Mum life is hard work

[Usedtobechilled]

LO is almost 16 weeks and entertaining him is EXHAUSTING.
He currently sleeps great at night so im absolutely not complaining however he doesn't nap for long during the day so daytime is constant entertainment. Every 2 hours is like ground hog day. Wake up, feed, play with every toy, music, singing, talking, sleep for 20 mins... rinse and repeat. From 8 til 8pm.
I've been on 2 walks today just to break it up. I walked in the pouring rain the other day just to get out. I don't even get to do housework really (probably should be thankful for that...)
Thats it really. I just wanted a moan 😂

I found 4 months the hardest. Mine is now 5 months and has changed dramatically in the last few weeks. He’s not quite as ‘unreasonable’! He’s sitting up now which really helps. He’s always hated lying down when not sleeping so being able to sit him up while I get dressed, etc is a game changer.

My first was like yours OP. Didn't do cuddles unless sleeping, she'd just wriggle and moan. I could put her on a playmate or in her bouncy chair and get max 10 mins if I sang and danced constantly before she started to scream. What she wanted was to be held and talked to / played with / entertained constantly while awake, and yes it started from 4 months, possibly earlier.

This was during lockdowns so no groups, though I wouldn't have wanted to go anyway. Mercifully she'd sleep for 40-60 mins at a time and I refused to put on kids TV for my own sanity (still don't now), but it was a tough time. I'd say the 4-8 month period until she could get more out of toys was actually the hardest stage so far (she's 2.5 now).

My second is similar but way less extreme. Will sit in her bouncer or pushchair for extended periods as long as she can see me doing something so I can get housework done. At seven months now she'll sit on the floor and play with toys for a while. I can even get her to sit and have a cuddle for maybe a minute! Wow!

Just to add my 2.5 yo is now excellent at occupying herself with play. Will go and play with her kitchen or whatever for 45 mins at a time with occasional input from us pretending to eat her creations! So it's not forever ☺️

It gets better OP! Once they start sitting up, crawling, walking etc they are soooo much easier. In the meantime my advice is get to classes and mum meet-ups etc, helps the time pass x

Ha. I did, sort of. If you read MN, you can be fooled into thinking that the baby stage is sort of easy: look at the replies here. All you have to do is chill out and watch TV and the baby needs no entertainment. I knew there would be sleepless nights but if I wasn’t doing much the next day no biggie right?

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Don’t worry OP. I never found I could just chill in the house with DS - I probably could have but he seemed more settled somehow on the move, even if that was just going to the recycling centre or something. During lockdown I became queen of recycling!

Groups are nice. I know lots of people on here don’t like them but I always found it nice to just have a quick chat with people, even if only ‘aww she’s so cute, how old.’?’ Just beaks the day up.

Also, I always found DS more settled mornings so we’d often stay in then and then plan an afternoon trip somewhere.

Final tip - some gyms have crèches, if that’s affordable and possible. I adore DS, I’m pregnant again and I’ll adore this one when it arrives, but bloody hell it’s nice to have an hour when they aren’t on you, even if it’s just to hide in the gym cafe with a drink and cake totally never did this.

Good luck! Naps do get more predictable, things get worse then better again, but always give yourself more credit for what you do do

I started swimming with DS when he was 11 weeks, so also still pretty liquidy poos. We go to classes where they require a double nappy system: a disposable swim nappy with a “happy nappy” (tight fitting swim short kind of thing) on top. We’ve never had a leak!