Mom's with Nanny's and SAHM's with 2 under 2

I'm pulling my kids out of daycare and will be having someone come to my house. My kids are 19m and almost 5m.

I need ideas for my nanny for things to do with my kids during the day. Note, the nanny will not have permission to take the kids anywhere by car, so it has to be indoor stuff. We don't have car seats for her car anyway and we need our cars for work so there's really no choice besides that I don't feel comfortable having them driven by anyone other than DH or I. I'm willing to buy things to keep them stimulated. Can you recommed good, educational items that will really help the kids in the way daycare may have (other than the social aspect of course). DD#1 was starting to build her vocabulary (finally) again, so I hate taking her out, but have no choice. I have a tiny house, so I'm hoping to somehow provide something that will keep, especially the 18m old, active. What are some good games, books, etc?

Reason we are pulling them is b/c every week one of the kids (first 18m old, the next week the 4m old, now this week the 18m old again) has a fever and DH and I are missing time from work EVERY week since they started at daycare. I know my older DD loves it, but I can't pay $600 a week for the kids not to be there (in fact daycare won't allow them there and i'm too honest) and my job threatened everytime I take off and now DH's job is threatened too b/c he's taking so much time off. I'm not even going to start about the $160 in copayments for the doctor since this started or the $150 for the ER b/c the 4m old's fever was high and she had trouble breathing last week. Then there's the drug copays. I'm paying someone slightly less, who has teaching experience/early childhood ed and daycare. They start next week so I kind of need to get the ball rolling.

Re: Mom's with Nanny's and SAHM's with 2 under 2

Did they recently start? I know that most children do get sick ALOT at first, but then they seem to build up a resistance.

Can you keep them in day care and have a stand by sitter for when they are sick?

Re: Mom's with Nanny's and SAHM's with 2 under 2

101 things to do with your toddler
Color
Blow Bubbles
Play Hide-and-Seek
Peek-a-Boo
Play Chase
Do Fingerplays
Sing a song
Collect rocks in a basket
Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
Go for a Walk
Make a Car out of a box
Read a book
Go to the park
Fingerpaint
Play with Clay-Dough
Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
Play the shell and pea game
Dance to music
Download games for toddlers from the Internet
Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
Put on a puppet show
Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
Make a Horseshoe game
Make a Shape Puzzle
Play paper basketball
Run through a Sprinkler
Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
Play with a kazoo
Wash windows together
Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
Brush each other's teeth
Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
Make a playhouse out of a large box (see links page for some great instructions! Entitled: Building a Playhouse)
Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
Go on a Smelling Hunt
Frost Cookies
Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
Have a splash party together in the bathtub
Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
Make and try on paper hats
Give a piggie back ride
Play "Horsie"
Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
Play tug-of-war with a blanket
Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
Make a camera and go on a Safari
Play games with frozen juice lids
Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
String large beads onto or along a shoelace
Squirt each other with squirt bottles
Glue shapes onto paper
Make sock puppets
Make paper puppets
Fill an old purse with toys
Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
Act out a story from a book
Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
Do the Hokey Pokey
Make a super-hero costume out of household items
Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
Make a shoebox train for stuffed animals
Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
Make an easy puzzle with felt and velcro
Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
Learn numbers from a deck of cards
Play the matching game with a deck of cards
Make a domino chain
Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
Make a nature collage
Mirror each other
Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
Make and walk along a toilet paper trail

Re: Mom's with Nanny's and SAHM's with 2 under 2

Message edited 12/10/2009 10:37:06 PM.

Re: Mom's with Nanny's and SAHM's with 2 under 2