Stay-at-home moms: what do you do with your 1 year old all day?

Question

I stay at home with my daughter the majority of the week and now that she's one, I'm not sure if I'm doing enough to stimulate her and teach her what she should know at her age. What does your schedule consist of and what do you do?

Answer 1

We have breakfast together every morning. We go out for breakfast sometimes which is time consuming and VERY stimulating so it wears them out. Plus it's fun for them to have new things to look at.

We do artsy stuff with big fat crayons, crayola color wonder markers, and water colors. And we even frame the good stuff and hang it on the wall. I take my son to art museums but he's just as happy with a stroll through the mall.

We read all day, everyday. I take him to bookstores and the library where they have story time. It's fun to watch their little faces when someone else does the reading. Plus you get to meet other kids and moms in the process.

There are free mommy groups that meet once a week/month so the kids have a consistant group of familiar faces to interact with.
And those moms will be full of ideas of fun things to do in your area.

We also LOVE gymboree classes. They are awesome and you can check out gymboree.com for locations and class schedules.
We love it.

I use GoCityKids.com to find festivals and family friendly events in our area when I get in a rut. There are always picnics in the park, going to the zoo, visiting older relatives that adore babies, and my goodness Legos! I can't tell you how many times we have built and rebuilt our afternoons away with Legos. Toys R Us has age and gender appropriate Legos, so go for it.

You are better at this mommy thing than you know, give yourself a break and relax. As long as she has you at home with her she's better off than you can imagine!! She's observing and learning from you every minute of the day. And take a nap every once in a while when she naps - recharge your batteries ;-)

Best of luck to you. Take care.

Answer 2

I didn't do enough with my now almost 3 year old heading off to developmental preschool next month, but if I could go back I would have joined a play group when he was in his early months and done more interactive play and added in part time daycare. My son is very smart, I knew this but I have been told this by all of our evaluators, but lacks social skills with his peers and has some speech development delays due to the lack of socialization and the fact that he learns speech by echoing what we say until he understands where it fits in and what it means.

Answer 3

my son is almost 2 and a half now, and we do the same thing we did when he was one - play, play, play! of course our games are different now, though. try some educational things! start to work on colors and numbers. babies actually like to do flash cards too! read lots of books! and you don't always have to read, you can just talk about the pictures. have you daughter 'help' you around the house, with sweeping and such. one yr olds also love to help sort the laundry! you can start sock matching games. play outside! fresh air is great for you both. sing silly songs, turn on some music and dance. and ART! now is a great time to start coloring, finger painting, all kinds of stuff. make little music instruments like rice in a paper towel tube. make noise! bang on pots and pans! practice stacking things and lining things up.

also dont forget that she still needs downtime. spend time just cuddling on the couch, or watching a cartoon together.

as long as your daughter isn't bored often, i am sure you are doing a great job!

Answer 4

My son is 19 months old and our day consists of tv time in the morning (so we get our fix of spongebob and Dora) and then on to play time (which can be getting down on the floor and playing with her or just singing her favorite songs.) Snack around 10 or so with lunch at 12 and down for a nap. hes down to one nap a day for 3 hours or so and wakes up around the time my older kids get home from school...they pretty much keep him entertained until dinner. when the weather was nicer we went outdoors as often as possible sometimes playing in the yard or walking with the stroller. This is a great way for both of you to get some fresh air. at this age you kinda just have to follow her lead..and routine is VERY important. It gives them a sense of security to know what is going to happen and when. good luck.

Answer 5

That's the same thing I was wondering! Well I registered for some on line classes @ the local college, I teach him how to walk, read to him, go to the store just for the heck of it and don't buy anything but I to like him to interact with other people and teach him things he won't see in the house. You know I just do things that are fun and safe for him to do to raise a productive kid. Hey maybe you could help me out and tell me some ideas for my sons 1st birthday party Feb 10th?

Answer 6

I stay at home with my son, he's 17 months. I don't do anything out of the ordinary with him. I do, however, make sure I spend time playing with his toys with him... Singing whatever songs the toy plays, pointing out shapes and colors, pointing out eyes, ears, nose, things like that. Also, I spend a lot of time time teaching him "tricks" (clapping hands, blowing kisses, etc) and praising him for it. He spends time playing alone too to help build his independence. Another things we do is, he helps me do housework (opens the dryer door for me, putting away his toys, closes the dishwasher door, things like that) again that gives me a chance to praise him, and i believe that plays a big part in his developement and social skills. They grow so fast and their little brains are like sponges. In the past monthes since turning one, he has learned so many new things and I'd like to think that my staying home with him plays a part in that. Find activities that work for the 2 of you and allow you to bond. You also want to make sure not to over stimulate. Enjoy your time together...

Answer 7

I had so much fun when my kids were that age! Of course, I've loved every age... I remember when I was in college and I knew a lady whose daughter went from newborn-3 while I knew her, and everytime I asked about the child the mom would really enthusiastically say, "Oh, she's at that fun stage!" It was a real lesson to me.

What I did with my kids at that age:
--talked to them a lot and pointed out things and named colors but not in a teaching way - in a conversational way
--read HOURS to them
--I had a BUNCH of toys from garage sales when they were that age so I'd play with them with those - pounding lil balls in, stacking blocks, setting up the fisher price farm with the animals, etc
--took walks
--my son didn't care for this but with my daughter I'd put her in her high chair nearly every day and put blank paper in front of her and first hand her crayons...then a new piece of paper and markers...then a lil chalkboard and chalk...and I don't remember what else, but it was a whole series of stuff and she loved it! Oh, she did those paint with water books, too. They don't put out much color, but she had so much fun dipping the brush in water and swishing it around
--put shaving cream or pudding on a flat surface and paint
--played with bubbles
--put them on the floor and rolled balls to them
--ring around the rosy
--chase
--peekaboo
--let them 'help' with household chores

The best thing is just to talk to her and include her in your daily activities - don't just put her and her toys in the next room as you are rushing about to clean the house and such. She will enjoy anything you do with her, and will learn so much from listening to you. Have fun!