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Original poster

Things to do with a 14 week old

19 replies

Chuffed · 13/07/2004 19:42

Hi I'm a first time mum with a 14wk dd. I'm a bit stuck as to what to do with her as she seems to be very bored with her overhead activity centre, and just winges when she is a playnest. I have rattle toys and soft toys and place her on her stomach to play with those. She does roll over from front to back but it only happens now and again. I also read her stories and she has a bouncy chair that attaches to the door.
I'm a bit stuck as she keeps just getting this wingy I'm bored noise about 2 minutes after I change activity.
She is most content in the front pack looking out and going adventuring outside but I can't do that all day.
Any ideas appreciated...

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foxinsocks · 13/07/2004 19:47

Do you go to playgroups? My first (when she was that age) had a similar concentration span (2 minutes!!). But my second could spend hours watching dd. So at playgroups mine used to love watching the older kids run around.

Otherwise, it sounds like you're doing loads with her .

PandaBear · 13/07/2004 19:58

What about reading to her - sounds silly I know but I read to DD from about 10 weeks on and she loved looking at the pictures and probably just hearing my voice.... and she still loves to read a book now.

myermay · 13/07/2004 20:05

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californiagirl · 14/07/2004 00:40

For mine, one of the keys at this age was to be vertical. I am the queen of one-handed baby amusement (and typing with the other one) Holding her on my lap was a big hit, even if I just held a toy so she couldn't drop it and typed. I wanted to try a Bumbo but didn't get it through ordering problems. The Boppy with arches worked longer than the playmat, especially if I was on hand to scoot her back up if she slipped too far towards the horizontal. Anything where I was touching her worked longer, even if she was just lying next to me. Dancing worked for as long as I could keep it up but you can't do much else. You can, however, pass off many household chores as dancing if you put the baby in a sling or carrier and sing.

Mom and baby yoga was also great at this age. I mean, she was often bored to tears, but at least part of the time somebody else would amuse her. And sometimes watching other babies was enough to amuse her for quite some time. And take heart, things change pretty fast. DD is already easier to amuse (mostly because she's better at sitting up) and she is only 18 weeks! I admit to forcing her to practice sitting up (she only wanted to stand) which I'm sure didn't acheive anything but it was something to do while I had to hold her with both hands. (Although it is possible to sit on the floor and hold the baby in a standing position between your knees while typing.)

My typing obsession is not purely being a mumsnet addict, I also have consulting work...

marthamoo · 14/07/2004 00:42

Ds2 was rather fond of sitting in his bouncy chair in front of the washing machine - watching the washing go round.

Tbh, though, a 2 minute attention span sounds about right for a 14 week old. It gets better, honest - by 2 and a half they can manage about 3 minutes

MrsDoolittle · 14/07/2004 00:47

I was wondering what to do with dd now the tennis has finished? Ah ha - the washing machine!!!

lavender1 · 14/07/2004 00:57

Chuffed, can remember doing lots of physical stuff with my ds at about 3 months.

I hope you don't mind me asking, as I'm sure you already but do you get your dd out and mess about with her...apologies if you do!...it's just that mt ds was very much fine as long as I was in the same room as him (I used to have a shower every morning with him in the bathroom, if I hadn't he would have cried)...I used to play aeroplanes with him and sing "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" and play peek a boo and just silly stuff...since you haven't mentioned whether or not you get her out I have asked this....personally feel that even at 14 weeks they like stimulation and people interaction, so would be bored on playmat with toys as they want interaction...please keep talking about your dd!!!

wellsie · 14/07/2004 01:14

Washing machine, hoovering, sorting washing, DS loves all this stuff. Also, try placing DD in the middle of your bed, you get on the floor and hide. Keep chatting to her and then do a big peek-a-boo, but move around the edge of the bed so she doesn't know where you are. DS loves this - goes absolutely nuts with excitment. You will also find lots of stuff under the bed that had gone missing and also realise how dusty it is under there, so in turn you get the hoover out and start entertaining again - ITS A WIN WIN SITUATION!

handlemecarefully · 14/07/2004 01:43

Things to do with a 14 week old? - strap them into a wilkinet baby carrier and then get on with your life. Tbh, I don't spend time trying to entertain my baby son, but then that's not a luxury that I've got what with a 2 year old to look after as well. He won't spend time on his baby gym either, but he seems as happy as larry strapped to my front whilst I prepare breakfast / lunch / tea, do the laundry etc..(and I am sure he still turn out to be a booker prize winner / nominated for a nobel prize etc)

clary · 14/07/2004 04:18

wellsie LOL at the dusty under-bed area. Chuffed, some good ideas here. I agree that my 2nd and 3rd seemed to love watching the bigger ones, so toddler group is a good plan, gets you out and maybe chatting to other mums too. One thing we did a couple of times with DS2 was a baby gym session at a local leisure centre which he loved, meant I had to concentrate on him for 45 mins (unusual I am sorry to say but then I did have 2 other u-5s) and gave me ideas for when at home (eg songs, massage, exercise-type things). Might be worth finding out if such a thing goes on in yr area.

Kif · 14/07/2004 11:05

Hullo Chuffed - recognise you from March 2004 thread!

Dd's (15 weeks) fave toy is a book with crinkly pages (came with M'care nest/gym thing). She'll also spend ages 'talking' to her Dad. She just lies next to him, and they make silly noises at each other. Sounds like a cat.

Having said that - she keeps whinging in her push chair, because she prefers to watch the world go by from someone's shoulder. No toys will stall her when she wants up. Doing my back in.

Welshmum · 14/07/2004 11:31

I used to put dd in her bouncy chair infront of the TV for a few minutes of her Baby Mozart video. She absolutely loved the images and the music. I seemed to remember that it made her poo.....it hasn't led to a bad tv habit
She also used to love lying on her mat in the garden -just the change of scenery I guess.

Fennel · 14/07/2004 11:43

5 mins under the gym, 10 mins in the playnest, 10 mins in the swing, feed, wind, nappy change, round and round and round the same cycle til bedtime....

i agree with HMC the more you get out the less bored they get. anything - shopping, going for a drink with friends, toddler or new baby groups. just out of the house.

though actually my best solutions are:

a) provide two toddler siblings, it may push the parents over the edge of sanity but dd3 is never bored when they're around.

b) nursery is very stimulating for babies ;o

Piffleoffagus · 14/07/2004 11:44

swimming

Original poster

Chuffed · 14/07/2004 11:59

Thanks everybody. I do get out and about, try to everyday and even when she is due to be hungry being carried around on a front carrier keeps her very happy.
Will try the baby mozart and the washing machine and the peekabo. I have been singing and reading stories which she loves.
Not sure about playgroups etc but we start baby massage on Monday so hopefully somebody else might know some things about them in our area.

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dot1 · 16/07/2004 00:46

It's really hard, isn't it?! I find the time in between ds's 20 minute nap, 30 minutes under the gym and next feed time really difficult to fill. One way he likes to 'chill' is by lying on our bed with the hairdryer on in the background. He'll often fall asleep this way, but sometimes just lie there staring at the curtains taking time out! Once I'm sure the hairdryer is balanced on the chair and not blowing on him (!) I can pretty much leave him to it for a while. I'm going to order a bumbo chair this week - I think he's nearly ready for it, which will keep him upright - he loves standing and sitting up (with help) - hates lying down except for when he's chilling or sleeping..!

ds also seems to be a telly addict - which I'm not discouraging...I've found he likes watching any kind of sport - must be the green and people moving quickly?! So Wimbledon was great, and Euro 2004! If you've got Sky Sport you could give that a go!

Original poster

Chuffed · 17/07/2004 13:14

dd really liked Wimbledon. I've got Baby Bach dvd and she copes ok for while in a bouncy chair on the door being able to try to bounce and watching that in between turning in circles. Maybe 10mins...

OP posts:

Fennel · 17/07/2004 13:28

do you have a garden? if it stops being so wintry maybe sitting/lying outside would give her more to look at and hear.

Fennel · 17/07/2004 13:30

also do you change the toys on her activity centre? you can include things like shiny cutlery (not sharp knives though, obviously ) and little jangly things like wind chimes).

my dd currently loves holding cloths. each to their own....

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