Lockdown with a 2 year old

We are currently on week 4 here in the UK and let me tell you, lockdown with a 2 year old has been a non-stop juggling act shall I call it. A lot of people have said how bored they are, but I don’t think that’s physically possible with a toddler. They bring a lot of energy (and take a lot of energy) to a household and keep things interesting to say the least! 

Harvey recently turned 2 in February, he is at the age where he is starting to put small sentences together, so we can mostly understand him, but also speaks a lot of gibberish too. He’s at an age which isn’t able to sit and focus, instead it’s best to teach him through actions and activities. I must admit, I have been struggling to find things to do with Harvey, he isn’t very creative / artsy like me, doesn’t take much interest in crafts so that’s that out of the window. He is definitely more technical like his dad, he likes to figure out how things work, and be a able to do it himself. 

Terrible twos

Terrible twos is definitely a thing, I swear as soon as he crossed that birth date it started. Harvey thinks a lot before he acts and is most definitely is aware of what he is doing. He is a cheeky little fella who likes to take things as far as he can before being told off (just like that viral cat video where the cat pushes the glass off the table, I’ll link it here 😂). He will pull out all of his tricks to make you happy again (kisses, hugs, cutely saying my name), you just can’t be mad at him for too long!

It’s funny to watch him get frustrated when he can’t do something, he starts with the heavy breathing and his actions get more harsh, then he asks me or daddy for help. At least he’s willing to ask for help, and not quite as stubborn as his father yet! 

Potty Training

He is not yet potty trained so I think we’re going to make the most of this truly once in a lifetime opportunity to *hopefully* successfully potty train him – wish us luck! He is still at the stage where he says he isn’t going for a poo poo (even though I can tell he clearly is with his bright red face and wide pushing eyes 😂). Although just this week he’s started to sort of signal to us that he needs to go, so I think we’re getting there!

What we have been up to 

I have been doing my best to use this time wisely to show and teach Harvey new and practical skills. A two year old is still learning a lot about their body and voice and how to control it, so it’s not so much books but instead more showing and copying. He is picking up every little thing we say and do now, it’s so amazing to see him learn so much and also remember so much too. Here’s an example of a few things we’ve been up to, I try to mix it up as best I can:

Activities

Focusing on fine motor skills, we have been practising pouring water from one cup/object into another. He loves water play so this is super fun for him. This can also be switched for dry rice, pasta, or something similar!

We have also been using technology like our Nintendo switch to show him that each button is different, and teaching him how to use the control to move the character up and down (he’s not quite understanding left and right yet 😆) and also jump – he particularly loves Yoshi’s Crafted World (we only have the demo but it’s more than enough for him). 

Games on the phone are also great to teach Harvey how to move objects by sliding his finger across the screen. Harvey has been playing a game called “Baby Games” which is actually really good for him learning to use touch screen technology. 
Baking has also been fun, leaning to follow instructions and do things carefully. Harvey tends to eat the ingredients as we’re making it, and he loves the cake mix as much as the finished product!

Toys & Play 

We bought him the Smoby Black & Decker Workbench as I knew he’d love this, it fits in perfectly with his technical side, figuring out how things work. When he’s older he’ll be able to build things, for now I helped him build that lorry 😆. It’s actually really sturdy compared to others I’ve seen, and has lots of storage for all the accessories it comes with which is perfect for our small flat. So far he absolutely loves it, it’s the first thing he goes to play when he wakes up and has given me some time to relax a bit (and write this blog post). Win-win for mama! 

We have also been tiring out all of his energy by chasing him around the house, and also getting him to chase the cats around the house as they need exercise too (especially our fat cat!). Although I think he’s starting to become one too, he’s been chasing the light reflection and lasers like the cats do 🙈!

Nursery rhymes is another fun activity, Harvey loves listening to songs and watching the actions – especially sleeping bunnies (although he only really does the part where they’re on the floor sleeping, he’s so lazy!). We usually attend a sing and sign class every week, so we’ve been missing this as it was fun to get out and interact with other toddlers. It’s hard trying to keep up with doing the sign actions as we speak, but we’re trying. I signed up the the British Sign Language (BSL) course, they have an offer currently to pay what you can afford because of the coronavirus, which is lovely of them and a great language to learn, I’ll link it here. I have also been teaching him cantonese songs/clapping games which he loves to get involved with too, it’s so lovely for me as these are songs I’ve grown up with too.

We have been enjoying this beautiful weather from our bedroom balcony as we get a lot of sun in there which is so nice to have when stuck indoors, it definitely brightens our mood! Harvey had started to play a lot of pretend, asking us to play house, and pretending to feed his teddies, taking them with him to chill. Here’s a photo of him chilling on our balcony with two of his favourite teddies, he put them there himself! ☀️

A day in the life of lockdown with a 2 year old

As I am currently on furlough, my day usually consists of – wake up, breakfast, play, cook lunch, eat lunch, play/TV, then Harvey has a 2 hour nap where I get a chance to relax – lol jk I have to wash dishes and have a quick house tidy up. Then I get a chance to make myself a cup of tea and sit down for about half an hour before H wakes up again. Play and TV for a little bit then I prep and cook dinner, eat, play then bath and bed for Harvey. Now I get a proper breath. That’s a day in the life of a mum to a 2 year old. Have kids they said, it’ll be fun they said. 

Haha, all joking aside, I wouldn’t change a thing (except not to have this awful virus going around of course). I’m definitely grateful for this quality time we’re able to have together as a family, it’s an opportunity that will never present itself again in our life time, so I am enjoying every moment as much as I can.

Until next time, stay safe everyone  ♡