Evening Activities

My daughter loves for us to take her for evening walks. Sometimes she walks herself, but most of the time she rides in the stroller. It's actually becoming more a part of her bedtime routine. We will get her bath, PJs, etc. then take her out for a walk. Then she goes to bed afterward. Sometimes she falls asleep in the stroller hehe

We live within walking distance of a University, so we walk over there & walk the sidewalks over there.

Perhaps stop by a park on the way home? Or pack a picnic dinner & go to the park.

My son goes to Montessori all day and when he comes home all he wants to do is play with his trains til dinner time. I think they enjoy having the downtime to themselves after a day of interacting with others.

What if you just take him to the park for a few minutes after dinner or out for a walk.

With your schedule it is hard to do structured activities but just something out of the house might be fun.

Try one or two nights and see how it works. All kids are different. My oldest and youngest are ready to go to bed when they go. My middle is a night owl. Make sure you talk to his teachers and let them know what you are doing as it may affect his behavior at school.

If your son complains about being tired, he might not be getting enough sleep. You might actually try moving his bedtime up a 1/2 hour or so. I would also vote against stimulation in the evening. He's been stimulated all day long. I think your routine is perfect. The main thing he needs is time with you and you're providing that. Everybody's schedule is different. Maybe their kids sleep less at night and take a longer nap. Maybe they're running errands or trying to cram in play time with their kids when they ought to be letting their kids get some sleep. Just because you see people, even a lot of them, doing something doesn't mean it's a good thing. Follow your own instincts; you're doing a good job.

Sounds like you are a responsible parent! I went to WalMart last night at almost 11 p.m. and there were more children than adults there. I couldn't believe my eyes...I know this is summer and if it were the day before the 4th I would have had some grace, but it was way too late. I would also give the benefit of the doubt to some single moms and dads out there who waited too late to go grocery fetching but even still there is a better time of day for that!
Evening activites can simply be eating out at a restaurant or eating dinner on your porch. Even family time like a picnic in your living room can be a great time for the little ones!!

No you are not being chicken! We have a 2 year old daughter as well and we don't do a whole in the in the evenings with her either. You are right it is very busy with baths, story time, bedtime etc. We just try to make sure to spend at least 30 minutes doing something with her at home after my husband gets home from work. We just on the trampoline with her, wrestle, play a game, play with play dough etc. It sounds like your little one is happy if he is falling asleep after playing. Don't be so hard on yourself. Just because other people do it one way, it does not mean that is the only way!

I used to make a stop at the local mall (which had a play area for the little ones). Even some McDonalds have playgrounds that may be suitable if there aren't too many big kids there. You let him do the run around and play thing for 15-30 minutes and then go home. He's only 2. So don't stress yourself out about it too much if at all.

We are in the same situation. We do quick meals on the grill and sometimes skip bath time. I will wash feet instead of a whole bath. Try skipping the trip to the store after work as it will allow more time outside with the kids. Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and water balloon fights (toss) are all things you can do outside if you can't walk in your neighborhood.

Can you read to him when you put him to bed? Books with stories and pictures are wonderful.

I just wanted to let you know we have about the same schedule for my 2 year old.

I feel she does get a lot of stimulation at school and on the weekends. We do a lot of activities on the weekend i.e. swim, zoo, chalk, park, boat ride, etc.

For me personally, the week schedule helps me keep my sanity. At times I do feel guilty for not doing activities on the week nights, but I feel if it helps me and my husband during the week to get thru the week, then we are keeping a healthy balance in our family.

You have to do what works with your schedule. I am like you, I don't like to do too much at night during the week. We usually eat a 6 and the boys are down by 8, so it doesn't leave much time to do a lot anyway.

I do try to get out for a bit 1-2 nights during the week. I work from home and we have a babysitter come in to watch the boys. So there are times where we literally don't leave the house for days on end...and I start to go a little stir crazy! We will always stay local - go to a play ground in town, or go to Target (I mean, you always need something at Target, right?!)

I don't think your son is sheltered. He goes to school during the day so he is exposed to many activities and other children.

the routine & self-calming are good for him. lots of those over stimulated kids you see out at night are cranky and sleep deprived all day! Maybe a little game before the bath--i think mine liked candyland by around this age...you can shorten the game so it's just enough for your little guy. good luck!

He has tons of activities all day and has 100% of your attention at night. It sounds awesome to me:) Keep up the good work!

I don't do a lot with my kids in the evening either. My husband comes home from work at 5 and he's exhausted. We usually spend a few minutes doing something outside as a family (even if it's just sitting outside while our 3 year old runs around), but then it's time for dinner, bath and bed. Night time is our time to wind down. I like the fact that after dinner we can all just relax and spend time together. I don't want to get rid of that just to run errands or something at night. Your son gets a lot of stimulation during the day, so there's nothing wrong with having a relaxing evening at home.

Take a wagon and go to a park in the car, eat sandwiches or macnuggets in the park something. Do this at least one to two times a week. You will find that he goes to sleep fast. Spend some time with your child they grow up so fast that you are missing the most fun part of their life.
What do the other parents in your area do? See if you can join them.
You and your husband need to relax also it does wonders. Go go go.