Failure as a FTM!!

[Torrelar]

I feel like a failure as a mum. I have a 5 month old. I don't know what to do with him. How to play with him/talk to him/entertain him/teach him. I feel like the biggest failure as a mum I feel he needs so much more than me
What can I do?? What do I do with a 5 month old. I feel horrible. He sits there with toys, watches tv with me, does tummy time, we sometimes go for a walk and we sometimes see friends/go to the local club but that's it. I don't know what to do. I'm lost.

If it helps you could get the wonder weeks app. It talks about their current development and has ideas for activities that match.

You sound like you're doing a fab job. Mine (2 year old and 10 week old) mostly get dragged round doing errands. I make out like a trip round the supermarket is exciting! I worry I don't do enough but long as their with you and happy all is fine. Talking and singing and reading are all great and important. 5 months old is hard. Now my eldest is 2 we can go to the park and things have a bit more structure. It was just me and the baby yesterday and I felt at a total loss.

The internet makes us feel like we should fill our days with meaningful activities but they really don't need it. Going out will help you though. Even just a coffee somewhere - nice for you and the noise/smells/other people are interesting for your baby.

'play with him/talk to him/entertain him/teach him'

Please don't put so much pressure on yourself. It is a myth that babies need entertaining, I promise you. At his age he just needs very few age appropriate simple toys to play with as he wishes (stacking cups, an o ball, and other really simple toys are best), some floor time, outdoor time where possible, cuddles, to be fed and cared for, opportunity to sleep, and given your full attention when you're doing something for him (e.g. Feed or nappy change). Talk through these activities saying what's happening.

Toys don't need to be rotated, just added to occasionally as they develop and show interests. They don't need baby groups, though by all means go if you enjoy them, but balance with lots of quiet time for the baby to wind down. No need to prattle on at them, just talk about what he's doing or looking at or you're doing for him, at regular intervals. Babies learn through play and watching, no need to 'teach'.

Completely agree re having a predictable routine, it will chop up the day for you and help him to feel secure as he'll learn what's coming next even before he understands all the language. E.g. Wake feed independent play, nap, feed, outdoor time (group? Walk?), nap, wake feed, independent floor play, bath, bed.

Literally everything is very stimulating to a young baby - a trip to the supermarket is a huge adventure.

Dc are 5 and 2 now and I felt exactly the same. I went to all the classes I could find which wasnt many because I live abroad and rurally. So it was baby hymns at the church and stimulastics at an evening school though during the day. Ds found a routine at about 8 weeks which made it easier. So then I would do some of the songs ftom baby hymns and some of the exercises from stimulastics. I also got a book called play with your baby which had similar exercises in it to develop different senses. Im sure that there will be similar books in english and apps etc.

Also it turned out that ds has autism so explains why he wasnt so interested in the sensory things, didnt sing along or join in and wasnt intetested in playing with me.