Two year old is bored with all his toys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of the screens.

Ha. Introduce the screens!

[Anonymous]

A whiny two year old who can't figure out something fun to do sounds an awful lot like a two year old who still needs a nap...

[Anonymous]

Squirt shaving cream on a cookie sheet and let him play with it

Freeze a small toy in an ice cube and let him take a paint bust dipped in water to slowly melt it out

Fill pots with water outside and give him a ladle, paintbrush, cups, etc and play restaurant, spa, etc.

Go for walks

Have him pick up lost debris from your yard

Take him to a creek where he can throw rocks and splash around in his boots

Take him to a Pet store to look around

Take him to a playground

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A whiny two year old who can't figure out something fun to do sounds an awful lot like a two year old who still needs a nap...

I agree.

[Anonymous]

You say he won't play for more than 10 minutes in his backyard. Are you playing with him or sending him to play alone? If it's the latter, I'm guessing you have high expectations of independent play time and he's not as much bored of his toys, he just doesn't want to play alone.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you confusing a short attention span (toddler appropriate) with being bored with his toys?

[Anonymous]

Likely issues, all of which have been addressed, but to distill:

1) Too many toys. It's overwhelming! Hard to know where to start and easy to get distracted. Also, if he sees them out all the time, they're like visual white noise he doesn't even "see" anymore.

2) Possibly too much screen time. Can reduce attention span for other things and make toys seem "boring." Totally disagree re: introducing screens if you haven't. The implication here is that he has "outgrown" toys and needs something "harder." He's 2, FFS, I promise that is not the issue.

3) Possibly that he's extroverted and needs/desires a little more direction/interaction from you. Conversely, that you never leave him to entertain himself (screens don't count) and he could use a balance of both mom-involved time and time where you are busy and he needs to entertain himself (although don't expect it to last more than 20 minutes, if you have an extrovert). This could go along with #1, though, if he has a billion toys and you're expecting him to "go play," it's possible he needs a little more direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He probably needs quiet time/down time after morning activity and lunch. Rotate toys out and look at Pinterest for activities. You don't need playground equipment outside - you need a water table, bubbles, sidewalk chalk

+1 and a couple of cardboard boxes.

[Anonymous]

A whiny two year old who can't figure out something fun to do sounds an awful lot like a two year old who still needs a nap...

I agree.

I would enforce "quiet time" at the least. Is he still in the crib? I've known a lot of crappy nappers (and had one) but only one kid who truly entirely gave up the nap at 2 - 2.5 yrs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Likely issues, all of which have been addressed, but to distill:

1) Too many toys. It's overwhelming! Hard to know where to start and easy to get distracted. Also, if he sees them out all the time, they're like visual white noise he doesn't even "see" anymore.

2) Possibly too much screen time. Can reduce attention span for other things and make toys seem "boring." Totally disagree re: introducing screens if you haven't. The implication here is that he has "outgrown" toys and needs something "harder." He's 2, FFS, I promise that is not the issue.

3) Possibly that he's extroverted and needs/desires a little more direction/interaction from you. Conversely, that you never leave him to entertain himself (screens don't count) and he could use a balance of both mom-involved time and time where you are busy and he needs to entertain himself (although don't expect it to last more than 20 minutes, if you have an extrovert). This could go along with #1, though, if he has a billion toys and you're expecting him to "go play," it's possible he needs a little more direction.

Let's add what other helpful PP's have said:

4) He needs quiet time even if he doesn't nap.

And one more that I didn't see:

5) Going out with him every single day for child-centered entertainment until 2 p.m. (!!!) has perhaps had the same effect on him as #1 and #2, above. He doesn't know what to do with himself because he spends every day in adult-led activities (including the adult-created play spaces of playgrounds). Wouldn't you both be happier if you found a great babysitter for a few mornings a week? He could spend more time at home figuring out what interests him, and you could spend time getting the social interaction or break or exercise or whatever you need without him attached...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A whiny two year old who can't figure out something fun to do sounds an awful lot like a two year old who still needs a nap...

I agree.

That was my thought too. There are days my 2 year old doesn't want to nap, but he still gets put in the crib (with some books and his stuffed animals) for an hour so mommy can have her quiet time. Makes everyone happier.

[Anonymous]

This child is being spoiled rotten.
Not a good thing, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1-get rid of half or more of the toys. Kids with too many toys are overwhelmed and cannot play as deeply. Strange them nicely on the shelves. Shelves should not be crowded. When they are crowded, it's too many toys.
2-rotate the toys

+1000

[Anonymous]

Get rid of almost all the toys, stop structuring almost all of his day, enforce afternoon quiet time.

Your kid sounds overstimulated and over structured. He has no idea how to entertain himself.

[Anonymous]

I agree with other's advice. No two-year-old should be bored. I've seen kids that age happily play with sticks and cardboard boxes. My kid has far fewer toys that yours does (we don't have a playroom, and all her toys have to fit in our apartment's living room). She might complain that we aren't playing with her, but never is she bored.

Get rid of at least half the toys. Put some away to rotate in and out, and just get rid of the rest. Have a drawer in the kitchen that he's allowed to play in while you're cooking. Fill it with measuring cups, spatulas, tupperware, and other child-safe utensils. Mine loved those little silicone oven mitts. Put some magnets on the fridge, too. Then he can play in the same room you are in.

Let him just play outside with no or minimal toys (a bucket and a shovel is enough). Getting a kid to be able to entertain himself isn't about having a million toys; it's about giving them the chance to develop their imagination. Sometimes (often) less is more.

Have reasonable expectations for how long a two-year-old can play independently.