Entertaining a Toddler with Morning Sickness

As you might know, the past couple of months have been rough for me. Baby #4 has been challenging to say the least. I've always gotten sick with my pregnancies but never this sick. It took 3 different medications just to stay hydrated and still I was getting sick daily. I didn't have the energy to get off the couch, to pick up my phone, or to put a coherent sentence together. But, nevertheless, I had an active healthy 2-year-old at home.

Being a Montessori family, my kids have a lot of independence. They can get their own snack, or drinks, got to the bathroom (mostly), and things like that. But, that doesn't mean they don't want any adult interaction. Gus still craves adult attention and needs/wants me to be an active part of his day. So, I had to get creative to make that happen. Things like cooking together in the kitchen, going outside, and playing together were difficult for me.

Some screen free, Montessori friendly tips for entertaining a toddler when you have morning sickness

So, here are a few ways I was still able to entertain Gus during those difficult months. These included: 

Finger Plays/Songs - These included things like itsy-bitsy-spider, or pat-a-cake. Stuff that we are doing together but still didn't require a ton of movement from me. Gus loves them because language! That sensitive period for language is still so strong and he loves anything that connects us together while chatting.

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Dance Party - This was a great one for all the kids. I could turn up some loud pop music and sing along while they danced. Or (usually the older ones) would set up dolls next to me for us to be the audience. Anything to burn energy!  

Lots of Books - We read so so many books together. I rotated them a little more frequently than I normally would just to keep myself interested. Gus could have read the same book over and over for all those months, but I needed a little more variety. 

Roll and Play Game - This game is so fun for older toddlers. It incorporated language, silliness, colors, and movement in a way that Gus really really loved. I could sit and still participate without expending too much energy. Yet, Gus could throw the oversized dice and run around after it getting a lot of wiggles out! 

Ball Toss - This was as simple as it seems. Just tossing a ball back and forth. Gus LOVES balls so it makes sense for his interest, and gets a lot of energy out. I would switch out the ball that was available often so that it was interesting and challenging to him. And, a few times we even switched to a balloon which was great maximum effort to try to throw effectively for him.


{While this picture might look calm, I promise you theres about a week's worth of laundry right outside the frame!}

Move the Materials (Prepare your Couch) - This one was just about creating an area for work near where I was. So instead of keeping all our materials on a shelf, I moved a couple to our couch/coffee table. I would change which ones I would choose and just put them out. Gus could choose them at will and I was nearby which he found comforting. It gave me some time to observe him in work/concentration, but also time to just do nothing. 

This isn't to say we never did anything off of the couch, but these were really helpful ways for me to engage him during the darkest times.

Do you have any tips for entertaining a toddler while having morning sickness? 


Anonymous said…
Thank you so much for all of this wisdom! Very glad you are starting to feel better.
Thank you for the tips. I had to rest during the last 3 months of my pregnancy, and had to find new ways to interact with my 2.9yo too.
(now I'll have the same issue with a newborn at home and have to start to think about that too)
We liked to play Simon Says. It could involve lots of movement, we could replace the word Simon by the names of some of his toys (although I know this kind of fantasy is not very Montessori aligned) , and it could be an indirect way of asking him to tidy up when things got a bit out of control, for example. :)
Helen said…
Thank you so much for providing such a useful content. Amazing tips.

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