Entertainment 10 month old, feeling totally incompetent

[Becnog]

My 10 month old DD has always been a super happy and content wee thing. She has always been great at playing away on her own. Of course I always played with her, sang songs, read books, interacted with toys etc. However since she started crawling about 1 month ago she is not content anywhere. She has zero interest in any toys I put in front of her, if I try reading she just pulls the book out of my hands, singing, playing, nothing works. All she wants is to pull herself up to standing on me and then looks to get straight down. She is whinging non stop and I feel like I am going mad! I love her to pieces but am finding it impossible stay at home with her at the minute. I am literally going for walks or wandering around shops just to waste time. Please help as I feel like I don't have a clue what I'm doing anymore and I miss how much fun I used to have with her.

It’s not you, she has the drive to work on standing up and she can’t help it. Get a picnic rug and take her to a park with nice grass. She can scramble about and you can enjoy the scenery.

OP I am with you for me this is dc3 who is just 12 months but similar stage crawling/ pulling up but not walking. I had forgotten how tedious this stage was. Attention span 2 minutes (if you are lucky), able to climb, no sense of danger, no desire to sit and play. I just try and get out as much as possible in the morning - novelty even if it's not that exciting (a lot of libraries) seems to be good - and hope for a decent nap in the afternoon.

In the same stage! She is learning to walk so has an uncontrollable urge to move and no interest in sitting still to read! Try just leaving toys for her to explore. Balls/cars she can roll around. Blocks (stack them for her to knock down) piles of Tupperware are good. She might like something she can push along soon too. It’s a demanding age so you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed!

Thanks for the reply. I have tried bringing her out to play in our garden and on the swing but never get more than 10 mins. I might try the local park in the hopes there is more to distract her. Thanks

Apologies I didn't mean to hit post on that last one and it won't let me delete. Thanks, glad it is not just me. I really hope this phase passes soon as I feel so useless every day. My husband works 12 hour days and I have no other help so I feel like I'm going a bit crazy. Have tried her with push cars and moving riots to encourage crawling bit no interest in them either. Hopefully it'll pass soon 😪

My 9 month old has been similar since she started crawling and pulling herself to standing. All she wants to do is stand and has lost interest in toys. I just let her stand and crawl wherever she wants and let her get on with it. She's not so whingy though, just doesn't seem interested in playing so much.

My DS2 is a bit like this too since starting crawling, he's 10 months next week. I am trying to go out a lot like you, and also moving him from room to room to play with a few different toys whilst I do jobs in that room. I'd forgotten how they require constant supervision when always trying to pull up on something! I was back at work with DS1 at this sort of age/stage so whilst he did the same thing, I had a break from it so it was slightly less frustrating . I have a few more weeks of this mat leave left this time!

It’s a tough stage. And then when they walk then the fun really begins...

Things that I found helped were putting toys somewhere where they can crawl over and stand and “find” them. Like on the sofa or a low table. Usually household objects work better than actual toys, if my kids are any indication. Also I would put a row of little snacks, like blueberries or Cheerios etc along the table so they can walk along and get them. Basically it’s all they want to do, so you might as well roll with it. And yes to push along toys and toys the can stand to play at with buttons etc or for outside my kids loved the water table at that stage.

You're doing nothing wrong. All she wants to now is learn new skills. It can be very demanding and very tiring bit it's just a very small phase. Give yourself a pat on the back, you're doing great.

Me too!! I've literally just been having a cry to DH about how bad I feel that I am so bored with DS at the moment (10.5 months). So whingy and easily bored. Plus we've all been sick this week (cold and conjunctivitis = DS; stinking rotten cold = me) so have barely been out the house.

Took DS to a garden centre with a soft play earlier but he got too tired and cranky and needed to go home before we'd even gone in to the soft play bit.

I said to DH "I'm so bored". He said he was having a nice chilled Sunday. I said "But you haven't been stuck in the house all week!!"

DS is a climber, crawler, cruiser and is also teething. He's such a happy lovely boy most of the time but this month has been HARD.

Solidarity fist bump 👊🏻

I have been putting toys on the sofa or on other surfaces and she seems to quite enjoy playing standing up. Or I have just been finding completely new things for her to do, currently she likes it if I tie a long string / piece of fabric to the handle of some drawers, give her the other end and let her wave it around and see it wiggle side to side. She was amused for a good half an hour with that! It is a hard stage though. And have you found it’s really messed up the sleep?! I spend about 40 minutes at bed time peeling her hands off the crib bars and laying her back down. All she wants to do it climb

Thanks ladies. I am definitely taking some Ideas on board and going to try think outside the box a bit more. I'm in process of setting her with childminder at the minute also so she is extra clingy to me as a result. Hopefully all will settle soon 🙂