Advice on schooling with my toddler...

[John'smom]

So I have never schooled with a toddler before. My older two or going to be in Rev to Rev this next year. I know there is a lot of independent boxes but there are still definitely things that need to be taught, checked, go over, and re-checked. So my little girl was a late walker at 16 months and so I think is a little slower on the "no" department. I try and be very faithful about training/teaching but it seems like nothing is sinking in. So I know I need a plan and a lot of patience/grace for this upcoming school year. My lil dd will be 17 months when we start school. She seems to have no interest in toys and I have found 1 video she will watch and it is 20 min long. She will look at books for a time. I still have to watch her though as she has picked at bindings before. Any advice? I am going to try and find the toddler threads here. I know there are some. Are they still applicable to a 17 month old? I Know there is a big difference between 17 and 24 months. Also I appreciate any prayers for grace and wisdom. I feel like I could go crazy this summer much less with school coming. I am not a great multi-tasker unfortunately.

[StephanieU]

Just a couple of ideas:
1. Use nap time as best as possible.
2. Schedule the older two to play with the youngest when you need to work 1 on 1 with them.
3. Try to set up an area that is "child proof" that you can place her in when needed for short periods of time. It can be a room that you can gate off, a play pen, etc.
4. If she can feed herself some, use that as time to things like math that don't need your constant attention but some attention

[Mommamo]

Yes, definitely what was said above about naptimes and schooling while the toddler is eating. Something else I did was to stick my toddlers in the high chair with different activities than the normally got to play with, like "finger painting" with pudding (for my kids with no allergies), books, crayons (as they got older), blocks, special toys they only got during school time. This helped to keep them near us so they usually behaved better for longer. It also allowed me to rotate my toddler to various activities to keep them from being bored (so some time in high chair, some time in pack and play, some time watching a short video or listening to music, etc).

[MelInKansas]

My toddlers are trained for a little bit of "room time" "crib time" (if they are still in a crib). This is 20-30 minutes at the most. Make sure there's nothing in that room the little one can hurt herself on, eat, or whatever. One time my 3rd born got the tube of diaper cream and got that everywhere. That was a mess. I would often play music for them during that time. I did better on it with my 3rd born than the 4th one. Him I "blanket trained" for a while and he did like that, but then I got inconsistent and it stopped. He was to play on a blanket on the floor for 20 minutes or so with some special toys that were only available during blanket time.

I have one box filled with pinto beans and another filled with dry pasta that my toddlers can play with. Add measuring cups, spoons, etc. I put a couple of big towels on the floor to make cleanup easier, but the fact of the matter is it takes 5 minutes or so to clean up all the beans from all over the floor. We do it in the dining room, while the other kids are doing some of their workbooks at the table.

I was not beyond putting the toddler in the high chair and giving a Dum Dum lollipop for the little one to eat. Every day. It gave me 10-15 minutes.

It's stressful and busy, but in a few months it seems to always get better as long as you keep with it. Another good tip I heard was to try to fill the littlest one's cup with your attention first, and the rest of the day will go smoother. If you spend just a little bit of time with that one, she might be less likely to make trouble.

Or do some of your work with them during her nap time. I hope she still takes a nap.

[Jennymommy]

A kid spoon and a plastic cup with chocolate nut butter will keep her busy for a bit

[SetApartForHisGlory]

Have you ever tried blanket training? I started it with my last child, she was about your child's age. You're supposed to start when they're really young, but she took to it pretty well. It made my life easier, that's for sure. I always wanted to see what it would be like to have another one and blanket train them from a much younger age. I'm sure you can find it if you google it

[MomtoJGJE]

Use your olders to entertain some. It might make you have a little more work to do each day if you do them separately, but it would save sanity. Also invest in some sort of locking cabinet

[queenireneof3]

You've gotten some good advice! I remember asking a similar question when my youngest was at 2 years old. I think the post is called "For the love of a 2 year old". I don't know how to link posts or I would. I was given lots of good advice.

I replaced naptimes with crib times so that the kiddo could still rest , but play independently for 30-45 min. Blanket training is awesome, but I would limit training times to non-school times at first so that you can focus on it. 16-17 months is young to expect a child to sit still on a blanket. my 2-3 year olds were much better at it.

I would limit the places where she can be during school-times to very safe areas that you don't have to be constantly training her while trying to teach the others. cribs, pack n plays, high chairs, safe room with a gate, etc. Rotate her every 20-30 min to a new spot when you are schooling. 20- when she is just starting the new routine and extend to 30 eventually. set a timer that she will recognize so that she can learn to play where she is until the timer dings. Then she can be assured that she will be getting a change of scenery with every ding.

Some of her 30 min rotations can be time with older siblings that have the capacity to keep a close eye on her. I made a list of activities and a box of toys that could only be school-time toys. I still use and update the school toy box for my youngest (almost 4) so that he has something special to do while the others school. You've gotten some good ideas for activities already! One activity or toy per rotation will help them develop the habit of attention. You could probably use pinterest to find simple ideas for her age group. There are also decks of cards that have super simple activities specifically for one year olds that might give you more ideas for her rotations. I would include a "mommy rotation" where you plan on spending time with her reading or playing so that she feels like she is getting the same treatment as the older kids.

I've also found that if my attitude toward my littlest is not predominately "frustrated", and if I can learn to treat interruptions gently, that my attitude helps my older kids not get frustrated and to enjoy their youngest sibling even when he is being difficult. The opposite is also true. If I feel constantly frustrated with his immaturity, they get snappy with him too. *sigh* We all need the Lord's help minute by minute!