Ask HN: Home for the holidays with a baby and a toddler - what to do?

4 points·joebo··7 comments

I am off work for the next week. I have two kids - a 19 month old and a 1 month old. It's cold and snowy where we live so limiting time outdoors with the 1 month old seems wise.

Any tips on how to keep the kids and wife happy during this time off and fight the urge to work on side projects?

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Keep the 1 month old baby warm. Not much to do other than feeding, diapers etc for them.

With the 19 month old, you have a few options. Show them funny TV/youtube clips, peek-a-boo (my 2 year old nephew loves it), hide and seek, just running around like a train etc etc. rinse and repeat.

Get Flying Saucer Sled, tie a rope to it. Dress your 19 month old really warm, put him/her into the sled. walk around your backyard/park pulling on the rope, your 19 month old should have fun. You can have 1 month old in a baby carrier, they will have fun just being close to you.

Hide and seek is always fun with toddlers. As is Hide an Object and seek it.

Sit on the floor and play with their toys.

Then take a nap.

Repeat.

Good advice. That's close to what I've done all day. Lots of books too. It's been a good day.

My favorite: One Fish, Two Fish. At one time I could recite most of it and irritated friends and family by doing so from time to time.

My son's favorite was "The wolf book" aka, The Three Little Pigs. That I could recite...with the voices. I remember doing so as last ditch entertainment as we neared home after a ten hour drive. He was sick, hungry and tired.

They are only so little for a brief time.

Show them youtube clips! My 2 years old son is crazy about winnie the pooh for example.

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