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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To wish my baby was more of a potato

41 replies

Hard2Find09 · 16/03/2021 11:11

I'm a first time mum to an adorable 7 month old dd. I love her but she is driving me insane. I'm back at work part time and I'm exhausted. The days I am home she does not stop. It's constant crawling, climbing, and falling over trying to stand. We are in an apartment so there isn't a heap of room for all these activities. She hardly naps (maybe a short one if I'm lucky) even though she is so tired. When she is tired she gets wobbly and falls down more. Then she cries. It's just go go go all day.

Some other mums in my mothers group have babies who are so much more chilled out. They laugh that they are little potatoes. I feel like a terrible mother being so frazzled half the time. The house is a mess cause I have no spare time.

So lightheartedly AIBU to wish dd was a bit more chill and potato like?

OP posts:

Original poster

Hard2Find09 · 16/03/2021 13:01

Thanks for the suggestions on working on the naps. We need to do that and I think it will massively help. She fights sleep but I need to stop giving in

OP posts:

picklemewalnuts · 16/03/2021 13:02

This is about the worst age! She'll sleep better (briefly) when she's walking and running properly.

Also, try putting her down to sleep at the wobbly stage, before the crying stage. I missed my son's 'about to get overtired and passed it' signals. I didn't put him down until after he'd passed it. Some babies have a sweet spot you need to catch them in.

dancinfeet · 16/03/2021 13:09

I had one of each- a crazy bouncing off the walls eldest followed by a chilled second born who barely moved off the spot until she was 3. They are still similar now eldest now a young adult is still very active, while youngest now a teenager would stay in bed gaming all day if she could.

NeedaLittleNap · 16/03/2021 13:12

Ah bless you. One of mine could get herself from one end of the room to the other by scooting backwards and ninja rolling, way before she learned to crawl. No matter how much angle we put on her cot she'd scoot up to the top and bash her head on the bars. She didn't get the memo about feet to foot.

Put the TV behind one of those playpen/baby room divider things and babyproof the hell out anything else they could bang their heads on. Once they are walking it is weirdly a little easier, as they do slow down for a while (or mine did anyway)

Problematicbehaviour · 16/03/2021 13:13

I think my son was the other extreme to yours, and although he is lovely and I am lucky he was so calm. Before he wa

Problematicbehaviour · 16/03/2021 13:19

...Was mobile he was impossible to wake up before 1pm, so going out or getting anywhere was so hard because he was just soft and limp.
Now that he’s mobile, he moves the furniture and climbs on everything. The change literally happened in one day.

welshladywhois40 · 16/03/2021 13:25

My first was similar crawling just after 6 months and my friends babies didn't crawl for a while longer.

We all went for lunch just after 7 months. My friends baby sat by the table in a stationary buggy happy! My son was busy crawling under the table or climbing on anything - we would not sit still. He is now 3 and still doesn't.

I am hoping that playgroups will open soon. They will be your friend. I used to go to one in a big church hall and my son didn't play just did laps crawling around a big space.

I would work on the naps though - for my baby I followed a routine for naps like nighttime, nappy change, bottle, thin sleeping bag, dark room

birdglasspen · 16/03/2021 13:31

At 7 months your baby surely needs to aim for 12 hours at night and 2 1.5 hour naps, or 1 hour and 2 hours, whatever but I no wonder you find it hard if a 7 month old isn't napping (twice a day!). She is probably super tired and that will make her more hyper. Loads of advice out there to help with regular naps and sleep, I could cope with running around after them if I knew I was getting a break when they napped! Good luck!

RiderGirl · 16/03/2021 14:36

Sympathies Mine was like this, the fucker walked at 8 months!! It was horrific, she was a fairly good sleeper which was at least one blessing, but she was like a supercharged duracell bunny from 6am til 7pm, with only one very short nap. Nearly killed me - oh and then she learned to talk - the endless chattering, the endless verbal bloody diarrhoea nearly made my ears bleed, I wanted SILENCE and STILLNESS! She's 10 now and very quickly morphing into a grunting pre teen. That girl can still talk the hind legs off a donkey when she feels like it. I have no helpful advice to offer, maybe earplugs and gin.

MrsTerryPratchett · 16/03/2021 14:40

YABU only because your crazy baby will turn into a wonderful, adventurous, fast approach tween. The potatoes stay slightly potato-esque, which is great if you're a loving homebody but wouldn't work for me. I like my 10 yo but she was a nightmare baby!

Affectation · 16/03/2021 14:57

I used to be envious of people who could rock a pram for 5 minutes and have a sleeping baby in a restaurant. Mine insisted on being out of the pram and on a knee from about 10 weeks.

4amWitchingHour · 16/03/2021 15:58

My 7 month old is also like this, although he naps a bit more. Really helpful to hear from everyone who's been through it! I constantly feel I'm not doing enough for him, or doing enough full stop, as my day is mostly preventing him from bashing his head on every available corner when he's trying to pull himself up, and cleaning up after him.

Hates the pushchair, tolerates a sling (outward facing of course) for up to 20mins, contact naps. I used to be able to put him down for naps but not since teething started. I'm knackered, and looking forward to him walking as at least he might be less of a danger to himself!

ASimpleLampoon · 16/03/2021 16:25

Can you send put her in a hamster wheel and link it up to a generator. Might as well have her earn her keep!

GrumpyHoonMain · 16/03/2021 16:30

I just fixed the immediate life threatening dangers and let him roam. He was cruising too at that age and trying to figure out how to sit down without toppling over so needed his independance to figure things out. I actually miss those days because I could disappear into the kitchen for a cuppa and know he wouldn’t get into too much trouble. He’s 15 months old now and can open doors so ends up following me everywhere.

Original poster

Hard2Find09 · 17/03/2021 11:27

@ASimpleLampoon

Can you send put her in a hamster wheel and link it up to a generator. Might as well have her earn her keep!

Haha that would be amazing! She is costing us a fortune in food and formula so that could help offset it!

OP posts:

daisyoranges · 17/03/2021 11:31

@Easterbunnygettingready

If you wanted a potato baby you should have slept with Phil Mitchell...

Ds honestly looks like the third Mitchell brother

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