Miranda: Just had to tell Beckett to stop playing in the toilet
Jamie: Macie will not stop jumping in her crib. I'm pretty sure she's going to break it.
Miranda: Oh, the screaming. The whining. The non stop noise. My head hurts.
I've decided that it's time to ramp up the entertainment around here - to find activities that will keep Beckett a little more occupied so we can avoid as many meltdowns and tantrums as possible. I texted Jamie about a few things I was going to do, and she told me she was doing some of the same things for Macie!
If you have a toddler, know a toddler, will EVER have a toddler or know one, pay attention this week because we are focusing our blog posts on this very fun, yet very exhausting age. Hopefully you'll find a few tricks and activities that spark your interest and PLEASE feel free to leave your own advice or tried and true projects in the comments section. We sure could use it!
I worked on a few sensory bags this weekend. They are really easy to make, and you can customize them for your child's interests. My first bag was an ocean bag - I have a jar of sea shells in our downstairs bathroom that Beckett is obsessed with. He loves to play with them, so I knew I wanted to add them to the bag.
Supplies needed:
- blue hair gel (I got a MEGA size at Target for $1.84)
- freezer bags
- clear packing tape
- sea shells, glitter, toy fish, etc
Pretty simple and pretty self explanatory - I reinforced 3 sides of the bag with clear packing tape to keep the gel from oozing out, and then filled the bag with the blue gel. I threw in a handful of seashells, toy fish and glitter and then closed the top and reinforced it with more tape.
The next bag I did was one with shaving cream. Also easy - same steps, just use shaving cream instead of gel. I didn't add any objects to this one.
Both of these bags were inspired by Mama OT. She has a huge list of different sensory bags to try. Check it out and try one for yourself!
I love that these bags are so inexpensive and easy to make - and you can make a new one any time you feel like it. And, though this may go without saying, be careful to watch your little one with these bags - of course they could break at any time and you want to make sure shaving cream, gel or other various small objects do not make their way into the mouth!
Love this picture - you can tell Beckett wasn't quite sure to make of all the squishy fun!
