Whew! Ok, that thing I said about Eden sleeping/napping well in the previous post? I have to take that back. A couple nights ago she woke up at about 12:45 am to eat, then tossed and turned in her bassinet until 1:30ish when she decided, enough with sleep, it was time to wake up. So she babbled and smiled and squealed at me for another hour or so and finally dropped back off to sleep at 3 am. At 4:45 am she was back up again, then 6:30 am, with very little real sleeping in between. I finally got her to sleep from 8 to 10, and then tried to put her down for another nap at around noon (when she started acting tired), but she would have none of it. Crying in her crib, crying in her swing, crying when I held her, you get the idea. I'm pretty sure she wasn't sick or anything (although possibly teething), just tired and out of sorts and very sleep-resistant. It was just one of those days (or nights, I guess). The last two nights have been much better but getting her to nap during the day has become an enormous challenge. In fact, I recently had a never-made-it-out-of-my-pajamas day which I thought I had put behind me with her first few weeks.
Anyway, the point of this blog isn't actually about Eden sleeping, but about what to do when she's not sleeping. To put it simply, we're bored! She's at the age where she's definitely beyond just sitting and looking at things, but still too small to sit up or have the manual dexterity to manipulate toys very much. The few toys she has (rattles and teether types) are boring to both of us (after playing with them every day for weeks). I try to take her on walks (when I make it out of my pajamas), but that doesn't fill all her activity time. She doesn't really like her swing or bouncy seat anymore. So... what to do? I've never been that creative, and I'm definitely out of ideas for keeping her entertained (and you know, learning and developing and stuff :) ). If any of you moms out there have some suggestions, I would love to hear them! In the meantime, I will try to think of more ways to make funny noises as that always seems to be one of her favorite things.
4 comments:
Hi Stephanie,
We still have 6 weeks until our due date, but one thing I've already found useful is a mom's group I joined from meetup.com. They have playgroups, even for little ones like Eden, and it also lets the moms socialize and get out and about. I've also heard wonderful things about floor gyms, but again, that is not experience talking, just hear-say! I will be looking forward to reading all the other tips you get, though, so we can put them to use in a few months =]
I was going to say play groups as well, although Eden won't be playing for a while. But a play group will really be helpful for the next 4-5 years, and is worth the investment. :)
I loved my snugli backpack, because I could do a variety of things and feel like I was involving Sarah. I picked up a bunch of hobbies that I wish I had time for now. Mostly crafty things, but I also took a couple of classes online...although, I am sure school doesn't sound so great right now.
Both of my girls loved play gyms, and you only need a cheap one, they outgrow them so quickly. Another thing I love is Baby Einstein videos or books, they are sooo awesome. My favorite video is the Baby Neptune. If she's getting a lot of tummy time you could also look into a little play mat, some of them even make noises and sounds. It's been so long since my girls were little, everything has probably changed, hope it helped anyway!
If you haven't already found a good sleep philosophy book, I highly recommend getting one. I'm a BIG fan of Babywise, but there's also the Baby Whisperer, Happiest Baby on the Block, etc. Using Babywise, Isaac was sleeping through the night by 2 1/2 months, and Dominic by 4. They both now sleep 12 hours per night with a 2-3 hour nap each day. My sleep advice, pick a program and stick with it! It's totally worth any heartache in getting there.
Also, I had sleep problems with Dom in the beginning, and the lactation consultant had me nursing him every 2 hours during the day (less at night, of course) until he figured things out. It took about a week.
By the way, you're doing great!!!
~Angie
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