what do you do with your kids all day?

[lucy386]

I have dd 9 months and I play with her during the day, have naps, food but after 10 minutes of playing I have no idea what to do with her. If there is a three hour gap between her naps how do I fill this? She seems to get bored of me really easy and while I can play with a lot of different toys 10 min each my mind seems to shut off help!!! I have no idea what to fill our day with. Sometimes we go out too, to a friends like now, but the days indoors she ends up watching tv and I'm sure it's bad for her what do you do?

[rosebunch]

I seem to remember we did lots (!) of long walks. Also, most soft play places have areas for the youngest children to crawl round in, do a bit of climbing etc and she might enjoy this. We also started to go to a music group from about 8 months and ds seemed to enjoy it and at least I met other people!

[rosebunch]

PS a lot of Mums seem to take their children swimming from this age or younger. I'm not a big fan of swimming myself so I haven't done it but the children seem to enjoy it. So classes or joining NCT/local toddler groups plus long walks is pretty much how I filled our days.

[Cod]

Message withdrawn

[moondog]

Hard when the're this little. We used to walk a lot and swim loads.
Find having 4 yr old dd around to entertain 8 mth old ds is a great help. My biggest revelation that-two kids are easier and more fun than one.
Remember spending a month in Moscow with dh when dd was 10 mths. Worst month of my life-soooooo bored stuck in a high rise flat in a chilly Autumn with her for hours and hours and hours.

[vict17]

definitely go out lots. Don't play with her all the time when she's awake too - leave her while you do the cooking etc with her toys otherwise she won't be used to playing on her own.

[LIZS]

I stepped up the out of hosue activities at thsi age wth ds - swimming, music, mums and tots - and let her explore toys on her won too. Agree with Cod, do some things now you won't otherwise be able to for a few years while they want to be mobile, scream and become less socially acceptable !!

[Prufrock]

At 9 months (come and join us on May Babies thread 10 btw) I do nothing with ds. But then that's because he's my second and I've realised taht you don't need to amuse a baby if you have a toddler to do it for you

Like everyone else I would say to do lots of things for yourself that will also amuse him - to a 9 month old people watching in a cafe whilst you have a coffee and read the paper is fun and educational.

If you do want to do more structured things then swimming (most council pools run M&B classes) or Jo-Jingles music classes? When you are in let her sit in the kitchen with you and empty cupboards (the ones containing non breakables obv.) ds has just discoverd this. Or just watch you do housework. Or sit her on the floor to play with toys herself (it's v. important to encourage self-stimulation ) whilst you read Heat.

If you want to feel less guilty about the TV watching, get a video from the Baby Einstein range.

[Shell150]

My DD is 8 months and loves having time in the day where i sing to her!!! Normally do it before her lunch she loves it!!?? Used to work in a nursery when i was preg and sang a lot!!!! She has loved me singing since she was born so dunno if its summat to do with that but an idea to kill 10-15 mins if its rubbish weather??

[WestCountryLass]

With my DS at about your DDs age I started going out to groups and activities most mornings. We used to do swimming, music, playgroup, tumble tots wich left one morning for shopping and chores! Most afternoons, after his sleep, we would go for a walk at the park or do something like painting or making something or jsut palying/reading books.

With my DD we do the same groups cos DS does them but he goes off to pre-school in the afternoon and we go to the library story time and a lunchtime playgroup for her.

[highlander]

DS's fave game at the minute is going on the bus. Sometimes I can combine it with stuff I have to do, but on a rainy day we just jump on the first one that comes along!

I have a sort-of-routine for DS (6mo; he is very high maintenance)

7am get up - boob, nappy change, laundry, my brekkie, make bed ,shower, bit of a play etc etc etc

9am nappy change and try to get DS to nap for 30 mins or so.

The next 2 - 2.5hrs - play, books then go outside for a walk of 1 to 1.5 hours (usually to the supermarket, another of his fave haunts!)
Then nap, then the cycle starts all over again.....


The Baby Bjorn has been my lifesaver. I can do lots of stuff and DS just loves watching the world go by with a running commentry. I bought a hip sling today for when he outgrows the Bjorn.

[highlander]

forgot, play is usually divided into solitary and 'us' time of approx 10 mins each.

He's never watched TV (get me, organic yummy mummy).

[mrspink27]

OMG... now i feel soooooooooo inadequate... after reading all that!

[goreousgirl]

Me too! One of my friends organised a sing-song morning with babies at my house today, and afterwards we all chatted, and each person had brought a contribution for lunch. It was a lovely social day - not like having toddlers around, as the babies tend to just sit and play with toys...

[KarenThirl]

We used to go out a lot, to the park, shops, sometimes into town and have 'lunch' in a cafe. I think we were in the park most mornings, iirc. Can't remember spending much time alone in the house, we usually invited other mums and babies around or went to their houses. When we did stay home we read books and did simple puzzles (me doing, him watching). As babies develop into toddlers the options increase dramatically though.

[Keane]

shout at them

[jackeroo]

my ds is almost 9 months too... he demands attention a lot of the time and hates being left alone. i got one of the 'baby einstein' DVDs - great if i want to leave him to his own devices for a while - he can't take his eyes off it and it's educational they say (whilst i educate myself with heat mag)...
if weather allows we go for a walk to the park and supermarket. or walk to a part of town we've never been. or a cafe (in summer sit outside the pub!)
we did swimming classes for a few weeks(aquababies) which he loved and it tired him out and had a good sleep in the afternoon. i'm about to take him to baby yoga which i've heard is great for mum too.
when stuck indoors i take him from room to room depending on what i'm doing. he finds the most dull things interesting for a little while. i also carry him around in the baby bjorn as he hates being left alone. sometimes put on some music loud and have a dance with him in the sling - he loves this and it helps my sanity!

[Fran1]

She's not too young to do painting, I fill those small plastic trays you get fruit or mushrooms in from supermarket with paint and let dd blob hands in and do some finger painting.

Try mixing some cornflour and water in a bowl, or on a tray, and let dd get her hands all messy! ( when dd was 9mths i sat her on the kitchen floor for this so its easy to clean up the mess after)

As someone else said, i plan my day, with one indoor activity and one "going out" activity. Sometimes going out means the park/friends or supermarket or just a walk around. Do one thing in the morning and one in the afternoon.

And it is good for children to learn to amuse themselves, so don't feel guilty if you leave dd with toys and you go off and do some housework or just read a magazine!

[Niddlynono]

Jackeroo - funnily enough DS (2.5) has rediscovered his Baby Einstein DVD collection that he loved as a baby. I thought he'd grown out of them but now he can identify all the colours and animals etc. he enjoys them in a different way.

Lucy - Cod's got the right idea - go shopping, even if it's window shopping or to a gallery or something! Meet friends for lunch (I wish I'd have done more of this when DS was happy to be confined to a pushchair).

During the winter when DS was a few months old I sometimes found it quite difficult to motivate myself to leave the house some days when it was particularly cold or wet. Somehow the thought of a nice new top or pair of trousers did the trick and DS seemed to enjoy the shopping experience.

[lunarx]

ds is 8 months old, some things we do for amusement and fun- go for walks as often as you can, i read to him at least 2 or 3 times daily, sing nursery rhymes and anything else really, dance around or 'bounce' in place with him (usually makes him laugh maniacally!) , the baby enstein dvds are really good too, if i'm cooking or doing something in the kitchen; i bring his highchair in so he can see me and i give him something safe like a wooden spoon or plastic cup to play with... and he has some good 'alone' playtime too. oh and peek-a-boo is fun too! (hiding behind a blanket held up in front of your face and then dropping it)

good luck and have fun!!

[franch]

DD is 13mo and I'm still not sure what to do with her all day! Mind you I've been ill with PG sickness for 2 months so feel like I'm starting from scratch at the moment. Right now she's in her cot watching CBeebies - will go and rescue her and check in again later for more ideas

[scampadoodle]

For how long can you keep them confined to a bugy or highchair though? Ds2 is just about 9mo & already 'cruising', so I feel he's not getting enough exercise if I walk all the way to the decent shops and back. Or is the fact that they're growing all the time, plus the fresh air, enough?

[franch]

Another question! Those of you who let your children play alone for a while - where do they do this? (I was using a travel cot/playpen for DD but she's started climbing out!)

[Fran1]

DD used to play "alone" on my living room floor, at the time our house was tiny, downstairs was just the living room and kitchen, so i was either in the same room as her or just next door!

Don't feel he isn't getting enough excercise scampadoodle, as you say the fresh air, and all the wondeful sights to see are beneficial also. So long as he gets his "cruising" time at other times of the day.

[Prufrock]

The whole of downstairs. There is no way he can get upstairs, or outside. Since a fake coal almost eating incident I now put a big cushion in front of the fire, but let him roam (well commando crawl) between study/living room and kitchen - though he only normally goes into teh kitchen if I'm there.