Wednesday

Keeping a Toddler Busy During Meal Prep


My toddler son is quickly becoming a “helper.” I'm all for teaching him to help around the house. However, five thirty in the evening is not usually my favorite time to do so. There is dinner to fix and sometimes a baby to nurse. Plus, I just might need to scrape some Play-Doh off the table before we eat. You probably know the drill. Adding my toddler to the mix doesn't always help.


So, instead, I set him up in the downstairs powder room. I fill a sink with some water and a squirt of hand soap. Then, I give him a dish rag and some plastic spoons or cookie cutters. He gets busy washing dishes and I get busy making dinner.


He stays occupied for several minutes. In this time, dinner is made, his hands are clean, and my bathroom is a mess. You can't win them all, but this comes pretty close. Besides, a little soapy water sloshed around my bathroom is probably a good thing.


This works for me. Be sure to visit Rocks in My Dryer for other great tips.

4 comments:

Heart of Wisdom said...

What a wonderful idea.
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The Proverbs Wife said...

I use this activity alot at my house. Great tip.

Anonymous said...

My older two loved this, but I'd forgotten about it...it's all coming back now that I have a one year old again. Thanks for the reminder. Keeping those hands busy is important!

Anonymous said...

Why have I never done this! Great idea!