DS hates to play alone - Infant Care (up to 18 months old) Message Board

Celestine · 01-30-2006, 05:42 PM

I know when babies are newborns you should always go to them when they cry. I have always gone over to DS when he's been awake and crying and played with him to cheer him up. He loves to play and talk. Right now at 4 1/2 months he still does but still I have to be with him to do it. If I'm not, he cries and screams till I come back. He can't occupy himself for very long at all. Maybe 5 min if I'm lucky. At what age do you stop running over there to fix the crying when you know it's not something major they're crying about? Is he just too young to keep himself busy? He has tonnes of toys that he can sit and play with by himself but he only wants to do it when I'm there with him. He's really good at grabbing what he wants, he just only wants it when you're there holding it for him. I don't want to hear him cry but at the same time lately I've been doing nothing but sitting with him all day long. I bet right now I spend the better part of 6 hours in the day sitting on the floor or couch playing/talking with him and after that his dad comes home and we split the duty. Do they naturally grow out of that or do you have to let them cry a bit to get used to not having someone with them 16 hours a day? At the moment, it's getting to the point that I have to do housework when he goes to bed because I can't leave his side all day. I tried the front carrier but it was in the way for most jobs. What other than us keeps babies interested?

2fst · 01-30-2006, 06:51 PM

I know for DS it helps if he is with me at all times during the day and can see exactly what I am doing. It is a pain but it works for both of us. If I am in the living room he used to sit on the couch with toys. When I move to the kitchen he goes in the jump-up with toys, by the computer he goes in the exersaucer, in the bedroom he is on the bed, I do the wash he sits on the dryer (I do the wash with one hand and hold him with the other). I do house work one room at a time and move through the house. I literally make piles by the doorway for what has to go to another room. I have no idea when they outgrow this, I am hoping when DS starts to crawl. He is almost 8 months and I have been doing this since he was able to figure out I left the room. I have gotten very creative and have figured out a way to involve him in every chore.