{"id":2341,"date":"2019-07-11T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T13:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=2341"},"modified":"2023-08-09T04:19:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T11:19:42","slug":"how-do-you-entertain-a-toddler-without-your-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/how-do-you-entertain-a-toddler-without-your-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do You Entertain a Toddler \u2013 Without Your Phone?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you have a bored and fussy toddler and need to cook dinner, how do you entertain them? While we know it isn\u2019t the best option to hand them a phone or tablet to watch <em>PJ Masks<\/em> or another cartoon \u2013 it sure is easy and effective!<\/p>\n<p>It can feel overwhelming to figure out how to keep your child occupied all day, especially when you need to get something done.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a list of ideas for non-media alternatives. Have fun trying them!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fill a drawer in your kitchen with fun, safe kitchen gadgets and containers so your sweetie can play while you work.<\/li>\n<li>Make homemade playdough: Mix 1 cup flour,1 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon oil, \u00bccup salt, and food coloring, glitter, or scent. Stir over medium heat until smooth and thick. Place in airtight container when cooled.<\/li>\n<li>Let your child make mud pies outside and give them safe kitchen tools to use.<\/li>\n<li>Set up a small table in your kitchen or family area with paper, crayons, pencils, and other craft supplies.<\/li>\n<li>Keep a box full of mail items \u2013 return address labels and envelopes from junk mail, stickers, and stampers to play post office.<\/li>\n<li>Hide some especially fun toys and only bring them out when you really need some time to get something done \u2013 their \u201cnewness\u201d will catch your child\u2019s attention longer.<\/li>\n<li>Have them play \u201cbop the balloon\u201d \u2013 the goal is to keep the balloon in the air as long as possible! Add more balloons when they get better at the game.<\/li>\n<li>Let them \u201chelp\u201d you cook. Put them on a chair or stool and give them some safe kitchen tools to play with, or let your child wash \u201cdishes\u201d in the sink.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When it comes down to it, phones and tablets can be powerful babysitters but frequent use of them is not good for your child. And many apps or toys labelled as educational \u2013 aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>We know that one of the ways young children learn best is when they\u2019re exploring the world on their own. So, these simple ideas may keep them learning, having fun, and out of your way for a few minutes!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you have a bored and fussy toddler and need to cook dinner, how do you entertain them? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,110],"tags":[416,415,61,413,79,70],"class_list":["post-2341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-life","category-media-use","tag-keeping-toddlers-busy","tag-non-media-tips-for-toddlers","tag-parenting","tag-playtime-tips-for-toddlers","tag-toddler","tag-toddlers","ages-toddler"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1691579983:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":[""],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["60"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["289"],"_thumbnail_id":["2348"],"wpfp_favorites":["39"],"qode_seo_title":["Entertaining a Toddler \u2013 Without Your Phone."],"qode_seo_keywords":["toddler, entertaining toddler, toddler and media use, non-media alternatives for entertaining toddler, toys"],"qode_seo_description":["Busy parents can entertain toddlers without handing them their phone. Kids can help you cook, play with kitchen toys, and you can cook when they do. "],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":["entertain a toddler"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["entertain a toddler"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["62"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.760000000000002;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.379999999999995;}"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1691579983"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2341"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2349,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341\/revisions\/2349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}