I am having a little issue lately with getting my bike riding done, because of my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I am mulling this over to find a good solution, and I hope someone here might have some advice.
My husband is gone for a month. I am home alone all day til my older kids get home from school. It is ESSENTIAL that I ride my recumbent exercise bike daily for at least 30 minutes. I am not able/willing to switch to another exercise. This is like, my lifeblood. I need to ride it.
When I strength train I just bring the toddler with me to my room and she pretends to lift weights with me. Or, I do it in the living room while she watches a video. So the strength training is NOT an issue. However the bike is in the basement in a room that she cannot play in. I found a good solution last month when DH was gone. I got a Reader Rabbit Toddler CD game for her to play on the computer while I rode (the computer is in my eyesight from the bike, and she would easily play for the 20 minutes I was riding).
Now she is bored with the game. She will play for maybe ten minutes and then she is off and running. I have to get off the bike and chase after her constantly and I cannot get in more than 15 minutes.
I tried waiting until she is sleeping. But she is up at 6 with me, she does not nap, and the last 2 nights she was actually awake until 9 or 10pm. I get her down to bed at 7 but then she wakes every 15 min. I am, actually, going to call the pediatrician because... can a toddler have a sleep disorder?? She was a very early preemie and has never slept right. The dr always just told me to go with what she seems to need, but that is a lot less sleep than *I* need!
Anyway... so are there any ideas? What can I do to occupy her safely while I ride? Or where can I put her? Or what can I do? I am just frustrated. I was also having my older son watch her after school but now he has started driving school and there just isn't time for him to watch her AND do his homework.
This is longer than I wanted it to be, and whinier too, but I am trying to sort it all out in my head and find a solution!