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How to Survive Pregnancy Bed Rest with a Toddler

July 30, 2016 By Masha

This post may contain affiliate links.

Pregnancy is exhausting! Especially if you already have an energetic little toddler who demands your constant attention. If you are sentenced to bed rest while you’re responsible for a little one, it may seem like an impossible task. Without lots of help and creativity, it might be.

 

I spent a total of eleven weeks on bed rest during my twin pregnancy. I spent nine of those weeks in the hospital, but I still had two weeks at home alone with my not yet two-year-old. It was a stressful time, but I learned a lot, and I am happy to share my tips with you!

Parenting a toddler is always challenging, but when you're on bed rest due to pregnancy or surgery, it's nearly impossible! Here are some survival tips from a woman who's been there. These are the ideas you need for activities and meals to keep your little one busy while you wait for your baby to arrive.

Note: This post contains some affiliate links. I only recommend products I use and love. For more information, you can read the full disclosure in the About section of this site. Thanks for your support!

How to keep your child occupied

The first question on my mind when I was prescribed bed rest was, “How in the world do I keep my crazy, busy toddler occupied and out of trouble?” I still have to chase my little boy constantly, so it took a lot of work to present novel and engaging activities for him. Honestly, we did not always succeed; he got in trouble several times for running through the halls of the hospital. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

 

Color and draw

Fine motor activities for your child are going to be your best friend while you’re on bed rest. I was on bed rest in the fall, so my little boy asked me to draw a pumpkin with glasses for him over and over again.

 

P.S. Crayola Color Wonder markers are the best for toddlers! They actually only draw on their magic paper.

 

Read

Reading with kids is always a great activity. You can have your little one bring you book after book to read, keeping him engaged while you stay resting.

 

  • Related: 10 of the Best Kids Books for Toddlers

Puzzles

My son is so into jigsaw puzzles right now! I love watching his gears spin as he figures out how to fit the pieces together. Melissa and Doug puzzles are my very favorite, partly because my babies can chew on the wood pieces, but dollar store puzzles are great too.

 

Flashcards

Your time on bed rest is an excellent time to teach your child new things. We got these flash cards that my toddler loves! You can teach first words and letters to younger kids or phonics and sight words to older ones. Whatever you choose to do, quality focused time with you will be so valuable for your little one before a new sibling arrives.

 

When all else fails, watch shows on Netflix.

It is entirely okay to take a break and let your kid watch a show. There are some good ones out there. We like Super Why, Daniel Tiger, and Octonauts.

 

Related: 9 Ways to Stay Productive when you’re on Bed Rest
 Parenting a toddler is always challenging, but when you're on bed rest due to pregnancy or surgery, it's nearly impossible! Here are some survival tips from a woman who's been there. These are the ideas you need for activities and meals to keep your little one busy while you wait for your baby to arrive.

How to eat well

My first week of bed rest after surgery I wasn’t supposed to prepare any meals or be on my feet at all, but I was feeling pretty good, and my little boy and I hadn’t had lunch yet. I just made some Kraft Mac’n’Cheese. It was super easy, and I only had to be on my feet for a minute. That night, my water broke around one of the twins, and I spent the remainder of my pregnancy in the hospital. I was 23 weeks along, and I spent ten more weeks in the hospital. Although doctors confirmed that my making Mac’n’Cheese did not cause the rupture of membranes, I still feel a little guilty.

 

It is so hard to feed yourself when you are home alone on bed rest! This is an area where others will have to help you, but there are some ways that you can lighten that load. My favorite way is to have make-ahead freezer meals on hand. It only takes a second to drop a meal in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot, and then you have a nutritious dinner! If you need some recipes, here are eight freezer meals for you to try.

 

Related:
  • 8 Freezer Meals that Make Amazing Dinners
  • 8 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes that are Delicious

Ask for help

We were blessed with angelic family members, friends, and neighbors who took our son into their homes, brought us meals, and cleaned our house. We received so much service (and still get help sometimes) that I don’t think we can ever pay back the incredible people who were there for us. I plan on doing all I can to pay forward this service throughout my life.

 

If you find yourself on bed rest, feel free to contact me if you need support or just want to talk with someone who has been there. Good luck with your journey!

 

Amazing ideas for bed rest survival with a toddler! If your pregnancy or surgery is keeping you from being active with your busy baby, these tips are lifesavers! #pregnancy #parenting #baby #bedrestsurvival

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Filed Under: Bed Rest Survival, Mom Tips, Twins

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Comments

  1. Desteny says

    August 1, 2016 at 10:16 am

    I have one child now, she just turned 1 last week. I was on bed rest the last week of my pregnancy with her and I’m scared that’ll happen again even earlier in the pregnancy if we have another! I can’t imagine how I could possibly handle being a mom to a toddler while on bed rest! Good tips, though.

    • Masha says

      August 1, 2016 at 3:30 pm

      Thanks, Desteny. I have had a lot of fears like that too! I can’t say it’s easy to handle being on bed rest with a toddler, but it’s definitely possible!

  2. travel says

    August 15, 2016 at 3:11 pm

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and
    wanted to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
    After all I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again very soon!

    • Masha says

      August 15, 2016 at 4:51 pm

      Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

  3. N/A says

    October 2, 2016 at 12:40 pm

    First of all I want to say wonderful blog! I had a quick
    question that I’d like to ask if you do not mind.
    I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your thoughts before writing.
    I’ve had a tough time clearing my thoughts in getting my ideas out there.
    I truly do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like
    the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually lost just trying to figure out how to begin.
    Any ideas or tips? Appreciate it!

    • Masha says

      October 3, 2016 at 6:56 pm

      Hey, thanks for your comment!
      I often have a hard time getting my thoughts together before writing. When I get stuck, I usually brainstorm other topics until I find something I’m ready to write about.

  4. Http://Www.Misstesl.Com says

    October 2, 2016 at 11:25 pm

    Everything is very open with a precise description of the issues.

    It was really informative. Your site is very useful. Many thanks for sharing!

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Masha. I am a wife, a homemaker, and mother to three little boys, two of which are identical twin babies. I love to create, and I hope to inspire and add value to others with the content that I publish. Let me know what you would like to see! Read More…

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