sandpit – Mummy To Twins Plus One

I have had two days of angst! Yes I have had some stressful moments. Why do you ask?

Well, the poor little baby has had his first injuries and falls. Insert unhappy face here. Or maybe have a HUGE lie down. After Wednesday’s incident I was so drained and exhausted.

Firstly on Tuesday I was looking after the baby. I carried him in the rocker to the living room. All was good until…. He rolled out and fell head first on the ground. Thank goodness we have a nice rug that covers the wood floor. It did still make a noise when his head collected the floor and oh did he scream. I felt horrible. The only saviour was the fact that he was so close to the ground when this rolling out of the rocker occurred and it was more of a scare than a full blown injury….You can bet I was breathing a BIG sigh of relief about this.

Now to tell about his second incident.

It happened yesterday (Wednesday). I was busy getting all the rubbish out of the house for bin night and the baby was screaming the house down. The twins were in the backyard playing. I thought if the baby can see the kids and be with them he might calm down. I took the baby and the rocker out so that he could sit with his big sisters. I told the kids to leave him in the rocker and to ask if they needed any help. I was not going to be long and was soon to join all the kids so that I can do the twins reading for school in the garden. It was still nice weather and I thought it was a lovely idea. The girls had their readers ready and were just waiting till I was ready.

I was finished and had come in and was just tidying up to come out to be with the kids. I then heard a horrible scream and yell from the baby. I raced out to see what the problem was and to make sure all was okay. I see one of the kids putting the baby in the rocker and he is covered in sand. I ask the child why her brother is covered in sand. She tells me honestly (I was pleased that she told me the truth although she did something bad. She was grown up enough to tell it the way it happened. I told her that I was pleased that she did that and that I am proud of how she dealt with the situation) that she was holding him in the sand pit and he fell and now he has sand all over him. Gosh not good!

The scene of the crime. At least it was a soft area to be.

I made sure to tell the girls that this was not good. It could have gone so wrong, and we were very lucky that the baby is okay. He did not fall on cement, or on the hard wood borders of the sandpit and other things….. gosh it could have been horrible (This is why I was so drained and fell asleep while watching TV last night). I could have spent last night at the hospital. I am very grateful this did not happen.

I got a bath organised for the baby quick smart to wash away the sand from his whole body but especially his face. My main concern was his eyes. I did not want any stray grains of sand in his eyes. In the bath I had a flannel and soaked it with water to wash the babies eyes, I did not want to wipe so much but put water in his eyes so that it got the sand out. I did my best but due to the baby not understanding he tried to open his mouth and drank some of the water (In hindsight this was rather funny but not at the time). This ended up in him coughing and me changing tactics to get the sand out from around the eyes. Let me know if you have done this also.

As you might imagine, poor Alexander was hard to settle and when he finally did settle he slept a long time. I think he was stressed out about falling into the sandpit. I was so zapped of energy due to the worry and what could have happened.

After this happened it got me thinking. If you have older kids and a new baby, what have the older kids done while they were helping look after their brother/sister? Let us know.

I know the kids were trying to help. I think they now understand how the fall could have hurt their baby brother, and how lucky we are that he is okay and his happy smiley self. Maybe this is a good lesson for the kids to learn. They need to be more careful when they are with the baby.

I will too make sure that I am more careful as no one wants to have a fall out of the rocker or the first experience with the sandpit to be such a drama.

I hope that the baby is not going to be permanently scared about sandpits and that he will like them when he is older. If he has a fear of sand this will be the reason for it.

DIY: Play Area Ideas for Your Kids

We often hear that modern kids spend too much time using electronic devices, and one way to get around this is to provide a space for them to play outside in the garden. There are heaps of really cool ideas for DIY play areas for kids that will be sure to get them out and into the fresh air and sunshine. Here are 5 ideas that are relatively easy to make and won’t cost the earth.

Music Wall

A music wall can be easily made by attaching sound making devices to a board on the side of the fence. Let your imagination run wild as you think of all the different sorts of things that you can attach to the wall for the kids to make their own music. Some include old pots and pans, old xylophone parts, wooden bowls, wind chimes and wooden spoons. Involve the kids in the process and take them with you as you forage second hand shops, or garage sales.

Outdoor Chalkboard

An outdoor chalkboard is a great way of getting those little minds into creating. If you don’t want to fork out the money to buy a ready-made black board, you can achieve the same results by using any matt wood and painting it with matt paint. The kids will be occupied for hours drawing all sorts of different things and will have an awesome time enjoying their outdoor chalkboard. The best part about it is that it’s all happening outside so there won’t be chalk walked through the house!

Sandbox

A sandbox is a tried, true way of creating a space for kids to play outside. A basic design involves creating a frame using four pieces of wood and screwing or nailing them together. If nailing ensure that all the nails are flush with the wood to avoid scrapes as they enjoy their sandbox. Fill it up with sand and voila! You have a sandbox that will give them hours of pleasure!

Kids happy with the finished product. A Sand Pit, Yes!

Climbing Wall

An outdoor climbing wall is a relatively easy thing to make if you have the time and inclination. It will teach kids how to navigate and use their body in different ways, and climbing is great for fine motor skills. Attach a vertical piece of plywood to the side of the fence and attach hand and foot holds to that in various different positions. The kids will love their new climbing wall!

Treehouse

When we were kids there was always one of our friends that had a treehouse that we could go and play in. Building a treehouse will involve a bit of work, but the rewards are numerable and will actually add value to your house. It doesn’t have to be the Taj Mahal, the kids will be happy with something simple as long as it has a platform for them to play in, and is safe (of course). If you don’t fancy having the kids playing in trees then build one on the ground! All you need is a few STIHL power tools and you are away.

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