To be struggling to know what to do with 3 month old?

[Daywithbaby]

We go for two walks a day usually. Time on playmat, some reading ... what else!?

I loved that stage! I just strapped mine to me and got on with my life. A nine month long holiday, visited loads of new places. Appreciate you can't do that at the moment, but I'd do lots of very long walks and get very fit if I had a 2 month old now.*

This basically. Happy memories :-)

National trust places are open, so perhaps some of them (you can get a pay monthly membership) and taking a picnic lunch out and snoozing under a shady tree together somewhere.

He’s not a big fan of the sling, he tries to escape. So not sure these will work.

Nothing really. Sit down, watch Netflix, get on with your life :) it's the 'easier' age in that respect. I quite like that stage. The tricky stage I find is when they need some form of entertainment but communication is still very limited (so more around 9-18months depending on the child).

At 3months it's rly mainly sleep and milk.

Have you got a sling library near you to look at various baby carrier options and how to put it on correctly? I'm surprised a 3months old is trying to escape the sling.. Maybe looking at various options and checking you're doing it correctly would help.

I doubt it in lockdown but I don’t think it’s that unusual?

I’m lucky to get through a half hour tv shoe with this baby

I’m now worried!

Singing rhymes and finger games, great for developing attention span, language skills, vocabulary, sense of rhythm, body awareness.

Also change of scene if you have a baby bouncer, sometimes in the kitchen, sitting room, and change the direction of the bouncer so the baby gets to see different things, and , when the weather is better sit the bouncer outside outside so there are more things to look at.

I used to read my crap gossip magazines out loud.
She liked hearing my voice and I got to read lovely old shite

I felt like you with my first op, my second is 11 weeks and currently asleep on my chest... Where she is happiest!

My advice is make the most of it. Boxsets are good, reading, stick them in a sling and pop out etc. To be honest, I'm eating a lot to pass the time. And musnetting.

It's easier for me to let myself do this though as I know these days are numbered and she'll soon want entertainment all day every day. My 2.5year old has taught me to bask in these lazy days as they're numbered!

Does it sound like something is wrong then?

As will tolerate chair and rocker for short periods but then gets fed up and starts shouting. Same with playmat. And doesn’t seem too exchanger by my voice!

I’d have a riot in my hands if I did that whale honestly. Will only tolerate the sling for 20 mins at a time. Gets shouty and annoyed if held somewhere for too long!

At this age they are still fairly portable. I have just got back from a walk with some local
Mums.

If you are in England check out nct who are organising them.

And later this month groups will restart so again these are good for getting play ideas.

I used to read, play Xbox and potter about with mine on a play mat for a lot of the time at that age!

I think. It is possible I have slightly rose tinted glasses on . I do know I didn’t ‘do’ much with them.

It's easier for me to let myself do this though as I know these days are numbered and she'll soon want entertainment all day every day. My 2.5year old has taught me to bask in these lazy days as they're numbered!

I think that's the thing, it's so different in hindsight or when you're used to another than at the time with your first! I've been astonished at how much 'me time' there is when it's DS1's nursery days and so just me and DS2 at home - but then my standards of 'me time' are so low compared to before DS1! Going for a walk with the pram where I listen to a podcast, walk at a pace I choose and don't have to feign interest in any sticks feels like luxury, whereas I remember constantly having to take the pram out with DS1 to get him to sleep felt like purgatory at the time!

Do you have close neighbours? Would it matter if baby got shouty and annoyed sometimes as long as they were safe? Not the sling but leaving on a mat while you get dinner prepared or vacuum (drowns out shouty and annoyed quite nicely!).

Well I don’t want an upset/angry baby so yes ...

So today baby woke at half 5. Fed and he went in his rocker listening to music while I did some housework and had a cup of tea.

Then fed again at about 745, napped until 9. Went on playmat while I got ready. Then got him washed and dressed. Had a twenty minute walk in the sling, then was sick so had to have a change of clothes. Sat in his chair while I had lunch, then had a ten minute nap, fed again, then back in chair and was fine for about ten minutes then started crying and wouldn’t stop so fed again! Now out in the pram.

There’s just no way I’d be able to chill and watch box sets!

I look after 5 month old twins at the moment. Our day goes:

7am feed
Faff about changing, baby massage, getting dressed
Tummy time on the play mat, sing some songs
8.45 wind down for nap (bouncy chair, calm music etc)
9-10 nap
10.30 feed, change
Switch between chairs, play mat and jumperoo
11.45 wind down
12-2 nap
2/2.30pm feed, change
Again do a bit of walking round, switching between mat and chair, singing, books
3pm - go for a long walk, another nap
5pm - bath time
5.30pm feed

@Daywithbaby

Well I don’t want an upset/angry baby so yes ...

So today baby woke at half 5. Fed and he went in his rocker listening to music while I did some housework and had a cup of tea.

Then fed again at about 745, napped until 9. Went on playmat while I got ready. Then got him washed and dressed. Had a twenty minute walk in the sling, then was sick so had to have a change of clothes. Sat in his chair while I had lunch, then had a ten minute nap, fed again, then back in chair and was fine for about ten minutes then started crying and wouldn’t stop so fed again! Now out in the pram.

There’s just no way I’d be able to chill and watch box sets!

With my own babies I watched tv while breastfeeding, or had them napping in a swing or pram in the living room so if they started stirring after 10 minutes I could pop dummy back in and rock back to sleep. Any nap under about 45 minutes doesn’t really count. If they nap well they tend to be more content/settled in the day.

Yeah ... it’s just not always quite as simple as that!

@Daywithbaby.... I totally get it. There was no way I could have watched box sets with my DD! I found those early months really tough, just finding things to fill the day. It is really hard when there is no where to go, not even a walk to a cafe and back, no groups etc. I had about a month of mat leave pre-lockdown and being able to go to groups and even for a day out somewhere made a massive difference.

Things I found helped were having a 'station' set up in each room - play mat in dining room, books and baby sensory on the tv in living room, jumperoo in bedroom etc and we could then slowly work our way around the house. We'd look out of the window and point out birds, cars. Walk to the park to watch the dogs being walked. In all honesty, I found those early months painfully dull. My DD was adorable, but the days dragged.

Enjoy the time op, netflix readinflg etc.

Baby yoga? Tummy time? Nursery rhymes and songs with movement that you can move their arms and legs to. Also buy some cheap emergency foil blankets and plonk them on it, its shiny and crinkled and makes some scrunching sounds, every baby I know has loved it
That's around the age I started taking mine swimming as well, dont know if there are any classes nearby you can try?

@bubblebath62636

Enjoy the time op, netflix readinflg etc.

Yeah we can’t really do that.

Just do what you want as they will be happy as long as with you x