WTH do you do with them all day?

Kalki

I just don't know what else to do with them. I think they are getting tired of the baby circuit we have set up (jumper, bouncers, play mat). WTH do I do with them?! I'm starting to get at my wits end with them from 2-5pm. They're great before and after I have help. And it's not always a day we can go walking outside. So what do I do? Break down and buy another baby prison toy? (ie, exersaucer)

sweater

I know...I feel the same way. Like it's windy and cool out so no walk today. So I find myself singing and dancing and being dumb while they lay on the floor and laugh at me...because I'm out of ideas!!!

I'd love to just hold one in my lap and play like crazy...but then the other one just sits there. hmmmm.....

girls give ideas!!?

MNheidi

That's a tough age b/c (at least mine) weren't crawling yet and I felt like I was running a Curves for Babies - moving them around like you mentioned.  here's a few things:

- play in another room: I would take some of their fav toys and bring them to the basement and we'd go down there a few times a week

- play old school rap/hip-hop and dance for them or clap their hands for them.  Perhaps I'm hilarious, but this had them laughing and gave me exersice

- I'd just take them to (still do) Home Depot.  We could walk the lighting aisles for 30 min plus

- You're probably already reading to them but my boys LOVE reading books - a tip: read the same 10 books.  Babies don't care about the story but LOVE repitition - oh, and anything that's interactive

- AND, if there's a week that I have nothing planned.  I get my retired neighbors to come over for 1/2 hr or so.  They boys love to see fresh faces

hope this helps.  it does get better when they can move around but it's lots more work chasing them around.

antes22

Maybe I'm really lucky but as long as my boys have had their naps and aren't hungry, they play really well on the floor (either on a mat at work or on a blanket at home) with toys. They will self play for a good hour+ and as soon as they are done it's usually because it's nap time. 

I bring them to work with me every day and we do have an activity center but if one is in that the other is on a big mat on the floor with some toys just playing away. 

quickstepstar

My girls LOVE the exisauser! There is so much to play with!

I also read to them a lot, esp. when they are tired, seems to work best, since that doesn't seem to tire them out as muchh

njarvis

I highly recommend an exersaucer!  We actually had 2, and at that age we used them ALL THE TIME and the boys were very happy playing in them...they loved being upright, etc.  We also had a jumperoo they really loved.  And Bumbo chairs to sit in on the floor.  Yes....it's a lot of equipment, but saved my sanity for many days back then!

tumbleweed80

Mine are just a little older than yours but here are activities we do:

Read

Play with paper or anything that crinkles - I let them shred old magazines. You have to be careful because they love to eat paper!

I put them in the kitchen with me when I am unloading the dishwasher or cooking dinner. I give them some Tupperware and wooden spoons to play with.

Put on some music and let them try to "dance."

We have one of those floor mats with the alphabet. It has cool textures and bright colors. They love to tear that thing apart. https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2786146

If they can sit on their own, you can fill the bath tub or kitchen sink with a tiny amount of water and let them splash around.

And...it's okay not to have activities for them all the time!

I hope this helps!

 

goldenmama

oh definetly get an exersaucer! we have two and it is our lifesaver still!!! as for other things that we do:

we have different playzones in the house ( living room, babies room, master bedroom)

i turn on a CD and sing to them.

i build a fort and we play underneath it...they are just starting to like this.

we raid the tupperware cabinet and make lots of noise

and also it is totally ok for them to entertain themselves for a while! I get them set up in a safe situation and will keep an eye on them from a distance and let them play...once they see me it is all over

SportsLover

Last summer, when they were 6-9 months old, mine would always start getting fussy at 2pm.  I went to TARGET at least 3x per week.  The people that work there always would come up to me and say, "Oh, you're back again!"  It was the only way I survived the afternoon. 

loree

I hear ya. That's about the same time we run out of things to do as well!

Here's our usual routine:

8:30 wake up and bottles

9:00 solids

9:30-10:30 - sit in bumbos and play with toys, exersaucer, jumperoo

10:30 - read a book and get sleepy

10:30-12 nap

12 - bottles

12:30 - get ready to go out for a walk or errands (if weather is bad, we talk, act goofy, practice tummy time, etc)

3:00 - bottles

3:30 - 4:30 - nap

4:30 - 5 - tummy time, pull up to sit, practice sitting, rolling over etc.

5 - bottles

5- 8 - baths, watch mommy clean, sort laundry, etc. watch some tv, tummy time again, hang out with daddy

8 - bottles and solids

8:30 snuggle and get sleepy

8:45 bed!

gee, i guess i don't know exactly how we fill in all the time in between!