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D.C. Area Babies
mcatmay
member
Entertaining an 11 week old
mcatmay
member
I come for more guidance. I'm out of ideas as to how to entertain the little girl and sometimes worry she's getting bored. Here are the things I do:
Read to her from soft book with things to grab
read to her from board book
play on playmat at grabbing things/do tummy time, also play with rattle there
Help her sit up and look around, stand and look around, swing up through the air
Go on walk (2 times a day)
Place in her bouncy seat while i take my shower
While i do most of these things, i might sing some made-up songs. I just feel like the past couple of days she's not been really interactive - of course, she's not getting the sleep that she was before (wakes up every 2 hours throughout the night) so maybe she's tired - she fights every nap, though.
I'm just worried that she's bored to death and i am out. of. ideas. Thanks for any advice!
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Re: Entertaining an 11 week old
Here's the truth of the matter, you can't bore an 11 week old. They find staring at your face fascinating. The real truth of the matter is that outside of all the adorableness and cuddling, playing with an infant is kind of boring and repetitive.
I remember with my first checking out books on how to play with the baby from the library because I was afraid I was doing something wrong. They all suggested doing things I was already doing, just interacting, nothing in particular. Touch, them, hold them, love them - their needs are really easy at this stage.
However, I do have a follow-up question. Are YOU bored? If that's the case, feel free to go about your life, run errands, etc. and just take her along with you. When I was on maternity leave, M used to enjoy going out to run simple errands with me, like to the grocery store or Target. Visit friends and family, if you have any in the area who aren't at work. Meet up for lunch with friends who do work. Getting out of the house kept us both sane.
I remember asking my stepmom the same question when J was little, and she assured me that you don't really need to do anything to entertain a baby. Everything is so new to them! I do know what you're saying, though . . . it can get tedious for you even if she's not bored.
I used to walk J around the house pointing out pictures and whatnot, I would narrate whatever I was doing (making lunch or whatever), lots of tummy time and time on the play mat. Reading and singing are good. You can start doing peek-a-boo, churning her little legs like a bicycle, stuff like that. And definitely get out of the house--it will help entertain you and sometimes the movement (stroller, car seat, whatever) can help her fall asleep if she's fighting naps.
TTC #2: BFP 12/17/11, m/c 1/7/12 and D&C 1/12/12
baby blog/cooking blog
I second narrating things. I would wear LO and basically wander the house narrating what we were looking at. I would use funny voices and introduce LO to household objects and family pictures, etc. Even folding laundry became a learning activity "These are blue jeans. They are daddy's. Feel the fabric and how it is different than mommy's velour sweatpants?"
LO was colicky and was basically a terror from 6 weeks to 4 months, so taking him out was traumatic for all of us, but I agree that babies are impossible to bore.
everyone else has given you great advice, I just want to add that babies need to be bored at this age, or our adult version of "bored." Sometimes, staring at a ceiling for 10mins is better than being interactive. You don't want an over-stimulated baby, either!
Very true--and if she's seeming interactive but then stops paying attention/zoning out, that's a good sign that she's getting tired and it's a good time to start getting her down for a nap (not time for more stimulation!).
TTC #2: BFP 12/17/11, m/c 1/7/12 and D&C 1/12/12
baby blog/cooking blog
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I think i just needed to hear that. I just was going a little nuts trying to think of things for her to do and a nurse told me that, indeed, babies could get bored, so i started getting upset when she wasn't interacting as much. I think i must be overthinking all of this.
The zoning out was happening even after waking up from naps, which is what fed the 'she's bored' worries. I'll just keep on keeping on and perhaps just try to take her on my errands/chores. I rotate my whole schedule around her but perhaps i just need to get her involved in the stuff that's piling up around the house.
Thanks again!
Just think of all the second (and third, and fourth) children in families. No one pays nearly the attention to them that they did for their first! My DH was deployed for one month on / one month off during DD's first year, and I did all the kind of stuff you listed with her day in, day out (and it made ME stir-crazy from boredom). DS got pretty much none of that because my life could no longer revolve around thoughts of "what could my newborn possibly need??", and he turned out completely fine.
At this age, just let her observe and participate in everything you do (as much as possible). Get out of the house a lot before the weather gets bad...it's good stimulation for both of you. Narrate what you're doing and demonstrate / show / hold up whatever you're using (I told DD how I was cooking a meal in excrutiating detail almost every night while she watched from the swing or Bumbo). As long as (1) you're not planting her in front of the TV for hours a day, and (2) you're giving her a chance to independently explore her environment (at this age, pretty much just batting / grabbing at things or putting them in her mouth), "daily life" should be plenty of stimulation.