What activities should I be doing with my 5 month old?

[Pipperleen]

I feel so guilty everyday that I’m not doing enough with her and am stunting her development in some way...can you tell it’s my first time!?

I feel like her day is just eat, play mat, jumperoo (in short bursts), walk, nap until we eventually get to 6pm when it’s bath and bed. At the end of the day I always think I should have done more and feel quite sad for her.

What sort of things do/did you do with your 5 month old?

Thank you for reading, any help you can give me will be gratefully received.

Sounds fine tbh.

Read to her every day.
Sing, Dance, make up silly rhymes
Talk to her, show her what you're doing.
Tummy time
Let her hold things of different textures

Honestly sounds normal - enjoy before you are run off your feet with her.

Do you talk to her in the day?
On your walks, in the supermarket- anywhere interacting is helping her learn and develop. At the moment with no baby groups I use the baby club on bbciplayer to help sing to her.
As the weather gets nicer you can lay her on a mat in the garden and blow bubbles etc.

Talk and sing. Talk and sing. Talk and sing.
Books.

Thank you for your replies. Yes, I do try to talk to her as much as possible. Think I need to be better at reading to her - we’ve hardly done it at all, she’s a very squirmy baby and would prefer to be picked up and walked around the house!

Honestly don’t overthink it, lockdown can magnify the use of our time as we are always at home. If you could see people and go out more you wouldn’t notice the minutes of tummy time.

Do what baby likes!

Fairly sure at that age with reading it was all about touchy feely books, and quick books at bed time. Books like "that's not my dog/cat/penguin" are good. It's just getting them used to the idea that books are part of everyday life etc.

Don't feel like you need to be reading them Shakespeare or anything. You can just read the cereal box to them if necessary!

Keep up the good work 👍👍

Yes as others have said just exposure to whatever you're doing is great.

My second is the same age and I'm constantly worried she isnt getting the same stimulation as her brother did.

@OhToBeASeahorse

Yes as others have said just exposure to whatever you're doing is great.

My second is the same age and I'm constantly worried she isnt getting the same stimulation as her brother did.

Yep my second is being dragged along on her sisters journey it seems - sure they’ll be fine

@00100001

Do what baby likes!

Fairly sure at that age with reading it was all about touchy feely books, and quick books at bed time. Books like "that's not my dog/cat/penguin" are good. It's just getting them used to the idea that books are part of everyday life etc.

Don't feel like you need to be reading them Shakespeare or anything. You can just read the cereal box to them if necessary!

Keep up the good work 👍👍

I forget the that’s not my books, I have loads somewhere to pull out for my youngest - thanks (appreciate not my thread :) )

There’s an app that you put your babies age in and it gives you some activities to do each day which are age appropriate. My Dd has a 4 month old and uses it when she feels she’s run out of ideas! Unfortunately I don’t know the name of it but I will try to find it out.

I have a 5 month old and my day is exactly the same as yours! No more exciting I'm afraid

Mine loved the bubble machine and other 'sensory' activities. Tinfoil/space blanket. Pretty lights (taking them to B&Q to visit the light department... Not suitable at the moment). Music and dancing.

As they learn to sit, simple toys. I spent a lot of time building towers so she could knock them down.

DD2 was crawling at 5months. I spent my time rescuing her. I preferred the sedentary DD1 overall!

Thank you everyone. Some lovely ideas here, but I’m also very appreciative of the support.
First stop - B&Q when we’re allowed!

I was going to sùggest box sets, biscuit eating (you only obviously) coffee drinking, maybe some walks with a friend and their baby.

Sorry to be flippant but there's not much you need to do. Surely letting them play on their back and front on a mat and talking to them is the main thing. Very soon they will be moving about and also eating 1 then 2 then 3 meals a day, and then you will have more on your plate.

You have such a short window to relatively chill out before it is such hard work. Don't stress! I don't know if baby is letting you sleep much but you will possibly be tired too. Don't get down about this.

God, am I the only one who just lets her baby get on with it?! I feel like a bad mum now 😆 Maybe because it’s my second child but I literally don’t do any planned activities with the baby. We feed/change/nap/cuddle. I talk and sing to him a lot but apart from that he just hangs out in his bouncer, under his activity gym or tummy time on his play mat with toys. We’ve read a few tactile books. His favourite activities involve chewing his hands 🤷🏼‍♀️ He likes being out for walks, watching people and watching his older brother. I’m looking forward to lockdown easing as he really loves being around people. But it honestly hasn’t occurred to me to deliberately provide him with planned activities.

Just relax! You don’t have to do ANY “activities” with a 5mo! All they need is love, warmth, milk, sleep, listening to you talk, giggling with you, getting out and about a bit in the buggy. With my first I was keen to do loads of stuff- cramming in all kinds of baby classes etc- and my baby was quite stressed actually, often overtired and screamy. My second was a lockdown baby and honestly the absence of any outside stuff meant we spent so much time just quietly chilling. He’s way more ahead of my first at this point, not that it means anything at all at this age, but just to reassure you: you are not going to do anything to stunt her development!!

Just do what you are doing!

Guilt is the worst emotion to feel. And remember babies can sense all the emotions that their carers to through!

Enjoy your little blessing and your baby will thrive!

Sounds like she’s doing fine but I’d definitely start reading to her, it’s so great for language development etc.