Keeping toddler entertained whilst pregnant?!

Swimming! I found super late in pregnancy it felt amazing for me to get into the water and it was relatively low output from me but burnt tonnes of energy from my toddler x

Boredom is good. It’s where imagination, creativity and self reflection live.

I set out some stuff and try to leave my nearly 3 yr old as long as possible without me intervening.

Some things I have to model first and then I slink away and watch from afar. I’m pregnant and run a business full time from home and have 4 kids and counting so it’s necessary and I feel zero guilt and send emails.

With my older ones I was more organised and had boxes that contained different activities and swapped them in and out.

Seasonal in one leaves 🍁 and sticks and stones etc.

Sand in another

Penne pasta and a sting in another

Play dough in another

There’s lots of versions of these if you look online.

A ball pit and a hobby craft colouring in-house saved me

I follow @brambila_bits on insta, and before my first kid was born I bought her guide to independent play and toy rotation. Life changing! It has a guide in there to help your kid play independently and unsupported over the course of a week if they really struggle to play alone!

I just had my second two months ago and my son plays really well alone, but it is an adjustment having a new baby around! Be patient with your kid and yourself, it’s okay to turn on a low-stim show to save your sanity or keep them from doing wild things while you feed the baby!

Pro tip that helped me a ton: have a safe place to put baby down in every room of the house where your toddler spends time. I have a dockatot on the kitchen table, a Toki mat in the living room, and a swing with a detachable bouncer that I can put in kiddo’s room or in the bathroom. You will feel SO much more sane and it’ll be easier to find little moments to engage with first kiddo if you can have both of them in eyeshot!

I'm in the same situation as you. 35 weeks pregnant and almost 3 years old toddler. In the mornings he is at preschool. In the afternoon he is with me. I take him to the park around the corner. I sit there and he plays around with his bike and the games there. Also I don't feel guilty using a bit more of Bluey on TV then we used to... It's temporary. Use it mainly when it's rainy. We also read lots of books (my son loves it and it allows me to sit with him and relax my body), we do puzzles and I also let him go on his trampoline in the yard on his own.