Upcoming stormy weekend and a 4 month old

[Sweetpea1989]

The weather forecast looks awful this weekend and we usually get out twice a day for walks in sling and pram.

I’m sure baby gets bored of the same four walls and has the typical ten minute baby attention span. I was wondering if anyone can share any rainy day baby activities? We live in an isolated location without friends or family near by. Hubby is at work all weekend.

Hopefully this thread will help others this weekend :)

Last weekend was dreadful weather here and the weekend before we were self isolating so the thought of another weekend stuck in the house with my 11 month old fills me with dread 😩

If it's dark and dreary anyway perhaps shut the curtains and have some play with lights, torches, mirrors.

Find some interesting household objects and make a treasure basket.

Put on some music and do some dancing with the sling.

Look forward to bedtime and having a glass of something alcoholic

Baths. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the evening. Mine loved baths at that age. When they're so little there is not much else they can do.

Don't suppose there are any indoor shopping centres or museums or anything you could wander around? All masked up and don't touch anything and you should be ok

Mine used to enjoy watching the washing machine when it had colourful clothes in it. I would put the bouncer/baby seat In front of it.
Is be tempted to settle down for a day of cuddles and box set and nip out for a walk if there are any clear parts of the day.

Babies at 4 months don’t have any concept of the fact they’re in a house, so each room is different and stimulating in different ways, and they’re more than happy with tiny things that you or I might find dull (listening to radio in kitchen, rolling on playmat in living room, having a bath, nap in their cot, singing with you etc).
It’s more likely that it’s yourself who gets fed up of the same 4 walls and therefore is in a pattern of going for walks.

My advice would be to enjoy being able to stay in at this age when the weather is bad, because once you LO is a toddler they really WILL need to get out in all weathers. This very young baby stage is the easiest it gets in terms of need to entertain them. Stay in, cuddle up, and enjoy a rest.

I agree, baby doesn’t know it’s stuck inside. Blanket on the sofa, box set on tele for you and some snacks, maybe a treasure basket of household items, whisk, spoon, anything wooden and baby safe, bath time, read some stories and just relax.

Thanks for the advice, she is not the kind of baby that will sit and chill with cuddles on the sofa while I watch a box set, she’s a little nosey fidget bum (and would probably try to watch the tv with me!)

Treasure box sounds like a great idea I’ll try that. I haven’t tried the washer yet as it’s in the garage.

I’m ok for the first part of the day but come 3pm things really start to drag.

Sit in a café - plenty for them to watch. Soft play is also open in my area despite extra restrictions. Again, plenty of stuff to watch. If all else fails, a trip to the supermarket is my back up.

My baby was quite high needs and I really couldn't have stayed at home all day with her at that age, so I know how you feel.

Thanks for that, I’d worry about her making a lot of noise if I was in a cafe and on my own, especially if they’re busy on a weekend but supermarket is a fair shout, hard not to spend money on random crap I don’t need though 😬

Treasure baskets are definitely a good idea.

You can also do some sensory stuff as a treasure basket, under supervision from you: warm/chilly, scratchy/silky, soft/hard, metal/wood. Just with stuff you have around the house.

At that age, DD was really interested twinkling/moving lights. Things like a lava lamp or a disco ball (on a gentle setting!). Or just a nice lamp going on and off in a dimly lit room. Appreciate not a lot of fun for you, but their reactions can be very sweet.

If you are that way inclined, maybe do some hand/foot prints? You’d most likely need to bathe them afterwards, so it’ll take up a bit of time. You can use beetroot or turmeric if you don’t have finger-paint.

Also, baby in the mirror! If you go near/far that can generate a few giggles.

This one is expensive, but for a lively fidgetty baby, what about something like this? Suitable from 4 months
www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/d9786.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwn9v7BRBqEiwAbq1Ey6U5kl1oazplFaKyJlvFMprnD2SXOmHFisGLBEv0yiCo8EWHqmhxihoCoIIQAvD_BwE

Mine LOVED their version.

Obviously this advice is no good for this weekend because you won’t have time to order one but when my toddler was a baby we had a waterproof hooded sling cover which was great! Can’t remember the brand we had but ergo do one and I think another brand is ‘bundle bean’

I used to put one of DH's coats on over me and the sling and get out.

I'd still go out. The sound of the rain on an umbrella would probably appeal.

Do you have some way of setting her up in a chair so she can see or hear the rain? Eg big glass doors to the garden?

That jumper looks snazzy! I’ll have a look for some second hand similar finds.

I’ve tried a waterproof on back to front over the ergo but it didn’t really work. I saw somewhere about simply pegging it over you so that might be worth a try.

When she’s in the mood the mirror is amazing, it just melts my heart to watch her happy little face.

Some great tips here thanks so much all.

I have this for my waterproof coat over the sling

www.zipusin.co.uk/

At four months I did a lot of baby massage, singing nursery rhymes to her while rubbing baby lotion or oil in. That could fill half an hour.

She also had a bouncer and liked rolling about on a mat with a toy. Sometimes I read her books, hard back interactive ones that she could grab at and not destroy.

I also had a baby where the 'curl up on the sofa with a box set' phase ended at a few weeks old. Definitely raid the kitchen, etc. for baby-safe random objects to explore. My wee girl's favourite at that age was a wooden lemon juicer thing. She also liked a rather floppy cuddly toy that she could grab by an arm or leg and wave energetically about. I guess watching/feeling it flop about in response to her efforts was satisfying? 'Near and far' with toys was also popular – I used to add in 'and on top of your head' at random intervals, which made her laugh.

The washing machine was known as 'baby television' in our house. I also used to save the baby gym (or some other favourite toy) for late in the afternoon when I needed a break – used sparingly, it could buy me 15-20 minutes.

I used an old waterproof over an ergo. I threaded the sleeves through the straps of the carried and then tied them back around the carrier. I just tucked the extra length of the waterproof under the carrier, but a clothes peg might help there as well.

Both nephews adored a bubble machine that age.

You'll be amazed how interesting the other rooms of the house are to a baby! You could put some washing away in a bedroom. Changing the bed is always magical, up to maybe 18 months. Lots of rolling around in the covers giggling!

I found small sessions of things better at that age.. with bouncer gaps in between..
Baby massage is also amazing I wish I had done more...what we did was mainly focused on reflux!
Dc loved being under umbrella...I needed to get out but he also liked getting into the pushchair..

Walking in woodland is often less intensely damp!

Swimming? are any pools open near you? Think we started about that age..

Is there noone you can visit/meet for coffee...of not just go yourself dc just liked the bustle i think...dont worry about the possible noise take a travel cup so u can take your drink away and eat the cake first!

Sling and umbrella. Or pram and raincover.

Also cafes, supermarkets, shops etc.

Baby groups maybe. Lots of stay and play type groups starting up again near me.

Thanks again everyone,

Changing the bed sheets sounds like an interesting one, I’m going to try that tomorrow, and deffo a baby massage.

@averythinline I love the tip about eating the cake first 😂 wasting cake is a crying shame.
I’ve tried bubbles as read that online but she’s not that fussed yet. Anything that makes a noise though really gets her attention.

I got her in the carrier today and we got waterproofed up as best we could, I figured a bit of drizzle on her face wouldnt do any harm and we went hiking through some fields. She loved watching the trees. We also took a twenty min drive to the supermarket to buy one thing and called in to see great grandma.