I have a 3.5 month old, and 2 days a week I watch my friend's 9 month old. I seriously sit on the floor with them all day. Is this normal? I don't know how to keep them entertained otherwise??
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Could you take them for walks around the neighborhood? Is there a library within walking distance where you could go to story time?
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I dont know if it's "normal" but it's how I do things...with my last nanny job, I was told I got hired because they noticed how I always got on their LO's level. DD1's whole first year of life I basically spent on the floor with her. Not so much with DD2 but she has her sister to play with so I just don't feel compelled to sit with her as often. It gets really uncomfortable, really fast. I started sitting on pillows...
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If we are at home, I'm likely sitting on the floor and my LO is 2!
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@MrsBrewer: I just read something that said tummy time is good for adults too!
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@avivoca: I could go for walks for sure! Great idea! I don't have a double stroller, but I could wear my LO. No library or anything really in walking distance though.
@Mrs. Sunshine: pillows are great ideas!
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@T.H.O.U.: I'm nursing so even just after I feed LO I totally can't lay on the girls! They're just tender! Haha
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@MrsBrewer: prop yourself up on your elbows. Pushing up with your arms and pulling your chest up off the floor is what makes it beneficial. So the girls shouldn't touch!
When I fet down on the floor with my kids I just try to stretch out and lay sometimes so I'm not always sitting and that helps.
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@T.H.O.U.: oh duh!! Yes then great idea I will switch it up!!
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Maybe not for the older LO, but I would put my LO on her playmat on our bed and play with her up there. Until she started crawling.
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@mrs.shinerbock: I totally do that with my LO! That's when I get all of my laundry folded and put away!
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Not so much anymore, now that my LO is 2 and climbs up on the couch with me, but yeah, for a loooonnnggg time I was constantly on the floor. I couldn't wear a lot of pants because they showed the rug fuzz too much and I literally bought a pair specifically because the fabric didn't show fuzz (we had gotten a new thicker rug around that time).
Once she got really mobile it got more annoying because I was up and down all day. So now she can sit with me on the couch.
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I was just asking my friend who has two older kids when this ends! My LO is 8 months and I feel like I spend most of my day sitting on the floor with her.
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Look on the bright side -- you could spend most of your day pacing your 3.5 mo old outside. It's ok now, but what do I do when winter comes?
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I don't get it what are you doing with them on the floor? I thought babies slept alot. Between sleep & eating I thought babies entertained themselves with playgyms and sensory toys they could put in their mouths. Tell me, what am I in for??
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: hahahaa they definitely do NOT entertain themselves!
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: This is pretty much my experience too...neither of my kiddos have needed my attention all the time. I think it is good for them to have time where they are observing their surroundings or their toys without adult input. I sit down and play plenty, but definitely not all day long. And I don't feel bad sitting on the couch some while she lays on the floor a couple feet away either.
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Depending on the 9mo child's temperament, you could get more sitting time by encouraging reading on the couch or sensory play at the table...
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I'm not gonna lie...I'm sure some of it is personality but honestly I think i just felt bad leaving her to fend for herself then it became something she expected. I'm not saying I don't spend time with DD2 but, she doesn't seem to demand quite as much entertainment as DD1 did and I feel it's just because I sit with her less!
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: It's good for babies to have some time to play alone, but they also need a lot of adult interaction for mental and physical development. For one thing, it takes months before babies can just grab toys on their own. Tummy time is super important and they definitely don't do that on their own. You're supposed to spend all day talking to them, and reading books to them, for language development. Being totally honest, the first few months of this is not the most fun time in the world. Now that my LO is 5 months old though, I can say that playing with her on the floor is a ton of fun since she's so interactive. Even given that though, I do put her in the jumperoo or bouncer sometimes, or even leave her to play alone on the floor while I do chores (...or check my phone...)
Baby Center has lots of ideas for activities at different ages: http://www.babycenter.com/0_lets-play-weekly-activities-for-your-babys-first-year_1501475.bc
[ETA] But in the early weeks, you are correct that they sleep a LOT. And you're feeding them so often that there's not a ton of time left over for play or anything else.
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@MrsBrewer: this is a really great article by Janet Lansbury http://www.janetlansbury.com/2012/11/7-myths-that-discourage-independent-play/
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: when LO was younger I was able to leave her on the floor or her mat by herself for a few minutes here and there or I could sit on the couch near by when she was entertaining herself.
Now she can pull up on things and tends to just let go when she wants down, often falling face first into the hardwood floor.
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@Mrs. J: @Mrs. Sunshine: @PawPrints: @YouGotMe: @Mrs. Lion:Now, I see ladies. Thanks for giving me the low down.
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I love the link that @pawprints: posted! It was great when my LO was small and I felt like I should be doing *something* with him but didn't really know what.
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I'm another one who didn't spend a lot of time on the floor with my now 3 year old and I don't plan on doing it with my 5 month old. My oldest is so imaginative and independent and doesn't need me to entertain her. Not saying that's definitely down to giving her lots of space to explore, but I certainly think it helped.
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