Going to the park

I want to venture out with my group a bit more now but I am finding it difficult. I have a triple and 3 little ones are in there and 2-3yo's walk. Getting and coming back is fine however at the park I just didn't feel comfortable. My 3 yo's are fine and know the drill but the little ones just kept trying to go in 3 different directions. We went early in the morning so it wasn't busy, I brought sand toys and tried keeping them as a group but they obviously wanted to do more e.g. go down the slide which I could help them with one at a time. I give the 3 yo's a lot more freedom and this may be the problem as they can see them running around etc. Do you limit older children just to keep them as a group? Anything thing else I can try?

I put them in the stroller once they wandered for a time out.

Personally I don't do park outings for this very reason. Too many kids, too little eyes to look out for them...

Yeah, I had only been doing it on Fridays when I have only one little one and 3- 3yo's. After this morning I am thinking I won't anymore.

Why not put a play structure in your backyard that has a sand box at the bottom and you don't have to go anywhere ..... I never leave my property with the daycare kids.

I live in Toronto, space is a little more scarce here! We have an amazing backyard however with a slide, sand box, ride on toys etc. I just want to be able to mix it up a little sometimes. A play structure would take up all our grass :(

I've been thinking of eliminating the park outings as well. It's just feeling like too big of a risk with the ages I have now. I think today was the last one until the group dynamics change.

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Originally Posted by torontokids

I live in Toronto, space is a little more scarce here! We have an amazing backyard however with a slide, sand box, ride on toys etc. I just want to be able to mix it up a little sometimes. A play structure would take up all our grass :(

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Ohhh :(...... Oops sorry ..... I live in the country and have 5 acres and three play structures and looking to buy another one

I love taking the kids to the park. It is a little stressful, but they have so much fun! For the older children, they can go on whatever they want as long as they don't require my help. They need to stay at the park, and if they don't listen, they go for a time out in the wagon. For the younger ones, they stay at one section of the park. If they venture off and don't listen when I ask them to stay in a certain area, they go for a time out in the wagon. It doesn't take them long to figure out that they need to listen and stay close. This has worked really well for me.

I don't have a back yard, just a small green space where we have 2 slides, a water table and a picnic table. So we travel to the park all the time. My rule is that all of them have to stay inside the circle or square in the mulch and we move to another area together as a group. If one of the babies wanders off they get 1 warning, then if they do it again they are in the stroller for the rest of our park time. I tell them they have a choice, listen to me and follow the rules or sit in the stroller and they learn when I saw something I mean it way before they turn 2. So yes, I love the park and don't have any problems. But I live in a city much smaller than Toronto and our parks aren't very crowded.

Designate a baby space were they can play, if its infront of a baby slide then so be it and camp out there. I had this last year and I had to sit right infront of the slide/struchture until they all knew how to play on it safely.

I had one who was a bit of a dare devil (12 month old) so she spent a lot of time in the stroller for time outs, until she leardned the rules! I also had cookies with me so if it got stressful i would say who wants a cookie and we would sit for a few minutes, it always helps to get everyone assembled to leave. I just say who ever wants a cookie needs to get there shoes on and help clean up sand toys, I usually use maria bisquits (from spain) as they arn't too unhealthy.