Author Topic: avoiding overstimulation during activity time...  (Read 1425 times)

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Offline becstar30

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avoiding overstimulation during activity time...
« on: October 19, 2005, 00:55:09 am »
hi, fairly new to book and website, bu just wondering with our 3 1/2 month old, about activity and avoiding overstimulating her, which makes her hard to settle for her nap...

after feed and burp (about 30mins), i change her, usually on change table with musical mobile or singing and she just loves that, then she'll go onto her activity playmat to swipe at the hanging toys for about 10 to 15 min's and seems pretty happy... should i then move her to her normal mat or rocker and let her occupy herself? is it stimulating if i talk or sing with her then? what if talk to her as i walk by whilst doing things?

if she starts to grizzle during the first stages of playtime, could it be boredom or more likely at this age, starting to get tired? i am usually pretty good with picking up on tired signs and swaddling and getting her into her darkened room for wind down mode, then settling... but lately it seems harder to get her to settle/sleep well... sometimes i feel like i may have taken her to bed too soon and she wanted to stay up longer, but my instincts say this isn't right!

thanks in advance, bec

stasztk

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avoiding overstimulation during activity time...
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2005, 16:02:47 pm »
If you are trying to put her down for sleep you don't want to talk to her, that is overstimulating and might make her think it is awake time not sleep time. Are you using Shh/Pat?

Activity time, if she wants more she will tell you. If she is having a hard time focusing on what she is playing with you should take it away. Never let it get to the point where she starts to fuss about it. (It's okay if you do just try and avoid it)

Nikki~Nathan&Danielle

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avoiding overstimulation during activity time...
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2005, 03:59:01 am »
During activity time and when you don't want to overstimulate her, quiet low key talking and singing will be fine.  It's really when there's a bunch of people, loud toys and muscical instruments that would be more of a problem. 

At 3.5mths you are probably getting ready to start extending out her activity time and cues can start to get a little confusing.  Have you checked out the 4hr EASY to see where you want to be heading?  She may not be ready for it just yet (and may never get to 4hrs anyway), but it will give you a guide on how much activity time - I'd be heading towards 1.5hrs now.  You will need to fiddle around with the times though so you can find the right amount of activity time without hitting overtired. 

Other reasons for not settling well could be developmental stuff - rolling, grasping hands etc - these things often settle down within a couple of weeks.

How are her nap lengths?  If you're suffering from 45min naps that could contribute to only being able to stay awake for short activity times and be getting fussy easily. Also, how much of a wind down time do you have?  Some babies need a good 20mins of the darkened room, low key stuff - others (like mine), I just take her into her room, close the curtains and put her into bed.

Offline MCGoldsmith

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avoiding overstimulation during activity time...
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2005, 21:08:49 pm »
Hi Bec...
I had the same question for a while and I decided that in my case, I was putting ds down too early. Grayton is almost 4 mo's,too. ( b-day was July 18th ) He is on a 3.5 hr easy now and usually is awake for just about 2 hrs sometimes less depending on activity. Naps for 1.5 then eats. He plays on activity mat, swings some, and loves sitting in his aquarium bouncer chair while I fold clothes, load the dishwasher, ect. I talk w/him and sing... just anything to entertain him.  :lol: Usually about 30 min before he goes down (I had gotten the advice from others on this site) I will either wind down w/a good night book or let himself settle in the pack and play. Anyway-- pt is...  :)  Try to do the "most" stimulating things, whatever they may be, soon after eating then you can wind things down. In our case I had mistaken boredom for him being tired, so once I tried changing things up for him I would wait for a yawn or sleepy eyes as a naptime cue. Things got a lot better around here then!
Oh well, hope this helps some!  :)
Meredith