What to DO with a 6 week old

[jenrett]

As much as I try to go about Life As usual with my babe in tow.....we all know its just not the same. I work at home a lot, and i own my own business so I can take ds to work with me too.

I don't know what to do when he is awake. I feel like he's bored with me - I work on the computer a lot when I am home and interact a lot with people at work, so he's not bored then.

Do I need an infant gym? bouncy chair? pack n play with mobile?

i am not looking for a parent replacement tool.....if he fusses/cries I will stop what I am doing and tend to his needs. I always saw those things I listed as parent replacements but I wonder if some of them are good to stimulate him and help with development?

also i wear/carry him as much as possible but at times he seems to get touched out and just wants to be put down...is that normal?

thanks!

[lolar2]

You don't NEED any of those things, of course, but he might enjoy them. DS liked his baby gym and his bouncy chair-with-toybar a lot. If you are able to borrow them to see if your baby likes them, do that before you spend the money, of course.

So am I understanding that you want something to amuse him while you work at home, mainly? If you are actually asking about what to do with him when he is awake and you aren't working, most babies like singing or listening to recorded music, and dancing.

When he wants to be put down, the mat of a baby gym is good for that, or just any clean blanket on the floor as long as it isn't slippery.

ETA: sometimes babies appear bored when they are sleepy, so the first thing to do when he seems bored is to try to get him to sleep; do the other things if that doesn't work.

[Xerxella]

I remember asking my mom after the first few months, "When's he going to DO something?" Aaahhhhh, those were the days...

Anyways, like PP said, you don't need anything, but all those things are fun and babies enjoy all of it to varying degrees. My kids liked the Bumpo alot becuase it was a chair they could sit up in before they could support themselves and they could get a whole new view of the world. Exersaucers, jumpers, bouncy chairs, etc are all just different types of toys. Most "experts" agree that any of these items do NOT help with development. But, used in moderation don't hurt either. Babies IMO do like a change of view alot and any type of new environment can help that.

[jennybear]

I work from home a couple days/week (DD is 6.5 months now) but really only tend to work while she's napping. Occassionally, she's happy playing by herself for a bit, but that's been a recent thing.

So, if your baby is awake, I'd try and interact with him. They learn a ton these first few months--just talking to him a lot, singing, dancing, pointing things out, etc. will really help him engage with his world.

[jennybear]

Oh, and in terms of the baby toys, here's what we have:

Activity mat: DD used from probably 6-ish weeks until 5 months. Really loved this when she was between 2-4.5 months old. Great for learning how to grab at things.

Exersaucer: Got this when she was four months old and she still loves it at 6.5 months. I'll pop her in it when I'm folding laundry or picking up the house. I'll just chat with her while she plays.

Doorway bouncer: She.loves.this.thing and started using it a few weeks ago (they can't really use them until 5-6 months, I think).

She's also always really enjoyed hanging out on the floor with a few toys, so you may want to try that as well.

[Knitting Mama]

He's too little for a lot of things, but at 6 weeks, he's also probably not really ready yet to be grabbing for toys and whatnot. A bouncy seat is a great idea, but honestly, I think my wearing Cecilia and talking to her about what I was doing were the best attention holders I had! I would just babble on about what I was cooking or what I was typing or the scenery around us. She slept a ton still at that age, but her awake times were filled with doing stuff with Mama.

[Norasmomma]

My DD loved a bouncy chair by a window when she was that little.

DS never wanted to be put down and hated any "stuff" made for entertaining.

[jenrett]

Thanks everyone!

[PGTlatte]

Does he seem bored when you are working on the computer ? Our DS1 wanted constant interaction with people and liked to have a lot of things going on around him. He was a baby who did really well at a busy daycare center, because there was always someone to look at and something going on to watch, and once I quit and stayed home with him, he was definitely bored.

Maybe he wants more interaction with you. I wonder if it would help to position things so that when you are working on the computer you can also keep eye contact with him ? Also if there is some sort of toy or thing that can move around the room by itself in a random way (like a Roomba or a cat toy).....as a baby our DS1 would have loved to watch something like that.