Fun Without TV

If you've ever given up and just plopped your kids in front of the TV to get a moment's peace, there are non-"tube" alternatives.

The assistant chef
Put your unbreakable kitchenwares into one floor-level cupboard or a large box. Think sturdy plastic items: storage containers and lids in various sizes, measuring cups, and spoons, a brightly colored colander, picnic plates and cups. While you're working on the meal, your junior partner can be busy, taking her kitchen equipment out of storage and figuring out how to use it. (Colanders make wonderful hats!)

Story time
Sometimes it feels as though your newspaper reading days are gone forever and one more round of Goodnight Moon may send you screaming into the night. One father we know finds that his one-year-old is perfectly happy to snuggle on his lap and listen to him read aloud from the editorial section. It could work with a news magazine article or even a chapter from that novel gathering dust on the nightstand. Just make sure you monitor the content as your child's language skills develop.

Hit the showers
Desperate times call for desperate measures -- and sometimes result in unexpected fun. A mother who struggled daily to get her morning shower, finally plopped her year-old daughter and some bath toys into the far end of the tub while she washed and shampooed. The baby laughed and splashed, the mom had a stress-free shower, and the two of them now look forward to a regular morning ritual.

A concert cornucopia
Barney is not the only musical resource for one-year-olds. If you'd rather listen to the Dave Matthews Band -- or the Chieftains, Gary Burton, or the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields -- your toddler will probably be just as happy. You may need to lower the volume from your preferred level, but you and your toddler can dance or sway or bounce along to your favorites, as well as his.

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