November 2015 Moms
cupcakesforbreakfast
member
Your Go-To Games/Toys
cupcakesforbreakfast
member
I realize every baby is different, and what one loves, another may hate. BUT, I'm starting to go a bit crazy looking for ways to keep my baby (and myself) occupied all day. He's not a fan of the car or the stroller unless he's asleep, so I can really only leave the house when he's on the verge of naptime. I mean, I can go at other times, but I have to subject myself to crying, and I make my baby pretty unhappy. We're in Chicago, so the weather isn't awesome for outside anyway. He has a skip-and-hop activity mat that he likes most of the time, and it gets us 5-20 minutes of play a few times every day. He'll sit in his bouncy chair while I fold laundry or cook...for a little while. He has about 10 minutes max on that, too. Sometimes he just likes to lay on the floor and kick his legs and "dance." ....And that's about it. He can grab objects and hold them if they're the right size, but he doesn't understand how to shake them. Thus, rattles and stuff don't really interest him. He tries to put stuff in his mouth, but he's not into that enough that he'll sit and chew on things for hours at a time (also, he doesn't like anything designed to be chewed on, like teethers). So I spend a lot of time just carrying him (face out; face-in and he cries). Dance parties. That sort of thing. However, he takes 30 minute naps, which makes for A LOT of awake time. And he weighs about 15 pounds, so carrying him all the time is killing my back. He doesn't like to be still, so holding him on my lap or putting him next to me or whatever is pointless. Basically, I'm looking for suggestions on what to do with him. He's on the verge of jumperoos, etc., but his head control isn't awesome yet. What are your baby's go-to toys and games? How do you entertain them during their awake time?
TL; DR: I need ways to entertain my antsy baby all day long!
Also, I'm so sorry if this has been discussed a million times. I didn't see it at first glance, my searching sucks, and I have toooootal mom brain.
TL; DR: I need ways to entertain my antsy baby all day long!
Also, I'm so sorry if this has been discussed a million times. I didn't see it at first glance, my searching sucks, and I have toooootal mom brain.
Re: Your Go-To Games/Toys
He also likes the stuffed animals that make rattling sounds and have different fabrics (his favorite is the infantino activity elephant)
He also enjoys playing GarageBand on our iPad
Also not sure where in Chicago you are and maybe you already know this but I used to live there and I worked at the Children's Museum at Navy Pier which is an awesome place for LO's. There are specific rooms for kids under 2 and I believe they still have a free night on Thursday's from 5pm to 8pm, it gets a little hectic but it might be worth checking out on free night before paying for entrance.
He does enjoy to chew on his Kiki the elephant (essentially the same as Sophie the giraffe) while I cook dinner. And he has an exersaucer bouncer thing that he enjoys playing in, however I HAVE to watch him play. If I try and get something done or even just don't look at him for long enough while he is sitting in it he loses it.
- the lights and sounds that go when she hits the dangling toys on her bouncy seat.
- suction cup toys (flashing and non-flashing) on her Bumbo
- watching TV, especially cartoons or anything with bright, contrasting colors
- staring endlessly at the guitar on the wall
She is starting to get much better at grabbing, so I'm hoping more self-entertainment is soon to follow!
But let's see... I try to do a good 20-30 total minutes of tummy time (spread out over the day), she sits in her bouncer and chews on her hands while I cook/eat/do dishes, lays on the guest bed and coos at the ceiling while I fold laundry, sometimes we sit and just have a cooing conversation there if my arms are tired from holding her. She also has an activity mat but she doesn't really engage it much, I mostly put her there when I need to pee (I can see it from the bathroom) or I need 5 minutes to make a phone call. Mostly I carry her around on my shoulder or in a carrier and talk about whatever, the weather or what I'm making for dinner or stuff I hope to do with her when she's older. My feed tracking app says we spend about 2 hours total per day nursing, and she takes 3-5 naps of about 30-60 minutes each, so those take up a big chunk of the day, too.
Have you tried a swing since your LO likes to move around so much?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/39952376?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222228027702105&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=57897382449&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=90685223529&veh=
https://www.walmart.com/ip/42313333?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222228031205524&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=53412026672&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=111826913552&veh=sem
My son is obsessed with those three things! Plus basic rattles, baby wearing, riding in the stroller, and actually looking at and playing with his toes is probably his favorite thing ever right now though lol
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NHPGW8Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1456871815&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=see+n+say+the+farmer+says&dpPl=1&dpID=51HOeppxajL&ref=plSrch
This is one has a rattle but there are also ones without.
https://m.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=19492296
But seriously i cant sit her on my lap or anywhere she just stretches until we put her standing and then she smiles and laughs a ton.
Anyone experienced that with their child ? Is it a phase or will she walk before sitting lol it is quite amazing.... (She is now in 12mo old clothes by the way....4 month Monday !)
Can your DD reach the ground in the jumperoo? We put ours together last weekend and I needed to put a tissue box under her feet. Maybe I don't have it adjusted correctly. Anyway, be mindful of the risk of hip displacia with the use of these items. We keep her to a minimum of 15min in any seat that causes leg extension.
glad to see nobody is worried, my mom did some comments about her bones being too soft for it so I wanted to make sure it was ok
they keep growing so fast it is hard to follow !!