A lot of families choose to have multiple children. In most cases, this also means that young children end up being involved in a variety of things that were at one time considered, “Adult only”. You may take your child to run errands. You may take them to see wedding ceremonies, you may even take them to baby showers. Babysitters and nannies are often impractical. Ask any mom, and they will tell you the tricks that they use to keep their little ones happy during any one situation. For that reason, we are including some of our most favorite ideas for toddlers at the baby shower.
Sorting and Matching Fun
When all else fails to entertain a rowdy toddler, matching games are awesome. All you need is a few colorful pompoms from a craft section and a try with colored sections. Your toddler will spend hours sorting and exploring the texture of the pompoms.
If sorting is something they enjoy, you may also get an empty parmesan cheese containers or old colanders for putting pipe cleaners in. Boxes or plastic tubs can also be used as shape or color sorters if they have a lid that you can cut holes into.
Mess-Free Play
Toddlers are notorious for making a mess. If you want to avoid the mess while entertaining your toddler, you can put some watercolor paint into a ziplock bag. Seal it up and let them paint to their heart’s content. No mess, just fun and it does not take a lot of paint. A few drops of three or four colors and they can create a masterpiece.
Playdough is also good. It is interesting to toddlers and if you put it on a tray, there is very little mess to clean up afterward.
Paper Towel Rolls
You should never underestimate the power of a simple paper towel roll. Kids love them! Toddlers are fascinated by them. They can poke blocks or other small items into the ends and watch as it falls out the other end. We picked a cheap toddler mattress, set it up outside for a family bbq, and taped a tube to a tree. We had a bucket under it to catch the items that fell. Our daughter loved it and spent forever dropping acorns and other stuff through.
Textile Fun
Textiles are usually easy. It is also fun for toddlers because some fabrics and items may be soft while others are rough. To play with textiles, you can cut up different types of fabric, such as clothes you no longer wear, old bath towels, jeans, rags, whatever. The brighter the color, the more it will appeal to your child. Once you have the fabric, cut it into strips and give your toddler an empty baby wipes box. They will enjoy touching fabrics and stuffing them into the hole repeatedly.
Toddlers are amazing little people. They are easy to entertain because life is a learning experience for them. You can take advantage of it during baby showers or other events where your toddler could be antsy and you prefer that they are calm.