How to avoid overstimulation during A times

[~inbalance~]

DS is 6 months old and I think this may be ONE of our MANY problems regarding short naps    However, DS is always looking for something to do or entertain him, so I don't know how to avoid overstimulating him.  I always have to surround him with toys or put him in his activity centre, where he bounces and screeches like crazy until he's OT/OS (he has lots of fun in the process).  I don't have any ideas for anything mellow to do with him, he won't sit still for more than 30 seconds!  I'm beginning to think he's a little on the spirited side    If I put him on his back on the floor, he keeps rolling onto his tummy.  Then he gets to his tummy, looks around for a minute, then screams because he can't go anywhere.  It drives me crazy, he knows how to roll back to his back, and he could try and crawl but he'd rather fuss!  Then he gets all worked up until I pick him up or put him back on his back.  I try sitting in his room and reading to him, but he grabs the book and tries to eat it, and if I don't let him he screams or cries.  Forget just sitting quietly with him, he gets all worked up trying to grab everything in sight, the bookshelf, the blanket on my chair, my clothes, my hair!!  What can I do with him that will help calm him down?

[anna*]

How about putting him a pushchair or sling and going for a little walk? Or lying on the big bed and chatting/rolling around with mummy?

[emz1907]

I would sometimes just hold ds while walking round the house and describing everything, looking out the windows 'ooh look at all the cars, there's a red car look, watch that lady walking her dog' etc etc. I found my sing song tone fo voice calmed him. Or would he listen to you singing? Im tone deaf believe me I can't sing for toffee, but ds would sometimes become transfixed with me singing away to random tunes while he sat in his bouncer. Then again he could have been just trying to get me to shut up haha.

If he rolls onto his tummy how about propping him up on his tummy with a cushion under his chest and placing some toys infront of him so he may not cry straight away at lying that way. My ds loved his stacking cups, infact it was those that made him crawl for teh first time as he had rolled them away from himself and it give him the motivation to go after them!

[~inbalance~]

Thanks for the wonderful ideas! 

It has been a long and cold winter here in Toronto, sometimes getting down to -20 degrees C making it difficult to get outside for a walk, but we have been trying to get out most days despite the cold.  I can't wait for the days when I can just pick him up and go outside without having to spend 15 minutes getting DS, the dog and myself all suited up to go out   I'm sure getting out more often will really help, thanks for the suggestion. 

I love the idea of hanging out on the bed together Anna, we do that sometimes and it is a really good, mellow activity.  I also find singing to him will help relax him for a moment or two (even though I am a terrible singer!), and walking around checking out the house works, especially looking out the window.  I just find it hard to fill 2+ hours of A time without overstimulating him!  But those ideas are great, I will try to stick to them, especially before naptime

[skatty]

On my your post brings back so many memories!! Is he sitting well? I used to sit my DD and put books all around her, she liked that for about 5 minutes 

Like Em suggested the best thing ever was putting her in the sling and carrying her around with me, she was so curious she loved being part of the action and it would limit the physical stimultion, I think the closeness is calming. We also used to get snowsuited up if it was dry and lie outside for a change looking at the clouds and trees, she had a swing in the garden too and she loved sitting in that. In the house I used to put her in her highchair by the window, as I mentioned before she is a nosey, spirited so loved this!

Overall it was a tough age for me, 5-7 months, but as their coordination improves and they get mobile spirited kids are often very easy (to entertain but then you have to watch them like hawks because theya re into everything!) because they can really amuse themselves, my DD is anyway. I found the only way I could really avoid OS and OT was to ignore the A time guidelines and work out my DD's own personal A times which still are at 29 months on the short side.