Keeping A One Year Old Occupied – The ‘Pottering’ Drawer

At 17 months, Sasha is a proper little fidget-fingers, more so than Freddie ever was at this age. Since Freddie is now at preschool 3 mornings a week, I sometimes need, and use this time, to catch up on some housework/cooking/paperwork, so it’s great is Sasha can keep herself occupied for a short amount of time. Now my children have LOADS of toys between them, but Sasha is really into other ‘stuff’ right now- in fact, anything that she shouldn’t really play with, she is fascinated by.

Enter, the toddler ‘Exploratory Drawer’.

I did a bit of re-jigging in our kitchen, and cleared one of our bottom drawers.

In it, I put a variation of the following, and change this on a regular basis:

• Old weaning spoons
• Pegs
• Rubber ice cube trays
• Old toddler shoes
• An old remote control (minus battery)
• An old mobile phone (again, minus battery)
• Value baby wipes to pull apart
• Large alphabet magnets that she can’t swallow
• Some rubber cake cases
• Small weaning pots

I swear she will play with this drawer ALL MORNING if we are in the kitchen! It’s great, as it allows me to get on with a few jobs, I can still interact with her, and she is kept so happy just walking around with, and sorting, her ‘stuff’. It’s the first place she heads to in the morning when she comes into the kitchen for her drink.

Different textures and shapes also make this a great sensory activity for tiny ones.

Just make sure there is nothing in your drawer that they can easily swallow/has sharp edges- a toddler with a knife is most definitely frowned upon these days 😉

Enjoy your peace and quiet!

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.