Help please, 5 and a half month old needs constant entertainment

[Usedtobechilled]

As the subject says, I have a 5 and a month old that I'm struggling to keep entertained during play time and he definitely cant entertain himself for a minute.
I might be asking for too much but currently my LO is not content when playing. He will sit in his bouncer and let me shower, wash dishes etc but once everything's done and it gets to lunch time, we're out of jobs and I try and get him to play. He's been rolling over for a few weeks now which means anything involving lying down ends in frustration because he'll roll on his stomach, get stuck and then get frustrated. Toys don't seem to hold his attention and all of this means that to keep him entertained I have to be doing something for him. Sitting down for even 5 mins is out of the question. Any tips? I'm knackered from constantly having to do "stuff". Ideal situation, he would sit with a toy and I could have a cup of tea, is this possible? 😂

Have you got a forward facing carrier, will keep him entertained whilst you can get on with stuff!

It actually sounds like you can get on and do a lot without needing to entertain him, no way I could have had mine that long whilst I was doing other things.

Have you tried the bars you put above then with toys hanging down? Our a swing/chair you can hang from a door frame ? Ours would spend ours in the jumperoo but not sure they’re recommended now

I had one of those. They are exhausting....

I used to spend a lot of time in the front garden deliberately bumping into my neighbours.
Other suggestions include:

Sandpit
Going out for walks with a front facing pushchair
Front facing baby carrier
Screen time
Bubble machine
Swimming
Twinkly lights
Bag of flour and a paint brush on the floor

And time. My incessantly in the go 5 month old is an inquisitive and interesting 6 year old. They're really good fun once they're on the go! But he was very hard work at the time...

I do, and he is quite content in it but it's the constant having to do things that's exhausting me. It feels like he can't be doing something on his own with me there if that makes sense. Maybe at this age its normal but it feels a bit overwhelming right now and its getting me down a bit that I don't get a minute

Toddler group! We went to one most weekday mornings. They all have a baby corner but most importantly other people around for him to engage with. Bigger children like smiling and interacting with babies. Will endlessly pick up toys he's dropped. Meanwhile you sit and drink tea nearby.

That kept mine engaged during the morning, then at home did chores with her there and that was most of the time take up!

Mine was similar. The jumparoo was a godsend.

The thing that kept him the most amused solo was toys where you "post" stuff - wooden letters into a postbox, or balls into a hole. Anything that dropped down and went clunk. He did it on his own for 20 minutes once, and it felt like a miracle.

Walks? Sorry if you're already doing this, but getting out of the house is necessary by this age I think.

Mine always loved a change of scenery, watching the world go by. Ideally aim for a cafe or pub and let them people-watch there for a bit while you have a tea and a piece of cake!

Honestly, I do have a great baby in that he's happy in the pram and happy watching me get on with things, its the playing with toys, entertaining himself that's the struggle just to give me a seat for 5 minutes where i dont have to be doing something. We have a play mat but he'll roll over. A bouncer that he wants to sit up in so he's annoyed at that. A bumbo thing that he hates - too restrictive. A jumperoo that he hasn't figured out the jumping so gets annoyed at that. And as much as hey bear gives me 5 mins to make lunch, I feel terrible when I see his wee zoned out face when i get back in the room.
I think maybe I'm just looking to vent, I don't think I was mentally prepared to never be able to watch TV in the day time every again 😂

I had three of those babies. The only advice I can you is give it time which I know right now is zero consolidation to you.

Are we talking months or years? 🙈 😂 only joking, I figure he'll grow out of it eventually but I look at other babies at our groups and they sit and happily play while the mums chat, meanwhile I'm constantly pushing buttons and shaking toys trying to stop him getting bored.

I can only sympathise! My son was like this. He slept badly was quite hyperactive. At a young age,he was only happy in his baby bouncer but obviously couldn't do that all day. I was constantly at his back cos he was so on the go all the time. Later at about 5 he slept better but still very full on during the day.This continued for many years but now in his 30s he's still very emotionally aware and a wonderful son, very aware and in contact, not like my younger son, although lovely too (and not as difficult as a child) but my son who was so difficult as a child has become the much more aware, easier to relate to child.

Of course, that's just a personal view! But what I am saying is don't give up hope! Child rearing is very difficult, there were very, very many occasions when I thought wtf am I doing here but there were also many occasions where I felt so happy and alive to be with my boys.

You don't have to be constantly entertaining, especially when young...they don't remember. You need to leave them be. I made this mistake as a young eager mother and it really wasn't helpful to me or my son

I think this is just what they're like at that age. Mine was just the same. It'll get easier soon, once they can pick stuff up and shuffle about a bit. My baby was happy rolling round between his toys long enough for me to at least have a cup of tea. It is exhausting though.

See, as a nanny, I think that as much as babies need stimulation , they also need time to chill out and process. I’ve always tried to make sure my charges have time to themselves even from early babyhood. Sometimes they like to sit by a window and watch the world go by. Sometimes I will sit them in a chair near me while I cook/fold laundry etc. as I’m doing this I might chat and smile to them but I’m not on “entertainment mode”

I try to creat ebbs and flows…… times to sing and read books. Time for tickles and cuddles. Tummy time. A walk outside in Pram. Maybe a class or play date . But I don’t feel bad for having their faces “zone out” ; that could be them having a little brain break or processing their day/world.

My almost 8 month old is like this, it’s not so bad when her 3yr old sister is here as she’s THE entertainment - but Weds-Friday, No1 is at nursery so it’s just us two, and blimey she’s very intolerant and grumpy if I don’t provide adequate amusement for her!
Not going to lie, I am counting down the days to going by back to work and so she can join her sibling at nursery Weds-Friday!

Try and find a local mum and baby group - there'll be toys for him and adults for you to talk to, and the whole situation will be very stimulating for him so he'll probably be entertained

Loads of toddler/baby groups. Accost neighbours. Very slow shopping with baby in the trolley looking for little old ladies. My sanity was saved a million times by little old ladies. CBeebies.

I go to baby and mum groups, we have something on 4 days a week just to get out the house, staying in feels harder at the moment, but at these groups I have to be constantly entertaining as he won't lie and explore a toy by himself.
I think I just needed a moan tbh. I've started putting him in his cot for his first nap of the day (of course he is a contact napper) I thought that would give me time but his nap then ends up being 20 mins and he'll wake up grumpy and nigh on impossible to put back down until his next nap.

Long walks

I assumed this is just how babies are. Mine had just started entertaining herself at 8 (years).

I used to plonk mine in high chair/bouncer/playmat/sling and maybe give them something to hold, then chatter to them as I did stuff. So if I was cooking I'd let DC see and given them a utensil to play with.

In terms of them just playing and not wanting any interaction - more like two years old? Sorry!

My boy was a like this at times (much calmer now he’s 9!) but a big piece of it for me that I was really missing when I was a new mum, before I did a lot of therapy, is learning to be okay with uncomfortable feelings.

It actually isn’t his feelings you’re looking to stop, it’s your own feelings you can get more comfortable with.

So if he’s feeling bored, frustrated, upset, you can judge whether there’s something really wrong (like he needs changed, fed, rescued from danger) or whether it’s the normal feelings that come with learning how to be a human. Boredom, frustration, upset etc are all part of learning curves and learning new things and it’s important to teach kids to ride out those feelings bit by bit so that they can reach creativity, intrinsic motivation and contentment.

The key bit is what you’re feeling when he’s feeling those things. It sounds like his feelings are making you feel uncomfortable and your instinct is to run away from that discomfort by fixing his feelings and providing more entertainment or a new thing to play with etc, when really if you can just practice feeling the discomfort and tolerating that, your feelings will pass. And his feelings will pass too - he’ll struggle through the boredom to reach a place of creativity.

It can be trial and error as you suss out what he and you can tolerate and gradually widen your window of tolerance.

Months not years! Once my LG could crawl it was a million times better, although annoying in other ways 🤣

I honestly found at this stage that mine disliked baby toys but loved household stuff

fill up a plastic box of other bits of plastic, spoons etc
fill up s big old handbag with safe household stuff (like s tube of toothpaste and some light scarves)
pots, pans, wooden spoons
basicly let them explore

mine loved chewing paper so the indestructibles book series was great

Unfortunately for me it was years nor months. Mine were two almost three before I was able to get a cup of tea and a proper sit down
(DC3 was a surprise pregnancy I wouldn't have put myself through it deliberately three times lol) However I will say my girls are all very chatty and clever little girls who are thriving in school so maybe take consolation in that 😀😀😀

My first was like this. I used to give him different things in house. Like a spatula or ladel. Made sure they were safe and clean. I remember going from room to room trying to find different things.