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 Things to do

• For half-term fun, go to a storage place and buy a stash of cardboard boxes and tape. Choose a room, push furniture to the edges and make a tunnel maze with your boxes. Cut some holes in the tunnel for light and meerkat impressions. (Tambajam)
• Give the kids cotton buds to paint with instead of brushes. They makes lovely patterns and no brushes to wash up afterwards. (lisad123wantsherquoteinDM)
• A salad spinner is great for making spin paintings. Simply line the spinner with a paper plate or a circle of paper, add a few squirts of paint and spin like crazy! Guaranteed to keep kids of all ages entertained as they experiment with different colours. (lillyinthesun)
• Give your toddler a metal baking sheet loaded up with magnetic letters/numbers/pictures. Guaranteed to keep them entertained for ages! (shineoncrazydiamond)
• When you lose your toddler in the changing rooms at your local pool, be sure to check all the lockers before you run around in circles screaming like a banshee. (lionheart)
• If your child's bored during the holidays try making cheese straws with them. It's quite easy and ingredients are cheap and simple (plain flour, cheddar cheese, butter & egg). They love to snack on them, too. (MaisieToo)
• Don't bother planning expensive trips out with your family; they will not appreciate the effort involved. A slide is a slide is a slide. Ditto ice creams from Rip Off Tourist Traps R Us. Go to the park and the local ice cream van instead. (Oliveoil)
• Whatever you do, don't teach the DC I Spy in the car. I guarantee within 15 minutes you will be wishing they were whining again. (bratnav)
• Our best garden game at the moment? Snail-hunting! We fill a small bucket (frighteningly easy), then we empty them in the park. Takes up lots of time, keeps the children busy and saves our flowers from destruction. Not so great for the park, perhaps. (Mousie)
• A few seconds in the microwave makes bubble mixture more, ummmm, bubbly! (LiberalIdleOlogy)
• A bowl of flour/dry pasta/rice and a wooden spoon keeps my 2 year old thoroughly occupied whilst I cook the dinner. Resulting flour carnage a bit upsetting but at least we get to eat. (rachels103)
• On rainy days have a cinema experience: get kids to choose a film and make posters, tickets and popcorn. Get duvets on the sofa and settle in for the afternoon. I sometimes even manage a sleep while the film's on. (Wickedwaterwitch)
• A great game for rainy days: one person sits at the bottom of the stairs with between one and five pennies in their hand. The children at the top of the stairs have to guess how many. If they guess correctly, they come down one step. The winner's the person to reach the bottom first. (devil)
• Save all old birthday cards etc. Cut them up and make new cards or gift tags on a rainy day. (mouseman)
• A short length of clean guttering makes a great toy for playing with small cars. Just prop one end against the sofa and the cars race down. (todaywasfun)
• Take a photo of your baby on the same day every month. It's great to see how much they change and grow. (Kabba)
• Take digital photos of familiar objects or toys and use your computer to zoom in and print. Print and use for a treasure hunt - ideal for pre-readers. (pellshky)
• To entertain your toddler whilst shopping, make them a picture equivalent of your shopping list so that they can help. (AttillaTheHan)
• To get rid of squeaky doors rub a little vegetable or sunflower oil on the hinges and no more squeaks. (gin333)
• Place a sticker on your little one's hand whilst changing their nappy. It will distract them long enough for you to change them without all the wiggling. (KnickersOnMaHead)
• When changing the beds, sprinkle some Bicarbonate of Soda over the mattress, leave for 20 mins and then vac off again to make it fresh and odour free. (Ludaloo)
• If you're going to school fairs take lots of change and a carrier bag. There is usually a shortage of both. (amicissima)
• Giving small children a check list of small tasks when asking them to tidy their rooms (rather than just telling them to tidy up) e.g. pick up books, put toys away, fold clothes etc makes it easier for them to do it (and less likely you'll have to). (Ceolas)
• Give your kids a paintbrush and a pot of water and let them paint the garden, garden wall, garden furniture, etc. Mess free play that keeps them occupied for ages. (FrazzledFairyFay)
• Let your little ones use that redundant baby bath for water play in the garden. (justbeme)
• If you have new carpet fitted, put a spare cutting underneath your high chair to prevent fresh stains. (Reana)
• Take a tub off bubble mixture out with you at all times. Not only does it quieten down the kids, but the deep breathing does you good too.... (hanwaretta)
• When food shopping give olders kids a smaller shopping list to collect some items for you. It stops them being bored and gives them some responsibility. (MUM2BLESS)
• If your child is painting add a drop of washing up liquid to the paint, which helps remove the paint stains when washing. (comicmag)
• Camping this summer? A small plastic Tub Trug (flexible bucket - from garden centres) makes a perfect carrier for your clothes, towel and toiletries. (Astrophe)
• Always keep spare carrier bags in the car, so when the kids get muddy shoes can go inside and they can sit on them to keep the car clean (PinkSparkles)
• Have a stack of story CDs in the car and don't tell the children what they are. Then every gap between stories can be 'guessing games' as to which story is next. (tortoiseSHELL)
• When you replace your mobile phone, keep the old one, remove the battery to make it lighter, and give it to your toddler. My daughter regularly carries one around in one of her many bags. (bozza)
• Keep carrier bags in the boot of your car to put over muddy buggy wheels, saves the inside of your boot and the fabric part of the buggy from getting dirty. (lanismum)
• Paint a blackboard on your kitchen door or wall and keep a basket of chalk nearby. It's invaluable for lists or keeping the children busy while you prepare food. (GentleOtter)
• Empty your child's school bag into a homework drawer - it means you always know where they are and know what needs doing. (Dandi)
• Carry around a small pot of playdough, it's instant entertainment for my little one If we stop for a coffee or lunch anywere. (Joshiesmamma)
• If you enjoy making cards, always keep an extra box of bits and pieces for the kids to use - you can be sure they'll want to join in as soon as you sit down to make yours. (Aero)
• Wear a towelling dressing gown instead of a towel after swimming with your kids. By the time you've sorted them out you'll be dry. The pockets are handy too! (DidMcD)
• Before vigorously shaking your child's NEON GLITTER POSTER PAINT, make sure the lid is fixed securely. (Squonk)
• When having little friends over for meals, have the same plates, cutlery and cups to save arguments! (CJBRDS)
• Before vigorously shaking your child's neon glitter poster paint, make sure the lid is fixed securely. (Squonk)
• Treat yourself to lovely notebook. Write in it special memories, funny sayings, milestones etc. Children grow up so fast it's lovely to look back on how they've changed. (tiredandgrumpy)
• Always get more paint than you need so you can quickly touch up dirty marks and chips with the right colour. Saves having to do any major redecoration until you are ready. (Grouchyoscar)
• Always answer the door wearing your coat. This means that if it is somone you want to see, you can say you have just arrived home. Alternatively if it is someone you just don't have time to deal with, you can say you are on your way out! (Cremolafoam)
• Use the gold-coloured plastic tray from a box of chocolates in your jewellery box to store earrings (TheStepfordChav)
• Buy your kids the same colour/pattern socks - as boring as it may seem, it makes it far easier to match up when the sock monster has visited. (monty)
• Keep a "Mummy goody bag" stashed away for really bad days. Fill with your favourite chocolate, magazine, bath oil, wine, CD, feel good movie or anything else that helps you relax. (sunflowervalley)
• A penny treasure-hunt is a great way of entertaining any child from about 2.5 until at least 5. An outlay of 10p per hcild will produce fun scramble and they enjoy the build-up as you 'hide' pennies (mostly in full view, at this age). (choosyfloosy)
• On wet days when you think you're stuck inside, put on raincoats and some wellies and all go jumping in puddles together. Hours of fun! (AnnieOneSeenMyPumpkin)
• Save hours looking for toys by buying see-through plastic storage containers. Makes searching much easier! (Carinsy)
• If your UV play tent didn't get much use this year, turn it into a living room den! Fill with snuggly rugs, cushions and teddies and let them enjoy. (sixofone)
• Keep a cheap camera in your handbag or nappy bag to capture those unexpected special moments. (lucasmummy)
• If your toddler loves keys, go into a key cutting shop and ask for any miscut keys. They are usually free and then you don't have to worry if they get lost. (Rosa)
• The net bags that come with washing tablets are fabulous for keeping things in-we use diferent ones for wax crayons, pens, scissors etc. (Quincywincy)
• Every couple of weeks give your high chair a good scrub down in the bath. It keeps it much cleaner and prevents the build up of grime. (Beanfrog)
• Use plastic take-away boxes for putting water in when painting with the kids; not as likely to fall over as cups or pots. (julen)
• If your child doesn't like having his/her hair washed, invest in a pair of swimming goggles to stop water getting in their eyes. (Marne)
• When your baby is yelling, pop her into a bouncy chair and hoover. The white noise may send her off to sleep, but if not, at least you have a clean floor! (Bramshott)
• If your house is over run with children's masterpieces, spend time with your child selecting the best pieces and sticking them in a scrapbook. (karmamother)
• Don't throw those soft-tipped weaning spoons away when your baby outgrows them, they are brilliant for winkling out the tantalising last dribs of honey/marmite/jam/mayonnaise that lurk in the corners of the jar, just of of reach of a normal teaspoon. (MissGolightly)
• When your child gets attached to a soft toy try to purchase another as a back up for when it gets lost, dirty or thrown up on. (Rosa5)
• Get your child to give up a dummy by telling her to leave it in the garden for the Easter Bunny who will swap it for an Easter egg (tarotmum)
• If you're hosting a sleepover, get other parents to collect early the next morning to reduce the potential squabbling of over-tired, still-excited children. (tigermoth)
• Give your toddler her own little flower bed/ window box to plant. Helps her understand how things grow and lets me garden undisturbed. (Robbie)
• A wall painted with blackboard paint means that your kids can draw on it with chalks without letting them loose in the house with felt-tips. (lurkeyoflurksville)
• Keep toddlers entertained by giving them a bucket of water and a paint brush, and letting them paint the the OUTSIDE walls of your house. (mygirlsmum)
• A great sunday activity for young children is car booting. Give them £1 each & they'll come back with a new toy or book and will enjoy a morning out in the fresh air (zakira)
• Instead of sending lots of e-mails with large attachments of photos to your friends and family, upload them into an online album such as photobox. You can easily add more photos as you take them. (bec3105)
• Make your bedrooms look instantly better by ironing the duvet covers whilst on the bed - turns the bedroom into a showhome (Jampot)
• Download the Cbeebies schedule from the website and tell the kids they can choose a fixed number of programs. This helps reduce the "the TVs been on for how long?" thing. (Freddiecat)
• Children love looking at pictures of themselves. On a rainy day get out your photograph albums and it'll pass an hour no problem! (KimJ)
• If your child's too big for a bib, but still messy at mealtimes, an apron will make for less fraught mornings. (peapods)
• Pillowcases make great bed sheets for Moses basket mattresses. (Kitten34)
• Put your mobile phone number in your baby or toddler's shoes so that when they mysteriously lose one on the street there's a chance you might get it back. (Orinoco)
• Apple bobbing works just as well in the bath. The children get clean and the fruit gets eaten but don't put bubbles in! (Lionheart)
• Too busy to write in a baby book? Write momentous moments on your calendar. You can then refer to it and transfer to a baby book later on. (Mommaof2)
• For a first trip to the cinema, check the exact time that the film starts at the box office.This avoids sitting through adverts and trailers with an excited but soon to be bored and fidgety child. (unicorn)
• To extend your time on Mumsnet, give your toddler a disconnected old keyboard and mouse then they can be just like mummy typing and clicking away! (Katzg)
• When out and about, my little one is often too inquisitive to sleep. Draping a blanket over the buggy brings sleep in minutes. (elsiemart)
• Buy rolls of cheap lining paper for the kids to paint on. Great for big pictures, garden play and keeping lots of kids amused together! (Charnos)
• When you have a new baby, keep items from the day/week of the birth, e.g the number one single, national/local papers, as well as everyday things like a petrol receipt and junk mail. (hunkermunker)
• When you have a new baby, keep items from the day/week of the birth, e.g the number one single, national/local papers as well as everyday things like a petrol receipt and junk mail. (hunkermunker)
• Don't give bath crayons to a toddler who already has boundary issues with where it is appropriate to draw. (hunkermunker)
• Cover a handheld vacuum cleaner in super hero stickers, then tell your kids it's a "super-vacu-thunder-mega-sucker" used to destroy 'evil fluff'n'dust balls'. Make coffee, put feet up and enjoy dust-free home. (Mo2)
• If your child has a habit of pulling everything out of your kitchen cupboards, try making one of them just for her. Rotate the things in it weekly - so she doesn't get bored. (Nancy)
• My son hated having his face washed until I bought a flannel with his favourite TV characters on it. Now he can't wait for the Tweenies to clean him up after meal-times! (albert)
• My son hated having his face washed until I bought a flannel with his favourite TV characters on it. Now he can't wait for the Tweenies to clean him up after meal-times! (albert)
• Record wildlife programmes that are on television in the evening and keep them for a rainy day. Children love nothing more than watching real animals. (buttercup)
• Use catalogues for kids as an interesting "book" - to read and then, as a special treat for good behaviour, to destroy. (fridayschild)
• If your little one doesn't drink water try putting some ice cubes into a clean muslin - they'll suck the melting ice through the muslin and it helps for teething too! (cjmummy)
• If you're worried about your baby putting plastic bags over their head, tie them in a knot as soon as you get them - the plastic bag that is, not the baby. (bogwoppit)
• To keep neighbourhood kids from visiting at inconvenient times, draw a red stop sign on a piece of cardboard and hang in the front window when you dont want company. (Cod)
• If you have a toddler who's in a grizzle - go to your local building site and marvel at the diggers/cranes/tractors, it works wonders! (jessi)
• Use bath time as a time to read poetry and stories to your toddler. (anorak)
• When taking your baby to the pool for the first time, take some favourite waterproof toys with you in order to allay any fears he might have. (Antonia)
• Bored with the usual painting? Try adding icing sugar to make the finished pictures lovely and shiny or mix in a handful of oats/tea/flour to create lovely textures - messy but cheap and fun pictures. (BagelBird)
• Cut all the food pictures off packaging before throwing away. On a rainy day with a bored toddler, you can stick them on a paper plate to make a meal collage. (mustrunmore)
• Give your kids a patch of their own garden where they can plant seeds, water them and watch them grow.
• Going to the cinema with young children? Take their car seats so they can see the screen. (Tatt)
• Old shower curtains are perfect for protecting floors and furniture from paint and other messy play stuff. Large and waterproof, they save a fortune on carpet cleaning products!! (flangie)
• Keep hold of the containers that your fruit and veg come in. They are great for mixing up paints inand holding beads and bits of felt etc when having an arts and craft moment with the kids. (Thomcat)
• Before ridding yourself of worn out clothes, removes all the buttons and keep in a tin. They come in really useful for rainy days when your kids can used them for collage, making wind chimes and decorating boxes. (galaxy)
• To make an Easter hunt more egg-citing, buy a cheap flower arranging baskets, decorate with a ribbon and add little cake decorations like little fluffy chicks. (jibbsy)
• I recently bought my seven year old son some blank tapes and he has had great fun recording the latest tunes from the radio or favourite songs from our CD collection and hours of fun and dancing playing the tapes back. (MrsSpoon)
• Fill a giant tub of art and craft things that your child can do on there own on days when you're feeling unwell or are really busy to keep them occupied. (fairydust)
• Hang a mobile or other interesting thing above the bath and get your toddler to look up at it while you're rinsing their hair. (WharfRat)
• Hate trying to get the sand of your little one's sensitive skin without removing it? Take some talc powder to the seaside. The sand dusts off easily and you can head home without bringing the beach. (mamachunks)
• Life's too short to iron muslin squares. (Twiga)
• Buy packs of stickers and keep in your handbag. They're great for instant incentives and rewards, especially. for tired children when shopping. (BagelBird)
• Keep your baby wipes moist by storing the box or pack upside down.
• Get crayon and pencil marks of painted walls with hairspray. Spray a little on the mark and wipe gently with a damp clean cloth. (BagelBird)
• Make your own colouring books by printing your child's favourite TV characters from websites and putting them in a scrapbook creating. (bluestar)
• Rainy afternoon? Bored children? Empty half a packet of cornflour into a bowl, add a little water and the resulting paste is fascinating - my kids will play with it for ages. (Satine)
• If you feel bad just binning all your Christmas cards, cut out stars and snowflake shapes and use them as funky additions to a reward chart. (spots)
• Taking your six month old to aquababies and getting them used to the water is not only fun, but also has the added benefit that they take the best naps ever afterwards. (caro222)
• Leave one drawer full of safe bits and pieces in the kitchen, so young children can fiddle while you get things done in there. (Ixel)
• Wash and keep the lids for baby-food jars and use them as toys. Your child can stack them up, as well as throw them around! (SenoraPostrophe)
• For less hassled school-mornings, insist your children get dressed before coming downstairs, and set clear rules such as no TV until they are dressed and breakfasted. (tehanu)
• Get those little cat identity tags engraved with your phone-number and sew them firmly on to your toddler's favourite teddy. That way when he inevitably loses them, you have a chance of getting them back! (fisil)
• Check out the terms and conditions of your local soft play area. My local one doesn't charge until a child can walk so you can go in and have a coffee in a safe, smoke free environment with no one forcing you to buy anything and there are some toys to keep babies amused. (Bothersome)
• Keep lots of clean, empty food containers for young children to play shop with. (Gloworm)
• Turn the changing mat around so that the padded "top" edge is closest to you. That way, if your baby pees while he or she is being changed, there is a barrier to stop the pee escaping! (Prettybird)
• Make a 'house' out of delivery boxes - it entertained mine for about the life-span of the box. I even made little curtains for the windows and got them to help paint it. (Ra)
• For little girls (and boys) who love to play doctors and nurses, give them a little pot of hundreds and thousands so that they can dispense medicine to their sick dollies! (emmagee)
• If you have a sicky baby, use several pillowcases to slip over the mattress of your moses basket. That way you can easily slip them off when needed. (JiminyCricket)
• On a rainy day, bring the seaside into your house! All you need is a blue tablecloth (or sheet or blanket) and a yellow one, 2 chairs for your boat, and lots of imagination. (MrsMiggins)
• Use an ice-cube tray to put the paint in. It means you don't put too much paint out, there is enough space for some water and you can wash it easily under the tap afterwards. (mumbojumbo)
• Instead of saving drawer upon drawer of your children's paintings, take photos of them and stick the photos into a book. (monty)
• Storytapes are a real lifesaver when you have a young baby and older one. I was struggling with bathtimes for both girls and storytapes have really helped me. (hana)
• Give your baby the clean nappy to hold whilst changing him/her. It's light, easy to hold and is covered in bright pictures. What's more, you always have a clean one to hand! (nell12)
• Keep a couple of scrapbooks filled with birth congratulations, birthday and Christmas cards sent to your child. As they get older, they can update this and keep as a memento. (Stressyhead)
• I keep a clean swing-bin under the stairs for old junk models, collages and paintings. If the kids ask for one of their 'treasures' before the bin is emptied (about every three months), it can always be retrieved. (tiddlypom)
• To avoid tears after swimming, leave the goggles on while you shampoo your child's hair! (flobbleflobble)
• On rainy days, get a washing up bowl, and send the kids round the house to find all kinds of small objects. Then ask them to guess whether the object will sink, or float. This keeps my kids amused for hours. (rachp)
• If you find tea time hetic, set aside colouring pencils and books that can only be used at this time. They can sit happily at the table whilst you cook the tea. (Kidstrack2)
• Get your toddler to help out in the garden. Provide them with a big bowl of water and a cup and ask them to water the flowers. (Giskin.)
• Use a clip frame to make a collage of birthday cards - change it every year and they will always have a picture with the latest cartoon character for their bedroom. (LizP)
• Use up your ancient burnt wooden spoons by inviting your kids to enter a wooden spoon puppet creation competition - the winner gets to devise and direct a play involving all the wooden spoon puppets. (fairynuff)
• An excellent way to bathe a wriggly baby is to use a bucket. Your arms have support, baby feels more secure and older children think it's hilarious! (mum26boys)
• A great activity in windy weather is leaf racing. Find a crinkly leaf each and see whose goes further. Repeat till at destination! (charliecat)
• A great activity in this windy weather is leaf racing...gets you walking quicker too. Find a crinkly leaf each and see whos goes further...repeat till at destination. (Charliecat)
• Keep kids entertained with a packet of digestive biscuits and a few of those icing 'pens'. They're great over Christmas when the decorations can be themed for the festive season! (sis)
• Baby wipes are great for cleaning leather. I use them on my shoes and bags. (beansmum)
• Do write about your baby. What they do, how you feel about them, anything at all really. Now my sons are at school, I am amazed how much I have forgotten about their babyhood. I wish I'd kept some sort of baby diary. (Tigermoth)
• My sons are horribly slow at getting dressed after swimming. To speed things up, I tell them we'll only go to the cafe for an ice cream if they're ready by the time I've counted to 30. Without that deadline and incentive, I dread to think how long we'd spend in the cubicle. (Tigermoth)
• When your child is having their hair cut, give them a small mirror to hold and use it to direct their head in the right directions for hairdresser. It saves loads of time. (Fairydust)
• When changing a nappy becomes an issue and your baby keeps squirming around,I found that the tunes on a mobile phone keep them distracted just long enough. (Rohey)
• Wondering what to do with your all those pictures produced by your child? Buy a big scrapbook and spend time with your child selecting the best pieces and sticking them in. Include first writing attempts, pictures, anything you want to keep. (tealady)
• Have a box of special toys that your child can only play with while you are cooking/cleaning etc. It keeps them happy and and gives you time to get essentials done. (Ixel)
• Keep a special and intriguing toy by the changing table and only let the baby play with it while you're changing the nappy - that way the baby is distracted and wriggles less. (Pretty candles)
• Make tidying up the bedroom into a game - like a race or take it in turns to be the Boss and tell people where to put the toys. (mumof2)
• I used to sit my non-mobile baby in the laundry basket. He had a pillow to lean against and room to put toys in the base through the holes in the side so they couldn't be thrown. When I moved rooms, I picked up the basket and moved baby and toys easily in one go. (Pickledbeetle)
• A cheap can of shaving foam sprayed onto a plastic tray will give a good hours worth of entertainment. Add flour to it and you can even sculpt into snowmen! (hazlenut)
• Keep your old clothes for your kids to use for dressing up or chopping up and making things with them - keeps older ones amused for hours. (Shazaroo)
• To give a new lease of life to old washed out T-shirts, flannels, pillowcases etc, spend a couple of pounds on a tin of cold water dye and fixative. Then spend a very happy afternoon tie-dying with your child and producing some homemade masterpieces in their favourite colour. (Posey)
• My children are allowed just one hour of TV per day. They make a list when they arrive home from school and tot up the minutes. They enjoy their viewing and use the time in between their favourite programmes to do other things. The list means that I can check at a glance if they are keeping their side of the bargain. (Lemonade)
• For an hour or so's peace on a warm day send the kids into the garden in their swimming costumes with a couple of buckets of water. (Roisin)
• To keep you 18 month old occupied when you have to do a chore, give them a dustpan and brush. They will try to sweep up anything and everything but it keeps my daughter really busy. (Galaxy)
• Let your children help in the garden with their own gardening tools - try Argos. My son loves watering all my plants and it keeps him busy so I can get on! (Jodiemay)
• Always keep cardboard boxes - the bigger the better. My two kids play in them for hours in the garden. A few pot of poster paint and some holes and they have had houses, cars, spaceships and boats. (cliffxdavis)
• For a cheap and cheerful bath toy, buy a plastic tea set (from the local pound shop). Your toddler will have great fun in the bath filling and pouring... (tealady)
• If you find cutting your baby's nails a nightmare, try cutting them whilst they are sleeping, or when they have just had a bath and the nails are a little softer. (Rohey)
• Recycle cardboard packaging by cutting out pictures for glueing and sticking. I have pictures of fish from a tissue box, of Action man from the packaging, ribbon and card from Christmas crackers. When you need a few minutes break, bring out the cut outs with a pot of glue and put your feet up. (JennyRouth)
• Even when very young, my sons loved having a their own wallet to keep their money in. I think it encouraged them to save up their pennies as well. (Togermoth)
• Number jigsaws. Put the number on the box and lid, and then on the back of each piece. When you find a stray piece you will know quickly which one it belongs to. (Mummysurfer)
• The two best distractions I have found to keep a baby or toddler still whilst having their nappy changed are a small mirror and a pair of tinted swimming goggles. (prettycandles)
• When shopping with a little one, make a little bag of goodies for your child before you set out. I always put raisins, bits of rice cakes, carrots, apple etc all together in a little bag, and give them to my child once I start serious shopping. Keeps them entertained for a little while at least! (Jessi)
• If your children are bored on a wet and dark winter's day, visit the websites of your child's favourite character (e.g. BOB the Builder) and there are plenty of sketch drawings to print out on A4 for your child to colour in. Sellotaping the pages onto a table are the easiest way for the children to colour them in. (Lil)
• If the kids are bored give them some old magazines to cut up, let them cut out pictures of their favourite foods and stick them on to paper plates or older ones can cut different facial features out and stick them on to make funny faces. (Tamm)
• A bowl of warm water and some cups in the garden gives half an hour of peace, at any time of year. (But expect to change their clothes). (Roisin)
• Keep a memory box for each of your children and fill it with newspaper cuttings, first paintings, their first shoes, newborn outfit etc It doesn't take much effort to maintain and will give them hours of pleasure as they grow up. (PamT)
• When you get a delivery in a large box cut out windows and doors in the box to make a dolls house and let the kids decorate it with paints and crayons. Keeps them busy for hours and it's a lot cheaper than buying a real dollshouse. (screwball)
• Where possible, get a child's version of household appliances. When I'm hoovering my son helps me along with his little hoover. It keeps him occupied, allows me to get on with my work and he enjoys it at the same time. (carolynb)
• Babywear catalogues are ideal if your toddler requires entertainment in a high chair for more than a couple of minutes. They love looking at the photos of babies and it doesn't matter if the catalogues get covered in food. (Bossykate)
• While your baby is small, lie them on the floor, tie a helium balloon to his or her leg and watch as they enjoy seeing the balloon bouncing up and down! (laalaa)
• Fill an old shoebox with unwanted copies of photographs (eg out of focus, unflattering shots!) plus any old postcards and let your baby/toddler sort through them. Great when they're beginning to speak and name objects and familiar people or places. Also great for posting into other boxes etc. (bun)
• I bought my toddler, who would not walk anywhere, a little pushchair and put his favourite cuddly toy in it. Now can't wait to go under his own steam. (toddlertamer)
• Fill an old shoebox with unwanted or unused copies of photographs - all those out of focus, unflattering shots and let your toddler sort through them. It's great when they're beginning to speak and name objects and familiar people or places. (bun)
• For the long summer holiday last year I produced a 'bored box' for my six year old. I listed activities on strips of card, colour coded into three groups eg. Jessica only activity, sister and brother (age two) activity and family activity. When she was bored, she dipped into the box and hey presto a happy child. (JE)
• To get my daughter to tidy her room, I tell her I've hidden some pennies, or a wee sweetie in there, and she'll have to tidy to find them. Once she's almost finished,I go in and hide the pennies or sweetie under something so that she can find them as she tidies up the last things! (Fionamc)
• Try decorating paths, drives and patios with water from a squeazy bottle (a washing up liquid bottle is ideal), on dry days. Endless hours of fun and it just evaporates away. (hmonty)
• We often have lots of photos which are not really good enough to put in frames or in a special album, so I sometimes use these to make simple books for our baby. Our 10 month loves to look at photos of himself, other family members and his favourite toys and its a great way of encouraging babies to talk! (oxocube)
• Use up old photos that never make it into the album by cutting up the pics and sticking them on paper and drawing/ dressing yourselves into different characters. Just made my daughters into fairies - but not sure what we'll do with my husband yet! (batey)
• When you need to get things done in the kitchen, sit your child comfortably on the draining board, feet in the sink and have the tap running slowly. Toss in a few plastic cups etc and a towel on the floor. Do whatever you need to close by, in case he stands up. My son loves it and chats away to me while he plays. (Enchanted)
• Cut up an old Christmas card into a jigsaw puzzle and keep it in a matchbox for use on trains or planes.
• When going out, always have some scrap paper and pens/ pencils /crayons (depending on the age of your child) at the ready - either in the car or in your handbag. You never know when they will come in handy.
• Get a really cheap plastic tea set, they can 'organise' their toys for a tea party/picnic etc and love to serve you with cups of tea, it can buy you a good 20 minutes! (Emmagee)
• Let your children pick special photos and make them into a calendar  ours couldnt wait to get to the next month.
• My 20 month old girl will watch any programme with babies on it. So I have made up a video with Children's Hospital, baby documentaries etc and she has watched it about 15 times already. It gives me half an hour of quiet and she has learnt a whole new set of words like Look, baby born!.
• Take a picture with the same toy (big teddies worked for us) on the same day every month from birth. It's a lovely way of charting growth and development.
• Buy a scrapbook and fill it with pictures of your toddler's favourite things. My 20 month old is mad about animals, so every time I find a picture in a magazine of an animal I cut it out and stick it in. I've even included photos of animals I've taken when we go to the zoo or the farm. It keeps him occupied for ages and any damages are easily repaired.
• Take your kids to look round a real working farm if you can. Mine read about them all the time and the joy on their faces when they got to sit on a real tractor was indescribable - better than any Xmas present! (Clairer)
• Whilst sorting out the washing, ask your toddler to pair up odd socks. It keeps them occupied and teaches them to identify pairs. (Ra)
• Start a scrapbook. We've made one with our 4 year old, full of tickets, leaflets and maps of all our fun days out. He loves looking back at it and it's a wonderful way to keep the memories alive. (Kes)
• When it finally gets dry enough to play outside, invest in some chalks for hours of entertainment drawing on the house, patio, trees etc and it'll all wash off in the rain. (Rhiannon)
• Buy packets of small easter-eggs and give your kids an easter egg hunt. It doesn't matter if it's raining, just hide the eggs around the house. (Ra)
• As soon as the sun comes out keep them happy and develop their artistic talents with patio and wall painting using water as paint and brushes to apply. On a hot day it keeps them cool and the sun clears up the mess! (Frenchie)
• Keep them entertained over the holidays by collecting all the competition entry forms for kids you can find. The thought of all those prizes will keep them focussed and busy for hours. Who knows they might even win! (carolius)
• A bowl of warm water and some cups in the garden, gives half an hour of peace, at any time of year. (But expect to change their clothes). (KMG)
• If you have a late night toddler and the evening seems long - take them supermarket shopping. Sounds horrendous I know, but the shop's emptier, they've had their tea so are either less likely to want unsuitable snacks or if they do at least it's not spoiling their appetite, plus you get to chat through the day with them as they sit in the trolley - quality time and a chore done.
• When your new baby starts sleeping less and needs a change of scene, try a large basket (e.g. dog basket), and line it with blankets and towels to keep out drafts. It's comfortable enough to sleep in; there is room for toys and she can see older siblings on the same level yet be protected in her own space.
• A great sunday activity for young children is car booting. Give them £1 each and they will come back with a new toy. (zakira)