It’s been pouring all day. Not just sprinkles but hard, cold downpours. It rained yesterday, too, and my kiddo and I are SO OVER it. I somehow survived the long harsh winter, so I know I should be able to survive a rainy day or two. This age is just a lot harder… my girl needs to run, climb, and explore all the time. She will play in the yard pretty well, but when she’s stuck inside the house she gets so whiny and needs me to entertain her every second. God knows it’s not a lack of toys. I do play with her, but is it too much to expect of a 15-month-old to take 10 or 15 minutes here or there to entertain herself?
I guess it is, so I have wracked my brain, googled incessantly, and emptied my wallet in search of indoor play options (other than the mall, which I just hate, but am getting almost desperate enough to visit). The nearest city to me is 30 minutes away, and it’s grown-up entertainment options are limited to two small malls and two small movie theaters, and that’s where we do music classes. The next closest indoor children’s play area is 45 minutes away and in a small town that is not close to any other errands or people we know. (Except the Amish community, where we’re going to start buying bread.)
After that, in order to reach cities with farmer’s markets, children’s museums, library playgroups, or indoor playgrounds, we have to drive an hour. To reach my sister or best friend’s homes, an hour and a half. I also drive an hour to and from work, so that’s just a lot of gas.
I keep thinking, is this more of a problem because I have an only child? Is this just the deal with this stage in toddlerhood? Do we need to make more friends (Ha! *snort*)? And most importantly, what will we do in the winter?! Stay-at-home and otherwise creative moms of toddlers, how do you entertain your kids at home when you can’t go outside? We can’t go somewhere every second of every day!
The good news is that we headed to a city we hadn’t been to before and I was super impressed with the toddler part of their children’s museum. Photos:
Mother of All Things 
Look into Janet Lansbury, the RIE method, and self directed play! http://www.janetlansbury.com/?s=Self+directed+play&submit=Search&lang=en Even my Velcro baby has learned to, and loves, self directed play. I rarely sit and entertain him.
Thanks, good link. I downloaded her book and have been reading it tonight while I work. I also downloaded the audio version of her mentor Magda Gerber. Love the thought processes behind their theories, still haven’t gotten to the part where they explain how to get a toddler to do this self-directed play… I have tried repeatedly, hour after hour, to encourage this in the manner they are describing, and my toddler is just very unhappy in the house. Outside, or in other indoor play areas, she has no problem. It’s in OUR house that she seems bored and especially needy for my constant attention.
So glad you like it! I’m waiting until we get to Chicago and I have access to the awesome library system again. Janet’s Facebook page is nice to follow too and then she occasionally posts questions. It takes time because it’s a big change in hangs but you could try writing to her and asking for help/repost.