What do you do with your 3-4 months old?

[minties]

Sophie is awake for 1.5 hours between naps these days, and it seems like a long time when there is nothing I can do with her!

There is also my son to think about. He is very energetic and needs a lot of interactive play.

Sophie can't roll and doesn't enjoy walks in the pram. She at the age where she's obsessed with her hands and chewing them.

She gets cross with being seated on my lap for more than a minute. Wont lie on her back and bat at hanging toys for more than 2 minutes.

Singing, talking, walking around with her looking over my shoulder, touch (cuddles and tickles) she loves, but she's quite heavy and my son often wants to be picked up and carried too. So I am finding it hard. She's 7kg and he's 14kg (46lbs 5oz all up for the 2) so holding and carrying them both is hard!

I just don't know what I can do with her. She starts screeching or crying after so many minutes of any activity and is always furiously knawing on my fingers, and gets upset if I remove them. Quite frankly she's sort of boring, and I wasn't expecting that. I feel bad!

 

[Pennyb]

Josh spends time in his swing and in his jumperoo that seems to keep him occupied along with playing with us. He loves it when we go out to eat or have coffee but won't sit in his pram he insists on sitting on our knee. A if we are eating out we go to Yo Sushi as they have highchairs that lay right back suitable for newborn upwards and he loves sitting in there watching the food go past

 

[minties]

Yum, sushi! I'm not able to buy a swing or jumperoo which sucks. Especially as I had one for Thomas but stupidly sold it as at the time I didn't want more kids! Now I can't afford one lol. She's still too floppy for that sort of thing.

I think our days are just getting to be the same-old stuff, my brain is going numb. I don't know how to entertain her and often just lack the energy to try

 

[Pennyb]

Josh has quite a lot of toys to distract him which help me.

But what about getting a carrier and taking them for a walk that way. Josh is not a big fan of his pram but is happy to go out in the carrier and often falls asleep in. You could go to the swings for your son to play on and baby should be happy be jigged about in carrier.

Josh also loves music he loves it if we put it in you could dance around the room
holding your daughter holding your sons hand.....

 

[BUGaBOO]

My daughter is the same. She is high needs so won't really be put down and prefers to he hanging over my shoulder taking in the view. She rarely goes in her swim for more
Than a few mins, her play gym will amuse her for 5-15 mins, she LOVES staring at the TV and will try her damnest to look at it wherever she is in the room. I dance around with her or pace the living room, jiggling and patting her back. Sometimes, I have her on my hip facing out the way while I get on with things (one handed)

She generally gets bored very easily and I'm constantly having to change what I'm doing to keep her entertained till I'm exhausted and bored myself!

 

[discoclare]

My 4 month old is like this too. We do have a jumperoo though which helps. She has good upper body strength and head control and will sit in the jumperoo for 15 mins or so and try and make the sun thing turn around. She can roll over which now means that she is no longer happy on her play mat as she immediately rolls onto her stomach, has less to look at and gets bored!

What about getting out and about more to break up the day? My 4 month old loves trips out in a sling/carrier and will look around at everything. My DD1 (aged 2 and a half) is at nursery part time and we take her there and back on the train and walking, I carry Gabriella in the sling and she loves looking around at the people, train etc. Also my DD1 does ballet on Saturday mornings and goes to other things like soft play. I take Gabriella to these things, in fact with ballet we do the class along with Arianna and the other mums and kids (since they encourage the parents to take part in the aged 2-3 class) and she loves me dancing around with her in the sling and the music and watching the little girls running about. Are there any free or cheap activities nearby your could take both of yours to where your toddler can take part and your baby can watch from the sling? Something like a community toddler group? Or a baby and toddler music group (I don't know what kind of stuff you have in NZ but here in UK we have at lot of these sorts of things for free or cheap at local libraries and community centres).

 

[carlyjade86]

i had this with elsie, and i still do to a lesser extent... i put alot of it down to teething. she was so unsettled all the time. would only sleep while being nursed. had to be held and sung to constantly! since shes been wearing her amber beads she is alot more relaxed. she'll lie on her play gym for ages, chatting away to herself. even sends herself to sleep on there! i dont know if it was a coincidence or the beads, but the change in her happened the same time! my house hasnt been this clean since before she was born! she still shows signs on teething but it doesnt seem to upset her as much.
a bit of Disney Jr does it for her too... she loves the tele.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

What about things like storys at the library? Music? Swimming?

 

[robinator]

Minties, mine was the same way! Was not satisfied being still, or being inside for that matter. I would take her on the porch when she really started to squawk and that would settle her. Also, I found at that age she preferred to be held facing out, instead of on my shoulder. She was not thrilled with the swing or the play mat or the bouncer; she wanted to be carried all the time. Will she go in a front facing carrier? Then you could haul your son around in a wagon outside or something....?

 

[ke29]

Mine loves the Jumperoo, she likes lying on the floor and trying to roll, she loves watching her brother play, she's pretty laid back really!

 

[aliss]

I'm very lucky, Philippe is chilled enough (except today, possible flu!!) to just watch as I am busy with his older brother, or he'll hang out in the sling/stroller. He even LIKES tummy time.

I do prop him up in the bouncer/walker on occasion too

 

[greats]

Rylee only lasts 5 mins max doing any activity so I have to constantlykeep her entertained even if It's just walking around from room to room. I'm going nuts tho doing the same thing every day, I'm ready for warm weather so we can go out more.

 

[tonibzac]

E is younger at 2 months but we do something most days. We have 2 children's centres within 10 minute drive of our house so we go to a breastfeeding baby group on a Monday and Friday morning. We do a sensory baby group on thurs afternoon which is really for older babies but it gets us out the house. We have started a six week baby massage course and I've booked a ten week swimming lesson course for £50 at the local hospital starting in may.

We go into town to the ceramics cafe and paint her hands and feet on things for family. We meet friends at coffee shops, walk the dogs... Something most days

 

[hanfromman]

Mine is only 7 weeks, but every day I will sit down with him for 20ish mins and read him books and sing songs with him and show him his rattles and stuff - he seems to enjoy it and laughs and smiles alot at it
If I think he is in a good enough mood (i.e. not hungry, not fussy, or too tired) I will try and do tummy time on a mat we have, with mixed results usually! Sometimes he will lift his head up and look around and kick his legs, but sometimes he'll just cry, and sometimes he just falls asleep!
I'm going to start going to baby groups and maybe Rhymetimes at the local library too More for my sake than his, at his age!!

 

[onetwothreebp]

asher loved watching me play video games!

 

[minties]

Thanks everyone!

I do have a moby wrap so she spends a lot of time in that. I am so short and stumpy with short arms that I can't reach anything when she's in it, haha! So have to keep taking her in and out so I can reach to make myself a sandwhich, etc.

It's not major activities we are lacking, we do go out a fair bit. It's the day-to-day stuff I am drawing a blank on. She is a prety easy baby for the most part. I don't have to feed her to sleep or rock her like I did with Thomas.

Right now she's pretty happy lying on the floor next to me while I am typing, she's having some nappy-free time which she likes.

I think it's also tricky as her brother is so...enthusiastic...around her, I'm always having to stick her in a bedroom or somewhere away from us so he doesn't hurt her. Then she gets upset and yells.

 

[manchester1]

3 and 4 months is the most annoying age because they need to be entertained but cant do it for themselves!
5 and 6 months is great because they can roll around and grab things and play with them and go in a jumperoo etc...

 

[HPmum2B]

I was going to suggest a moby wrap. My LO is now 5 months, but I have only recently been able to put her down for more than about 5 mins at a time. The moby wrap has been a bit of a life saver.