Need help during playtime

[shannoncorrin]

Hello! 
I have a happy 5 MO little guy.  He is small, only weighs about 13 lb.  He doesn't roll yet, though I feel like he's been getting close for several weeks now.  He has great neck control but doesn't come close to sitting without my support or a bumbo chair.  His wake times are between 2 to 2.5 hours.   He is a short napper (30 min) despite several attempts at fiddling with wake times. 

This is what our typical wake times look like:

Wake time 1 (8AM)

Put him on his back under baby gym with the animals that dangle for 5- 10 min for IP. He still likes this, but he used to LOVE it. I try to change the things that dangle so he doesn't get too bored.  He grabs at that things, but he used to go crazy under this thing.  I don't know if I should leave it out of our rotation. 

Then we do tummy time on a blanket on the living room floor.  He usually looks at himself in the mirror for a few min while I chat with him.  I have toys all around him that he can grab at, and sometimes he does.  After about 5-10 min he starts to fuss, so I flip him over. 

Then we play airplane where I put him on my knees while I'm on my back and he "flies" back and forth-- He LOVES this. We do this for about 2 min

Then we practice standing for a min or 2. 

Then we practice sitting for a few min.  Usually he sits between my legs and I support him and he looks at a soft book.  Or he sits in the gumbo

Then we go back to the blanket and practice rolling for a few min

Then I'm stuck, (and exhausted!) what do I do now?  I usually put him in his little baby busying seat contraption for a while

We do these things every wake time, and I'm bored with them!  I think he is too!  But I want to do things that will help him developed because he hasn't rolled yet or anything.     How long do I do an activity before I move to another activity?  I feel like I'm constantly trying to entertain a baby, which I love, but I'm sick of doing the same things over and over!  But maybe that's good for them, I don't know.  I'm a first time mom, so I'm learning as we go.  I was thinking of setting up the high chair so that he can sit at the table while I eat lunch as long as he can sit okay.  We eat dinner too late for him because either myself or my hubby doesn't get home until after he is in bed.  I feel like I have used a lot of the suggested activities on this thread and need more!  I need to create some sort of structured play routine because I feel like I'm bouncing all over the place, from one activity to the next.  Any suggestions would be great!
 

[Bryony's mum]

Tbh, I wouldn't worry too much about trying to do activities to specifically make him develop - he will get there anyway, and you might drive yourself mad trying to find just the right activities.

Do you have some kind of reclining chair for him?  Could you spend some of the A time just doing chores e.g. folding laundry, gardening,  with him watching you?  You don't have to entertain him with baby-centric activities all the time - he can be part of your daily routine too.  If he gets a bit fussy, you could sing for him or dance around while you're doing it (nothing funnier than a mummy dancing!)

Sitting him between your legs and having a box or tray of household objects in front of him that he can unpack and look at - things like keys, plastic tubs, wooden spoon.  He might appreciate the novelty and you can put things back in the ox for him to find again.

I used to spend time singing to my dd, especially action songs, either sitting up or on the floor.  Or bouncing type rhymes on your knee?

Even simply things like playing peekaboo with a muslin - pulling it gently across his face and acting surprised to see him again, or putting it over your face and pulling it off slowly.  it sounds simple but it used to amuse dd and I for ages!  Tickling his tummy with a teddy bear?  Just lying on the floor next to him and letting him grab at your face?

Do you go out and about during A time?  For a walk or out in the garden (depending on the weather)?  I would have gone mad, I think, if I'd tried to stay in for every A time.

I did have a book called 'baby play' which had lots of simple suggestions for different ages, but I think I got rid of it once my babies were no longer babies!

Hope some of those suggestions help - I remember it being hard sometimes to think what to do when I was alone with a baby - the thing is you don't think anywhere near as much about it with second and subsequent babies, because there isn't time, and they just get to be part of what's going on!  I hope you can find things to do that are relaxing and fun for both of you.

[Hedgehog17]

Babies development is affected by size, so if he's small then he may take a little longer with his gross motor skills. My DS was small with short legs, so he took longer to roll, sit, crawl and walk as he had to wait to be big enough / have long enough legs to do these things 

I would concentrate on rolling for now, as sitting and standing come much later! I have read that bumbo seats are not ideal as they hold the baby up so he doesn't learn how to use his muscles to hold himself upright. At that age DS was in a sloping chair, or on his back or his tummy. It's also not a good idea to make them bear weight on their legs at this age either, so no standing, just support him full body on your legs.

At that age we'd do rolling practice on the foot end of the big L shaped sofa. I'd roll him so far, then let him do the rest  He loved it! Once he mastered rolling he fairly quickly progressed to sitting. Please don't put him in the highchair until he can sit, as it won't be comfortable for him.

At that age my DS also liked me throwing his soft blocks gently at him  He was an early thrower so this was a good game for him! We also did peekaboo with a cloth, and hiding an object under a cloth. For sensory play he had a chew toy with different textures which he loved, and teething rings to bite and suck on.

He also liked having admiring family and friends hold him and talk to him, and to just watch what was happening in the world 

It sounds like you are doing a great job of entertaining him, and he has plenty to catch his interest, so he'll develop his skills when he's ready 

[michaeljacknnugg]

I don't think I ever did anything structured with DS! I did go through toys fairly quickly at this age, as I got a lot second hand and then sold/passed them on.

He too loved the baby gym - that's where he learned to roll. Totally on his own timings, as were his other developmental leaps.

We went out and about a lot. To the park for a walk with the antenatal group, to other mums' houses (and other toys!), to get weighed and cooed over by the health visitors. We were out every morning to muck out our horses too, so he had lots of different places to stimulate him.

I used to take him around the supermarket, giving him things to look at as we went. Same for in the high chair, give him things to look at and put in his mouth, throw on the floor etc! When on the floor he could then play with his toys, go on the gym etc with more enthusiasm as he'd not seen that much of them. And playing with mummy - peekaboo, as others have said, looking at books, lifting him up in the air. He loves physical play, always has.

It sounds like you are concentrating a lot on him. If you go about your household jobs and just bring him along and chat, he will learn and be stimulated!

[cath~]

L used to love songs at that age (still does, she's a big singer) esp the action sort eg zoom zoom zoom, teddy plays on the swing, row row row your boat...  You could do some of those with him.  Don't know where you live but here all the libraries do baby and toddler rhyme time (singing) sessions once or twice a week which were a lot of fun. 

You can also be looking at books with him.  Babies usually love looking at pictures of other babies.  Perhaps cut some out of a baby clothes catalogue if you have one and make your own book?

ITA with all the PPs advice to just involve him/bring him along with what you're doing too.  A sling/baby carrier can be a great way for babies to see the "world" (even just their own home!).

[shannoncorrin]

Thanks everyone!  Great suggestions!  Part of the problem is that I have major cabin fever.  It has been like the second coldest winter in history here in Ohio.  Now that the weather is sort of starting to improve,  we can go on errands and take a walk.   He always seems to fall asleep when we do that kind of stuff though, and then he wakes up as soon as we get home and wont go back to sleep!  So I usually wait to run before his last nap because that is often a short nap anyway.