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How to entertain a 4 month old - help please?

10 replies

curlyLJ · 08/07/2010 18:15

Dd is 4 months old (well next week she will be!) and I am at a loss when it comes to daytime entertainment...

She's got a bouncy chair with toys hanging in front of her and she also has a play gym on the floor, but just these last couple of weeks she has started to seem bored

What do you do with a 4 month old? I do sing songs and chat to her, I also move her from chair to gym at various points throughout the day, and we do try to get out once per day (be it for a walk or to a baby group) but I just feel bad for 'plonking' her in her chair. I just find it a bit difficult at this age, before she can sit up and play properly and really interact - it's nigh on impossible to entertain her all day...isn't it? Is she OK sat in her chair watching me mumsnet do chores etc.

I would be really interested to hear from others in a similar situation - what do you do?

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Chil1234 · 08/07/2010 18:31

Don't ever feel your job is to entertain your child 24/7. What you're doing sounds quite reasonable and it's very important that they learn how to amuse themselves and not rely on others to keep them constantly stimulated. Sat in a comfy spot with toys to look at and play with, watching Mummy do things around the house is very good entertainment for babies.

MoonFaceMama · 08/07/2010 18:37

My ds is nearly five months.
Yes, it's defibnatly impossible to entertain them all day. I think dragging moving them round talking to them while you do what you need to is perfectly adiquate entertainment for most of the time tbh!
mine is happy with this for the most part, but yes, he too demands likes some interaction. I do, like you, sing and chat. I have all sorts of songs made up for the poor thing, and classics with actions that I can move him to do, ie heads shoulders knees and toes etc.

He can now grab and handle things, toys ect, and that entertains him quite a bit. Even a muslin or bit of paper (when supervised) can do the trick...it's all new to them isn't it!

He's just got in to rolling, which is great for him, though requires more of my attention! i'm sure your dd will add this to her repertoire soon if she hasn't already!

The other great thing we have is a door bouncer, he's just got the hang of it and is loving it. We picked it up from a charity shop for a tenner and it's definatly a worth while buy (on the contrary we were given a bumbo seat, which is ok, but I can't see it being of use for long and wouldn''t pay full price for it.)

Oh, also we've been given a walker thing which is quite good as he's upright but can't quite yet move himself around in it!

ANd he likes being thrown up in the air etc (vertigo pay is it's posh name )

So I say don't worry too much. You have to get on with household tasks, he doesn't yet know this isn't playing! We definatly shuffle ds round from one thing to another as he gets board. We have times where we play with him intensly one on one, but also lots of times where he has to sort of entertain himself a bit, that's life!

Jaquelinehyde · 08/07/2010 18:39

Babies just love lying or sitting watching the world go by.

Filling their every waking second with fun, fun, fun is just (and I hate the phrase) making a rod for your own back.

Sit down, put your feet up, read a book or something. It wont be this easy for long.

lindsaygii · 08/07/2010 18:47

Looking at photos of mine age 4-5 months he spent most of his time in his bouncy chair, kicking his legs and batting the dangling toys, some time in the walker, quite a bit in his highchair watching me potter about, and the rest lying about wishing he could reach things.

It's bad for babies to have an adult constantly in their face as it deprives them of the chance to investigate the world for themselves. At such a young age a lot of 'investigation' takes the form of just learning what hands are all about and getting the hang of reaching out to touch things and physically interact with the world.

Not something you can teach with songs!

Save the guilt for when you start pretending you can't hear them cry in the middle of the night, that's my advice! ;)

CoupleofKooks · 08/07/2010 18:47

carry in a sling and get on with life - sitting in your living room is boring for both of you

frakkit · 08/07/2010 18:51

Treausre basket with sensory materials - scraps of silk, a wooden soon, a metal spoon, a plastic cup....

Things which are safe to explore with her hands/mouth!

She'll also learn from watching the world around her and listening to the radio!

curlyLJ · 10/07/2010 14:16

thanks for all the replies... Quite a bit for me to go on there!

I have also bought DD a door bouncer (although it's not arrived yet) which will hopefully entertain her for a while each day as she loves to put her weight on her legs. Am hoping this will also help to tire her out a bit so she will nap better

OP posts:
Runoutofideas · 10/07/2010 16:01

I remember putting dd in a bumbo sitting up looking at the toys on her playgym and grabbing the ones in reach - seemed to give her a different perspective and kept her happy for a while.... I agree with the other poster though - get a second hand bumbo as they don't use them for long.

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 10/07/2010 21:25

Door bouncers are fun, just don't over use them.....and always make sure there legs are the same length afterwards I remember being told!!

I second not over entertaining them. I did this with DS1 and now he NEEDS me to entertain him. DS2 is soooooooooooo laid back because he had to just watch! Bless him.

Octaviapink · 11/07/2010 14:53

Agree with those who say don't entertain them! They learn to play later on anyway, and at 16 weeks all they need is your company.

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