going stir crazy

We have been stuck in the house the past few days due to the weather/icy roads ect. I need advice. We are all getting super cranky, one has been so clingy, she flips out when I put her down through out the day. When i finally get her to calm down with a toy, if i try and sit down, she gets upset again. I think part of the problem is they are just bored. They nap in the afternoon, so I need ideas of how to fill the morning hours. And maybe a little activity for the afternoon after the nap too. (They sometimes wake up cranky).

Any ideas will help.. Thanks.

 

I agree with Judy. I'd also run around and dance with them in the living room, draw/color, if you have a ball kick it around the house with them, read to them and act out the book with different voices, show them some kiddies videos on You Tube (my kids go batty for the Wheels on the Bus or the Alphabet Song). I also go on the Sesame Street website and bring up some of their classic songs too.
Good luck! This is a tough time of year to keep them entertained with the cold weather.

 

Thanks for responding. They are 17 months. Teething is a possibility especially for hte one who has been crankier. In general she is ushually crankier than her sister, and harder to calm down/distract. I try taking them into rooms they aren't normally allowed in as well but it only lasts so long until they get into trouble.. (they aren't ushually allowed in these rooms because they aren't really babyproofed). I do try dvd's and one of them loves it, the one who is easier to distract, but the other will only sometimes watch it and even then only for a couple of minutes.. if that.

So it has been hard, and i'm looking for ideas to pass the time tomorow. I just ordered some new toys for them so I'm hoping that will help when they actually arrive.

 

Wow is it my imagination or did you have a different post before where you talked about teething? just want to check if i am seriously losing it

 

A couple off the wall ideas:

Several months back I gave them both a shoe box filled with different sticker sheets and told them to decorate the box. I figured it would just be a one day (10 minute) activity. But it kept them busy for a long time. I put the boxes away in the kitchen and for almost a month straight, they'd go over and point to them and want to work on them again.

I often rearrange the couch cushions for them to play with on the floor or on the couch. We have a sectional, so there are several options, I sometimes line them up like steps up to the couch, I spread them out on the floor for an area to jump and run around on, I lean some up against the couch to climb up and "slide" done on.

I also try to do chores with them. If I'm vacuuming, I give them some of the attachments to play with and pretend vacuum with. Sometimes I fold laundry and they like to climb in the clothes baskets, or I dress them up in my husbands t-shirts and socks and they think it's hilarious.

I'm trying to remember back to that age and if my kids were able to handle these suggestions at the time. I can't remember when we started some of these things, but it might have been around then.

 

my dear friend gave me her girls little toddler slide she wasnt using anymore, the BEST toy in the room at this moment! one of the twins climbs everything! the slide she can climb and side down i wish i had more :laughing: i find they need more gross motor activities in the winter months if you cant get out--

 

We have a play tunnel and tent set (costco $30). I pop it out for something new when they get bored. I usually just rotate activities during the morning. Do you rotate toys? I try to hide some of them (even just overnight) and pull it out like it's something new. They usually get interested for a while. Nothing works for too long, so I just keep throwing in some variety. Hopefully the new toys will arrive soon!

 

thanks for all the advice. Had a family member come by this morning which helped, they were much happier with the one on one attention we were both able to give.

I have a slide for them that I took out today and that took up a chunk of time. One twin has been super cranky lately, especially after her nap.. I am now convinced she is teething. She is sometimes almost unconsolable. Any suggestions what I can do for this?

 

Someone, that's not your imagination :blush: I went to reply to Judy's post and accidently hit edit instead :blush: I had a big brain fart last night.
Have you tried teething tablets to help with the pain? When mine are are hard core teething like that, I usually give Motrin and then teething tablets if Motrin isn't taking the edge off. I cannot wait until my kids are done teething :faint:

 

nancy, thanks for clarifying, i knew something was different but didn't know if i was dreaming
i gave her tylenol today for teething and she was much happier after about a half hour of screaming.. i really did not know what to do for her for that half hour though, and i don;t know if she was just feeling better or the tylenol kicked in, (she'd been like this for the past few days after her nap for 1/2 to an hour).

what is a teething tablet? i haven't heard of that.

 

The teething tablets are made by Hylands or Little Teethers. They are little white tablets you can put under the child's tongue to dissolve or dissolve them in water and give them to the child with a dropper (this is what I do). I know definitely Babies R Us sells them and I believe Target does also.