ok everyone! i am going crazy with my super-active baby here!!! she is 4 months old. i have been using a sling with her since birth and she loves it -BUT- lately, because she is so active now she just doesn't want to sit in there -BUT- she is only happy on the floor playing if i am playing with her! (her favorite thing to play with is the keyboard when i am typing) i feel like all i do all day is play with her. O.K. i am not complaining about getting to play with my kids all day, but i can't get anything done!!! i usually let her sit on the floor and cry for about 10 minutes while i super-clean and put laundry in and throw some dishes in the washer! i don't get a minute away from her unless she is taking one of her famous 6 minute power naps i even sometimes have to "wear" her while i am on the toilet!!! HELP ME! I don't know what to do. dh doesn't help much cuz he works 10 hour shifts every night and then sleeps until an hour before he has to leave for work. i hate to be complaining about this, because i LOVE being able to stay home with my dd's, and i am always telling people that "this too shall pass" , but i am in need of some suggestions from you all! and i don't want the old "let your housework go" advice, because that would drive me more crazy than i already am! just any tricks that you amy have used with your dc. thanks in advance everyone!--sweetpeace
Well I kind of had this problem. When my child was about 4 mths or so she started sitting up and playing, but did not want to play without me. This is what I did. I would sit in play for five mins or so, then get up do what I could for 5 mins or so. Then go back to playing with her. Gradulay increase the time till she is playing byherself for 15 or 20 mins at a time. That's about all you can get out of them before they get bored. NOw my daughter is 2 and sometimes I can get a good hour before she wants me to play with her. Hope this helps...
her manerisms will change monthly..even weekly. Have you tried once of those baby bouncer seats. those ar good for getting things dun. yuou can set them right next to you and do things. some come with hanging toys
Very Good advice, it worked for me! About the housework, I wouldn't say to just let it go, but maybe try to lower your standards just a little. I used to think that everythinghad to be perfect all the time, dh worked long hours and I felt like the house needed to be perfect so I could say I was "doing my part" I didnt have a lot of family support for me staying home. But I learned that if there were a few dirty dishes or an unwashed load of laundry the world won't end. Just enjoy her while you can. Iknow you hear it all the time, but the time will come when she doesn't want to play with you
Have you tried a one of those Snuggli's? I used mine like crazy with my little ones, although at 4 months old I'm not quite sure her neck/head control would be able to handle facing outward yet, and she might get angry facing inward. Unless the "sling" you're referring to is the same thing as I'm referring to! lol This time you have with your infant daughter goes so quickly, that soon it will be just a faded memory in your mind. My oldest son is 5 years old now, and my younger son and daughter (twins) are 19 months old, and I miss those early months despite feeling like a walking zombie. They went by way too fast. Cherish this time now, because it will be gone in the blink of an eye! Trust me! Hugs...
yeah..if you think your bussy now.....lol. Wait till it's running around climbing up onto things that are not ment for climbing
Yeah that! I know exactly how that is! lol My twins adore climbing onto everything and anything and run nonstop all day long! I wish I had their energy! Hugs...
thanks all! i know it gets better (kind-of) i also have a five year old. she was in daycare when she was this ae though, so i guess i just don't remember it as well. i think my problem is, i just take on too much. right now i am taking 2 classes at the tech school(only because i get grant money to help out with finances!) homeschooling my older dd,nd because we are so tight on cash, i have been offering to make blnkets for people in exchange for cloth diapers in the next bigger size-we are in desperate need of a bigger size right now!! i DO feel like because my hubby makes the $, i should at least have the house clean, since i am here all day! i guess i am not looking at part of my job being the kids. (don't know if hubby does either?) and the school thing has proven to be a flop, cuz dh works so much that he can't take the kids while i do schoolwork, so i have to stay up until midnight or later. but we need the xtra $, so there isn't any other option really right now. i am going to try mrs. eads suggestion, cuz i think i've got this whole attachment parenting thing wrong. i have been trying to not run whenever she makes a noise, cuz sometimes she just finds something to play with or starts talking to herself! hopefully she will gradually wean herself off of me! then i will be back on here saying how my daughter doesn't want anything to do with me thanks everyone!--sweetpeace
Congrats on having a high need child. A "Power Baby" as I like to call it. A couple of my kids were like this (well actually NONE of them could be put "down" and I didn't.) Have you tried different positions with the sling? When they get to the active age, the don't want to lie down, or face YOU in the sling. There are two positions which may work for you. One is the baby sitting crosslegged, facing OUT. She looks like her legs are mushed, but if she is happy her legs are fine. The legs are IN the sling, the baby's back is to your chest, and she can look at everything. Sage and Moon really loved this position, and I would give her toys (which she would then immediately drop LOL) as I did my work,with her in the sling. The other position is to have her on your hip. You can do this with a regular sling, she straddles your hip, and then can play as you work. I have also seen babies on mama back, facing out, but I could never get this to work. If you are taller than me (I'm barely 5 foot) this might work for you. Dr. Sear's website www.drsears.com has some sling ideas. If you do implement Mrs Eads suggestions (which may work for your baby) don't let her cry. It will only INCREASE her need for your constant presence, and make things worse. If she is happy playing for the couple of minutes, that is great, but GO to her if she needs you. I also did this with my kids, some could sit and play for 30 minutes at a time, one had a "self play" limit of less than 5 minutes, which of course increased as she got older. Babies "cling" when they feel sad or they feel like they might have their comfort (mama) taken away. Crying only creates clinging. Holding extinguishes clinging! You are doing SUCH a good job, I know how hard it is, but your baby is thanking your for it, even if she can't say so. I am thanking you for it, peace! Damn the house. You have enough on your plate. I streamlined to beds, dishes and food when I had babies this age. Good luck.
