help please! very needy baby!

[monkeybubbles]

my darling little 5 month old will no longer play on his own on his mat. he needs to have constant attention while he's awake or he just grumbles and cries. i am happy to spend as much time with him as possible and feel a bit guilty saying it, but sometimes i need a bit of a break. how can i help him to play independently? (he used to be able to when he was younger, but no longer can)

Buy one of these...www.amazon.co.uk/Fisher-Price-K7198-Rainforest-Jumperoo/dp/B000LXQVA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330348080&sr=8-1

and get some hired help.

i was looking at the jumperoo, so thanks for the recommendation.

but i'm afraid hired help isn't an option ;)

Normal!and very young to expect independent play.

Can you pop in a highchair while you do stuff in the kitchen? Keep talking to him so he knows you're there. Pop on the bed while you tidy etc etc?

Very normal!

Can he sit up unaided yet? I found things got slightly easier when DS could sit up and see what was going on around him (6 mos ish I think). Is he happy in his bouncy chair?

If he is strong enough could you prop him up against some cusions or a widgey pillow?

5 mos is very young to entertain themselves...most babies have ony just got the hang of grasping things!

I just used to bring DS everywhere with me and sing loudly at all times...bet my neighbours loved me! :)

Oh now I worry that you all think I'm selfish and expecting the impossible! I do talk to him from the kitchen and bring him with me while I hang laundry and sing to him from the loo (yes I'm sure my neighbours think I'm crazy!) But on terribly sleep deprived days like today I would just like 5 minutes to have a cup of tea. And I have seen other babies play on their mats on their own, so I just wondered if I was doing something wrong

We don't think you're selfish! :)

DS is 2.1 and I would give my right arm for him to entertain himself for 5 mins while I drank a cuppa!

Some babies (and toddlers!) are just more content to be left than others...luck of the draw I think!

Does your playmat have lights and play music? I found the Rainforest one by FP better than the original one I had which did nothing...

I sometimes find that my dd (6 mos) will be happier sat next to me on the sofa. I prop her up between cushions and let her play with something safe but mine. I think she likes a change from her normal toys. She loves the tv remote or phone minus the batteries, window envelops are good too!

This usually gives me enough time to drink a coffee and have a bit of break.

Oh no not selfish at all! I remember it well with DS and expect the same again with DD (3 months). I was desperate for peace and used to take longer in the loo when dh was home to hide.

Sometimes it's best just to get out of the house as much as you can at that age for your sanity

Just bought my ds a 3 in 1 Superseat from an eBay shop. He loves it. It is suitable from 4 mths to 4 years. He sits in it wherever I am and it has toys on it for him to play with. He is 4.5 mths old. Gives me slightly more freedom as I spend a lot if time entertaining my ds too. I highly recommend it.

It's natural as the child does not "know" if it will see you again. Since you appear when he cries, he feels it an appropriate reaction.

Depending on the room you have, you could get a small mesh playpen - or make your own. This will help reduce the clutter as all the childs toys can be inside the pen and you can drag it around the house. Simply plonk the baby in the middle while you get on with whatever in that room.

The other option is a suspender seat which you can "hang" from the door frame while your in the room. I don't recommend these on health grounds though. Plus the child can only play with one toy and will be constantly dropping it and crying for you to pick it up.

monkeybubbles - certainly don't think you're being selfish. It's a tough age...

Do buy the jumperoo, people are always selling them on ebay if you can't find a good deal on a new one. Then again, can buy it new and sell it on ebay, you won't be wasting your money.

definatly a jumperoo type thing so he can keep and eye on you while you go about doing the house work. Mommies can't be left unsupervised you know!But get 2nd hand of ebay as you will use it for about 6 months and then he'll want ot be walking/cruising and shout at you if you put him in it:o

thank you so much for all of your advice. i think yesterday was just a particularly bad day as we're also going through a tough time with teething. to be honest he's not always that happy even when i'm holding him!

managed to get a bit more sleep last night and hand him off to DH when he got home and feeling better today. going to head out for a walk soon and look at ordering a jumperoo later.

5 months is a very difficult age as they are old enough to be interested and also to be frustrated that they can't do much!
Quite normal to want to be held and carried around as that way they can see what you are doing! It won't last long, and gets easier as soon as they can sit up unaided which is only a couple of months away!
I had a high chair that could recline a bit and would put it near me when I was cooking etc and just keep passing one thing after another from the kitchen drawers (not anything dangerous obviously) to be looked at (and then thrown on the floor) for a couple of minutes apiece...also banging upturned saucepans with wooden spoons is a fab amuser!
I had a tippitoes door bouncer and all my DS' (I have 3) have happily gone in it for 5-10 minutes. No child that age is going to be interested in anything for more than a few minutes before you need to find something else to amuse them!
the other thing you can do is put them in a sling facing outwards which gives you 2 hands free to get on with stuff and they can see everything!

Mine also just loved being propped up against the back of the sofa looking out of the window just watching teh world go by!
I am glad that I am just out of that phase again!