In A Rut

The last few days have been really hard. Its been the usual- sick kid, whining, crying, coughing, wanting to play but then not feeling well, parents getting sick from kid but still having to parent- so I’m going to spare the snotty details. But for some reason this bout of virus-itis was so much more challenging than previous epidemics.

In general, It’s been harder to stay home with Fussbot the last month. While I know that he enjoys our trips to the park and the few playdates I set up for him, I feel like he also needs more stimulation from me. The problem is I’m just not sure what that “more” is. I think he’s bored with his toys, but I don’t know what other toys would interest him more (and frankly, he has a ton of toys so I’m not really interested in buying more). His favorite activity is sitting on the heater (it has a cover and is not on, don’t worry) and watching the cars/buses/taxis/trucks on the busy street below. He signs for this first thing in the morning and often throughout the day. We also watch the loading dock that’s directly below our window so often that the garbage man who comes every day knows to look at our window and wave. He also likes reading books, playing with toy cars and banging on things.

I think he could use more interaction with other kids, and that he would really like learning new things. But what does one “teach” a 15 month old? He doesn’t have any words, so all day I offer activities but I think we’re in a rut. I don’t have anything interesting to offer anymore and I don’t know what else to try. What would you do with an active 15 month old?