A day in the life of a baby during lockdown

[PrincessBailey]

Hi everyone,
I'm very new to this so please bare with!
I am a new, first time mummy and had my baby a few weeks before lockdown. Now my little one is 5 months old and I'm curious to know what you have been doing to entertain your baby and what your general routine is.

I try and go out for walks, but feel very anxious about doing anything else. I have started to go to family gardens but that's it. I'm desperate to walk around a shop but I think I would feel incredibly selfish and guilty for bringing my baby somewhere unnecessary. Also, my baby is tricky to feed in general and gets so distracted and is basically not interested in his milk at all. So it's a mission to get it down him. Going out just makes him more behind with his milk intake. It also messes up with his naps and boy is he grumpy if he doesn't sleep. I know that shouldn't stop me from going out and about, but with nobody else to help out due to restrictions, such as my mum, or family etc, I just don't go out as much. Hubs works and is out most of the day.

My day is a bit airy fairy to be honest, as I just go with what baby wants... it goes like this:

Normally one night feed. Sleeps VERY well at night is very lucky. Long may it continue!

Wake up (whenever he is ready! I don't wake him up. He wakes anywhere between 6-7am normally)
Play and change clothes
Feed (I normally leave it an hour after he wakes as he's not normally hungry when he wakes up)
He's up for about 1.5 to 2 hours max.
Nap (very unpredictable.. It might last 45mins to 2hours)

And the cycle starts again.
He will have a play and feed during his awake time and back down again for a nap.

Play time consists of anything that will entertain him. We do lots of tummy time, books and he has a play gym. I try and do lots of songs and chatting to him, and sensory experiences. But I feel there is only so much we can do within the same four walls!

So, my question to you is what do you do in your day? Do you have a routine? Do you go out? Am I being too rigid?!

Thanks in advance
Sorry for my novel!

I feel for people who ha babies during lockdown, it’s really tough.

At this age the main thing a baby wants/needs is time with their primary caregiver so you in this case.

Daily walks is a good idea to get you out and about, can you carry baby in a forward facing sling so they see what’s going on around them?

Routine wise some people love a strict routine others don’t have any kind of routine, go with what is best for you and your baby.

We do lots of tummy time, books and he has a play gym. I try and do lots of songs and chatting to him, and sensory experiences. But I feel there is only so much we can do within the same four walls-
This all sounds really great!!!

For your own sanity I would try and do more outside meet ups with your friends!!

Hi! I have an almost 5 month old and it looks like our days are pretty similar. Second the forward facing sling from pp. I got one and its amazing, my son loves it. He's facinated by looking around at everything. I go out and walk along the coast with him most days (lucky enough to live 20mins away from a beach). I find that a real sanity saver as it gets me out the house for a bit. Id really recommend it.

Baby is a similar age and I’m enjoying doing online baby classes and a bit of daily massage if only to give me things to break the day up! Mush are great for regular classes

Thanks for your replies.

Basically, I really think I need to get out more! Not just for me, but for my boy. I really feel for him and I worry he's bored stiff.

I will try the sling, I do have one and never thought about facing him the other way. Thank you

Are any of you going into your town and going to shops with your babies?

Re: the shops, I've felt a bit better about it since everyone has to wear masks. I also tend to go first thing in the morning, my thinking being that anything that was breathed out yesterday will have had time to settle/be cleaned away by then! I'm still not going to the shops super frequently, but I'll pop in for things as needed (like today I went and bought a few 6-9 month babygrows because my baby celebrated turning four months old by growing out of all his 3-6 month ones).

My baby is seven months old. On the days her big brother is at nursery, it goes like this:

4-5 feeds a night (bf)
She wakes anywhere between 5-7am
We eat breakfast together as a family around 7am when her brother gets up

I spend time at home reading her books while she plays with toys. We usually go for a walk to the park and might stop in at a shop or a cafe if she’s sleeping (I put her in a sling). At the park she will have a roll around on the grass if it’s nice weather.

In the afternoon we spend more time playing together, I do her bath, we might go for another walk. Her bedtime is around 7pm but it usually takes ages to get her settled in her cot. It is a very repetitive and quite lonely day, my first maternity leave was quite different, going to all sorts of baby groups and meeting other mums. It is harder now. But I see no reason not to go to shops if you want to.

Yup! Have same concerns and sorts of routines. I try and get out for a walk around the block. The older they the get the more they look around. Have you tried any classes online? Weren't for me but some people loved them.
BBC Tiny Happy People is good for activity ideas.

I have family nearby who now see us in the garden which helps.

I think it’s finding the right balance. No you don’t want to expose your baby to unnecessary risk, but you do also want him to be stimulated and to be used to seeing other people. So I think it’s important you go for walks around town as much as you can (for both of your sake!)
I have started popping into shops quickly, or getting a takeaway coffee if there’s no queue. If it looks very busy I probably wouldn’t go in unless I had to, but I did out the raincover over his pram when I had run out of nappies and needed to get some from a shop that looked busy. The more you do it the less stressful it becomes.

@Bumblingalong30s yes to the slow evening routine back and forth!

If dh wasnt wfh I'd be so lonely. I mean it's hard anyway but we still see him way more.

I’m in a similar boat to you, it’s a really odd time at the moment. I’m wary of shops myself I have to say but we get plenty of park walks with feeding the ducks ect in!! At home we play and read books along with the normal bits that need doing! We have met up on walks outdoors with a few friends but nowhere near what socialising we would do if this was not happening!

I really feel for him and I worry he's bored stiff.

Trust me your baby is not bored and is not missing out because you are not taking him into a shop. You are doing a great job during a super shite time.

I'm not going into shops but I'm near a few parks so tend to wander around there and tell him about things around us. Yesterday I sat on a park bench, got him our the pram and read his book. He loved looking around!

You're definitely doing more than me by way of entertaining, @PrincessBailey - it sounds like you're doing really well!

Are you worried about you and the baby catching the virus if you go into shops etc.? It's understandable, but I think we are going to have to accept a certain level of risk now. I've been into shops for food and essentials maybe three times with DD and she was fascinated - it made me want to take her more places so she can see and experience more. I'm stumped as to where, though . . .

Also op I found 5 months really hard!

I go to the shops if I need something, I dont just go to bimble around. I think thats just me though, I didnt like bimbling around shops when I didnt have a baby!

When im walking along the beach I might get a drink from a cafe to take away.

My twins are 14 weeks old. We had been staying at home a lot but have started to try and get out more. I posted on a local facebook group at the weekend and as a result was invited to a garden playdate on Monday, have set up a whatsapp group of 10 other new mums (and some of us are meeting in the park tomorrow) and have another park meeting organised with some twin mums. I am still trying to socially distance but reminding myself that there will be more focus on baby activities (rather than me socialising) when they are a bit bigger and more mobile, so walking round the park with other mums is an ok way to spend a few hours.

DD is 7.5 months.

And honestly apart from the first few weeks of lockdown it's been fine.

Going for walks, seeing people, popping tonshops etc.

Daily routine goes a little like this

7am wake up, brush teeth, change nappy then breakfast.
8am ish get dressed. Baby plays on carpet for a while whilst I tidy up, do bottles, put washing on, whatever
Might okay with her in this time.
9:30ish nap anything from 30-90minites
10/11am might meet up with someone for a walk, bike ride, in a café, at a park.
Might do jobs around house
12/1 ish lunchtime, then maybe some time in her jumperoo or in the garden followed by another nap.
3pm She might watch me make dinner, bake, playtime et
4ish another nap, followed by reading, playing, singing etc
6ish dinner
7ish bedtime.

It's all fairly fluid, and some days we do SFA, some days she's carted around, other days we okay lots together, some days she'll have three 90min naps.

6

I'm stumped as to where, though

Zoos, nature reserves, woods, playground, farms, just down busy roads with buses, cars etc, duck ponds, coastal walks- forward facing sling can see it all; when they get tired can turn them around for a nap (‘🤞🏽)

Sorry if you don’t live near any of these places!!

I have a 6 month and 3 year old daughters. I feel so guilty as I spend most of my day trying to entertain the older one, while the baby sits and watches and chews on bits of Duplo or Playmobil 😭

I don't like taking them to shops or cafes now as it's too busy (we are in a popular tourist town). My friends and I have been meeting up just two families at a time and going out to the beach, park etc at quieter times.

While at home it's mainly singing songs, jumparoo, play mat, and lots of being plonked in the middle of her big sisters games. They both seem pretty happy with the arrangement to be fair and love each other to bits.

Well done OP sounds like you're doing great.

My baby is the same age and our routines are pretty similar apart from I leave him to entertain himself in the play mat or jumperoo as he has a rather demanding older sister.

I really struggle being in the house all day so take him out quite a bit as he naps better in the pram or sling. I find feeding in a park or other open space much easier than in a cafe.

Am considering taking him swimming now the pools are open, seems less germy than baby groups.

Hi

My daughter is 4 months old and we don't really have a routine yet! I think she has hit the 4 month sleep regression. I tend to feed on demand which seems to be every 1-2 hours during the day! She doesn't nap much during the day - if she does it's normally only 30minutes each time.
I have managed to find an outdoor sensory baby group which I am trying tomorrow for the first time. I have also ordered a sensory box online.
I tend to go for walks most days and have now sat outside coffee shops for a drink but haven't been in the shops yet with my daughter.

My routine with 4 month old is something like:

Wake up when he does (could be anytime between 6.30-8)
Have a little chat/play and do a feed, get him dressed. Maybe stick him in his bouncy chair and have a shower. Eat some toast. Probably feed him some more (he's a very snacky baby). Have a play on the floor, or practise sitting.
About 2 hours after he wakes up he'll want a nap; could be on my lap, or in his cot if I want to cram in a workout, or if I need to pop to the shops I'll put him in his sling (in which case he's so fascinated he probably won't go to sleep for ages). Nap is probably 30 minutes.
The next chunk of awake time is our getting-shit-done time, so I do the washing up, prep food for the evening, put on laundry, that sort of stuff. Baby hangs out in his bouncy chair while I whiz around. Once he loses patience, we go back to playing. Again, feeding intermittently throughout.
Next nap is usually in his bouncy chair. This may again be 30 mins but can sometimes go longer (sometimes up to 2 hours). I'll grab something to eat, do any bits and pieces of household stuff that are tricky around him (like taking the rubbish out), and then if I have time, maybe do some craft stuff (I had a face mask period, and am now making him some long sleeved vests in funky patterns) or perhaps a bit of yoga if I'm feeling especially mangled.
The afternoon is generally about keeping him entertained and trying to get a bit of boob in him one way or another, and then about 15-20 mins before he's due his next nap, I'll pack him up in his buggy and we go out for a walk. If the previous naps have been short ones, this will likely be longer in which case I can get in a decent distance.
Then home, feed, bedtime routine, and he'll probably sleep on my lap (with me eating previously laid by food over his head) until I take him and pop him in his cot at about 9ish. If he does that without too much resettling, then I might get a little bit more of whatever done before going to bed as well.
He usually ends up in my bed sooner or later (usually sooner, at the moment) so I can just boob him back to sleep when he wakes up.
Rinse and repeat!

That said, we do sometimes either go out and sit under a tree somewhere for lunch (especially if it's hot), or else we'll meet up with friends for a walk, picnic or sitting in their gardens.

could have wrote this myself and my little one is 12month old

It's helpful for me to know I'm not the only one trying to think of new ideas of what to do and fill our day.
I really hope he's not bored stiff.. But I know at times I can be! I can't tell you how many times we've sang 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat'

Love the idea of an outdoor baby group. To be honest, I've not even looked at groups. Just assumed they wouldn't be going ahead. That sounds so lovely! It would be so good to actually talk to another mum, I don't really know anyone around me that's got a baby.
I've found 4-5 months really tricky. It's almost like he doesn't like being a baby. He gets so frustrated, especially as the day goes on. He's very active so. I feel like. I'm constantly trying to entertain him! He just wants to roll about everywhere (especially at night and I can hear him shuffling constantly!)
I am going to go out today...I don't know where but I need to see some people and different scenery.
I've just been so anxious since Covid, and although it's not likely we will catch it walking past someone, I can't help but feel guilty if I put my baby in a situation like going to a shop. But I haven't been to a shop since March! I'm going loopy. It sounds silly, but I also don't know what I'd do if my baby cried in public. I'm sure he will show me up at some point, and I guess it's a confidence thing! I also need to stop watching the news and scaring myself.
Thank you so much for your replies!
Wow, another novel. Oops.