Entertaining alert 4 month old

[Nat888]

I.AM.SO.TIRED.

My 4 month old has always been so alert. 10 minutes after he was born a midwife commented how alert he was.

Since then he has not been one for usual wake windows and while we are out he would want to be out of the pram. Just happily looking around taking it all in.

He is already rolling, giggling and keeping his head up so smashing milestones. Has a bit of eczema but otherwise can stay awake very happily for 3 hours at a time.

I'm just at a loss how to keep him entertained all day. On the days I cant take him out.

Swing, playmat, walking him around the house with me lasts about 10 minutes before he makes it known be is bored. .
the TV (no judgement please - im tired!) About 15 minutes tops
But 30 minutes on my lap in a restaurant or walking around Asda he is happy as anything.

Ideas please?! Is he too little for a jumperoo?

Yeah the American instructions in my pram said 3 months and the UK 6. I swapped DD at 4ish months. She’d never been happy in the bassinet because of her reflux so it meant I could actually use the pram rather than the sling!

She went in the jumperoo at 4 months too and loved it until she learnt to crawl (when she realised it was a prison!)

Can baby go in front facing baby carrier so he can watch the world as you walk around? Also we had a little baby seat thing that he sat in and it spun 360!with various little toys to fiddle with all around him . Used that a lot. Mine didn’t like jumparoo as only had things to watch and nothing to touch

I've had 2 of these! Things only improved once they were mobile and then they both loved life. Started improving with crawling but only really got better with walking. DS2 is 16m now and literally just runs around the house moving things and he's happy.

Jumperoo was great. Put a cushion underneath baby's feet if they'd not tall enough to reach the floor. It bought me 10 mins of no crying so I could gear up for the next round.

Also, get out every day. I promise you'll feel better for it. Get to the cheap as chips mum and baby groups rather than the classes. Find your group of mum friends and that makes the tiredness far more bearable. I was always far worse the days I didn't get out and the tiredness seems harder when you're on your own at home.x

Books, light up toys he can bang on, and yes he's the perfect age for a jumperoo, though they're not ideal for development so don't leave him in there too long.

And, it's ok if baby is bored on the playmat sometimes. He'll come up with something to do or a skill to practice.

I have a nearly 4 month old who is similar.

The bus is great. He likes to stand on my lap to look out the window or look at other passengers. It also tires him out and he will fall asleep on my lap or in the pram.

Putting him in the upright pushchair instead of the bassinet is partly good. He likes it more because he is able to see more ... But then he wants me to carry him so he can see even better (or to sit on DH's shoulders!), so gets upset and cries.

He now hates the carrier because he can't see and I'm not sure if he's big enough to be forward facing yet.

Stay and play type baby groups are great. He likes to look at the other kids, so the cheap/free church hall ones with a mix of ages are way more successful than expensive, structured ones so far. Was also quite impressed with a local city farm.

At home I've got the high chair out for him to sit in in the kitchen. That's a big success because he's high up and upright which he likes and it has a harness so he can't fall out. He's happy to sit in the morning and watch me narrate 'games' like unloading the dishwasher. He also likes to watch me eat, so making and eating lunch can keep him entertained for quite a bit. Doesn't work when he's tired and fractious though - then he wants to be carried all the time.

He likes to sit with me in front of a big mirror and look at our reflections. He also has a 'bumbo' type seat with an activity table and will play in that for 5-10 minutes with adult interaction. Really enjoys physical play like being swooshed around or 'thrown' up in the air. My capacity for these games is pretty short though because he's heavy!

Other people are a big hit. He had the time of his life when my in laws visited and he had several other people on hand all day to bounce him around and make him laugh. It sounds like visiting his cousin and family is also popular with your DS?

I've also found some sensory toys helpful for a bit of wind down when he is getting tired - he likes touching a tasseled shawl, some very soft Jellycat cuddly toys and a toy with crinkly textures, ribbony bits etc is great for when he's getting sleepy in the pram but still wants to be doing something.

All that said, last week was a total was a total mess of overtiredness and refusing to nap, so sometimes nothing works well!

Mine was like this.

Get out to baby groups. Mine loved to be around other children. Meeting mum friends will save your sanity.

Are there any cafés near you with little play areas you can go to? A group of mum friends and I go to a local cafe once a week that has a little play area for the babies.

At home the things that kept him entertained the longest were empty cardboard boxes and emergency foil blankets. We bought a projector that projects twinkly lights on the ceiling. I'd make a den with the foil blankets (using clothes pegs) and project the lights into it. Could plonk him in there for a good while. Or just put the foil blanket down for them to lie and roll about on. Hours of peace and quiet. Need to watch them though as you don't want them getting wrapped up in them or they would overheat.

Plonking them down on different textured fabrics is also a good idea. Literally drag out all your towels and blankets with different textures for them to lie on and feel.

Thank you all for your suggestions- illyyy be trying them all! It's great to hear im not the only one with a super active baby. I love how interested he is in the world around him but it is exhausting.yyy Wouldn't have him any other way though!

I found it exhausting. Mine was crawling by 5 months so that helped ease his frustration somewhat.

Baby groups really have been a lifeline. As PP mention, the ones in church halls are always the best.

Also, it's getting the balance right between keeping a hyper alert baby happy but not over cooking them. All the lights and sounds etc really does frazzle them and that can make them cranky because they NEED to sleep but don't know they need to.