Indoor Activities for a Toddler Big Brother

Baylen has been so patient and gentle as he gets to know his little sisters. It’s the sweetest thing to watch. However, there is only so much “sit and be gentle” that a little 17 month old can take before he reaches his limit. Since we’re pretty much house bound until our four pound twins get bigger, we’ve been doing our best to come up with activities to keep him occupied.

Here are a few things that are working well.

1. Helping with the babies. Baylen loves to help with tummy time. He’ll lay down and stare, sometimes holding their hands or pointing to different parts on their face. He is also great at helping us to “check on the girls.” He knows what this means, and will go over to his little step stool and smile a proud big brother smile.His favorite thing this week has been to give the babies their pacifiers. He doesn’t care if they really want them or not, he tries his best to wiggle them in their little mouths. 

2. Baylen’s quiet book. Grandma sewed him a book that is teaching him how to dress himself. There are overall hooks, zippers, buttons, snaps, and velcro. 3. Baylen’s Thomas crayon holder. Two of Baylen’s favorite things are coloring and Thomas the Tank Engine. So, grandma came to the rescue again and combined his two loves! He has fun getting the crayons in and out of the special holder.4. Filling a milk carton. He is absolutely intrigued by the small opening and big carton. We’re working his fine motor skills by fill it with various things like Cheerios. He then loves to dump it all out!5. First adventure with markers. I happened to have a large piece of empty tagboard, so I decided to give markers a whirl. He couldn’t get enough of it, and neither could his clothes or nose. It was a bit of a mess, but sometime messes are totally worth the joy they bring!6. Learning shapes. It’s amazing how the free things usually end up providing the best entertainment. We cut out shapes in a cardboard box and ask him to put various items in the circle, square, triangle, or rectangle. And that’s a peak into Baylen’s life lately. Thankfully the weather is getting nicer by the day and soon we’ll be able to move on to lots of outdoor activities as well!

Until then, you’ll find me enjoying all the inside snuggles I can with my precious kids. 

Have a wonderful evening!

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!