Fun things to do with an 8ish mo

[GreenGranolaMama]

8mo DS and I are completely snowed in (this is day number 3!) while DP is away for work... and we are going a little stir crazy! What kinds of fun things are you doing with your similarly aged babe?

[blumooned]

We don't go out much - DS (8.5mo) & I spend a lot of time at home. Here's a few things we do sometimes.
I love to bake/cook - I put DS in his highchair & get started. When I can spare a hand & it is safe, I hold him so he can watch what's happening. He likes watching the stand mixer run (but is scared if I'm not holding him) & likes opening & closing the cabinet doors.
We do laundry - I know, not super exciting, but it takes up time. DS likes coming to the basement with me because it is a new space for him. He really likes the folding part - I sit him down in front of the basket & he gets to pull everything out one at a time.
Turn on a faucet & let him piddle in it - DS loves this. I turn on the water really low & plug the sink. Maybe give him a toy that floats. He gets really wet, so we do it close to when he'd be changing into pajamas anyway.
We put on music, baby themed or regular, and sing/dance.
I give him a toy he hasn't seen in awhile - he will play with it longer than the ones he sees regularly. You could also just give him anything "new" to play with - dishes, bath toys, tubs, baskets, whatever holds his attention.
That's about all I can think of - not too exciting, but it takes up the day!

[GreenGranolaMama]

Thanks for the ideas Mama, we try and adventure out or walk at least every other day, so I am totally not used to being around the house so much! Looks like we are going to be snowed in tomorrow too, so I am totally going to give some of your ideas a go!

[Auraji]

I spend most of my time at home with Sophia. Like the PP said, she loves to watch me cook. I usually sit her in her stroller and put her close to me, give her a wodden spoon and tell her what Im doing. Sometimes I give her a piece of fruit, bread, whatever Im doing that is safe for her to eat. Food is another of her favorite things
I like to take baths with her. Bathtime is her favorite and I find it to be very relaxing and time saving to join her. I call her my little mermaid haha
We go to dss room for playtime. I just lay with her on the floor and let her explore, she will get under his bed, get his toys, play with this sorta mesh buckets. I get different books, one for her to hold, one for me to read. She recently got a picture book and she loves when I show her what the things are.
Music is always good, she will fall asleep in the couch next to me listening to music. I guess it's mostly good for me haha.
I sit with her in our room in front of the mirror. I make silly faces, sounds and she has a blast. She will be entertained even if it's just her.
She likes to play peek-a-boo with the curtain haha, she pulls it, smiles when sees the outside, closes it, repeat. I hold her while she stands on the bed.

[YayJennie]

Inside:
exploring the house. We play with light switches, go to different parts of the house we don't usually play in (attic and basement), play with the pets (we have two cats, one of which really likes my son, and a dog, who also is very good with my son), and opening up cabinets/drawers.

housework. I either put my son on my back in the ergo or carry him around to vacuum, sweep, mop, do laundry, pick up...just about anything. Sometimes when I'm doing a chore he really just likes to sit and watch! Hey, it kills a few minutes and gets stuff done!

dance. My son (who is 9 mo) just recently got into dancing. He will hold himself up on something and bounce when I play upbeat music, and I dance with him! Great work out and lots of fun for both of us. If he doesn't want to dance on his own, I hold him and dance with him.

work out dvds (can you tell I'm still trying to lose the baby weight? ). I have netflix and have found a few good baby and me work out dvds that Wyatt likes. It's worth a shot.

Out of the house:
museums. Even though he's too small to walk around, he really loves seeing all the other kids playing, and we got a membership to the local museum of play for a pretty good price. It's worth looking into.

YMCA. I got financial assistance for the YMCA (I only pay about $10 a month for a full membership!) so we go there a few times a week and I leave him at child watch (which is really great here) so I can work out in the next room. It's such a nice break for me and change of scenery for him. I love it!

I hope those suggestions help a bit!

[GreenGranolaMama]

Originally Posted by YayJennie

YMCA. I got financial assistance for the YMCA (I only pay about $10 a month for a full membership!) so we go there a few times a week and I leave him at child watch (which is really great here) so I can work out in the next room. It's such a nice break for me and change of scenery for him. I love it!

So awesome! I took DS swimming at the Y for the first time last week and had a BLAST! I am going to sign up for financial assistance as DH and I can't really afford a membership, so I hope we get it!

[evening start]

DS is about to turn 8 months (tomorrow) and he is on the move. We kept empty boxes from Christmas and put them up against the couch so he can climb up on the couch and watch the snow falling out the window, then he gets to slide back down to the floor. He also really likes knocking down towers that I build for him. He's too wiggly for me to take a bath with him, but we did get a bath seat for him for Christmas, along with a bunch of bath toys, so he takes a bath while I play with him and make sure he doesn't try and climb the walls. "Music" making is also a big hit. He happily bangs on the toy drum his Grammie got him, but he is also happy with a small container full of beans to shake or pans to bang on. I haven't tried this yet, but I was thinking of getting some snow and putting it on his highchair tray for him to play with. Good luck keeping busy.

[tracymom1]

With DS I remember a lot of banging at this age! Anything that made noise was a hit!

I also did a "textures" board which was a big hit. I took various items (cotton ball, emery board, tin foil, etc...) and attached them to a poster-sized board for him to feel and explore. We also had a bag of "special" toys (which were really just my old things like wooden kitchen spoons or hairbrushes) that I would pull out when things were getting cranky. I decorated the bag with big colorful stars and tried to make it a big deal. We still use this as a distraction on a rainy/snowy/colder than cold day.

[heatherweh]

Good question; I'll be checking back for more answers.

DS is 8 mos old and is very hard to contain and entertain. He is crawling and gets into everything. He doesn't like to be worn and he doesn't like to be in stroller/high chair or any other baby containment devices like swings/bouncies/playpens. He bonks his head daily and its exhausting trying to keep up with him.

[Auraji]

Originally Posted by tracymom1

With DS I remember a lot of banging at this age! Anything that made noise was a hit!

I also did a "textures" board which was a big hit. I took various items (cotton ball, emery board, tin foil, etc...) and attached them to a poster-sized board for him to feel and explore. We also had a bag of "special" toys (which were really just my old things like wooden kitchen spoons or hairbrushes) that I would pull out when things were getting cranky. I decorated the bag with big colorful stars and tried to make it a big deal. We still use this as a distraction on a rainy/snowy/colder than cold day.

These are awesome ideas! Im gonna steal them

I play "touch and feel museum" and I just walk with DD around the house and let her touch whatever catches her attention, so I really love the texture board idea.

I too have a stash of toys, but I dont have them anywhere specific I just take them out when the heavy machinery is needed haha, but the whole super fun bag idea is a great one.