Keeping a 5 month year old entertained

meer53

You're trying too hard to entertain him. When you're doing stuff, put him in a chair/bouncer/on the floor and just let him watch. He doesn't need "entertaining" he just needs to be with you whilst you carry on with your day. He needs to learn to entertain himself otherwise you'll end up with a very demanding child !

Kynthia

The sling is good so he can accompany you and look around while you get on with things, maybe on yiur back when he's old enough.

I went on eBay, local selling groups and to the NCT Nearly New Sales to buy, and later sell, various things to entertain them while they are this young. As well as tge carrier I had a jumperoo, stand-up activity centre, high-chair toys, a bouncer with lights and things to hit, a swing, a jumbo seat, a floor gym/mat, a cot mobile, a sit-in walker, etc. I would also put YouTube on the tv and find the baby sensory clips for a brief period a day, where it plays classical music and has black and white moving shapes which are appealing to babies.

It's amazing the things that entertain a baby, so bring him around the house with you and put him down to play with socks while you sort the laundry, and play with a wooden spoon while you're in the kitchen. I would also try to go out every day for my sake as well as theirs. It's a wonderful but also tiring time, but when they get older they can play more and do more for themselves. Every stage passes.

LottieLou

Sounds very similar to my little girl when she was that age.

I second the singing, nursery rhymes made up songs just sing.

Have you considered a door bouncer. They can control how much they bounce really (if at all) and can get to grips spinning around slightly. My little girl hated her jumperoo (5 mins max) until she was older, but she loved the door bouncer, I think because she could see more.

Also top tip for this time of year is stick all the Xmas cards on the door when in the bouncer - something else to look at! And also - hoover round them if they don’t mind the sound ��

Re: a sling if yours is anything like mine they will want to be facing outward to see! So not great/recommended for prolonged periods at this age. Although I had no choice but to forward face from early on.

barbiedoll

It’s probably not so much boredom as separation anxiety. Babies like to be near a human at all times at this age, it’s probably an evolutionary thing, they’re safer in your arms as opposed to being left alone for a predator to get them!

My son was exactly the same, I have a photo of him in his bouncy chair, crying because he thought he was going to be left alone in it. I found that he was much better if I just carted him around the house with me while I was doing stuff, as long as he could see me, he was ok. The kitchen seemed to be his favourite place, he liked watching the washing machine, and he grew very attached to my plastic pasta spoon, so much so that he used to take it out when we went shopping. (I still have it, you can just about see the marks from where he chewed it while teething!)

I admire your reluctance use screens as a distraction but videos of goldfish swimming, or birds at a bird table, can be very interesting to a baby (They’re designed to amuse cats, but my friend’s baby absolutely loves them!) I also used to plonk my kid in front of the news on tv if I desperately needed 5 mins for a shower or bathroom break, at least you can tell yourself that they’re learning something.

No, you can’t “spoil” a baby at this age. He needs reassurance that you are nearby and that you are attentive to his needs. That doesn’t mean buying endless toys or expensive gadgets. It means listening to him and learning his language, he’s talking to you now, so you just have to listen. I know it is exhausting but this time goes so fast, you’ll blink and suddenly he’ll be all grown up!

Of course, you can’t be on hand to amuse him 24/7. As others have said, he needs to slowly learn to amuse himself. And he will....don’t worry! Just include him in your everyday activities, when you eat, when you’re just sitting and having a conversation, when you’re doing the washing-up. He’s part of the family, he’ll get to know the routines and he’ll soon realise that you aren’t going to abandon him. It does get easier I promise. (Until he starts walking and talking. Then all hell breaks loose haha!)

CRANKY40

I had one like that. He didn't stop complaining until he was able to move under his own steam. Try the tv. Mine loved it and we discovered it by accident when we were at a friend's house. You have to lie them down sideways to it on a blanket rather than sit them in front of it though.

For anyone who says tv will restrict their vocabulary....mine is predicted an A* in English and has just been entered into a writing comp by his English teacher who says she's never seen such mature work from a 14 year old. A bit of tv takes the strain off and makes the time you do spend together more productive. Oh and he loved the tellytubbies.

Red-Squirrel_2

Zola. wrote: »

although we were warned its impossible to spoil them at this age ...

The very idea of ‘spoiling’ a tiny baby by giving it too much attention is completely ridiculous.

Attention and interaction are as vital at this age as milk and warmth, it will be helping his little brain develop and make vital connections that will affect him for the rest of his life.

Of course you need a break sometimes, or you’d definitely go insane, but never ever feel you’re somehow harming him by giving him your time and attention!

The research is clear on the importance of bonding and interaction with caregivers.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-ann-mastergeorge/the-importance-early-brain-development_b_4696877.html

pollypenny

I used to have my two with me, in the baby chair, then later high chair. I'd be taking constantly, singing and showing them what I was doing, however daft it seemed.

oystercatcher

As said, sit them where they can see you easily. I found it easier to have a baby seat upstairs and another downstairs so I could grab child and take it with me and plonk him down again as I moved around. Then give them random safe items to play with, have a box of bits nearby so you can switch things around as interest wanes. A mix of toys and random safe household things.

Also talk and describe things, I'm washing Daddy's big red jumper and your little red jumper . Yes it's boring and repetitive but they are sponges learning so much at that age. Sing the alphabet song and counting songs. Nursery rhymes . Babies love repetitive routine . All of a sudden you will realise they are joining in with certain words or actions . Enjoy every moment because before you know it they will be going off to Uni and not needing you anymore .....

Toddler/ baby groups are a lifeline to get out and meet other parents too .

ibizafan_2

I was in Australia when my granddaughter was around five months old, and what you describe is just common. She’d last in her bouncer for a while before getting grizzly, along with on the floor with toys. I would take her into the garden and point out trees and flowers. She loved grabbing leaves and holding them. It’s always worse when they are getting tired of course. It’s a bit of an inbetween stage before they can sit up unaided and do more for themselves. Hard work, but the good news is that all these stages pass pretty quickly, and in a few months time, you’ll wonder why you worried. In fact, in a short time, they are six feet tall and over thirty years old like my sons now!

[Deleted User]

My son was a 10 minute baby. Anything would bore within 10 mins. I had a pile of fabrics of different textures he could finger. I'd rush back and change fabric when he got bored. Only way I could get anything done