7 month old is always bored!! HELP!

[sallykins123]

My DD is 7 months old and the past week or so is becoming really tiring for me to be honest. She is just bored of EVERYTHING. She gets bored of a toy after literally 5 minutes and will start doing her 'bad tempered grunt' or crying. I was wondering what other mums do when they play with their 7 month old, or similar aged babies?

In the morning she has her bottle, followed by 30 mins of play time then her breakfast. After breakfast we have a bit more play time. After her mid morning nap a bit more play time or jumperoo, then lunch and TV or a walk out or something. I go to 2 baby groups a week and I take her swimming and go and feed the ducks or walk around the park if its decent weather, so we are not always stuck in the house.

I am finding myself getting so bored of play time though and I am constantly clock watching to see how long I have left until she will start to get tired and we can finish play time as I am just running out of ideas to keep her entertained, it sounds awful. It isn't always like this but when she gets bored of everything this is what I am like.

She has soft blocks that we stack up and knock down, over and over, she doesn't seem to react to those much. We have stacky cups that she just picks up and explores with, we stack those up and knock them down over and over, again she doesn't seem to have much excitement about that. She has lots of soft toys and the Lamaze toys which she loves to see, but I don't know what to do with them other than wave them infant of her face for a bit, or pretend they are 'coming for her'. We have other musical light up toys that she presses the buttons with, but again gets bored after 5 mins. She even sighs and looks around as if to say is this it!!

It sounds babyish but its kind of making me feel a bit crap, as I feel like she thinks I am boring and thats the last thing I want!

I forgot to say that I read to her, but often she hates it when I start to talk and would rather chew the book in silence. I sing to her as well, some of the baby songs, but sometimes that seems to anger her.

I doubt she is bored!

You do not need to entertain her constantly either, just let her explore the room put her toys out of reach so she can crawl or attempt to crawl, to get them.

Try a pop bottle with pasta shells in always goes down well or give her some house hold items to explore........pans - yes really mine loved seeing their reflection and a wooden spoon to bang them with!

Occasionally putting the teletubbies on to won't harm her either

Oh that is a hard age!! I remember watching the clock too and thinking 'has that really only been 3 minutes!'

Before they can move I guess life is a little dull. I just used to surround mine with stuff - anything at all - that they could safely chew and then did the dishes, the washing, whatever, whilst chatting to her. You don't have to sit and play with her all the time, that way madness lies.

Have you got a wanky basket? Just go and get a big box and fill with all sorts of stuff from Poundland - mine had loads of kitchen things, tumble dryer balls, a plastic bottle filled with water and dye that she could shake around, pine cones, just anything that's got an interesting shape or texture. That should keep her going for a while.

That, and live for nap time! And take her to lots of cafes - she's strapped in and you've got cake.

oh blimey it can be hard with a little one before they are mobile and can crawl off and entertain themselves. but its not boredom honestly - babies cant really be bored.

try to think about what is normal for humans - babies used to just be part of normal life, for tens of thousands of years that humans existed there was no such thing as baby toys - or parents who had all day to sit and entertain them.

try not to overthink it - just get on with whatever you want to get on with and let her watch. can she sit in the high chair while you cook/ listen to music/ she eats some sort of messy snack that takes her ages?!

take her out with you to do things you want to do - not just baby focused - long walks with lots going on, cafes you like etc - meet friends/ go to art galleries....

modern life creates this expectation that a mum should amuse and entertain baby all day but it couldnt be more unnatural!

My ds was like this right before he learned to crawl, best thing u can do is let her explore on the floor to learn how to get mobile! Also could she be tired? My ds needs constant reassurance and entertainment when he's tired and won't amuse himself at all

Waterrat - I totally agree with you about modern life expectations of entertaining all the time! My mother in law for example sees her once a week and for the entire 3 hours, she will sit with DD on the floor of her lounge and play with her! She often says how she 'loves a play' but a lot of the time she just sits next to her while she's chewing on something, and I am there thinking is that what were supposed to do? Not leave their side for 5 minutes?

Waterrat makes a very good point, I had never thought that way! Not sure I'd necessarily agree that babies don't get bored though just because it wasn't responded too. They do get frustrated by not being able to get about.

I agree with a PP about household items. Seems they are infinitely more fun than toys! Pots, pans, wooden spoons, spatulas, sieves were all favourites of DD at that age. A toy we did get lots of enjoyment out of were the Tomy eggs though! Great fun to throw around.

I went back to work and handed my DD over to someone who enjoyed endless playtime but god it's a tricky age.

Stick her in a back pack and go for a walk, ditto on the back of a bike. Take her to the supermarket, lots of people, bright colours, novelty of sitting in a trolley and you can hand her all kinds of things as you pootle around. First swing in the park.

At that age playdates were a god send. We'd park a few babies on a soft mat indoors or in the park when the weather got good and let them roll around a bit with an opportunity to talk to a grown up.

Leave her too it. Its not that shes bored. More their attention span is quite short, but its part of learning.

I leave DD on the floor in a massive playpen with a small selection of toys to play with. Shes 8.5months and will happily clatter stacking cups off each other. She has the ikea veg basket which is good for chewing and then putting through play pen bars and pucking back up

Oh and the tomy eggs. DD's greatest pleasure is watching me put it all neatly back together then she shakes the box to knock them all out, before grabbing two and clattering them off each other. Anyone sensing a theme?!!

waterrat couldn't have said it better. Let her watch/follow you whilst you go about your everyday business. 7 months old really really don't need to watch to either.

I think a bit of boredom is good for them, it encourages imaginative play. If they only play when you play with them you'll spend the next 4 years being a full time children's entertainer until they figure out how the TV remote works.