Things to do all day for Mummy and 6mth DS?

[Zil131]

OK, maybe I?ve just got PND, but what do you mummy?s do all day???
I have struggled and struggled and struggled to fill the minutes (don?t mention the hours?) in the day whilst on Maternity leave. Daddy goes off to work and DS and I look at each other and think ? OK what to do for the next 10 hours. I?ve found lots of playgroups; but outside of that I?m sick of cleaning the house (while DS watches), going to Sainsburys or walking round the park?. And playgym / baby bouncer fills about 20 mins of the day? what then??

Read stories out loud, even a baby's book with one line per side can be elaborated upon by talking about the pictures. Will aid language development.

Sing nursery rhymes and do the actions for your baby.

Play with your baby's toys with him. Build a tower of stacking beakers or bricks for him to push over. Play peep-o!

Invite another mum or mums round with their babies from one of the groups. Ask other mums for recommendations for toys, or even household items that 6mth old would enjoy. Forgive me but you do sound isolated and missing your job, and the lack of structure to your mat. leave days highlights this.Could you meet your colleagues for lunch one day with or without baby? Are you intending to return to work at some point? Make the most of the opportunity to revamp your wardrobe and do any jobs before that, much more difficult when you have a child to cope with as well as work.

I felt exactly like this during my first maternity leave and I had PND too which didn't help at all. I didn't join any groups and spent long periods in the house not doing anything much other than 'playing' with my ds and his toys. I found things got much easier once he got to about 8 months. Don't know why but I think it was easier to take him out places, and he was morre engaged with things in general rather than just swiping at his toys or putting them in his mouth.

This time I've deliberatly tried to slow down and not tried to fill every single minute with baby stuff. I've been much more content to sit down and relax while she plays in her baby gym etc. I've also been taking her swimming a couple of times a week which can take all morning by the time you've done all the (un)dressing etc. However I've also realised that some people just don't enjoy being at home all day and I'm going back to work 2 1/2 days from next week. 6 months at home has been more than enough time for me and I know that my children will have a much happier mum when I get back because I appreciate the time with them much more.

Hi, i felt the same as you. I would get so bored. My lo is 9 months now and i am feeling lots better as lo is pretty much fitting into our routine now rather than us fitting into his routine like before.

I found it really helpful to invite other mums around for a coffee. Once one of us made the move it beame a regular meeting plus we were all prety much feeling the same anyway. We've even had a nigh out together and left baby's at home with thier daddy's which was fab.

Go to the weekly parent & baby screenings at your local cinema? They are wodnerful and you get to see all the latest flicks. Marvellous.

Join a local mums group. The idea horrified me when I was pregnant but to my surprise I really enjoyed it.You then tend to meet up with those that live really close more often, for walks around the park or coffee.

Try to meet up with other adults, we all need adult time.

Best advice I was ever given. Don't make friends with someone just because your child likes their child. It's more important for the adults to like each other!

I used to fill my days with baby groups, swimming, music train and coffee mornings. I used to plan one thing a day to get me out the house, even if it meant walking to the local shop when I could do it the next day on the way to baby group.
Are any MNetters near you?

Go on outings - for you. Your baby will just enjoy looking at different things and the change of scene. Museums and galleries are good, especially free ones that you can run out of if noise starts. Preferably with a cafe. The sense of achievement at having had an adventure with a LO was very great and it's really quite easy once you've worked out what the potential pitfalls are and planned for them.

I did watch a lot of telly and stay in though. And built a network of mum friends.

bloody hard. we feel for you.

all i would say is get out of the house as much as you can - doesn't work for everybody but deffo did for me. This is the age that all the music groups etc are for - the 6 month olds don't care, but the parents get a lot out of it! find everything, but everything that you can go to that isn't too expensive and is within reach of you. community centre(s)? libraries? ask your health visitor? leisure centres? also volunteer/evening class in the evenings - gets you away from bedtime . I did creative writing which was bliss, plus a book club (took the baby with me if I had to), plus became clerk to the local school governors, plus classes at the local place of worship, postnatal exercise at 3 different leisure centres... I was mildly depressed I think but not while I was with people. the main point of all these organised things was to meet other parents, and it really worked, although I had to go home each day and write down all the people I'd met, plus I got very brazen about asking for phone numbers.

sorry for such a long post - hope some of it helps. You could always go back to work early - why not?

i used to do the baby groups,walks in the park,reading storys and so on but it can be hard to spend so much time without adult conversation but savour it in another six months you wont have a minute to sit down and wait until your lo is mobile definatly arrange some adult company