The day your toddler grew up.

“Muuummm” screams my toddler. She is sitting in her play pen whilst I attend to my umpteenth task. “Just a few more minutes” I say. But to her a few minutes seem like days and her screams for me start increasing in each decibel. She is consistent, will not give and the continuous drone of “Mum” eventual has me throwing my hands up in the air and rushing to her rescue. Our once quite domicile, would coo by herself baby has grown up and is now a demanding toddler!! What is to become of all of us!

Something called peace and quiet doesn’t really live in our household. With my four children ranging from school going ones to the baby who will be turning two soon, we always have a child at home singing songs and keeping us generally amused with their fun and laughter. My youngest daughter fits in quite nicely into her role as the resident baby in the family. She is loved and petted and her older siblings let her get away with anything. Now being a toddler herself she would rather follow them around than play quietly in her play pen. She revels in the company of her older siblings and it is when I see her the most happiest.

But our normal everyday lives are a hectic conundrum of activity. From the moment the alarm rings, I am literally on my hamster wheel, running the kids through breakfast and a busy day full of school and activities. Whilst we go off on our little adventures, who is left behind, but of course the baby. Keeping a toddler, amused and entertained is a lot harder than you think. First of all depending on their ability to understand, your games with them are limited. You can’t simply ask them to play a game or read a book on their own. They need constant attention and interaction. Sometimes, in pure frustration we put them in front of the T.V so that we can regain some of our sanity for there is just so many games of peeka boos you can do. Unfortunately placing your toddler infront of the T.V is much worse than leaving him or her to his or her own devices.

A baby’s brain, in the early years, specifically up to age three is like a sponge. They are absorbing, understanding and digesting everything you are saying so that they can easily amalgamate with the everyday scary life. Thus T.V doesn’t necessarily offer the mental stimulation that they require at that stage.

Here are some ways to keep your demanding toddler amused:

1. Of course arts and crafts will definitely keep them entertained for short interval. Play dough time is thoroughly enjoyed. But you will have to keep a close eye, so the paint doesn’t end up yoru nice white washed walls or the paly dough down someone’s throat.

2. Toys are always plentiful in any house with children. A fun trick to do is to put away the toys that your children don’t play with. Then on a rainy tedious day, bringing them out, this will keep them amused for sometime.

3. Toddler’s love to get involved. Depending on what she is capable of, get them to help with some menial chores. Put their toys away, clean out the room etc. They will feel so proud to be doing adult jobs as they think of them.

4. Playing in the garden is a great way to get them active. It also will liven up your spirits to do some running around or throwing the ball with you.

5. Playdates with other toddlers are always a must. This is a great way to get the little ones to socialize and meet others their own age. Of course this is just an excuse for you to meet up with other mummies for a coffee!

The toddler phase is short and sweet. It’s gone in a flash, one minute you might find this period in your life demanding and frustrating and the next you are wishing you can keep them contained, at a standstill in their perfect little ways. You can also througly enjoy this phase in yoru child’s life by having these distractions along the way, in this way you can appreciate that enjoy the little nuances that make it beautiful.  So keeping that in mind, spend as much time with your little one they’ll be all grown up much sooner than you prefer.

By Mayuri Jayasinghe