5 Ways to Entertain Your Toddler

Two year olds have the attention span of, well, a two year old (some 33 year olds do to, but that’s a post for another day). Sometimes you need to keep them entertained while you get things done, so here’s what we’ve found works:

  1. Books - This works a lot of the time. Caleb could take a stack of books and be occupied for quite some time.
  2. Coloring - I think kids are naturally creative. Caleb loves drawing, and he’ll color on anything you stick in front of him. This is good for restaraunts, since you can usually let him draw on a scrap piece of paper with a pen.
  3. Snacks - I wouldn’t use this if our kids were overweight, but this is very effective at keeping Caleb occupied, and we use this a lot when he’s in his stroller (at the mall, for example). His favorite is raisins or Cheerios, but we’ve been known to buy a box of Animal Crackers if we forget the snacks at home.
  4. Puzzles - There are certain toys that will hold Caleb’s attention, puzzles are one of them.
  5. Videos - We try to use this sparingly, but if all else fails this will usually work (particularly if what Mom and Dad are doing is interesting). We have a ton of the Baby Einstein videos, which Caleb still loves, and we usually have some episodes of Little Einsteins or Hi-5 on Tivo.

Bonus link: Parent Hacks has a suggestion as well: Play-Doh. We haven’t tried that one yet, but we will soon.

What’s your favorite “I need to get something done” trick?

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January 28, 2006 | Filed Under Crafts & Activities 

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