Ok so my 4 month old always wants to be held. I can’t spend the entire day on the couch holding him because I have a ton of chores to do around the house. When I put him down and try to go do something he starts crying and won’t stop until I come back. He does not know how to play by himself. He constantly needs someone to entertain him and it’s sooo frustrating. I feel so drained during the day and then at night he keeps me up because he doesn’t want to sleep in his crib.
Please please please if anybody has been in my situation what did you do to make your child more independent so that he or she didn’t constantly need somebody entertaining them. Also, how do I make my baby sleep in his crib?
Two suggestions for you. First is to get a baby carrier or sling so you can carry baby around with you but have hands free.
Second, get a “bouncy seat”. There are many variations of these, some just gently bounce when baby moves and they have a bar of toys, mirror, rattles etc for baby to look at and try to touch. Some also have battery-operated vibration in them (thats the best!!). I bet your little one would enjoy time in a seat like this. Heres a sample:
Thanks for the quick reply Mo3, but I have a bouncy seat, which he will sit in for maybe 5-7 mins and then cries. I'm thinking maybe he is cranky because he is teething? What did you do when your kids were teething, do you just have to wait it out?
my son was the same at 4 months.. god i couldnt even pee without him wailing... if u sat with him he could play for hours.. i didnt have that luxury cuz like u said.. have a billion things to do
the best thing i have done so far in parenting... bought an excersaucer!! man he sat in that for hours cuz its a total activity centre for babies ...
see they are cranky cuz now their brain tells them to get to a certain point but they dont know how to crawl yet.. all they can do is sit supported. so they start to get irritated and want to be carried around... i could clearly see my son eyeing areas or places around the house or even toys.. but couldnt get to them.
so i got him an excersaucer and he sat in it from 4 months to 6 (when he started to crawl and didnt wanna stay bound in anything stationery).
google it .. i had the one by evenflow.
he definately could be teething too... rub his gums from time to time.. give him a cloth he can rub his gummies with.. my son hated teething toys and only wanted a soft cloth to hold and massage his gums with... u can get a gum brush too.. i wouldnt suggest numbing agents cuz i was told by my doc that the pain comes back with even more force once the numbness stops.
there also homeopathic tablets called 21 that are safe and can be given to babies... i gave them to my son though he had no issues teething.
as for crib.. is his crib in ure room or his own room?
what i did was.. i put the crib in our room.. and started like that... he would look out and see me and go back to sleep... then slowly once he got used to his crib.. i put the crib in his own room... he never noticed the diff :D
hang in there love... 4 to 6 months or until he learns to crawl are really tuff for a mummy... just remmeber that ure child is going through a major developing phase and is just as irritated as u... crawling isnt easy nor is walking...
Oh yeah, I second the exersaucer … its great At this age, the babies don’t like lying down anymore… they want to sit up, talk to you… they need lots of interaction.
My daughter also loved the Fisher Price jumparoo when she got a bit older… she would jump, jump, jump, exhaust herself and fall asleep It was adorable.
4 months is a bit too soon for teething, although not impossible. For my daughter i know she is teething when she is really cranky during the day, wants to be in my lap the whole time etc and her night time sleep also shoots out the window. That being said, its not unheard of teething at 4 months but its rare.
My daughter at this age also started wanting me to be with her at all times. I like the idea of a sling presented by mama. There were times i did that so i could get some chores done. Does he do well on an activity mat?
Also, If your baby doesnt want to sleep in his crib, then why dont you let him sleep for you for now? There are going to be a lot of other things to worry about so pick your battles wisely.
Oh and another thing I wanted to point out, try to stay within your child's sight... if you put him in the exersaucer or a jumperoo... stay nearby within his line of sight.... smile at him, talk to him, interact with him.... or sing, let him hear your voice.... babies hate being alone at this age.
At this age, the babies don’t like lying down anymore… they want to sit up, talk to you… they need lots of interaction.
It was adorable.