Difficulty entertaining 4 month old

[kellyhushhh]

I,m scared that if i dont sort this problem out soon then i will end up with a severe problem.

DS is 4 months old tommorow, his current awake time is 1.5 hours, obviously half an hour or so of this time is feeding time so his activity is anything from an hour or hour and a quarter.

He can play under his gym for 10mins or so then starts getting fussy, fair enough, he is probably bored. I would love to be able to just get on with my jobs without having to take him everywhere i go. Dont get me wrong, i absoluyely love playing with him but there comes a time when i need to do things like housework etc., and i shouldnt have  to have him with me in every room with me or he will end up getting bad seperation anxiety wont he?

He has also started to cry when i go out of the room, he is fine if other peolpe are there but if he is left alone he cries. When he does this i dont go in and pick him up, i just say Hey its okay mummy didnt go anywhere.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I know that putting him in front of the cartoon channel would occupy him but this is bad isnt it?  What about Baby Einstien? is he old enough for this?

I just dont want to end up with a baby who requires constant entertaining, how can i encorage independent play?

Hope someone can help, does anyone else have this problem?

Kelly xx

[deb]

With Natalie I've found that giving her tummy time, as much as she'll tolerate (and maybe a few more seconds), has been a big help in that department. If I needed to get a drink or do a quick chore, I'd put her on a blanket on her tummy with a toy or two and let her try to get them. By now, at 4.5 months, she CAN get them, and I have to put the gate up at the stairs because she's doing laps around the living room and heading up the hall and for the front door. :shock: She can occupy herself that way for a good 5 minutes sometimes, and when she's really cranky I know it's naptime.

[kellyhushhh]

Hi Debbie,

wow she sounds like a little acrobat! My ds hardly moves at all, well he does but not too that extent :lol:

I have tried him on his tummy and he hates it, he gets all frustrated and rubs his face in the mat! :?

Thanks for your advice though

Kelly xx

[deb]

Another thing I'm trying to do is to make sure the kids get outside AT LEAST once a day now that the weather's so nice. Natalie likes to look around at stuff, and it's kinda fun showing her off to anyone who happens to be around. We'll go to the park and I'll sit her on my lap and do the swings for a few minutes, or go down the slide with her on my lap. Sometimes I'll pop her into the jogger and go for a short jog or at least a walk/run, sometimes I'll spread a blanket out in the back yard and let her roll around or crawl around or even look at the sky while Josie and I eat a quick picnic lunch or snack. She's usually quieter outside, and she tends to sleep better afterward.

I have also been trying to involve Josie more in housework stuff but spend more non-housework time w/Nat so I can enjoy all the baby stuff for what will probably be the last time. Nat's too big for me to sling her much, so playing with her is the best way to "entertain" her!

For floor/tummy time, maybe try putting him down for just a minute or two on a nice soft blanket, and put a toy just past his reach, or let him play with it on his tummy. I've given Natalie tummy time from day one, but if you're starting later to really do more, you'd have to work up to it ad make it as fun as possible. It also has the benefit of building upper body strength like you wouldn't believe, if Natalie's any indication.

[shem2005]

I am with you 100%. My daughter is just over 4 months and I feel like the whole day i have to entertain her. In the BW book it says that between 3-6 months that your baby should be able to entertain themselves for 15-20 minutes - no way for my daughter.

I would love her to be able to spend sometime amusing herslef. Like you, i love playing with her but as she gets older her awake time increases and i have the fear that I won't ever be able to leave her side.

I have bought a play seat (hard to describe), she stands in it and is supposed by a seat thing, and it is surrounded by a plastic circle that has all different toys on it. This has been great and it generally gives me 10 minutes to my self.

I am going to do a search on the web today to see what else I can find for independent play ideas.

[claire spiers]

Hi,

I wish I could help you - I can't yet, but thought I would tell you that you are not alone.

My Harri is 4.5 months old and needs constant entertainment or carrying. It feels as though I can't put him down for a minute without him crying.

One thing he really does enjoy though is his door bouncer ! he would play in that for hours, the ony snag is that you can't take your eyes off him in case he bounces into the doorframe. Helps keep your sanity though.

Lets face it, there is only so many times you can sing 'row row row the boat' a day !

I am very new to all this, never had anything to do with children and desperate to do my best to nurture his curiosity and development. If I find anything else I will let you know.

[sandraorion]

At that age, Adrian loved Entertainer, Jolly Jumper, and a mobile in his crib. These were my life savers. We are lucky to have a wide door frame in our dining room, so he could jump freely without danger of hitting the frame.

That being said, it's my experience that over the time their neediness varies. Adrian always needed extra attention before mastering a skill (sitting, rolling, crawling, walking). Once a skill was mastered, he was heppy and content for a period of time. Then the cycle begins again.

[corrina01]

I know what you mean Kelly. My lo is 15 weeks old and she does the same thing as your lo.

[Katet]

What I do, is change the activity every 10mins, so Liam is under his gym, then on a mat looking at the ceiling, I put him in the bouncer, then If I move room I may or may not take him with me to look at a different room. I also take him outside on a mat when I play outside with ds#1 or hang out the washing or do gardening... by changing the scenery he seems to be quiet able to play on his own, as long as I keep going back to him. I do leave him in another room, when I'm not there many times a day, lets face it he sleeps in a room with out me!

[kellyhushhh]

Thank you all very much for your ideas

As Deb suggested I am going to try and get some fresh air every day with the pram,  i think this will help a lot.

Shem- im going to look for a play seat, it sounds a good idea

Claire- i forgot all about those baby bouncers, they are great!! i will look for one of those too

Anyway im going to look on Ebay now and spend some money  :lol:

Thanks again for ALL your replies and advice xx