No Toddler TV Challenge

This happened as a sort of accident. My 17 month old son really likes TV. Who doesn't? We love media over here...probably too much. Being pregnant, and exceptionally ill and fatigued this pregnancy, we have had many a day where we cuddled watching something, or I relied on the energy of cartoon characters to counteract my lack thereof. But, I decided that we needed a change. Just as much as I didn't want him to be a little TV zombie, I also didn't want to be the momma who parents via TV. Let's be clear here, I am being overly dramatic -- obviously, I don't really parent via TV -- but, I wanted to challenge myself to be better...to do better. And, I wanted him to have better :)

So, today, we hit day 2 of no TV for the toddler (My Love and I have been sneaking TV in after toddler bedtime, haha). Yesterday was rough. Little Man was cranky, listless, and not really sure what to do with himself. That broke my heart, and made me even more resolute to continue the no TV strike. We made it through yesterday, and had some really great moments despite the awkward transition. Today was great! We watched a friend's little girl this morning, so we had a sort of built-in-play-date. They played with cars, and blocks...we listened to instrumental music on my Pandora station (comprised of Vince Guaraldi, Holst, and John Williams). They took a nice, long nap, and then Little Man and I went to go meet another friend for another play date! He had a blast, and wore himself out playing in the sand, dirt, and grass. He had so much fun! We have had so much fun together! I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds! We're planning on going to a story time in the morning -- I really hope it goes well, and that Little Man has a good time!

While not watching TV during the day, I have been scouring Pinterest for ideas of things to do to keep Little Man occupied. Finding activities he can do on his own (but within my eyesight), is going to be probably the most challenging thing. I still want to be able to get some things done around the house.

Since it's only day two, I haven't tried as many independent activities. I think, after this post, I'm going to do a weekly "Toddler Tuesday" post, where I talk about the different things we've tried, how they've gone, and maybe share some pictures! Would y'all be interested in that? Let me know in the comments -- if it's not a hit, I'll just post them every now and then :)

1. Mess-free Painting
For this, you get freezer bags, and then put paint in them. Close the bags, then put them over a white piece of paper on a table or floor, then tape the bag down all around the edges. I couldn't find the images on Pinterest...or the actual link...that inspired that idea. Unfortunately, it played out way better in my head than it did in reality. I was so excited. But, I got the wrong bags...they were too small...they were tinted blue...they had a line on them so you can write what the contents are. The paint I used probably needed to be a little more fluid, so it could be spread around more easily. Then, I couldn't get the tape to hold the bag down. Little Man easily pulled up the bag, and was more interested in prying it away from the tape than he was in squishing the paint around.

2. Pom Pom Fun
This one was tricky, because most of the ones that came in the bag were too small for him to safely play with. He doesn't sort colors just yet, so he really just piled them all into a cup, then moved them from the cup to a pan, then to another pan, then back to the cup, usually followed by unceremoniously dumping them everywhere. It wasn't very systematic, but he seemed to enjoy it just fine.

I think tomorrow, after our story time and nap, we'll be trying to make and use sidewalk paint, as seen here.

I also intend to use some of these lady's ideas -- she is brilliant!