Things to do with one year old

I'm at home all day with my 13 month old daughter I work in the late afternoon every second week but I'm mainly at home. I find friends with babies around the same age are doing more things at daycare so I'm just wondering what activities your kids do at daycare and also any ideas we could do at home. We read alot and we go to wriggle and rhyme once a week and swimming lessons on a sunday with dad, but is there anything else we could do that is fun and will help with her development and education?

There is Mainly Music which is usually run at the big churches - normally there is a small fee $3-4 to cover costs. There are several in your area.

We also love playgroup here. Lots of activities and different children of varying ages to play with.

Edited by Stoked

We have lots of different ages, from newborns to 5. Majority of kids from 18 months to 3.

We run it casually because we all understand that it is hard to come for a fixed period when the kids are little and it goes against the purpose of it being a friendly relaxed place for parents to come. I used to go to a PG like that, where you had jobs and couldn't leave till you had done it right at the end. I used to get stressed out with the kids desperate for their lunch and bed and me stuck there vacumming. It just stopped being enjoyable and so i stopped going.

We always just advise mums/dads to stay as long as they want, don't stress about not staying for pack up if child needs to be in bed/appt etc. Everyone's turn comes later when their child is older. It's not much bother for a couple to do the pack up. Because that is the atmosphere people really do make the effort to chip in where they can and don't end up resenting it.

Each playgroup is run differently so try a few and see which you click with. Some churches run them too. Sorry i don't know more about your area, but just phone your local Plunket nurse and they will tell you.

My DS is likely to be an only child for a while as we don't plan to have another baby for a few years, so its important to me that he goes to activities to spend time with other children. I have tried a few things and found my local playgroup and mainly music to be best, two different types of things, both with boys and girls of his own age. Mainly music is awesome because they get the music portion then the play portion as well. If we aren't feeling like going to a full on activity I sometimes take him to play at the park or beach and there are usually other toddlers there anyway so he gets that interaction. Or even at the mall there are things to play on as well as interacting with shopkeepers etc. So I think choose one or two activities you go to, I find it best when they are casual so we dont have to go if something crops up and dont need to feel bad. And just take her anywhere, they love to go out :)

Yeah will do there must be some in my area.

Sorry, just read clearer!

At home can be a struggle, esp at 13 months when they are not quite old enough for a lot of activities.

In the summer we do a lot of water play - sit the baby in front of a tray of water with some cups etc, and let them go for it!

Hey pumpkino which library to you go to to rock and rhyme we go to one on fridays at papakura.