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Is there such a thing as "play training", like sleep training?


Dianne-TX
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Whew! When our little 6.5 month blessing is awake, not much else gets done around here, or it gets done with some "background music" provided by her. :) She sleeps great, but oddly, it's the awake time we are having issues with. :) We'll get a few minutes out of her, but not long. She wants to be held, preferably in a standing position. ;) Help!

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So some might dismiss this activity station as an overpriced luxury, but it was a sanity saver for us. Swings were useless--this was worth every penny. If I lived near you I'd let you try it out! DS wanted to be held and didn't like saucers, but went round and round and round on this thing! I've heard people with older kids get even more use out of it when they play chase with the baby. I'm looking forward to that!

 

Another big hit for some sanity time for me was a few bags of ball pit balls in the crib or Pack 'N Play or even a cardboard box in the kitchen.

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Yes, I've been thinking of looking at the resale shops for another saucer. We have one that she can bounce in and it's one thing she'll stay in for a short while, but not long. She loves to jump on your lap, so we thought she would love it, but...not so much. So, I've been wondering if another play station would fit the bill. Thanks for the idea.

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I have this and a Baby Bjorn and she is carried a lot in both, especially Sundays when we are at church all day. I'm needing help when we aren't holding her (or can't hold her) so she will be a little more independent.

 

 

 

An independent 6 month old? Seriously not going to happen in a well attached baby. :)

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I'm needing help when we aren't holding her (or can't hold her) so she will be a little more independent.

 

 

She is 6 months old. She is by definition wholly dependent!

 

I get needing a little hands off time but found that my typically developing younger son totally didn't. At this age, 10 minutes of cooing in a bouncy seat or not screaming while in the high chair while mom put food on the table was success. My older son was much more content to be set down or sit and play but as he grew older, it was clear that this was not a function of independence but developmental issues. Some kids just bounce from set of arms to set of arms and that is what they need. When she doesn't need that all the time, it will become apparent. We learned to do a lot of things with a baby in a wrap or Ergo.

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I'm not sure that it isn't possible. My DD seemed to learn pretty quickly that when I was pumping, I couldn't necessarily pick her up right that second., even though she was velcro baby the rest of the time. She was usually on the floor, right next to me, or on my lap while I pumped, not in a different room, and I wasn't out of her line of sight-but I was definitely limited in my ability to wear her or hold her at that time, and she really seemed to understand pretty quickly that when that noise started, mommy wasn't going to be able to pick her up, but milk was coming ;).

 

Hmmm...maybe I should pull the breast pump out and try turning it on when I want some peace and quiet now???

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I hate the word "training" (and do not sleep train or cio), but dude - I feel ya. Lol. My 7 month old is the same. We spend our entire days doing school while he will spend 10 minutes in the exersaucer or high chair... or those blessed 20 minute naps when you can hear me yell through the house "he's asleep - let's do math"... and everyone drops what they're doing to do *some* school work, lol.

 

I have absolutely no advice. I have a sling and enjoy it, but I'm small enough myself that I can't rely on it (safely) to do things like sit at the white board with the infant, or sit at the table with a busy infant who only wants to get down and into everything and is never content to sit still. Besides, the wraps aren't comfortable for longer than 20 minutes (for me at least).

 

No big, in the grand scheme of things - I know he'll outgrow it. In the mean time, I just drink lots of coffee and try to remember that this too shall pass.

 

*hugs*

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Sometimes little Hold-Me-All-the-Time girl (who is now eleven) would accept sitting in the bouncy baby seat in the middle of the table at that age. Providing she was right in the middle of everything that could possibly be happening, I could often get 30 minutes that way. But she was really a good tempered baby and I ended up wearing her in a sling or on my back much of the time.

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Do you use the Ergo on your back? For some reason, most moms I see don't use it this way, but this is its intended use. It takes practice to get a baby on your back independently. Give yourself ten tries over a bed (really! count before giving up) and you should have it down. I can't do a sling/ergo/baby wrap on my front all day, either, but an Ergo on my back I can. Just make sure her head control is good which should be fine at her age.

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I used to put my babe in the bumbo seat thingy in the center of the table (yes, she was sitting unassisted, yes, she was carefully supervised at all times, no, I didn't leave her in it for long...did I cover all the disclaimers?) it would work for 10-15 minutes or so. A cold, wet washcloth for her to chew on in her high chair was good. Sometimes I'd give her some avocado or Greek yogurt to smash around on her high chair...she was probably a little older, like 8 months, though. Doing school outside in nice weather helped a ton. We had a baby swing, I could put her in there and push while I listened to one read, or we did skip counting, or whatever. Um, baby pool or bathtub with an inch of water, and us sitting around it, that worked. I'll see if I can think of any more...

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Thanks, everyone! I forgot about the washcloth and didn't think about soft foods for her to smash up. I might try the Ergo on my back. I've only been doing the front carry. I've had back issues since she was born (it's gone out on me once already), so we'll see how it goes. I know the Ergo is supposed to be nice to your back, so maybe it will be okay. She already attempts to crawl out of her Bumbo. She does love the outside and we've been spending a lot of time outside lately. :) I know as time goes on she will become more content. Today was a better day. I, of course, do not expect her to be independent. She is my fourth, so I've been around the block before, but it's been awhile since I've had a higher needs baby. My last two would play and didn't require attention constantly. We are all different. I appreciate the ideas.

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She is my fourth, so I've been around the block before, but it's been awhile since I've had a higher needs baby. My last two would play and didn't require attention constantly. We are all different. I appreciate the ideas.

 

 

lol, you had one of those fictional dream babies, I thought I had hit the jackpot when #2 would let me put her down so I could pee or switch laundry and *gasp* even eat! since #1 didn't allow it EVER, it was rather bewildering TBH since #1 was a very high needs baby and I though that was the norm. Anyway, the Ergo back carry is easy but I can't find a single video that shows how I did it. Basically put it on your back with 1 shoulder strap on, put baby on your hip on the side opposite of the one with the shoulder strap (for me I'm right handed so baby went on my right hip). Take the arm that has the shoulder step and reach back around though the seat of the Ergo and grasp baby's ankle, then at the same time bounce the baby up and around to your back while gently pulling on the ankle to guide it though, lean over quickly while supporting baby's butt with one hand and your back then slip the other shoulder strap on and snap the chest strap, bounce baby a little if you need to adjust her. After a few days of using it I could have it on and her loaded in seconds without a second thought.

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