What to do with a newborn when they're awake? !

[bradleybecky]

Probably a daft question but first time mum to be here! Bouncer? How long can they be in those? Or a playmat thing? Where do you put them around the house and what do they do! ? What's good for them?

when mine weren't being held or asleep in their Moses basket I used to put them in one of these

Expensive new but I got mine second hand for about £50. Well worth it.

Cuddle them, talk to them, carry them in a sling, maybe put in a bouncer for a few minutes if they don't object. Newborns don't tend to be awake for long periods, and don't play with toys. Playmats etc are usually better for when they are a little bit older (maybe 2-3 months).

They just like to lie there really when they are super tiny - and mostly on a person. They need the comfort. And they feed nearly all the time too...so holding them, feeding them, chatting and generally cooing at them. Soft slings are handy if you want to get things done.

But on the odd occasion when they'll let you just put them somewhere safe, warm and cosy. Moses basket, sleepyhead, whatever, soft mat on carpeted floor, whatever. They just like staring at stuff. We bought some monochrome things as they can see them well (just cheap throw and cushion from IKEA). These used to blow DD's mind. Very cute.

We also got a swing which was great from about a month. A decent one, as some of the cheaper ones are rickety / not so cosy. It had lights and soft music and stuff.

Bouncer and play mat good when they're a bit bigger...6/7ish weeks. Depending on baby.

Congrats and good luck!

We can also recommend the Baby Bjorn bouncer, as pp suggests. If you are lucky the baby may even nap in it.

A new born can only see the distance from your boobs to your face so they need to be close to things to see. They are imprinted to like and seek out faces.

They grow up pretty fast. And benefit from toys earlier than I thought.

I always tended to just carry mine around with me. With a proper tiny newborn they are asleep most of the time anyway. My dd1 didn't seem to wake up properly for the first two weeks!

Do whatever you do usually, only take the baby along. For me that's lots of walking (with sling) and running (with running buggy) with various coffee and cake trips, or visits to friends, thrown in.

Also be aware that this is a luxury you will most likely only have with your first, as subsequent babies will mainly be carted along on school runs or nursery pick ups, or have no choice but to watch a toddler run riot all day.

In the house, DD mainly likes to watch what the rest of the family are doing. So in the living room she sits on the rug bashing toys and in the kitchen/bathroom we sit her in a bouncy chair. One of her other favourite activities is eating her socks while I cook. Honestly, you don't need fancy stuff, it's the simple things that work!

I have a poddlepod it was especially good in the first weeks for him to be in awake or asleep very cosy and easily moved with him in it. Hes 8 weeks and either goes in his cot watching his mobile, his play mat or bouncer if I'm not carrying him around. He doesn't like the sling when he's awake in doors.

Huh, those that say they liked the baby bjoern bouncer at what age? Mine hated it at the start and just wanted to be held if awake. Will now at 3 and a half months go in the bouncer and play on the clip on rail and bounce around a little bit but for maybe 5 mins and then wants to come out. I feel like I'm just waiting for it to be useful!!

Hm I think I just held and cuddled oh and read books I wanted to read out loud. I mainly remember just feeding feeding feeding and then burpring and then carrying whilst the cried and then repeat though! The hard bit for me came at maybe one month plus when very alert but too young to play on a play mat (would bat toys from about 8 weeks, not before) and I felt quite guilty for the fact that I wasn't doing anything but also didn't know what I could do that he would like!

Baby routine?

I'm trying to get a routine going in preparation for my return to work. My baby is 4 months old. I am aiming for a 7:30pm bedtime and a 7am wake up. Naps at 9am until 10:30am, 12:45pm - 2:15pm and 4:30pm - 5:15pm. I am hoping I will then only need childcare from between 11am - 4pm. Hopefully my mother and MiL will take in turns to come over - I will be working from home and have some flexibility with my hours. Will this work or is there a better routine I could be doing? Baby is up at 7am this morning and now I don't know what to do while she's awake it feels so early! Is it too early to go out for a walk? I'm debating whether to go for a walk and then bath her? What does everyone do in the awake times?

Sorry meant to make this a new post!

Feed, burp, walking around while they cry, hold them while they sleep, wake up crying, repeat

I hated the newborn phase as I had a refluxy screamer who just needed to be held up high and in constant motion - wouldn’t lie down anywhere, couldn’t take her anywhere etc. I lost my mind for the first few weeks.

I hear/see that other babies are happy to lie in their prams while mothers chat in coffee shops. This was not my experience!

(Sorry, that was all complete projection - I hope you don’t find it as traumatic!)

@passingthrough1 - nearly 4 month old here. He has used the babybjorn bouncer every day since he was born. It’s our most used item. He naps in it especially when smaller, sits in it at every meal time (ours), and sits in it with some toys when I’m trying to do bits around the house.