Advice/support needed please before I go insane!

[moll29]

Hi everyone,

Haven't posted here for a while but in need of some advice, info, support please. Sorry but this wil probably be long...

My LO is nearly 9 month old and I love him more than anything in the world however at the moment I am so stressed!! I literally cannot keep him entertained in the house and out of trouble! I am getting so wound up and stressed about it which is actually making me quite sad as I shouldn't be like this. He is such a good little boy, sleeps fantastic, can take him anywhere, doesn't whinge ( apart from a whinge when teething), which makes me annoyed at myself as I know I should thank my lucky stars; however in the house I find myself so stressed! He wants EVERYTHING he shouldn't have, dangerous things -electric wires, ornaments, dog food etc etc, throws the biggest tantrum when moved from places he shouldn't be. I literally do NOT sit down in the house, I am constantly up and down moving him and trying to keep him entertained. I can hardly do anything in the house, a 5min job takes about 10mins as i'm constantly stopping to keep my LO out of trouble! He has all the toys you can think of, I have even gave him a tv romote without batterys in, pots to bang etc. He gets bored so easily, which I know is the case as he's only young. This morning I have resorted to tears as I feel I cannot keep him happy and feel like a failure. It just seems anything I do does not keep him happy. I do suspect he is teething again, he seems to go through teething every two weeks (he has five teeth).I cuddle him , he doesnt want a cuddle, if he's tired i pick him up and cuddle him before putting him in his pram, that ends with him trying to get off me to explore. He wont sit on my knee for any moment of time, say to play with a toy together, which is another worry as we go to Spain in a week, dont know how i'm going to entertain him on the plane!

I do try to get out every a day and my hubby does help loads however works so obviously isnt around all the time. I just feel so stressed by it all and don't want to be like this but find myself being like this iykwim!! To add to it, I have a really bad back which doesn't help with constantly lifting my LO. Sorry i'm just ranting now! Please tell me this is all normal! Any words or advice would be great.

Thanks for reading x

 

[AngelUK]

Is there anywhere in the house that you could make baby proof/safe for him and then cordon off with gates so he cannot get out? Say, a corridor maybe or a corner of the sitting room? That way you would get the chance to put him in the safe place for a bit while you either get a bit of a breather or get on with things that need to be done. I hope you get some respite soon you poor thing.

 

[moll29]

Thank you for replying AngelUK.

The way my house is set out makes it a little difficult to cordon off a part of the house. I have thought how I could cordon off a bit of the house but I really don't see how I could because how my house is set out. I have a rug that I place all my LO toys on but after about a minute he's bored and wants to explore all the things he shouldn't! I do have a large travel cot that I have contemplated setting up to pop him in with toys say when I need to do a job but I don't know I kind of feel bad doing that, don't know why but I do! Plus once the travel cot is in my sitting room its going to be so cramped. Think I need a bigger house! Mine isn't tiny either but babies need so much stuff! xx

 

[Amyface]

I could have written that post!

Myles is a fantastically easy baby, but he's also very interested in the world around him and won't just sit and play with one toy. Sometimes it feels like I just spend my entire day moving him away from the TV. You need to make somewhere in your house that you can just leave him where he can't get to wires, ornaments etc. - it's the only thing that will stop you going mental! We can't move the TV out of the way anywhere, so I think that's the only thing we have to watch him with now. The living room looks like an assault course because toy boxes, big toys etc. are stacked up everywhere making barriers to stop him getting to things. Overall though, it makes me happier because I'm not constantly picking him up and moving him (I've also had a really bad back since pregnancy so bending down to get him a lot is really painful) and it keeps him happier because he doesn't like being moved away from things.

Another thing which might apply as well. In order to try and keep him entertained and away from things he shouldn't be playing with, the living room was FILLED with toys. We found that this encouraged him to play with things he shouldn't - maybe there was too many toys and he didn't know where to start. Every morning now we make sure the floor space is completely toy free and then lay some out for him, maybe 4, 5 maximum for the day (obviously this depends on the size of your floor space) but basically there's not very many and they're spread out and set up for him all ready to play. This has really helped him. Setting a noahs arc up and spending 2, 3, 4 minutes arranging all the animals in a row 2 by 2 means that he'll come in and just sit down and play with it for an hour non-stop, and always go back to it throughout the day. Beforehand, we could have the arc, all the animals just in a pile next to it and loads of other toys as well and he'd just ignore them. Worth a shot for your sanity!

 

[mumnbean]

Sounds totally normal to me

I don't think a bigger house will help... babies are always interested in the "real" toys that mum and dad use, and are learning so much about everything around them. I tackled this by making our whole house a baby play zone. Mainly for my own peace of mind so I could go to the loo and leave my lo's for 2minutes and feel comfortable they were safe.

Our kitchen bin is on the bench top, our tv is on the wall, vases are packed away and photos or delicates are up high. Even the coffee table is pushed to the edge of the room with a sofa next to it to cover the sharp corners in case the kids fall over accidentally as they started cruising. This works unless my 2yo decides she absolutely needs something and starts moving furniture to climb onto and reach everything!

9months is a hard stage, and i know my dd started getting quite clingy with a bit of separation anxiety and wanted to be with me all the time. I tried to involve her and let her watch the cooking next to me and involve her a bit with the jobs. Once your lo knows everything about the whole world it should settle a bit... Hahahaha

 

[moll29]

Amyface this is my LO exactly - such an easy baby but soooo interested in the world!!

I think my house has to become an assault course too then!! I have put things in the way of dangerous things before & he hasd just moved them! Funny to type this now but at the time I thought you little bugger!! I have seen me saying 'no' and 'agh agh' (if thats how you spell it!) from across my living room and start to walk over to him for my LO to literally crawl faster giggling! I thought I am so going to go insane! As he is napping now I can sit and laugh to myself but at the time when i have moved him for the umpteenth time I could cry! (and do!)

Thanks for the advice think I do really need to start putting stuff in his way and also I like the idea of just some toys spread out. Maybe having all his toys is too much. My LO has Noah's arc too!Xxx

 

[Amyface]

I like the idea of just some toys spread out. Maybe having all his toys is too much. My LO has Noah's arc too!Xxx

We really do notice a massive difference in his interest levels, so it's definitely worth messing about and seeing if you can get a balance that works for your LO.

Make the most of the crawling stage - the toddling stage is a nightmare when they're into everything!

 

[moll29]

Oh no I thought the toddling stage was easier, oh dear how can you tell this is my first haha.

As my LO is napping I have put all the toys away and placed a few around the house. I've put his pram in the place he most likes to explore, which is a dangerous place to explore, so fingers crossed this works. I've also placed one of his larger toys in another place he usually likes to explore. So we'll see what happens! X

 

[moll29]

Mumnbean I think this is my problem my house is not a babyzone. I suppose i'm learning as I go along. I definitely need to make it more of a babyzone. My LO loves my bin, especially grabbing the bin liner and trying to eat it!! As you can imagine, to my horror! X

 

[loobylou99]

Move your ornaments and put things on the shelf in place of them, everyday items your LO can play with eg empty plastic bottles, tubs, utensils. We have a low shelf in the kitchen i do this with and she always makes a bee line for it to throw them all around. Keeps her out of trouble for a bit and i get to keep my sanity because i know she wont come to any harm. We have a fire guard and a bean bag and toy barricade infront of the telly! She tries to climb over but it slows her down enough for me to stop her and redirect!