I have one and only one tip: do not stay home. You don't have to go to work but you do have to leave the house. Oh, and take the kid with you; that's key.
It turns out that I have two high-energy kids and all those myths about the second one being mellow are total b.s. The second one needs constant stimulation just like the first one. He seems slightly less neurotic but he makes up for it with his love of jumping off tall furniture.
If I was one of those really organized people, this is what I would do . . .
Make a list of every play space available along with the times they are open. I would divide them up between indoor and outdoor, loud and quiet and, if I was on a strict budget, maybe even have a splurge list and a free list. Don't forget to add things like riding public transportation or just walking around the block.
Make a chart with the five days of the week (I like to divide the days into two units - before and after nap) and write in the available activities including stuff like library story time and toddler times at different museums and community centers.
Put together a good snack shelf so it's easy to pack food to eat on the go along with the obligatory water bottle.
With these things in place you could easily choose an activity and be one diaper change away from running out the door to a couple hours of sanity.
Of course sometimes you just have to stay home. To this end we have tried to make the house as kid friendly as possible by eliminating extraneous furniture and pushing the rest against the walls. Sort of like a prison. Sheets and large binder clips make great forts, crib mattresses provide a soft landing when hurling oneself off the couch (we allow jumping off but not jumping on the furniture) and I'm still patting myself on the back for buying a set of those tunnels that crush flat for storage. Also, never underestimate the power of a big brown box. All of these things work especially well because they are novelties so toss the box once in a while and hide the tunnels at bedtime.
What do you do to entertain your high-energy kids?
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2 comments:
Thank you! I am not in the least organized, but have managed to do a kid food cabinet. Now if the food didnt fall out of it when I opened it! I love the crib matteress idea!
Happy Birthday to your daughter! She must have started kindergarden now?
To this end we have tried to make the house as kid friendly as possible by Insulation eliminating extraneous furniture and pushing the rest against the walls.
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