Ideas For Things To Do When Looking After My 15 Month Old Niece!

[Guest]

I have offered to look after my two nieces for a couple of days over the holidays for my sister as she has opened a shop with a friend. She has arranged nursery sessions for the youngest one (15 months) for a couple of days but that still leaves me with a couple of days with no idea what to do!

 

When I looked after her sister at the same age, we would usually go out for a swim at my gym followed by lunch. However, I can't do this due to the weather/roads and it looks like we will be based around the house for a few days esp. as she recently had bronchitis.

 

Can anyone give me ideas for what I can do with a 15 month old who is in to walking around, pens, turning the christmas musical toys on and off and is a very determined young lady?

 

Any help greatly appreciated asI would like to have a bit of fun too!

 

(PS We have the usual stock of glitter, glue, paper etc )

[Cait]

playdough with glitter in?

[Guest]

Glitter dough is one of my fave things with my class but will she try to eat it? I know she likes to pop things in her mouth

[Cait]

well she might - but if it's salt dough and tastes nasty she won't eat much! Or you could do ordinary pastry dough so it doesn't matter if she does eat it (minus the raw egg if you're worried)

[Guest]

Ah - my usual dough is a cream of tartar/flour, salt, oil & water recipe heated in saucepan so I guess not the best for her!

 

What do you use for a salt dough - I tried one off the next many years ago to no success but also remember being told not to use salt dough in case a child was allergic to it! Any help gratefully received!

[Cait]

your saucepan one is the one I mean. Do you know of any allergies?

[Guest]

All my little ones have a fascination with handbags so how about a large handbag filled with things she'd not usually get to play with....

 

a make up bag and brushes

 

a purse

 

a bunch of keys

 

a hairbrush and comb

 

an old mobile phone

 

a notebook and pen.....

 

Nona

[finleysmaid]

try making baby paint with baby rice and food colouring really messy fun and if it goes in the mouth no probs!

[Guest]

try making baby paint with baby rice and food colouring really messy fun and if it goes in the mouth no probs!

 

What a super idea - I've never heard of this before - she loved baby rice so I'm sure that there will be lots consumed too! Just the thing after she has been rather poorly.

 

Nona - as she loves delving into her Mum's handbag I think she would love the chance to play with those contents - glad I have a thing for handbags - so many for us to choose from too - esp lots of sparkly ones.

 

Cait - I never really had thought about the fact that my playdough was a form of salt dough - the recipe was handed down to me from a friend and emailed as playdough recipe - good to know, thank you! As for allergies we are trying to work out what is giving her lots of wind and tummy pains/upsets - she had baby reflux diagnosed shortly after she was born and seems to be suffering recently but as she has been quite poorly we can't quite put our fingers on what it may be.

 

Thank you for your ideas - I'm slightly more looking forward to tomorrow than I was before - I'm sure a class of 30 eager Year 1s on a windy day is much easier