What Are You Doing to Keep a Toddler Busy When You’re Hiding from –30 Wind?

When the windchill hits –30 and the weather app basically says “do not go outside unless absolutely necessary,” you know you’re in for it.

No park.
No backyard.
No “let’s just burn some energy outside for five minutes.”

Just you… a toddler… and a house that suddenly feels very small.

By day two of being trapped indoors, I had already gone through the usual rotation:
blocks, cars, books, music, snacks, different snacks, and the classic “please just play with this for more than five minutes.” Nothing was sticking.

So I did what every desperate parent eventually does.

I pulled out the sensory activities.

I boiled spaghetti noodles.
I added food coloring.
I told myself, This will be calm. This will be educational. This will be fine.

For a glorious five minutes, it worked.

My toddler was engaged.
Focused.
Quiet.

I stood there in disbelief thinking, Is this what peace feels like?

Then the noodles became worms.

Suddenly there were “worms” on the floor.
“Worms” in his hair.
“Worms” being proudly displayed like prized treasures.

At some point, the dog entered the room… and became a very confused host for several spaghetti worms draped lovingly across his back.

My toddler ran laps around the house yelling,
“WORMS! WORMS! WORMS!”
like he had just discovered a brand-new species.

Was it messy? Absolutely.
Did I briefly question my life choices? Of course.
But was he entertained for more than five minutes?

Yes.
Victory.

This is parenting in winter.
You lower your expectations.
You embrace the chaos.
And you accept that sometimes “sensory play” means noodles in places noodles were never meant to be.

And honestly? He had fun.
The dog survived.
The noodles were washable.
And for a little while, the –30 winds didn’t matter.

We also took out the new BoomBoom and Fuzz’s Counting and Coloring Book, and he loved it — especially coloring on top of anything I had already colored. Apparently teamwork means “Mom colors first, toddler improves it.”

If you’re stuck inside too, just know: you’re not alone.
If your house looks like a craft store exploded, you’re doing great.
And if your toddler is happily coloring over your hard work while calling spaghetti noodles “worms” — that’s a win in our books.

— BoomBooms Tunes 💙

Keeping toddlers busy… even when winter won’t let us leave the house.