Isolating with a 4 month old...

[GemmaandGrace]

Hello, we are isolating with our beautiful little girl who is 4 months old. We are so luck to have her after years of IVF but my goodness this is a challenge. Desperately trying to keep her entertained, hitting her milestones and make her happy without the company and support of her loving wider family. I am terrified that she will somehow become infected, or that I will be and end up unable to care for her. My husband is great but I feel the responsibility. On a selfish level the 'groundhog' day element is also taking a toll. No activities, swimming or play time with her little pals. I know people are dying, losing their homes and are dreadfully lonely so this is not a poor me thread. I would love to hear from other parents with young babies as to how they are giving their little ones the stimulus that they need and staying sane in the process! Thank you and very best wishes to all of you at this tough time x

Oh no, honestly with number two I deliberately didn't go to anything as I was determined to enjoy the rest and watch as much tv as I could, as I found this diminished massively when they get older.

I was bf too so I just fed fed fed.

It's a bit dull but bows the time to do those crafty arty things you always wanted to do, as again that becomes impossible when they're older too! Reading, radio etc.

Also, find some sort of postnatal exercise thing, MUTU is really good though costs, and do that as much as possible. Long Walks with baby in sling is really good for hips and strength too.

Babies aren't really into socialising till they're around 1 and even then it's only for short phases. 18 mo is when that starts to change a bit but even then all
Their main socialisation comes from familial the adults.

You could do some singing etc, that's really good to start now, can thoroughly recommend Piccolo music cds, also on Spotify.

4 mo is a really tough time though. They start to get frustrated and clingy. I did use slings a lot at that age, started putting my eldest on my back at 5 mo so he could see but be held while I did stuff.

My toddler is almost 2 and this is definitely the age he should be at soft play, playgroup and parks. The intensity of the social interaction he's wanting is very tough, and he's stopped sleeping!

Luckily has an older brother but that doesn't always go well!

Don’t worry about activities or friends for a baby of that age. My DS#1 wasn’t interested in friends until he was two. Toys like rattles and mats are fine for stimulation. Just make sure that the baby gets sunlight and fresh air for a hour a day, that’s all.

And don’t worry too much :) I conceived my first DS naturally while on medications prepping for a first IVF cycle, and my second DS is IVF. I was very anxious about DS#1 as a first-time mum, and am less so about DS#2 (currently nine weeks old).

Lots of people have babies - IVF or not - and you’re doing it on hard mode in a pandemic so just go with the flow :)

This is all great advice, thank you and for all your helpful suggestions. I will bear it all in mind and love the sensory ideas. Thank you also for acknowledging that all babies are different. My little girl is going through a rather major growth spurt and requires a LOT of cuddles, playing and has changed up how she naps and eats so she is not the 'easy chilled' baby she was a month ago, hence the 'challenge'. But I didn't get into it for easy and she's such a delight as she develops, I'm so lucky, I just needed a few ideas and a bit of moral support, all of which I am hugely grateful for. Xxx

That's so kind of you but I am one of the very lucky ones and I am so aware of that. I never thought we would have her, now that I have I am in heaven, I want to do my very best for her and probably wind myself up too much about not being a good enough Mum. Support from ladies like you is a godsend x

Playmat, singing, baby massage (can find ideas on youtube) and the sleeping. Mine barely sleeps so a lot of the day is around that.

Just spending as much time as possible without any rush to go anywhere.

Have you got the wonder weeks app?

It's based on research of rough baby milestones up to around 18 mo. What's most interesting is that it suggests the sort of games and activities that they often like at certain stages, not all babies like all the activities but it helps to know roughly what they might be interested in.

4 mo is when they start to "wake up" and can also start to get frustrated as they get nosy. Some even try starting to roll etc. (My eldest was much much older though!) Around 5 - 6 mo they want to sit up and do and play as well.