To ask you what your parenting saviours were?

[NUFAN]

When your little ones were small? My 6mo has the attention span of a fish, he is interested in something for 30 seconds then he is bored of it and it is hard work!

What things were your saviours when you had young kids? What kept them happy or kept you sane?

He’s an allergy baby and I’m hoping it’s not dairy because chocolate is definitely my crux, the thing is use to get through!

What did you find was good for you or for baby? Having a tough day today!

An angelcare bath seat. My DS loved it and would sit in the bath for ages

Bubbles- just blowing them in front of DD when she was in a bouncy chair was well enjoyed.

A decent forward facing sling so I could just drag DS round with me while i did stuff because he hated being apart.

One of those vtech walkers with the awful music once they were cruising. They bloody loved those.

The jumperoo
I’d have thrown myself out the window without it

Also once weaning is underway I used to do lots of finger food as it kept them busy for ages. Like cooked carrot sticks, pasta twirls, rice cakes. Just throw it on the highchair and let them pick stuff up/suck it/drop it/shove it in their ears.

Taking DD outside to look at the trees, listen to the birds, go for a walk to the park. It instantly calms her down.

Wine.

A bath was always a good waste of 45 minutes when mine was small. Lots of bath toys and stuff to mess about with. It helped especially if he was fractious or irritable. It was my go to activity for a wee bit.

Also I’m sure I’ll be flamed for this but 10 minutes of something colourful and diverting (usually a nature programme like Attenborough) on the telly and him in his playpen just so I could have a wee and make a cuppa in peace. He’s 11 now and a fine young man so I don’t think I’ve fried his brain with the demon box .

Have a partner that came in from work and took over so I could hide in the kitchen and make dinner in silence!

Sling walks, baths, rhyme time at the library or children centre, playdates with other babies and their mums.

@NotExactlyHappyToHelp I have to use Hey Bear sensory on the phone when I cut DS’s nails otherwise I cannot do them! He wakes up if I try and do them when he’s sleeping and he’s always flapping when awake. My HV told me of the awful dangers of screens and how I mustn’t show him anything till he’s 2, but it’s my only option to stop him getting Dracula fingers!

Pinterest. All kinds of things on there.

It might be worth rewinding a bit though, do you actually need to keep him entertained every minute of the day? We're given this mindset that being a parent means providing constant entertainment but babies are often happiest watching people and not being the centre of attention. Can he just watch you get on with things, whether on the floor or in a sling or high chair? Or plonk some stuff down and let him explore - kitchen stuff, scarves, food packaging etc. Most babies in history had to watch their mothers as they did cooking, washing etc.

Getting out of the house is also good - just sit in a park or go out to a high street etc. Or (maybe post pandemic) go on a train or bus, or to a train station.

I think at that age mine were happiest with a bowl of water and something to plonk in it. Or banging a saucepan with a spoon.

@Crowsaregreat we spend most of our time outside yes, but he honestly is a nightmare. He cannot entertain himself and gets bored REALLY quickly. Everyone who has met him has found the same. Your children were different to mine, that’s just kids!

Biscuits. Biscuits and more biscuits. I basically just lobbed biscuits at DD.

Weirdly Hurrah for Gin did a parenting with biscuits cartoon but I had already cracked it way before then.

(And I’m lightheartedly calling him a nightmare. He’s tiring but I wouldn’t have him any other way)

He's only 6 months?

• Biscuits
• Walks with the pram
• Meeting other people
• Never staying in the house all day
• TV
• Lowering your standards

Jumperoo, walks and gin

@Susannahmoody and your point is....?

Being carried around in sling
Being outside with lots of people/moving things to look at
Water play
Tray on floor with paper/crackly/messy stuff
Pans and spoons/boxes/with plastic tubs

At that age though as long as you are communicating with them in some way, that’s ok! Let them hear you talk, sing, grumble, show them what you’re doing as you fold laundry etc. Let them touch and feel things around the house...

Outside for a walk/push every day - twice a day, without fail as if I was walking the dog.
Taking them out in the car to fall asleep, so a good knowledge of a handy carpark, a book in the car.
TV
Parking the pram beside the washing machine while it was on and I could get on with something else in the kitchen.
Food as a distraction (for both of us)
A bath to splash in with toys

My DS liked an approximate routine, and it helped me too.

1. Lots of finger food for breakfast turns it into play as well as eating, that led to getting cleaned up, floor play mostly on his own with some instruments to bang laid out and then down for a nap in bed.
2. Out; park, or baby group, or people watch, or lights section of John Lewis... Anything that got him lots of stimulation with things to see, ideally a different place each day. Then eat and off for a big nap, usually in the pushchair.
3. On the mat to try sitting and crawling, play together a bit with toys; blocks, stories, balls, fabrics, shiny things, teddies... Anything's interesting to a baby, just mix it up a bit. Then finger food for a play dinner.
4. Songs before bed - we always had a routine of some music or cartoon songs where we'd sit together, then up to bath (when having), book and bed. It grew into all of us dancing every night as DS grew.

Now for the main trick... In every slot at home, add Jumperoo - essential at that age, chuck him in for 20 min a few times per day and let him bounce about. We also had a door bouncer for variety.

Sounds like we might need a jumper op! Off to eBay...

My spouse, usually.

At 6 months, mine were mostly content laying or sitting on their father or I and being chatted at while we did stuff though it was also a rough time sleep wise so for our sanity, we'd take turns in the evening on that so one of us could get a break.

Finding a decent cafe that serves great coffee and had decent space for your pram and to bf!!
Used to meet a friend twice a week in a Greggs!! The staff were very welcoming and ds always behaved there. Likely because I was calm and unstressed!!
Life saver.
And also an excuse to get dressed half decent and drag more than a quick brush through my hair!

Baby tv.

All 3 of mine would sit for hours if i let them lol.

great for a wee half hour

@Susannahmoody

He's only 6 months?

Even at 6 months my DS was hard work. High needs babies are a nightmare.

We wouldn't have survived without the jumperoo. It's literally the only place we ever found where we could put him for 5 minutes without a garuntee of him screaming. He hated the bouncer, the sling, the pram, the high chair, the TV and the play mat.

He's getting better now at amusing himself for short periods of time but he's still a lot more work thatln any of the other babies we know.