A friend's toddler is with us all of Saturday. My daughter is 8 and I've forgotten everything

ochre_mynah_279917 Jun 2026

A friend has a family wedding out of town and her sitter cancelled, so her 20 month old is spending Saturday with me and my daughter, roughly 8 in the morning to 8 at night. She has bailed me out often enough, so I said yes without thinking. Now I'm thinking. My flat stopped being toddler-safe years ago. No cot, no high chair, and my daughter's craft box lives on a low shelf. What do I need to sort out before Saturday, and how do you get a toddler who barely knows you to nap?

2 comments

sunny_camera_810718 Jun 2026
Ours is still a baby, so it's all fresh. Ask your friend to write the day down: nap time, what she calls milk and water, what scares her. Our daughter has a word for water nobody outside the house would ever guess. For the nap, a mattress on the floor in a dark room, pillows round the edge, and you lying next to her till she's out. And just put the craft box on top of the fridge for the day. Easier than guarding it.
mint_compass_282618 Jun 2026
One thing I'd add, from having two close together: don't let your daughter become the babysitter by default. An 8 year old will be thrilled for the first hour and then want her own Saturday back, and a toddler won't take no from another child. Give her one job, say being in charge of songs, and keep the rest yours. Also, the nap may simply not happen in a strange house. Plan the afternoon as if it won't and treat it as a bonus if it does.