What do you do all day? 6 month old

[Arena5]

Hi,

I just wanted to know what games and activities others do to keep their babies entertained all day? Particularly interested in games/activities for 6 months old and those which are available whilst in lockdown. I know things are opening up in England but I’m in Wales so at least another month for cafes, baby classes and swimming.

I currently do quite a bit of reading with her, singing, play peekaboo, letting her kick about on her mat and in a baby gym, go for walks, put in her a stand up bouncer and dancing sometimes. It’s just she wakes up at 5 and I often feel like I’ve exhausted my list of things to do in the house by mid-day. On those days I try to go for long walks but if the weathered bad it can be a bit miserable with nowhere warm and dry to stop to change her or feed her. I also wonder if it might be easier when lockdown eases to fill my days. I don’t know. Any tips welcome

Ceebies have a programme called baby club which has loads of ideas.

Sensory toys and massage can be nice at this age, sure someone will have better ideas but mine liked things that crinkled, were shiny, bells etc at that age.

There’s a great Instagram account called @everydayweplay - the lady is an early years practitioner and has brilliant suggestions for activities, mostly just using household objects. Her baby is about 6 months old too.

I have an 11 month old. Tbh I don’t play and entertain him all day. I have stuff I need to do as well so he always just gets taken along with me whilst I do whatever it is, and we play in between.

I don’t think it’s sustainable to play from 5am to 8pm everyday without getting anything normal’ done.

Yesterday as example:
6.30 woke. 6.30-8.30 just getting ready, breakfast etc whilst baby toddles around.

8.30-9.30 - I tidied up/ laundry/ sorted some documents. Baby followed me around

9.30-12 - out in car to accountant. Baby in pram for walk and nap. In trolley at supermarket ‘helping’.

12-2 - home for lunch. We played and read. FaceTimed granny.

2-4 nap

4-6 - played again, walk in sling, then watered garden, weeding with him in sling. Prep dinner

6-8pm dinner. Plays with dh, bath together, ready for bed.

Sorry, some actual ideas at home though. A bath together passes a far bit of time. By the time it’s run, your both bath and they play a bit and back out and ready it’s a good hour gone

Mine also likes the contents of the kitchen drawers like Tupperware or a potato masher

I found that by the time mine was on 3 meals a day plus bottles at about 7/8 months my day was so taken up by prepping, eating and cleaning up that there wasn't loads of time left in the day!

Lots of floor time to develop those muscles; sensory toys like scarves, balls and crinkly toys; glove puppets (or just character wash mits from supermarket/home bargains); high chair toys; treasure baskets made with random household stuff was a big hit.

I have a strict no play time until I'm dressed rule - 5am is not play time, I'll begrudgingly sit on the sofa with a tea but I'm not being an entertainer at that time of the morning.

Don't actively entertain her all day, you'll go batty :)

Just looked back at my routine note from 6 months.

I'd get up, change nappy, get him dressed. Settle him down with some toys or a playmat or something sensory he could do and then make myself a coffee/breakfast, sit and drink that while browsing FB /MN and keeping an eye on him until about 9.

Then breastfeed, see if he'd have a nap OR go out somewhere so he'd fall asleep in the buggy. (This was before lockdown so we'd do a baby group or a coffee meet... :() I suppose now I could do a walk.

If at home, he'd wake up around 10, so I'd do some playing with him at that point and then he'd have another nap at about 11.30 or on the way home.

I'd make lunch. He'd eat when he woke up and that seemed to take up most of the awake period. Or perhaps I'd do some jobs and he'd watch and sort of join in.

Afternoon nap at about 2.30. After this I tried to make sure I did some direct interaction or playing with especially if he'd been playing alone most of the day. But if we'd done loads together and I was tired it might well be a return to the morning where he explored things and I sat on the computer with a coffee.

DH would come home from work so that would be exciting and he'd get some daddy play time. He might have a last nap at about 4.30 (looking back, he seemed to nap an awful lot!!) or we'd do a bath and bed for about 7, more like 8 if he had that last nap.

Yep, I agree that you definitely don't need to entertain a 6 month old all day. That would be awful!
Everything you're doing sounds great. But also, don't over think / worry about it. Put some toys out as you cook or get on with tasks, Go for walks, do whatever you need to do to stay sane. But also, filling a whole day with 100% baby activities would be the longest day ever and no parent realistically does this. (If they say they do they are lying or completely batty!).