I need help/advice from other SAHMs!
erjarv
member
For all you other SAHMs...
What do you do with your LO all day? The past few weeks have been REALLY challenging with August and I and I've been having a hard time finding things that make him happy. He's over being in his jumperoo after about 5 minutes (IF he'll even let me put him in it), tummy time is short lived as well. I try to keep him off his back as much as possible but even when I get desperate and put him on his back to play on his play mat he gets tired within just a few minutes. He'll sit for a book, maybe two, but then he's bored again. Same thing when I sing songs, play peek a boo, or any other type of interactive activity. The only time he's happy for a prolonged amount of time is when we're outside.
I read all these schedules from other moms who say they let their child play for about an hour or so...But doing what!? August is only content for a few minutes and then he's crying again because he's tired of whatever he's doing.
I need advice! What activities should I do with him? What toys should I get?
Please help. These past few weeks have been stressing me out so badly and I feel like I'm going crazy! I just don't know what to do with him.
Re: I need help/advice from other SAHMs!
How old is he??
DD is almost 7 months and she sits in her exosaucer, watches sprout tv, plays on the floor sitting up and laying down, we go for walks, picnic outside at the park, tummy time on our bed, and read.
Some days she gets bored faster than others and we will play peek a boo, or sit in the bathroom and make faces in the mirror.
Do you have an iphone or iPad? Or kindle? DD has some Fischer price apps she will play on. She touches the screen and shapes and music play.
My LO is much like yours maybe 10ish minutes she'll be happy alone. But I treat everything as a learning experience. So I'll sit her in her highchair with toys in the kitchen while I cook or do dishes. Or I put her exersaucer outside the bathroom while I clean or shower. I think just watching me while playing keeps her entertained.
Basically I play with her (all the activities you mentioned) then when I get bored or she does I move her to the kitchen/bathroom or what not and I get chores done. My LO sleeps every two hours so a mix of that plus feeding time keeps us busy. I love the days I have a car too because an outing will take up one of her 2hr awake periods. It's a nice mix.
How old is your little one? My LO has always been good at entertaining himself, but between 6 and 7 months he got super-needy -- I think it was the beginnings of separation anxiety. Once he started crawling he went back to his normal self and when he gets bored he comes to find me or our dogs.
If your son has always been this way, I would try gradually upping his independent playtime so he starts to learn how to entertain himself and so that he knows that everything is okay even when you're not in the same room. Independent play is very important. It's hard to feel like we don't have to be in their faces all the time, but we really don't. And remember that if he starts to fuss while playing alone, you should give him a few minutes before responding -- he may find something else to do if you give him a chance.
As for activities, we do much of what has already been mentioned and we take walks a few times a week -- to the library, grocery store, playground etc.
~*Jenna*~
TTC since November 2009.
Currently licensed foster parents with the hope of adopting! Also pursuing pregnancy through IUI! First IUI scheduled 10/3/13
Currently loving our placements:
A 1/08
C 4/11
K 6/12
My daughter could watch me get ready all day as long as I occasionally smile at her and talk and sing! ,,, but for real,,, I remember those days! I think I cleared my living room and let him really flop, we did yoga and we went places a lot! Do you have any local friends with little ones? I know that that is what made both our days much more fun! And it was more fun to oogle over our babies together so everyone was happy! 10 months was my favorite age ever! The fun begins at 8 IMO I love love my kids, but I like 6 months and up alotttt! :
Gl!
It depends on the age, my LO went through that super needy period as well where she needed help entertaining herself. It got much better when she was able to sit up and crawl around.
This is what our day looks like:
8:30am - up for the day, bum change, put away any laundry while she crawls around and plays with the items upstairs, move downstairs she plays by herself for 20min. (she really likes pulling her books down and crawling over pillows or chasing the dog), breakfast in her highchair (lasts 20min), play in the basement (usually stacking cups or blocks or 'helping' me sort laundry.
9:30am - bum change, story, 1hr-2hr nap
11:30/12:00 - outfit/bum change (she loves playing with her clothes), independent play 15min, lunch 20min, outing (we have a playgroup, mom & baby yoga, playdates or we go run errands in the car or walk to pick-up coffee)
1:30-2:00 - we have a 'rest' period where I put on music and let her play or nap in her crib, she usually crawls around and plays with her blanket or lays on her back and plays with her feet but it gives us both a nice break
2:00-3:30/4 - afternoon nap
then we play in the basement with balls or we make an obstacle course with pillows and toys to crawl around
She gets bored with toys really quickly, so I took empty water bottles and filled them with all kinds of random items (pom poms, food colouring & water, pieces of tinfoil, rice and buttons, dishsoap and water, etc) and duct taped them shut. These keep her occupied and are easy to change out.
We also have a big box of song cards and we usually sing several songs, we have lots of board books that we read. Sometimes I blow bubbles and we play with those. We have a wooden chunky animal puzzle and I use them to tickle her, we make the sounds of the animals, put them just out of reach so she has to move & stretch to get them, etc.
Blanket games: we play pop goes the weasel with a blanket, bounce fabric balls around on the blanket, do blanket rides around the floor (pull it around with her on it), play peek-a-boo, make forts to crawl through and destroy.
There are lots of ideas out there, when I start to get bored I search for new activities on the internet or go for a walk and talk about all the things I see. Hope some of this helps
Have you considered a baby and me class at a local community centre? Ie. swimming, yoga, fitness, or music. I have done some fitness classes with my LO and she enjoys looking around at the other people and is content doing tummy time longer than at home because it's a new place. Plus I get to work out.
At home, keep working on getting him to play independently. Put out new toys on the floor and let him play. Eventually he'll do it for longer stretches.
Go for walks or run errands. Lots of babies like being in their stroller or baby carrier and looking around at things.