Church toys!

[carbolicsoaprocked]

Hi!
I'm struggling to keep our 4.5 month old DS amused in church. At first it was great as he constantly fed and slept so really no problem but now he's awake for longer and needing amused! He's got a Lamaze toy which keeps him amused for a while but he must have just got really fab with those hands as the crinkly stuff suddenly seems so loud now during the quiet bits! I tried books with flaps/different textures but they only work for a minute or so when I can't read them to him. They don't need to be religious things, just something to keep him from screeching. Help!

A baby just won't be quiet and still for that time span at that age. Short of brutal blanket training.

Family service. Nap time. Take turns to attend. Creche.

We realise he's not going to be totally quiet for a whole 45 minutes, we just want him to be content, not screeching with boredom and not disrupting the service. There's no creche as he's the only under 5. We go to the only service, and he's very welcome there, but we still want to be respectful of others there. We try to get him to sleep before the service, sometimes it works but sometimes not.

DD is 9 months and a lift the flap book which has a mirror in it keeps her amused for a good while. However she is getting to the point she is likely to squeal at the baby in the mirror so think my days of having her in the service are numbered. We have also tried giving her lunch during the service (our church has cafe style seating) which was okay, but again she is likely to shout if she gets excited/frustrated and quickly moving a baby who has been mashing food around is even more difficult. We usually take turns bouncing her at the back.

we just want him to be content, not screeching with boredom and not disrupting the service.

Yeah, that was kind of my point. Once they get past the newborn stage, most babies just won't do this.

They might look at a book for 5 minutes. But they will squirm, and 'chat' and generally make a racket. I honestly think you're just maybe being a bit unrealistic thinking a baby will be mostly quiet and content for 45 minutes. A lot will be quiet enough for, for example, a cafe. But not quiet enough for church, or a school assembly or whatever.

Walking around at the back is probably your best bet.

If a baby that age was quiet for that long I would be concerned. Babies make noise it's pRt of their development. Maybe leave baby at home with a sitter or take turns with your partner. At 4.5 months is it really that important they go?

I've been to a few church services and quite a few school assembly's, DS managed 45 minuets yesterday at a school harvest service, by the end he was starting to make a bit of noise (he is 1).

I've always done it by putting them in the sling and standing at the back so that I can sway constantly and jig through the singing/hymns (not a full on Pentecostal jig, if that is not your churches thing, just enough to keep them happy). I find that if I am at the back I am more relaxed as I know that I can just go out if I need to, which I do sometimes.

Could you start a creche? You'd have 1 baby in it at them moment, but who knows other people may come if they knew there was a creche?

Dd is the only baby in crèche at the mo. I do feel guilty sometimes but the rota means someone is missing the service only once a month, and sometimes not even that as we might be away. It's great in case there are visitors with a LO. Even though they wouldn't leave them.

It's a nightmare. Wait until he can move and then you have to make sure he doesn' t knock himself out falling off the pews.

My church has a children's liturgy once a month, it's a bugbear of mine that it's not every month (I have volunteered to help out but would need someone else too). DTs are 4 now and it's still one of the most stressful hours of my week.

Are you breastfeeding? At 4 months I would have put my daughter on the boob, to be honest though I would be so busy keeping her quiet I can't imagine I would have been able to listen to the service.

He's a baby, soon he'll be a toddler, he'll make noise. That's life and whilst you can take sticker books and flap books, those will only keep their attention briefly and then there'll be more noise. Most vicars would rather have a chatty toddler than an empty church, so accept the noise and enjoy the service.

Yes agree feeding, different books, colours shapes and things to hold. Rocking etc

We managed it until 8mo for ours and now thry are back in aged 2. So it hasn't been too painful!

Feed at that time. Dh used to pace the back of the church with ds2 until he fell asleep. Wear the baby out with activity at home before hand. Introduce a dummy if you haven't.

It's basically a full on job and full of trial & error! Plus, your baby's noises probably sound much louder to you than to others.

Thanks. We hope to keep on going with him, it's nice to go together so hopefully we'll find a way. The congregation and minister are really understanding and love having a baby in the congregation, lots of people have said to us how lovely it is hearing him during the service but it still makes me stress out!