Our little guy just started crawling, and there are times (like when cooking or washing dishes) when it would be super helpful to have him in a "safe area" where I could keep an eye on him and he would be able to entertain himself to some degree. The high chair gets boring quickly, as does the exersaucer (truth be told, we didn't have one of those until recently, and he seems big for it already!) He even gets bored with being "worn" in a carrier. I've wondered if something like a superyard would work? (Our kitchen is fairly large, thankfully, so there is some space to work with.) Any wise thoughts or ideas that have worked for you? Grateful for your input!
Do you have a tupperware cubboard? I would contain him in the kitchen and open one safe cabinet for him to play with and pull things out of. My kids loved this activity and kept them busy for hours. Let him take everything out and climb in. Let him bang on them and enjoy himself but make sure it is the same cupboard everytime and that it is safe.
Cathy B
A safe cupboard with dishes and big spoons he can play with is a good suggestion, a play yard might work but there are a lot of little ones who hate to be confined. When in the high chair put a little water in the tray that he can splash in, mine always find that very entertaining I just put a towel under the chair, especially when I am cooking and really don't want them to get hurt. HHMMM.....if I can think of more I'll send them your way!
Put child locks on any cupboards or drawers you don't want him in, the harmful ones. Keep tupperware/pots and pans down low (small ones.) Let him pull them in and out of the cupboard, give a spoon to bang on them will, show him how he can stack them and how they fit inside each other. Show him that small toys and other objects can fit inside. Let him pull everthing out and climb in, then play peek-a-boo. He will ove it.
My kids, 4 and 2, are still often occupied with these things. My 4 year old is just barely loosing interest. I have one empty cupboard for my 2 year old to climb in and play peek-a-boy. Small children also learn from it. They learn about sounds, stacking, shapes, sizes.
You might even want to do what my in laws do for when grandchildren come to visit. They have a drawer with nothing but child safe dishes in it. Bowls, cups, spoons, plates, etc. The kids know that they are allowed to play with anything in this drawer. The dishes are colorful and often have characters on them to make it even more enjoyable.
Teach him to play only in that drawer/cupboard. It should occupy him for along time.
Also, put him the high chair with the tray and give him an ice cube. Make sure it doesn't get small enough for him to choke on. Little ones have a hard time catching ad holding on to ice cubes. Thier determination occupies them for along time.
I was going to suggest a play yard. Letting him play in cupboards/drawers is a good idea, as long as he's not underfoot while you're cooking or using knives.
We have the "kid's cupboard" and that works well. We also have always tried to plan naptime to be during dinner prep time. Worked well with #1, not so well with #2. I'll have to say, it is easier with #2, though, since he has built in entertainment in the family that doesn't include Mommy. :) Our one cabinet that the kids think is theirs is a lifesaver. I have found it's better to ask permission if I need something out of that cabinet since they think it belongs to them. I think it's fair since I expect them to ask permission to use my things. I can just be the example.
I have a huge and tall play yard. It looks like 6 babygates all connected to make a big area to play in. There is no bottom, so it's not a playpen. It folds up to store and I love it because I can use it in the house or outside. I found mine at Babies R Us for I think about $60. I tried to find a used one, but they go so quickly so I know resale will be no problem and I'll get back quite a bit of what I spent.
You need to put him in the highchair, boring or not. Give him cups, spoons to play with, cheerios. I always did the pack and play and when they were older put a baby gate at the kitchen. A lot of accidents can happen in a second and I would rather a baby be bored, then injured. Try even a booster seat that scoots up to the table instead of a high chair and things to play with at the table.
Hi Marguerite,
We just ordered a play pen off the internet that looks good. We didn't get it yet so I don't know how we are going to like it but I ordered it because it is a bit larger than the average play yard. It also has a higher weight limit than most. It's called "The Play Yard" by L.A. Baby. It's a "commercial" grade play yard and can be found at some hotel supply sites. We found ours at Closeout.com.
Hi Marguerite,
We had the same problem with our 2 year old and baby twins. Our solution, we gated off part of the kitchen and placed a play kitchen complete with bowls, and other toy kitchen items. That way, while I'm cooking they could "cook" as well. Whenever I am making dough, I always make a bit extra that they can play with at the table. Also, my partner built a shelf to contain our art supplies and the kids can draw/paint at the table while I'm working too. It keeps things handy. Both provide hours of entertainment and although it can get messy at times, at least it's in a contained area!
I got my daughter a superyard (more to keep my dogs from running her over than anything!!!)... and she absolutely LOVES it! She likes that she can see me and still play, and I like the fact that she has her own place-besides her bedroom-that she can be active. Plus, the superyard allows her to practice pulling up. I would suggest getting some of those foam puzzle-piece floor mat things as cushion- their not too expensive, and she loves being able to glide when she scoots along! I loved it so much I got her one for outside in the yard too! Just be aware, you can't make it totally stationary- if he pushes on it, it will slide across tile or wood- sometimes even carpet. That's another reason I suggest the foam things- those DON'T slode, and they are thick enough to prevent movement from pushing. Good luck in your decision!
Try a pack n play.
A cupboard of their own, as the others suggest is great. At around 10 months, we got my daughter a Playzone at One Step Ahead: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6193&cmSource=Search
We also got her a couple extra sections so she has a good, safe space to play in. We love it. She can be right there and totally self-contained to play with her toys, read or talk with us. It also has a variety of songs & activities on one of the panels. We wish we'd bought it sooner--I actually have time to throw dinner together or run to the bathroom now!
I have an 11 month old little guy who is the same way! What I have done is locked all of the cubbards in my kitchen except for one, the tupperware. When it comes time to cook or do dishes, I start in the high chair with snacks and then when he gets bored I put him in front of the tupperware and I open the door. It keeps him busy for at least an hour, tearing everything in there up and pulling it all out and apart! When he does get bored, I give him a couple of wooden spoons and we make drums out of the tupperware! Good luck, I hope that helps a little!
My son was also very busy at 10 mos. and working in the kitchen was always a task. I cleared out one lower-cabinet and filled it with some tupperware and play pots & pans, toys, etc. He eventually kept himself busy while I cleaned up the kitchen. Then, all I had to do is open the cabinet and shove all his "toys" back inside. Good luck!
Tina
I've read through some of your responses and agree that the playyard enclosures are just great, especially if your little guy is just getting the hang of crawling, but isn't yet motoring all over the place. I do not believe for a second that a child in the midst of developing his little legs for walking needs to be confined to a high chair when it is so easy to provide him a safe place to play.
For myself, we have a playyard but don't use it that often these days. Our little guy has been crawling for almost two months now and is all over the place. I let him have the run of the downstairs while I'm working in the kitchen. Keep in mind the space is small and an open floorplan -- only the front living room is out of eyeshot (and only about 10 steps away from kitchen). He and my 3-year-old play really well together.
If you have effectively "babyproofed" the space your son is turned loose in, you really have no reason to worry just because the space is larger than a playyard. Once babies are more steady and consistent with crawling, I think it's good for them to explore and let their little minds soak in the world around them.
Good luck!
My daughter loves books (20 months) and I put her in my graco pack and play with a bunch of books she can't destroy, and then I also put on a Baby Einstein Movie. They last for about a half hour, and they're really great little attention getters. They're also educational (teaching words, seasons, signs, etc.) so I don't ever feel guilty about ploping her down for a bit. I bought the entire set of DVD's (25) for $50 on ebay. They retail between $10-$15; Toysrus usually does a buy one get one half off deal. Good luck!
YOu might try just having specific toys for your kitchen, so that when he is in there he can play with a certain basket of toys, or pots and pans and a metal spoon. My boys loved to nest a big stack of bowls while I cooked. If you don't want him on the floor you could try a johnny jumper, but if he is bored in an exersaucer that may not do the trick. I wish you luck. I would keep trying him in the exersaucer and maybe try some different toys tied to it.
Sadly, I have no genius ideas for you. I've had 4 now (youngest almost 9 months) and when they were at the age that I didn't want them in the kitchen while I was working, I usually just put off working in the kitchen until naptime. I could never load or unload the dishwasher if they were in the kitchen because they were constantly grabbing things out of it. Most kitchen items are not the safest for a baby to play with. Hopefully someone else has better suggestoins. Right now, we actually have a doorway (minus the actual door) that we can put a baby gate in so they can't get into the kitchen while I'm in there. We will be moving soon where there won't be a good way to block the whole kitchen, so hopefully someone else gives you a much better suggestion! Good luck. That's a tough age for getting pretty much any housework done.
Put a safety lock on all of the cabinets that could be potentially dangerous or that you don't want him getting into. Have at least one cabinet or drawer that he can get into and play with the items. I have a cabinet that has tupperware. My kids can get in it and pull things out. I also have drawers and cabinets that have pots & pans & lids that the kids can bang on and make lots of noise. Then I have a drawer that has measuring spoons, etc. that the kids can play with. The kids can be in the kitchen "helping" while I'm cooking or cleaning. Also, I have Leapfrog fridge magnets. My kids can practice their alphabet, counting, & farm animal noises. I also have a toy kitchen that I used to keep near my kitchen. My son could imitate what I was doing. But sometimes you need to just stick your kids in a pack-and-play. My sons always liked to "help" me load/unload the dishwasher --- which didn't work. So, I placed them in the playpen with toys until the dishes were done. When he's older, have him actually help. Kids love that. Be creative.