9 week old wake window activities?!

[LivinTheDream7]

I’m basically at my wits end. I have no idea what to do to keep my nine week old son occupied during his wake windows.

I let him watch a couple of minutes of a sensory video each day but I’m super wary of how much time he does that because I don’t want to allow ridiculous amounts of time watching a screen while young but he really enjoys following the little objects on the videos - it’s generally about ten minutes of a video each day on my iPad, usually in the morning just while we get ourselves together and have a cup of tea.

we try to make sure he goes down regularly for naps during the day but when he’s awake we really struggle with a way to keep him occupied. We have one of the play mat things with the toys overhead but he really just doesn’t enjoy being on it for some reason?

During his wake windows we obviously feed and change him, we keep trying him on the play mat, he has tummy time, we read him books (I know he technically doesn’t understand it yet but I feel it’s another activity 😂), we play with him and sit talking to him while he babbles and smiles, he has time in his bouncy chair, we use sensory cards. I’m just running out of ideas for things to do with him, it seems like it’s very repetitive and it feels like it’s dragging. Is there anything else we can do with him? I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing, I feel like I’m out of my depth honestly. It feels so difficult 😣

See this one for me is fairly difficult as we didn’t really do much before he was born anyway, without sounding like a massive loser 😂

We saw friends very occasionally as all of our schedules were awkward to fit in seeing anyone, we live quite out of the way and along a main road so there’s no footpath to walk along - to go out for walks we need to get in the car and drive to one of the villages or bigger towns at least 15 minutes away. Driving isn’t a big issue but it’s just a ball ache compared to most people who live in a village and can just get baby in the buggy and leave the house for a walk 😣

We never really did much before baby so it’s difficult to find something we actually liked to do, I’m self employed so was usually always busy working one way or another.

A friend’s baby apparently loved lava lamps at that age

Honestly in a few years when you have to go to softplay or whatever you'll look back on this time. Yes its exhausting/ hard but try to frame it positively- it's also the time where you can do activities that suit u e.g coffee shop and don't have to worry about kid entertainment. Please try and make the most of it as when it's gone it's gone. If you have another child the baby has to put up with tagging along to kids' birthday parties etc!

P.s. I'm totally not judging you as I was actually a bit similar with my first. Took him to rhyme time at the library and he literally slept throughout 😂then 6 months later baby gym - he watched the ceiling fans then fell asleep. Why did I bother!

OP, honestly, he's so small. You don't need to do anything except your daily tasks. Put him in the carrier or buggy and go for a stroll. Get a coffee with friends, cuddle him if he complains, but otherwise let him just sit and look at his hands or a napkin. Sit at home and watch him play, or read a book while he lies on his mat, or just cuddle him. Do whatever jobs you need to do, with him in the carrier. At this age he just need to be near you, and less stimulation is better, to be honest. Its veg easy for small babys to become overstimulated. This is literally the age when you can enjoy watching netflix for hours without feeling guilty. You can't do that in 2 years' time, enjoy it now!!!!!

You need to remember that EVERYTHING is brand new and interesting to them - you don't need to come up with entertainment, it's literally everywhere. If he's content, he's fine.

My dd used to love sitting in her bouncy chair watching the washing go round in the machine 🤣🤣🤣.

Do you have a baby sling? If you are able to, I suggest you get one.

DD is a strapping teen now, but I used to cart her around the house as a baby, chatting away and singing to the radio. Hoovering too. I am an introvert, but somehow I managed.

If meeting friends cheers you up, take the baby to meet friends. A happy mum tends to help nurture a happy baby.

No need for screens just yet.

At that age, all 3 of mine were happy to sit in a bouncy chair and watch the washing machine go!

Another thing was that we lived really rurally so the Christmas before dc1 was born dh got me a subscription to the newspaper. Then every day I had to get dressed up, put baby-of-the-time in the sling and go to the top of our steep drive to pick it up. And then I'd come back to the house, make coffee (was my favourite food group early on!) and then read the newspaper out loud to the baby! They had no idea what I was saying but they liked the sound of my voice.

They liked watching me have a shower and wash my hair (mummy being wet was hysterically funny to ds!).

Just my examples, you've got some great ideas here. Just don't second guess yourself, you're doing great!

Ok I just read your follow up post. If you were working all the time before, it sounds like it is you, not your baby, who needs to be occupied!!

I was a bit the same. I was self employed working all the time with horses before I had my first baby.
After he was born I was relieved to be working much less, but I did used to sit his car seat into a wheelbarrow and wheel him round the farm for ages while I did jobs. Then when I started the teaching again I used to have him in a baby rucksack on my back. That worked great til about 9 months, and he'd get impatient. Just decide what would keep you occupied and bring your baby along. Its really lovely bonding time. Getting a decent carrier (for wearing baby) is key. You can go to the beach/woods/mountains or anything then.

And the best one of all. Sometimes if we were in town (45 mins on the bus - dd1 really enjoyed the ride) I would buy a helium balloon.

Then you tie it round their foot while they're lying on the mat and they jiggle it around! Lasts a few days and we'll, well worth the money. I'm sure the newsagent wondered how many helium balloons one person needed!

Talk to them, screens really aren't a good idea

This is the perfect age to introduce the leg.

You sit on the sofa like so

And then pop your child in the gap. You then proceed to watch whatever inappropriate tv you want. While they watch the most beautiful face in the world (to them) yours!

My DS is 11 weeks today; I’m a FTM and I used to try and play with all the toys and gadgets thinking that’s what he needed then I went to a postnatal group last week and had quite the revelation!…..turns out he didn’t need it all. He’s happy with some coloured string twirling above his head, some lightweight black and white material to look at and touch, oddly his favourite is a simple feather being run around his cheeky….one of this new favourite things to do is be walked up and down the colourful aisles in the supermarket or stare at the wooden beams in my 400 year old house….he’s fascinated…..oh and I now get to drink my coffee hot now i know he loves to watch a colours wash spin around in the washing machine….who knew?! A

I don’t think any of you guys will realise just how much this has helped me. I’ve been so stressed about providing entertainment for him and trying to make sure every moment of him being awake is filled with something “fun” for him that I completely missed the point. I’m going to try and do a bit less of the super engaging things tomorrow and just have him with me while I do my usual bits. He tends to get super bored easily - so will be in his chair for about ten minutes and then whinges, or will be on his play mat for a minute and does the same, but I almost feel like I might have caused that so will try to work on it! I guess less is more in this situation!

It's hard with your first. There is a lot of pressure to do everything "right"

I didn't really go in for all the baby sensory classes / swim classes / baby yoga blah blah. I tried them all because I thought I should and couldn't get along with it.

Up to 6 months old being sat in a bouncer looking at the garden and watching me wash up was high octane entertainment. Also the washing machine.

I am a naturally productive person so we renovated half the house starting at 8 weeks post partum which was not a great idea in hindsight 😂 so baby and I also spent a lot of time in lumber yards / industrial estates etc buying paints / tiles / grout etc

And until 9months / a year supermarkets were real highlight for my DD. She loved looking at everything.

I have a 5 month old. I basically just go about my normal life and hand them objects of things as I use them. A spoon, the remote, keys, makeup brush. I'll talk about things to them, give them a little cuddle and have a good laugh here and there. Baby's don't need entertaining, they just need the opportunity to explore.

My DS1 loved the washing machine at that age. I used to put a wash on, put him in his bouncer in front of it and shower and make myself a tea. I did this until he was crawling. MIL called it his entertainment system I'm not sure what a sensory video gives them that watching the washing machine doesn't though.

I also used to take him for a walk in the pram or sling in all weathers. Watching the sun go up or down, hearing or feeling raindrops, or looking at a flower or leaf is again a mind blowing sensory experience when they are tiny.

With DS2 I just stuck him in the sling or bouncy chair so he could tag along and watch whatever i was doing with DS1.

I remember this phase and found the advice to "go about your normal life" really unhelpful because my normal life WAS looking after the baby and I didn't have that many chores to do, like maybe hanging up the washing and that's it. If it's your first child how many chores even are there during one day? If in my normal life I had a day at home alone I'd be playing video games.

I got through it by finding reasons to go out. Loads of baby classes, meeting up with anyone I could, or just long long walks, getting the bus into town for no reason that sort of thing.

I have a 12 week old OP, my first too. The only thing I struggle with is that so many people (especially at baby groups) keep saying no screens too early etc but to also make the most of the time catching up on your favourite TV programs while you have the chance... if I have the TV on she just stares at it transfixed? 😂 even if she's facing me/other way, she will literally strain her head round to see the TV (she's obsessed with bright lights so think it's just that). So how are people doing both - no screens & making the most of the time they're small & watching their programs?! Unless asleep obviously

Haha yes this... I must have about 100 photos that dh took of me holding dd like this! Leaves both hands free for cup of tea, plate of sandwich, book, phone, Nintendo, etc.

Please don’t fill every moment with ‘fun.’ Can you imagine if every time you wake up someone wants to entertain you? It would be exhausting. Everyone needs chill time. Even babies. Also it’s okay for kids to be a bored, to whinge a little (not cry or be left unattended). I would just go about my normal life, chat to the baby, occasionally do some nursery rhymes, read lots of books, but mostly just let them be on a mat and explore and watch me.
with DS2 he just came along for the ride as I looked after DS1. Like a handbag that needed feeding and changing.

Me too! @bluebeardswife7 is clearly a high level mother

I just let mine watch if he wants to but then I've also put baby stuff on the TV/phone from weeks old too when cooking dinner etc and I'm confident it is fine as long as it isn't all day, every day and doesn't replace interaction.