To ask what you do all day with 5-month-old?

FrogOfFroggHall · 2025-09-11T16:44:53+00:00

Just that. She is constantly grumping and grizzling and I can’t do anything around the house at all as she kicks off. I’m finding it so hard to fill her days. Things we do: tummy time, showing her toys and books baby gym on her back batting at toys dance with / sing to her walk her around the flat showing her things and letting her pick them up tickling toes, tummy, round and round the garden etc looking out window and pointing things out baby music groups and meeting friends with babies baby section at soft play walk in buggy or carrier - last 15 min max before crying none of these things hold her attention at all and she’s constantly crying, grizzling and complaining. What on earth do I do with her? I think she must be teething (though no signs yet in mouth) but I also think she’s just really bored. She was really happy until recently!

BuffaloCauliflower · 11/09/2025 17:48

5 months old? Whatever I wanted, they don’t need entertaining really and they don’t have attention spans, they just want to be with mum. Get a good sling, go about your business and just talk to her about what you’re doing as you do it. I promise she’s not bored, more likely over stimulated if you’re trying to constantly entertain her.

Livelaughlurgy · 11/09/2025 17:50

We watched Gilmore girls. It was the nicest few weeks of my life. Every morning we'd put on the Christmas lights, put out a mat and settle in to see what Rory and Lorilei were up to. We'd obvs have to take breaks to eat and go for the occasional walk but it was a very happy time for us.

Tagyoureit · 11/09/2025 17:51

BuffaloCauliflower · 11/09/2025 17:48

5 months old? Whatever I wanted, they don’t need entertaining really and they don’t have attention spans, they just want to be with mum. Get a good sling, go about your business and just talk to her about what you’re doing as you do it. I promise she’s not bored, more likely over stimulated if you’re trying to constantly entertain her.

Agreed.

LegoHouse274 · 11/09/2025 17:55

BuffaloCauliflower · 11/09/2025 17:48

5 months old? Whatever I wanted, they don’t need entertaining really and they don’t have attention spans, they just want to be with mum. Get a good sling, go about your business and just talk to her about what you’re doing as you do it. I promise she’s not bored, more likely over stimulated if you’re trying to constantly entertain her.

This really depends on the child. None of my children as babies were ever content in carriers or prams for extended periods of time if they were awake. They'd just cry. The OP also already explained that her baby cries after about 15 minutes.

I do feel you OP, sometimes the days are long. I actually found it felt less long when I had more than one child because at least the bigger one was someone to talk to! And helps to entertain the baby too.

My youngest (of 3) is now 11 months and I'm going back to work soon. But on mat leave have mostly done loads of church playgroups with my prescholer, and park trips, and visiting their DGM who lives very close by. Also school runs twice a day kill a fair bit of time although sometimes the baby does cry on them. We also go the library. When ivee just got the baby I tend to take them to baby or breastfeeding groups in the children's centres or go to baby cinema.

Basically I'm out the house as much as possible. Same for my older two kids tbh.

Original poster

FrogOfFroggHall · 11/09/2025 19:45

BuffaloCauliflower · 11/09/2025 17:48

5 months old? Whatever I wanted, they don’t need entertaining really and they don’t have attention spans, they just want to be with mum. Get a good sling, go about your business and just talk to her about what you’re doing as you do it. I promise she’s not bored, more likely over stimulated if you’re trying to constantly entertain her.

She doesn’t rate the sling unfortunately. She likes me carrying her around but even that doesn’t keep her happy for long.

She may be overstimulated - I hadn’t considered that. One of her siblings is disabled and makes a lot of noise as nonverbal so always screaming, though he’s out most days. Still, each morning begins with at least two hours of him screaming so she’s probably pretty frazzled by the time it’s just us two.

I only started putting so much effort into entertaining her because she was no longer happy with me doing my own thing.

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Original poster

FrogOfFroggHall · 11/09/2025 19:47

Livelaughlurgy · 11/09/2025 17:50

We watched Gilmore girls. It was the nicest few weeks of my life. Every morning we'd put on the Christmas lights, put out a mat and settle in to see what Rory and Lorilei were up to. We'd obvs have to take breaks to eat and go for the occasional walk but it was a very happy time for us.

Oh gosh I wish she would allow this! She doesn’t last long on the mat. She pretty much immediately rolls onto her front then gets annoyed that she’s on her front…

OP posts:

Original poster

FrogOfFroggHall · 11/09/2025 19:52

LegoHouse274 · 11/09/2025 17:55

This really depends on the child. None of my children as babies were ever content in carriers or prams for extended periods of time if they were awake. They'd just cry. The OP also already explained that her baby cries after about 15 minutes.

I do feel you OP, sometimes the days are long. I actually found it felt less long when I had more than one child because at least the bigger one was someone to talk to! And helps to entertain the baby too.

My youngest (of 3) is now 11 months and I'm going back to work soon. But on mat leave have mostly done loads of church playgroups with my prescholer, and park trips, and visiting their DGM who lives very close by. Also school runs twice a day kill a fair bit of time although sometimes the baby does cry on them. We also go the library. When ivee just got the baby I tend to take them to baby or breastfeeding groups in the children's centres or go to baby cinema.

Basically I'm out the house as much as possible. Same for my older two kids tbh.

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I do actually have other children I’m ashamed to admit - I’m just clueless because I cant for the life of me remember this stage at all!

I think you are right and I’m going to have to just get out more. Although that too has its challenges with her not being keen on buggy or sling.

I’m glad to know your children were similar and I’m not doing something wrong. Watching Gilmore Girls with her feels like an impossible dream.

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