what can you do with a four month old baby?

[Saila]

My 4 month old is tired of his play gym and the various toys he has. I'm not surprised really - they're pretty dull and it's all he has.

I sing with him and go out for walks but as he gradually stays awake for longer each day he needs more and more attention and entertaining.

Apart from singing and taking for walks - can i pick your brains for fun game ideas with a four month old? Or inexpensive but great toys that keeps them entertained. He's very strong for his age. Can nearly sit up on his own and stands (aided obviously) so toys that need that would work.

thanks in advance

(bored mum and baby)

[echo]

perhaps start to do more group activities?

He'll love it and apart of the stress of getting somewhere on time with a little baby, they're good fun..

Your most local libuary will have baby sessions, or perhaps take him to baby swimming at peckham pluse. Also the children's centre's (eg peckham rye oneo'clock club) will have baby activities.

If you want to pay- there a lots of activites eg baby signing, monkey music etc etc

[Saila]

thanks echo - we do do lots of organised baby activities but it's the time at home that we're struggling with

any indoor ideas?

he's awake 7am until 8:30am then 9:30 until 12pm (sometimes baby activity)

Then 2pm until 4pm (we are always out)

so it's the morning slots (i.e. now) that i find myself online cos i'm bored and he's bored.. .and it doesn't seem fair on him etc....

so we've been doing things like looking at music vids on Youtube ('prince charming' adam ant's his favourite) and singing along. Or i put a toy in front of him and encourage him to grab and poke it.

i'm still in pjs (have breakfast & shower during his first nap) so going out isn't possible at this time and getting up at 6:50 is a struggle most days.

[snowboarder]

Door bouncer? My big strong baby loved his from 3 months till about 8 months - lots of fun, can chat to them and have cuppa as they are pretty safe, and tiring!! I did get a jumperoo but tbh he didn't like it as much and pretty expensive. Also got him in his bumbo from this age and he liked playing sitting up - even sat him in the gym in the bumbo. He started sitting pretty early too (4 months I as well I think) and could play more then surrounded by cushions. Otherwise yes - I struggled, and did lots of walking the streets!!

[Belle]

you could start laying books where he can easily see them and just flicking the pages now and again or sit there and do it talking him through the stories. I haven't found a toy that engages mine ever for longer than a few minutes to be honest. But at this age, i think it's ok not to entertain them every minute - though do realise you're asking about the times when he's bored - I used to (hopefully) assume that things like me doing yoga in front of him or putting a wash on would entertain him just as much as me sitting there playing with him constantly. One thing that did really help was we borrowed a bouncy chair that had a toy arch and vibrate.

don't feel bad about going online when he's up - we all do it! And I too relied on that nap for showering etc but my baby has just about gone down to one nap now so need to get a new system!

know you're not asking about activities but in case you haven't tried it, I found rhyme time at the library (11-11.30 on a Weds) was great around this age, and I learned loads of songs and rhymes I still use to calm him down/entertain him esp when changing nappy etc.

[Ruth_Baldock]

I second snowboarder's suggestion of a doorbouncer- my son is 4 1/2 months and loves his- you can get them for about 20 quid from argos/mothercare. he also has a bouncy chair with hanging toys that he is obsessed with smacking- again, ours was quite reasonable from kiddicare.

we look at music videos too! his faves at the moment are take on me-aha (must be the black and whit video...) and that bloody lady gaga song 'telephone'. he also likes the telly show 'glee'. we bought the boxset, total slummy mummy moment when it arrived from amazon...

[Saila]

this is all great! thanks so much and i'm annoyed i didn't ask earlier... I will try all the above

i particularly like the tv recommendation. I'm all for cheating ideas and i have already tried to stick him in front of the dreaded channel 623 BUT then realised he was equally entertained (if not more) by bloomberg tv (!) I think it was the black and white strap line did the trick

thanks very much (on behalf of all the mums of 4 mnth olds out there)

x

[snowboarder]

AND if he's sitting or you prop him up/bumbo baby SB liked knocking over towers of stacking cups (still one of fave toys! Good investment) and could just about bat little balls around. TV never worked for us - I have the baby einstein box set and he never even looked at it! Still not bothered at all by the telly...

And splashing little bowls of water once it gets warmer...

[apenn]

Agree with above - they don't keep themselves entertained for very long at that age. It is useful to have a variety of toys - you could always check the charity shops for inexpensive ones. But I found he was just as easiy entertained with a lot of touchy-feely stuff at that age. Lots of raspberries, pretending I was eating him, tickling his face with my hair etc. . . Feet are an endless source of entertainment. He loved when I would play with his feet by clapping them together etc. Still does at 8 mos! It was all very physical and rather exhausting!

-A

[liberty]

There isn't alot you can do with a 4 month old, accept play and talk to him. If you are close to a park, it will be great for both of you to get a little air. Dulwich Park Cafe around lunch time is teaming with mums, maybe you might see someone you know, or meet someone there. Otherwise have a look at Southwark Sure Start, there are alot of indoor activities going on, that don't cost alot. Enjoy this time with him, it will go quickly, but I'm sure you have heard that before:)

[Princess]

Hi Saila we're in exactly the same boat, my Little Man is 4.5 months and bored with play gym etc. He loves standing too and I find I spend endless hours propping him up under his armpits so he can bounce on mummy's trampoline tummy!! We invested in a Bright Stars activity centre thing (a poor man's Jumperoo), this does entertain him and most importantly allow him to play, stand and bounce unaided for 10-15 mins at a time giving my arms and tummy a rest. He also loves his door bouncer which again frees my arms and belly for 10 mins! In addition to these things, he has an activity triangle and stacking cups which entertain him for short bursts. I try and make hanging out the washing fun (the knickers, socks and bra game - it seems to make him smile), but other then that, we count the ducks and geese in the park most mornings (and sometimes go back to check they're still there in the afternoon) to give us both some fresh air and a change of scenery.

[Princess]

Oh yes forgot to mention on Babycentre in the 'four month old third week' etc bit they have a Let's play section with a couple of suggestions for games for each week of baby's development. Sometimes they're dire but occasionally there's a gem of an idea in there.

[crystal7]

When my daughter was that age I think I spent most of my time in cafes! Agree with others though it is hard, gets easier once they can sit up and weaning breaks up the day a bit too...

One thing I used to do, which was daughter loved, was take her into the bathroom while I had a shower. I used to take off her nappy and lie her on a changing mat and she'd kick away and listen to the running water. It meant I didn't have to wait until she slept every morning to wash (especially as some mornings she'd refuse to sleep for longer than 10 min!). Not possible anymore she's be climbing into the toilet or something!

I also used to go to the Brixton mum and babies cinema session with her most Fridays when she was around this age, she could bounce around on my lap and I could to watch a film.

[prdarling]

Mine loved Baby Einstein DVD's. They kept them entertained for ages and my 4 year old still loves watching them now. Baby Neptune and Baby van Gogh particular favourites

A cheap option is making a treasure basket. Get a wicker basket with low sides so they can get stuff out. Ours is full of old water bottles with coloured water (food colouring) or glitter/pasta, wooden pegs, metal curtain rings, loo rolls, hand whisk, sea sponge, empty cup a soup box, loose pieces of pasta they can put in and out of boxes etc. Am sure you get the idea!! The more textures the better.

They love posting things so make a letterbox out of a cereal packet and give him things to post through the hole.

If he can nearly sit up, these things might work if he's propped in his high chair?

True though, the attention span is limited at 4 months!

[Fuschia]

Watching bubbles

watching you

windows

watching trees etc

playnest/ring thing

singing

playing music

noises (rattles, bells)

[bumpy]

does anyone have a list of the baby activity classes in the area - sing & sing, baby sensory etc etc. thanks

[Ruth_Baldock]

Do you mean the surestart list? I was emailed a list of baby things to do in and around SE5- think a bit of it stretched to herne hill/se22 if anyone is interested? I'll dig it out/fwd it on...

[ClaireinSE22]

Hi Salia,

I've always spent quite a lot of time at home with mine (who is 6 months) - just because going out always seems such an effort plus he complains/whines after about 10mins of just sitting on my lap while I chat. I think 'playing' is actually hard work, and it does need the grown up to put some thought into it and I've learnt alot from other mums - will sort out a post box for tommorrow! Anyway, I have found that I've got better at it with practice and now I really enjoy play time with my son (well, the first 20 minutes anyway). Some of things we get up to include;

Playing with Mummy's many coloured scarfs...(but anything fabric would do)...mine likes to have the scarfs made to 'dance' in front him and swept over his toes/tummy/face. Plus, 'peek-a-boo' style game.

Touch, walk (held under arms)and bounce on different surfaces (he's really into surfaces) - bathroom floor, fleecy rug, cardboard, plastic bags, grass outside

Bumbo train - push him along tiled kitchen floor and go into the 'station' - i.e. under the table

Give horse rides on knee at different speeds to different tunes

Go around the house looking in cupboards and showing him himself and mummy in the mirror.

Lying him on his back and balancing things (toys, empty plastic bottles, anything fairly light) on his tummy

Lying next to him and copying the noises he makes or doing 'ahhhh', 'ooooooo', or 'p p p p p'

Dancing around to any music with him

Some of his soft toys have specific songs and dance moves they perform for him

Playing 'tents' or 'caves' under the duvet. I ramble on about bears stealing our picnic or whatever - clearly he has no idea what I'm talking about but seems entertained by it

We also play shops - where he stands behind a counter (the sofa arm) and his soft toys come and ask him if he has any carrots etc. Sometimes they get into fights with one another over the last pint of milk...again...he has no idea what I'm talking about....

He has a couple of plastic bottles with buttons in that he likes to push across the floor

He's often up for looking through a picture book and has been for at least a couple of months now

He has 'tummy' time about three times a day

I add different toys and bits of ribbon, ear-rings, strips of wrapping baby to his mobile

He always spends some time 'nappy free' on his changing mat and I enjoy making him squeal by blowing raspberries on him and pretending to eat his feet

I've pinned up some pictures by his door bouncer (which are really straight forward - just black polka dots/ bright shapes) and he likes to spend some time looking at them in between spurts of bouncing

We do watch some TV - we both love In the Night Garden - but I don't feel remotely guilty about it because we do it together with him on my lap and me babbling away 'here comes Iggle-Piggle' etc

[womanofdulwich]

blowing bubbles are really good- the ones with washing up liquid - then they can pop them. and swimming can tire them out a bit!!

[Fuschia]

Getting some CDs you can sing along to is a good idea if you are not naturally musical.

We like Elizabeth Mitchell and Woody Guthrie (folk-y stuff)