what do you do with them all afternoon?

DS is so winnie in the afternoons, he loves to go to the park and car rides, but we can't spend all afternoon in the park!
He is a very active boy who is nonstop at home, so I think often he just gets bored and then starts the cranckyness.
DD is so mellow and can entratin herself much easily. They only nap in the morning (about 2 or 2/1 hours)
I tried afternoon and it is just screaming until I take them out and they go to bed at 6 or 6:30 pm without a problem) but I really ran out of things to do or palces to go in the afternoons. The worst is after 4:30 or 5, ds would go sleep then but that
would mess up the evening...
During the week I break it up with going grocery shopping, parks, mall, etc, but in the weekends dh and I just look
at each other sometimes and wonder what are we going to do with them all day...

Am I the only one that feels this way??? I always wonder where people are going/doing--- oh and we don't have any family near by to visit...

I really have to say that they are at their best when we are out, but that gets expensive too!

The one thing I haven't done much is sit them on the high chair and have them watch a video...maybe that way ds could get some rest?

 

one more thing...most activities (library, story time, etc) are in the morning when they take their nap...I've tried
going out in the moring and they are crabby and I get a 45 min. nap in the afternoon...if that....

is it worth chaing their long moring nap for a story time?

 

Basically my DH has told them NO and No Whining when they start whining. It actually helps, but I generally don't like that approach as much. We both have tried to entertain them with trying to teach them somethign new. You also want to use their toys in as many ways as you can. Hide them and have them find the toys. Play peek-a-boo by hiding behind things and them saying BOO as they find you or use a crib or some furniture to hide behind and call out peek-a-boo as you peek around the corner to see them. Sometimes you can even use one of their toys in peek-a-boo. A lot of it is simple stuff, but it can be a little difficult to either keep their attention or even getting them to change the game. If they love it, that's all they'll want to play, if they don't, it's sometimes up to you to find another game that may catch their interest.

Once they get the idea that you won't always be there to entertain them, sometimes it's easier for them to calm themselves down and play something, so we do let them have alone time to find their own fun. As long as I can trust that there's nothing around that can hurt them, there's less of a chance they'll get hurt without your supervision. I do, however, have my ears glued to them as I sit in another room. This gives you some time-out as well as creative time for them.

Story time is a good event for them, but if their nap is better in the morning, then I too am not one to change that. You can try to move the nap a little later each day so they might be awake more during future story times. I've done that so my boys can have some morning time. They are better morning nappers and just wanted to skip their afternoon nap, so I dropped the afternoon nap and then just tried to move the morning nap to a later time. So instead of a 10am nap, it's now a 1pm nap. Sometimes they need the nap as early as 12pm which is fine, but usually it's closer to 1pm.

 

If they are only take one nap a day could you try to gradually move it up? When we went to one nap I started putting them down at 10:30 then 11:00 until I got to where we are now at 1:00. It frees up the morning and by the time they wake up from their nap it's already 4:30 and they go to bed at 7:30.

I always tell myself when we're having a bad day, if I can make it to their nap, I'm on the home stretch. :ibiggrin:

 

Judy, I have nap envy BIG TIME! Mine sleep 60-90 minutes on a good day...but that's another post! I have no nap advice, b/c mine took better naps in the morning too, and since I've moved it back it's never been as good. You are probably in that transition period though where they can't go down too late but can't sleep a second time. We did a really early bedtime during that transition, and we still do. Like sometimes it was 5:30 (!). Now it's more like 6:30. I find that they don't wake up any earlier if I put them to bed earlier, but they are better rested.

As far as activities, I find afternoons are the hardest because they are getting tired and they're looking for something to do. Do you have a fenced yard? We are so happy to have purchased a used climber for the yard because it is truly a lifesaver whenever anyone is cranky. I seriously cannot think of a time they didn't perk up when we went out there to play. They could stay out there forever, it seems, exploring in the dirt and rocks and pinecones. Indoors it does get hard. Like Gimena, I have one (DD) who is horribly cranky and needy of me most of the time we are at home, and one (DS) who can play all day with his cars and trains. I sometimes take them to the bookstore where they have a trainset in the kids area, or meet up at a friend's house. I always feel better at friend's houses b/c alone with them out in public it is sometimes stressful. New toys are huge, I have to say, but even those don't keep my daughter interested very long. They do have a lot of fun when I pull out tupperware and wooden spoons and throw some cheerios in so they can "make pancakes," or let them play in the driveway with a tub of water. It seems like anything fun is messy They also like to do a stuffed animal toss where I pull out the laundry basket and we set up an obstacle course with pillows they have to walk over and then toss in the animal. It's all about the novelty. We also have a tunnel which they enjoy every once in a while. It helps to rotate toys--keep some good ones out of view for a while so they're super exciting when they are re-introduced. Good luck!!!

 

I'd move the nap later. There's no way at 14 months than mine would have been able to be up all afternoon. Mine sleep at 11.30am. Still can't do morning events because of it because they start so late though, but that's the only thing that works.

 

I agree with PP's, I would try to move the nap later. Mine nap at 1-4. In the mornings, we run errands, draw, read, watch Sesame Street, listen to music, go for walks (if the weather is nice).