(Not So) Messy Play

With the six week driving ban inflicted on you after a c-section, it's harder to entertain your toddler than you may have previously found (especially as you're not exactly doing star jumps straight afterwards). Our little boy is 16 months old and is such an angel (thank heavens), but the change in routine means that most of our play groups are out until I'm back behind the wheel again so the pressure's on to find activities during the day that mean he doesn't miss out.

Having decent toys to hand has never been more important and we've spent many enjoyable hours in their nursery, but the house won't run itself so we were looking for something that would entertain Charlie while he was sitting in his high chair in the kitchen. In the mornings, after breakfast, we pop some music on the Sonos (they're an investment but, boy, they're good) while we're tidying up and he's quite content (the boy has rhythm), but we want him to have an activity too and one that doesn't make a huge mess.

For some reason, it only occurred to me recently that (not so) messy play was the way forward. He's too young for lots of the paints on the market, but good old fashioned crayons have proved a huge hit! These chunky ones are great for developing grip and fine motor skills.

Wanting to preserve the dining table, I bought 2.5 metres of waxed cloth to make a table cloth that will last. It might seem excessive, but the gender neutral colour means it will be perfect for their birthday parties and will still fit the table when it's extended.

While we were browsing our local Kidsstuff we also found an aquadoodle. Although, if I'm honest, it wasn't as much of a hit and we were soon back to the crayons again. It would probably be good for entertaining on a long car journey though, or if you have any events where you need your toddler to sit still for some time; we'll probably pack it in our changing bag once wedding season is fully underway.

To tie in with the crayon theme, we've also been reading The Day the Crayons Quit. I know Charlie's probably a bit too young, but we try to read to him every night and tend to choose picture books that have more substantial stories; this number one New York Times bestseller is perfect as the illustrations are really engaging and the story is great, with some added humour thrown in for good measure! If you haven't read it yet, you must as it will entertain you too!

Next up we're trying out the Play-Doh just in shot, so I'll let you know how we get on!