How many activities do you think a baby/toddler/child needs each week?

Atm Caitlin just goes to gymnastics free play every cpl of weeks. You just turn up as it suits you and dont have to block book in advance. As a baby (0-10mths) I took her to a mother and baby group once a week.

What activities does your LO do? (I dont mean pre-school/nursery btw) Do you intend to do more when they older?

I think its nice for them to have a hobby and think i'l sign her up to proper gymnastics classes when she is 3. I do however think some parents can over do it. I feel sorry for some primary school kids (and younger) who have swimming on a saturday, piano on a mon, scouts on a tue, french on a wed, violin on a thur, horse riding at weekends etc. I think it must be so tiring for them, make it harder to make friends outside school especially if the activities they do are 1-1 with tutors and actually affect their school work as it eats into homework time attending the classes as well as the extra practising they need to do at home.

Do you think its cruel or kind to invest so much time to extra curricular things?

Chloe has a very active week with something on every day except Monday's and weekends. I don't think it's too much, she doesn't go to nursery though so it's her only interaction with other kids, she does swimming lessons on Tuesday which is only half an hour, Wednesday's is story time, Which is again half an hour, she has a couple of hours at playgroup on Thursday's and then gymnastics for 45 mins on a Friday. She loves it all, if I felt she wasn't enjoying it then I wouldn't take her.

Once she starts nursery I'll keep up with swimming lessons as I think it's important she learns to swim and gymnastics and drop the rest

Libby doesnt do anything at the moment and TBH I never took her to any groups when she was little either (not that its made any difference to her social skills etc)



You've probably seen my status on FB for local ballet or dance classes as I think she would absolutely love it (going by her copying Peppa doing ballet earlier anyway ), if she went to a couple and hated it then I would stop taking her - it's only for her enjoyment and nothing else.



I dont agree with too many extra curricular activities really, in my opinion children should be children and be playing after school and at weekends - unless of course they REALLY want to do it themselves.

Aimee is at pre school so she doesnt have any extra hobbies yet.

There is a little dance class that will start taking her now (I think) that my niece goes to so I am thinking of sending her there. Its on Saturday mornings.

When she is not at pre school we tend to visit my mum quite a bit in the mornings and both girls go there when I am back at work in the mornings (apart from the two mornings she is at pre school).

I do think that doing too much is a bit mean to kids (I mean doing something every day after school, etc.). We all need to relax and chill out now and again.

x

We go to a toddler play group on tuesdays and going to start going to a baby group on fridays (thats more for Josh but there'll be things for Immi to do too)

I do worry I don't do enough with her but I wouldn't want to fill everyday up completely. I'm looking at dance classes atm.

I think it all depends on the individual child. Ellie hasn't got a hobbie (apart from scribbling on my Walls). I take her to a group or to soft play but nothing as structured as a hobby.

My 14 year old plays footy on tuesday and Saturday and rugby on Sunday Monday and wednesday and that doesn't include school footy and rugby. I can't fit anything else in.

Callum does a tumbletots class every wednesday moring for 45mins at the moment i should really be getting out more but with the amount of appointments at the moment its so hard x

Izzy goes to the farm every Friday, this is the hobby she most enjoys, feeding the ponies, even brushes them a bit now, leads them, feeds etc - as she gets older she will probably want to go more often

We try to go to toddler group once a week, but I've got out of the habit and haven't been for a month so really should phone my friend and get our butts back in gear this Thursday!

We go to the park at least once a week, usually twice and she plays for a while but even though she tries to interact with other kids so many of them are weird and just run away or don't talk to other kids! Maybe she is just more sociable than others!

She will be going back to nursery a day a week as soon as i get a place, so that will be 4 days that we go out and do something, so I think 4 of 7 days is enough and I'm quite happy to have no actual activities for 3 days a week.

Noah doesnt have that many hobbies yet we just go to stay and play on a monday. I am only just starting to see what his interests might be so when his a bit old he will be going to some sort of activity class.

Char

hm elijah does sing and sign once a week and will be starting a toddler music group soon, he was doing baby yoga too but the other mums were really snotty so i (guiltily) stopped going...

when eli was littler we did baby sensory and baby yoga and a short set of baby massage classes....

to be totally honest these things are more for me than for him - at least the little baby things are a good reason to get yourself out of the house. i do feel as he is with adults all the time (no young relatives) its really nice for him to see some other toddlers, especially as at the park and the swimming baths other children seem so wary of being friendly (weird).

also i think visiting people is just as good although i only have one mummy friend here so that isn't really something we do - would like to though! i honestly can't stand being stuck in the house so try and go out as much as possible

Rowans really busy now. Monday afternoon at pre school. Tuesday all day at nursery whilst he's there every other week he has a Spanish and French class (was French today) wednesday morning at pre school, Thursday morning at nursery Sunday morning rugby. In-between this he has a park outing and we usually go to the canal or woods on a Sunday too.

Tyler is at nursery every day from 8.30 till 2.30 ish and that is the only activity he does.. other than the food shop on a Saturday lol and maybe Sunday morning with my mum.



If he wasn't at nursery I'd try to take him to something at least 3 or 4 times a week but what he does at nursery is plenty. I wouldn't want to tire him out, he comes home and wants to sleep for 2 hours then it's dinner time and bed time again! no time to do anything else!!

mine dont do anything, i am planning on getting braden in football lessons as soon as he is old enough (about 2 months) and i have been searching for a group for dita dance or something but cant find anyhting local x

C does things a couple times a week, used to be baby gymnastics and now she does pre school twice a week and will be doing baby ballet when I can afford it and she hits 2.5. I think a couple things is ok but not ott, like anything else its finding a balance