Activities for 6 month old?

[NinasMommy]

Hello everyone!

So, please point me in the right direction if there are already good threads with this topic.

My baby just turned 6 months, yay! For the past month or two, I've been starting to wonder - what should I do with her? Since she was born, she's always been very aware and alert and engaged... so lately I think she's been getting a bit bored.

Do you think she's developmentally okay accompanying me through our day or should I be trying to keep her more engaged? If I need to engage her more, what/how should I do it?

We do a lot of chores and run errands together, go for daily walks and almost daily swims. I read to (more like "with") her, play with her, sing to her, try to dance & be silly, and show her musical instruments and just about anything that isn't totally dangerous for her to touch. We talk to strangers and neighbors and friends. We even look out the window and just "be" together. We do a lot of things.

I'm definitely not trying to push her to be a "super baby", but I also don't want her bored and neglected.

I should add that we live in the city in a studio apartment (small space), I'm on a very tight budget, it's bright and hot as hot can be during most of the daylight hours, and we're sometimes also held hostage by lurking mosquitoes and almost daily rains. And, we have a cold .

Thanks for ideas & info! 

[caseykn]

Everything you described seems like it would be enough to keep ME busy! Is she acting in a way that makes you think she's getting bored? The only thing your list may be missing is social time with other babies/kids and their moms- both for her and for you Is there a playgroup you can go to? Both of my kids love being around other babies and watching other kids, especially ones a little older, can be really entertaining for them. It's also a great way to meet other moms. In my area several churches and community centers have indoor play areas for little ones and they only "charge" 50 cents or a dollar and they're open a couple times a week. Libraries often have baby story times, many times hospitals will host playgroups for babies born there or there may be some neighborhood playgroups near you- you could check meetup.com

It does seem like you're a great job providing her with a lot of things to do. Keep what you're doing!

[NinasMommy]

Thanks Casey!

She does act bored sometimes... or maybe it's just general fussiness. She is teething now, and we just caught a cold, so maybe it's just all that.

When I do chores, and she's keeping me company, I try to integrate her into the activity whenever it's possible, but it's not always possible and she gets bored after a while. Makes doing stuff kinda difficult. 

Thanks for the suggestions! We've been to story time, which she loved, and plan on going to mommy/baby yoga as soon as we can, as well as the play groups you suggested. 

She definitely loves to see other kids! It makes her so happy!

[ZakareyasMama]

DS is 6 months now too and I try to keep him entertained the same way. Recently I got him a highchair so he can watch when I'm washing dishes or cooking. Also I agree that watching other kids is SO much fun for him. I babysit sometimes and we are frequently around other babies and kids socially. He usually gets so stimulated after watching them he takes a nice, long nap. I also want to try going to a park and putting him in the baby swing once the summer heat calms down (I know yall have a couple of months before that will happen down there!) 

Teething will likely cause a change in her moods. DS has 3 teeth and when each one broke through he was super-fussy and just wanted to be held my be for a couple of days. 

Hope the cold gets better soon!

[nilatti]

When my son was 6 months (pretty much as soon as he could sit on his own, I started making him treasure baskets like this one: http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/10/treasure-basket.html (that's someone else's blog, not mine). He would just turn the objects over and over in his hands. I could actually do something non-baby-related for 45 minutes! It was good for both of us.

[NinasMommy]

nilatti,

this is a great idea!

i've been inadvertently doing the same thing when i give my baby a big metal collander with assorted stuff inside of it... it really does keep her busy for a while.
 

Originally Posted by nilatti 

When my son was 6 months (pretty much as soon as he could sit on his own, I started making him treasure baskets like this one: http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/10/treasure-basket.html (that's someone else's blog, not mine). He would just turn the objects over and over in his hands. I could actually do something non-baby-related for 45 minutes! It was good for both of us.