Gimme your best advice!

[Ngala]

So, I have 1 more week left of work and then I am a SAHM - YAY! I am really looking forward to it too. DD has been in daycare fulltime from when she was 12months, now she will be only going 2 days a week so she still has the interaction with out children, plus she has some friends there.

So, I am after some advice!!
How do you keep your child entertained during the day? DD is 3 and is a great independent player, but I don't want her to just be playin by herself all the time, I would like to do some activities with her too.
Do you make your meals for your child exciting?? My main worry is that DD is not going to eat because she is not a big eatter at home but I know that she eats heaps at daycare! So I want this to continue at home too. I guess I better dust off my recipe book for children's lunch time ideas and finally put it to good use!!

Well thats all I have at the moment, but please tell me anything that you find may be useful to me!

TIA

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Yay for getting some time at home with your DD.

In regards to keeping them occupied i find my girls love doing whatever i'm doing, involving them in the housework (ie. helping with dishes etc), baking with them maybe once a week is good if your into cooking.
Lots of drawing, reading books.

Regarding lunch we don't do anything special, maybe find out what she likes most from daycare and have that some days, picnic's at home always work for me too.

I guess in all it's just great to go with the flow and enjoy it.
Have fun.

[*Sparklez*]

oh how exciting!! im excited for you and btw welcome to sahm hood lol

i find that my son is very hard to entertain but at daycare he does everything there...
i take him to parks and indoor playcentres but when at home i take him out the back and paint and play in the water draw on the concrete with chalk etc...

as for foos my son is very much the same if its not what he wants he can not eat all day...
i make him hot meals for brekky lunch and dinner...
i let him help or even just watch and show him what im doing with it all..
and after lunch we make cupcaes, cakes, muffins anything he asks for i literally make on the spot so he eats.

hope that helped a little

[Beach Mama]

Yay! Enjoy hun! I too find that they are happy to play around while I do what I am doing washing/cleaning up etc. We do lots of cooking together here, heaps of craft activities - at the moment she is into learning letters so we are doing one big poster a week focusing on one letter at a time, we go to the library story time and borrow books, we play with play doh , put on CDs and dance, sand and water play outside. SO much to do! The options are endless. I tend to ask Iz what she wants for lunch within reason, most days its a sandwich or something like pasta which is great. I sometimes do creative things like make pikelets in the shape of animals they are never anything like what she asks for but she loves it anyway!

I also use ideas from blogs like Irresistible ideas for play based learning and let the children play, they have wonderful pre-school activities and ideas if you get stuck!

[HotI]

Check out your local library / community centre / playgroup for local (sometimes free) activities. Good for kids and parents

[Daytona's Mummy]

Yep, when DS was that age, The good 'ol' backyard picnic did the trick. & getting him to help with making the lunch, whether it be simple sandwiches with cut-out shapes or home made pizza made onto bread roll halves... Salads, pastry cut-outs then topped. there are heaps to get them involved with & my ds loved eating his creation.
As for activities, with Ds, we used to make play-dough and there was this other dough I tried once that you make, kids make beads or what-not then you cook it, cool it & they paint it.... We also did the coloured (food dye) pasta pictures, painting games in the backyard, water play (get some water pistols or water boms) Heaps of stuff! Usually messy things are most fun!!!

[black_rose]

I agree with zf, go with the flow! She will want to do what mummy does, help with hanging clothes on the line, wiping things with a cloth. We do baking once a week but I just ask her what she wants to do, we do anything from playdough, drawing, playing outside or sometimes she just wants to sit and watch tv if it was a big day the day before.

Enjoy being a sahm! Both my girls go to daycare twice a week too for the same reasons as you.

[human bean]

You could always as your CC for some recipes/menus too and you could make some of her faves at home also?

[Ngala]

Thank you everyone that advice is great! I guess the main thing is to go with the flow

Good idea on getting CC's menu plan/recipes!! I'll be asking tomorrow if I can get it off them atleast it'll give me an idea in what DD eats too.

Baking and picnics in the backyard - oh I can't wait!!!