not always warm, so sometimes we have to bring our outside fun inside! We will bring their Cozy Coups in and push them around in our basement, it is just as fun for them as well as us. They got a water table for Christmas and because it’s not warm here yet we set it up in the basement and pretend we’re outside. The beauty of them being so young is they don’t know the real difference and their pure innocence allows us to have nothing less than a blast! I cannot wait until it IS warm out so we can take it outside and have even more fun with it!

7. Play fun games-There are many different fun “games” you can play with your little one, too! Big puzzles are a  BIG hit with our girls and teaching them where the pieces go is not only interactive but educational as well! Playing peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake, hide and seek are classics that every baby can do on repeat! Playing make believe is another fun thing to do that lets your child know using their imagination is an awesome thing!

8. Simple interaction with them– Lets face it, we all turn on the TV to watch Sofia the First or Frozen, play with tablets or iPads, but limiting those things and turning them off/putting them away to simply interact with your child is ESSENTIAL. Singing the ABC’s, playing with their princesses and their castle, building awesome towers with blocks are some of the simple ways you can do this.

There is no doubt about the fact that times are scary and weird right now. Everything is so uncertain and out of our control. What isn’t out of our control is our perspective and how we choose to spend this time. Make the most of this time. Count your blessings; they are many. Spend time with your kids; you may not get this type of time with them again. Have dance parties, color, read the same books over and over and most importantly, make the memories that you will all have forever!