2:1 - dealing with toddlers when you are outnumbered

My wife travels frequently with her job and enjoys a lie in bed on the weekends (don't we all). However this often leaves me in a situation of having to parent our 2- and 4-year olds alone.

2:1 is quite a different challenge from a 1:1 situation; the following is some thoughts on how I approach these situations...

Get out and about and do things physical - walks in the park, feeding ducks, heading to the Zoo, the museum, the library, or even a Cafe. No matter what the kids have done during the week with our nanny they just love getting out and doing things with me (at least it seems that way), even if it is their third trip to the ducks. I find that getting them moving early in the day means that by night time they are pretty tried and a lot easier to deal with. Keeping them indoors with a DVD all day just makes them scratchy and ensures a poor night's sleep.

When my wife is out of town it is important that I distract the kids as much as possible from the fact that mum is not around. On week nights after work a bath every night works well (we usually only do it every second night) with the shower thrown in for variety, a walk outside, or even an evening trip to the supermarket breaks up the routine. I have found it important during these trips away that I constantly reassure the kids that their mummy loves them, and that she will be home soon.

Putting kids to bed, especially our little boy can be tough, but by reading a few more stories and maybe letting them stay up half-an-hour later they just seem to drop off easier.

Mornings can be one of the biggest challenges, especially as leaving kids unattended can have significant consequences. When they were younger I use to bring toys into the bathroom and close us in together, and as babies I would bring in the highchair. Now that they are a bigger and more active it becomes a delicate balancing act of making sure that whatever they are doing will keep them occupied for the 5 minutes it takes me to get washed.

I love the time I get with my kids, even when I am outnumbered.

Hamish