nobody told me how boring parts of parenting a toddler would be and i think we need to talk about that
My daughter is 2.5, and for a long time, floor time felt like something I had to endure. I love her, but sitting there watching her move the same block from one side to the other for so long was doing something to my brain.
I started doing my own stuff nearby instead of just sitting there performing interest. I wasn't ignoring her, just actually doing something. I fold laundry on the living room floor while she plays, and she honestly plays longer because I am not hovering. I started doing a puzzle at the coffee table, and she will come look, go back to her stuff, and come look again. Sometimes I do my skincare right there on the floor next to her corner, and she watches me like I am the most interesting thing in the room. That is a lot of pressure, but also kind of sweet.
The other thing that changed was giving her a corner that is actually hers: a low shelf she can reach herself, a few things on the wall she can do while standing up, and books in a basket on the floor. Once everything was at her level, she stopped needing me to start things for her. She wakes up and just goes to her corner now most mornings while I make coffee.
Nobody told me the secret was to just stop making floor time about floor time. Do your thing nearby, let her do hers, and somehow it works better than when you are fully focused on entertaining her.