Sleepy Mamas

The end of the day can feel a long way away at 8 o’clock in the morning. As much as we adore our children, they can be extremely hard work, and when your tired it can feel intimidating to try and plan how you’re going to look after them all day. This post is one in a series about where to go and what to do to keep you both happy. Firstly, remember that parenting whilst truly exhausted is a marathon not a sprint. Wear comfy clothes, eat and drink well, don’t feel guilty about putting on an episode or 5 of Pepper Pig when you need a breather, and generally allow yourself room to be tiered – there is no such thing as a ‘good’ mum. You are here, you showed up, you’re trying you’re best and that’s fantastic. Secondly, it’s good to make a plan but keep it loose, sometimes your little one will want to spend half an hour playing with the velcro on their shoes. Unless you have an appointment you have to keep time to, let them enjoy that half an hour. I must admit there were many times where I could feel myself getting more and more tense and impatient with my little one as they resisted my instructions, ran away from me and generally made it difficult for us to leave the house. What made things easier is when I left myself double the time I thought we would need to get out, and then let her explore what she wanted to. She wasn’t being naughty, she was just moving at a different speed to me, and rather than trying to hurry her up, I needed to slow myself down. Rather than try to wrangle her shoes on, I would take a deep breath, sit beside her and watch as she worked out how the velcro worked. Eventually she would exhaust her curiosity and we would put them on her feet. Thirdly, you don’t need to fill every second of every minute with entertainment, and what we consider mundane or unexciting can actually be the highlight of your little ones day. Allow your plan and timings for the day to stay fluid as much as you can.

Thank you Lord for a Garden centre. Lots to do, lots to see, and lots of friendly people to wave at. Here are 5 ideas for how to spend your time there.

1. Push the trolly. My daughter adores pushing that trolly! I found it helpful to relinquish control for a while and allow her to choose where we go and what we do – it used to feel like it mattered that we were going past the petunias for the 5th time and we hadn’t had any cake yet, but after a while I realised we were both happier if I gave her the reins. She enjoyed being in control and I enjoyed that she had a good work out!

2. Go and see the fish. Fish provide excellent entertainment for little ones. Different colours, different sizes, different shapes, and always moving! If they are not quite talking age, hold your little one in your arms and stand by the tank for a while. Let them focus on the fish and talk about what you notice, their size, their shape how they move. Keep repeating the word fish, and they may begin to try and form the sound themselves! If your child is of talking age, try to talk to them about the colours they notice, their texture and patterns, their size, the specific names of each fish, and which one is their favourite and why.

3. Go to the cafe and have some cake. You both deserve a big slice of cake! If you remember to pack a bib with you, you can let them try and use a fork or spoon and give them incredible praise for their efforts! If things get a bit wild, see if they are able to feed you. This activity will provide them with a clear focus, and you with regular mouthfuls of cake. Win win. I found it is best to order things in takeaway packaging. Often times sitting down together didn’t last very long as my little one wanted to wander around and wave at everyone, so at least this way I could take my tea with me! The cafe is also a nice area to do some colouring in. Head to my Etsy page to download my garden centre themed colouring in printable.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1393432155/a4-garden-centre-colouring-bundle

If your able to print it off and pack a few crayons before hand then fantastic, if not, open the image in a photo editor app and let your little one colour in with their fingers on your phone. It might just give you a moment to finish your cake!

4. Explore the children’s section. Most garden centres have a children’s section with toys and books. It can sometimes be a challenge to let your little one roam the children’s section without them wanting to play with and or buy everything, but again it’s ok to relinquish control and let them explore for a while. As long as their not spoiling any of the toys or products, just let them explore, as again, they will in all likelihood exhaust their curiosity after a time. If you don’t want to purchase anything you can help set up this situation by saying these toys live in the garden centre right now and we won’t be giving any a new home today. If not, a book is a lovely and low cost item to buy as you can read it before bed and remember what a nice time you had together that day. However, you can do this just as well without buying anything too.

5. Buy the items to pot up a plant at home. If you do fancy visiting the tills before you leave, then you should be able to find a small plant pot and little perennial somewhere in the outdoor section. Let your little one choose both, and later on (if you have the energy, if not save this activity for tomorrow) you can pot the plant before finding a nice place in your house to put it. This activity is likely to get a bit messy, so best to do outside if you can. If you can’t, head to the kitchen floor and make use of your vacume cleaner and washing machine!

I hope this post is helpful in giving you a few ideas for how to keep yourselves happy on your next day together. Keep taking deep breaths and remember that your little one is just trying to connect with you, even when they’re misbehaving. Children are usually trying to find the answer to one or all of the following questions – can you see me, can you hear me, am I safe and do you love me? (Even when I’m pushing the boundaries!) When your tired it’s hard to keep your cool, but you can do this sleepy mama, one shinny little silver fish at a time!