100 (Attempted) Ways to Entertain a Young Toddler, Day 4: Pillow Tower

Oliver woke up on the wrong side of the crib this morning. He was quite the crabby pants! I thought building a climbing area out of pillows would be a good way to tackle his baby blues. I'd read about this idea in a few of my toddler books, but I also had a couple people recommend it to me.

At first, it was a failure. We hauled all our couch cushions upstairs to his room, where there is carpeting, and Oliver just freaked out. He wanted nothing to do with it.

Fast forward to 1pm, after his nap, and Oliver still wasn't interested.

Then, at 3pm, I decided to try one more attempt. I scattered some of his toys over the cushions and encouraged him to try to climb to get them. He simply walked around the mountain of pillows and picked up his toys. Eventually, though, he started to step onto the pillows and cushions, and I gave him a lot of verbal encouragement. Soon, he was enjoying himself, climbing up to the top and being king of the mountain.Although he started to enjoy himself, Oliver never really acted like he was having that much fun. There wasn't a lot of laughter or diving into the pillows, as I'd imagined. He'd simply climb up a bit and then climb or roll off. I think it's good for him to practice climbing, though, because he doesn't climb much. In fact, he's only recently started to climb up onto our couch.It's clear from other parents that many young toddlers enjoy this activity. Oliver wasn't one of them. I liked that it was free, but being 20 weeks pregnant, I didn't like carrying all the cushions upstairs. I also don't like having all the pillows and cushions in the house out of place. I liked encouraging Oliver to be a little more physically active and independent, though, and I think he'd really grow to enjoy this activity if I kept it up regularly. I asked my husband what letter grade he'd give this activity, and he said a "B." I'm going to concur but give it a B-. It has potential, and I think it could be a lot of fun.

If you try this at home, be sure to keep the pillows away from sharp edges and corners. I protected the corner of Oliver's dresser with blankets, and that seemed to work well.