Hellobee Boards

When Chloe was about six weeks we'd put her in the pack n play. We had a mobile on the top & hung Jacques the Peacock from the bassinet area. She would kick him and kick him! It was like a game.

Then my husband snapped these rings to the side, and she'd kick Jacques while pulling on the rings. It was so much entertainment for her.

Following. P is only 11 days old so we're still very much in survival mode, but we try to talk to her and interact as much as possible when she's awake.

I'm looking forward to her belly button healing so that we can do tummy time.

J is 8 weeks and just barely starting to get into toys and the more interactive books. It's still hard to really entice him to look up during tummy time using a toy, but there are times when his face will light up when I bring out his favorite (an Infantino turtle). Honestly what captivates him is looking at the blinds and the slats on his crib...he will keep himself awake looking at that stuff! But with books he's starting to cooperate when I reach his hand out to touch textures in books, or he'll smile at games like "Where is Baby's Belly Button".

I think it's still really easy to overstimulate them honestly; when I was trying to go by the clock I was finding it harder to get him to nap than when I actually watched him and only played for short stretches of time.

@lauraeabel: meh. I don't think of it as being lazy at all! I looked at it as setting a precedent - I promise to love, feed, change you always and sometimes I'll entertain you, but you need to figure that out on your own too Do you babywear at all? My LO used to be happiest when we were out and about. Even though he wasn't playing at play dates when he was that young, he loved looking around and listening. I had time to talk and he was entertained, it was all good.

Yay glad you posted this!

Yes to all that everybody posted, and our weather became warmer right around when LO was 12 weeks old, so we would spread a thick blanket outside and he would do tummy time out there with a few toys.

@lauraeabel: I've read that it's important to let your baby entertain themselves for periods of time so they learn how to be by themselves without fussing. Constant stimulation or even always being in the same room when baby is awake can lead to toddlers who don't know how to play by themselves and need constant parent involvement. That's just exhausting and not doable. So sounds like you have nothing to feel bad about.

DS became my new "bff". I would just talk to him all day while sitting with him or wearing him around the house. I'd tell him secrets, explain what i'm doing to him, share thoughts with him, share jokes with him... wow, typing that makes me realise being at home alone with a newborn for an extended period of time makes you behave a little crazy.

Lo didn't have much awake time that didn't involve eating during the first 2 months bc we had feeding issues. It wasn't really until 3 months that she got into toys (when she started using her hands), so before then we just talked/sang and did tummy time

I played with my son a lot, but it wasn't for him, it was for me. It was really the only way I could get through the long days. I talked and narrated quite a lot, because the silence was the worst for me.

I personally don't think my son's ability to entertain himself or not was formed during the first six months of his life. His personality is such that he likes to be around other people, so even now, he will very rarely play fully alone, in another room, without someone at least present.