Ideas for entertaining a 10 mth old at home

[Bronte'sMum]

Does anyone else out there feel like they're a boring unimaginative Mum??

Our DD is now ten months old and I am really desperate for new ideas of ways to entertain her on those long days at home which seem to stretch out forever. She is into everything so anything that distracts her momentarily will be a winner. It seems that she quickly tires of her toys and gets quite cranky by the afternoon . We have 'made' some toys like our own rattles and shakers, sensory boards etc but I would love any new ideas of simple things other Mums do that don't cost the earth and which both occupy her and create some lovely bonding time for the two of us.

Also, any toys that you have found your baby loves around this age would be great.

Thanks heaps
Bronte's Mum :)

[ChristineM]

Hi there,
yes, I know what you mean, some days can be very long. My Emma is 8mths old and apart from playing with her toys we like to: sing songs, put music (any) on and dance, read some books, go in her very small blow up pool (which she will play in for as long as I let her), go for walks. We are going to join a play group next year and start some water awareness lessons in the next couple of weeks. Also, every day Emma and I make a game out of collecting the mail, feeding the cats, hanging out the washing (Emma in her pram).

Hope that helps you out,,,let me know

[Foxy]

Hi Bronte's Mum,

Yes, I agree! Some days at home can stretch on forever, that is why I try and go out once a day as much as possible, even if it is only for a quick walk around the block in the stroller.

I bought some cheap bubbles from the toy section at Woolworths the other day, and my 9 month old laughs so hard he gets the hiccups when I blow the bubbles over him.

I try to "rotate" his toys so that he has a break for a few days, and I find that when I bring them out again he has a renewed interest in them.

The most basic thing I have found is just plain old boxes eg cereal boxes, museli bar boxes etc, he will ignore his toys and go for these every time. They are also great for hiding his toys in and he can tip them out etc.

We are lucky enough to have a pool at home, so we go swimming as much as possible which is fun and totally wears him out so he has a great afternoon sleep. If you don't have a pool at home, maybe there is a public pool near your house? I don't think they are too expensive.

I definately recommend joining a playgroup. 10 months is a great fun age when the bubs really can interact with each other. It is also nice for the Mum's to spend time together too!

Hope some of these suggestions work for you :)

Michelle

[cobysmummy]

im having the same problem with my 7.5 month old!
i think rotating the toys sound like a good idea! i do that in the car... i have a toy collection on the front seat and when hes had enough i swap them over... (coby really hates the car)
i also was given the brainy baby dvd... its good... there are babies and lots of colours and sounds... keeps him entertained for around 20 mins so i can get things done... but he doesnt watch it everyday....

sorry i dont have any other ideas... but i will have to follow this thread coz i need some help too!

[wattle]

Max is 10 months too, and we went to a play group for the first time today. he loved it, and is now sleeping peacefully......ahhhhhhhhh (big relaxed sigh).

He loves a tissue box filled with playing cards and other small toys. (Thanks again Martha M for the suggestion). He loves pulling stuff out of the box. I have a cd of nursery rhymes and he adores it. He loves the same songs over and over and over and over again.

Max also loves to be in the kitchen in the highchair while I cook. He 'helps' mix things and plays with plastic containers.

Note - trying to teach bubs to fold washing doesn't seem to work!

[Jaileth]

Have you tried ringing a playgroup or child care centre and seeing what they do with kids of that age group?

I googled it and came up with http://www.kidsites.org/ Just searched for "Activities for Kids" and clicked on the 'pages in Australia' button.

Good luck!

[Rell]

Note - trying to teach bubs to fold washing doesn't seem to work!

Yeah you have a bit of a wait there. DD who is 3 loves helping fold washing and does a good job too.

One of my favourite but messy things to do with the kids is playing with GOOP. (mix 2 C water with 600g Cornflour and add a bit of colour). DS had his first goop experiance at about 10mths and loved it. Other ideas are
Sand play - if you don't have a sand pit you can just use a large plastic contaner
Play hide and seek with toys - put the toys under a blanket or in a box and bub will have great fun trying to find it.
Wooden jigsaw puzzles - Althought they won't be able to do them yet they will have fun trying
Walking around the backyard collecting things
Stacking up blocks and knocking them down
reading
Dancing and singing - before they start to tell you you can't sing

[Bronte'sMum]

Thanks so much everyone...they were some amazing ideas. Its funny how sometimes the simplest things just don't occur to you. I think the tissue box idea will be great , as will the hide and seek with the toys and a sand tray. I've found that things i make seem to have a higher success rate. Her favourite toy so far has been a sensory board i made her where I stuck on lots of textiles, pictures, bags with crinkly paper inside etc . She seems to go back to it time and again.

Other ideas i have gotten from previous posts include shaker bottles with coloured water and sparkles inside, rattles made from drink bottles with pasta or rice inside and just letting her explore everyday safe items such as tupperware from the kitchen.

Please keep posting ideas...ANYTHING is useful!!!

Thanks heaps

Bronte's Mum

[Tea Lady]

Hey there, I did a google search and came up with some good ideas that I've compiled into a very messy word document (PM me if you want it) - just avoid the .com sites as they'll try to sell you something. My favourite one I got off the net was to tie scarves together (I actually used a scarf, a sock and a net fruit bag) and stuff them into a long cardboard tube - like from gladwrap (make sure there's enough stuff to poke out both ends) and let bub pull it out of the tube. Then you can talk through the tube and your voice sounds funny!

My bub also LOVES a set of bells I got from KandK toys - you can get them lots of places but these seemed safer to suck than some others. Make sure you use toy libraries too - helps them when they're bored of thier own toys.

L

[aardvark]

DD#1 found a huge plastic mixing bowl full of plastic dolly pegs endlessly fascinating.

First you have to take all the pegs out, and investigate them, then you have to put them back again. Takes ages when you are that small!!

And no outlay - unless you don't have plastic laundry pegs.

[talon]

- ds loves playing with a paintbrush
- cut off a piece of curling ribbon (you know the stuff that you can get to go really curling if you run a pair of scissors or something sharp along it) and give it to them. ds is fascinated with this stuff.
- we have a fisher price swing which i think you can use from 9/10 months upwards. ds loves this and goes in it every afternoon. you can get a no name brand one for about $15 bucks at a toy store. they look exactly the same, just no fisher price badge on it.
- the hose. ds loves the hose. he helps me water the plants. i carry him on my hip and hold the hose on the side he is on and he grabs it and won't let go. he loves to stick his fingers in the nozzle end and squirt water all over himself. i also put him on the grass and give him the hose to play with on a very low pressure. he gets soaking wet but is worth the fun!

[reAllytee]

I will be keeping a watch on this thread for sure as im trying each day to find something new to keep my boy who is 8mths entertained please keep them coming as im another who needs help !
I found the other day getting out a few of my pots & cake tins with spatulas & having bubs sit & bang away to his hearts content hilarious ! He has always loved to bang on tables etc so i figured oooh this could work & yes the noise is a little annoying at times but it captures their imagination as he slowly worked out they all made different noises even using his hands did !
We have also been trying to learn to clap hands so ive made little song & games up to help him out but also to keep him interested. Im sure some of the looks i get from him are that im completely mad but he does enjoy it.
And he also loves the " this little piggy went" or " round & round the garden like a teddy bear " games.

[Bronte'sMum]

Hey everyone..thanks again for the ideas - keep them coming!!

I have been having lots of chats with other Mums and reading books etc from the library, plus just trying out things to see what she likes and here are some things she has found fun lately in case anyone's interested.

- filling a small wash tub/ bucket with water and having some water play with her in the back yeard eg with measuring cups, boats etc
- giving her an old magazine to sit with on the floor. Bronte will spend ages flicking the pages and I think its been great for her fine motor skills. I don't mind if she rips the pages and I just watch her to make sure she doesn't eat it! She loves parenting magazines the best - must be all the pictures of babies.
- filling a mesh bag with lots of assorted odds and ends from the kitchen etc and letting her feel them through the bag.
-making a cubby house that she can crawl into with big boxes and sheets etc
- baby einstein videos when you need a break!
- blowing bubbles in the back yard.
- making a shaker bottle with water, glitter or sparkles and a little food colouring. I found a small clear bottle juice bottle at Coles and she finds it small enough to hold.
Thanks HEAPS for the ideas. Just hearing what other Mums do has really sparked my creative side.

Keep them coming!

Leisa

[em's mum]

Hi!

My DD is 18mths old now, but when she was younger I used to roll a small ball through a cardboard tube and it would pop out somewhere in front of her. Nowadays I also use her "weebles" through it which she loves as she chases after them.

A couple of ideas for when she's a bit older and starting to get into painting:
~ water paints using a cotton bud instead of a paintbrush (so much easier for little hands to use!! And not quite so messy!!)
~ zip lock bags with a few different coloured paints squirted inside. Zip it up and let them push on and manouvre the paint through the plastic. (Hope that makes sense - SO easy and again no mess!!! YAYYY!)
~ instead of using paint, try shaving cream and get "hands on". Buy a cheap can of shaving cream and squirt it out onto a placemat and let them squish and mix till their heart's content.
~ We don't have a sandpit, so I bought 2 flat rectangular buckets from Bunnings and fill one with water and the other with sand, then put a couple of bath toys/boats, spades in there for her to play with. I think all up, the buckets and sand cost about $7 and she has a ball with them.

Hope some of these help. I'm off to stuff a tissue box full of fun little things for when DD wakes up! Who would have thought - a tissue box!! I LOVE IT!!!

[sugar n spice]

Thanks i am going to watch this site as i am finding especially today that bub is getting cranky and i think it's because he is bored. He is 11mnths. Have him watering the lawn with me is a good idea i hadn't thought of that.\

My bub likes banging lids and containers together
me holding him so he can bounce on the trampoline
playing with paper.
he loves watching play with me seaseme and Bamboloo.