Not all babies are the same so what is keeping one busy, might be boring another. Having freaked out, at first, at the fact that my beautiful child is Speedy Gonzales I had to find ways to channel her energy and I thought I’d share. It can’t be just me, can it?!
1. Go for a walk. You’ll get some fresh air, while your baby happily looks around. Depending on the level of your tiredness you can either go walking, use the stroller or a carrier.
2. Present something the baby has never seen before. There must be a safe utensil or some bright-colored container somewhere in your kitchen!
3. Take a bath. This unexpected turn of events in the middle of the day is bound to calm a water-loving baby. And its mama as well.
4. My daughter’s favorite is when we create a maze in the middle of our (former) living-room with matresses (they replaced our couch) and cushions and we chase each other around. (Success depends on building a maze so small that you won’t have to make more than 2 steps to ‘chase’ baby around)
5. Use different things to make sounds. Peas in a huge plastic container, spoons in a small shoe box- show baby and trust me, whatever it is, it won’t take long before your baby takes it up. (ear plugs might come in handy)
6. Visit grandma. She never gets enough. Just like the baby.
7. Hire help. Even if you can’t afford a professional full-time sitter, go for someone qualified with the very basics and stick around. You might still have to take care of a soiled diaper, but having someone playing with your kid, or watching its back while it walks around and explores might be very relaxing for a day or two during the week.
8. Create a safe zone and let baby move freely in it. Babies that walk do not want to feel restrained which is fair enough after all the trouble they have gone into to acquire this skill. On the other hand, they can’t be left unsupervized for fear of falling and hurting themselves. An area with a soft carpet, matresses, cushions and toys, where falling is ok is a very good idea and works miracles.
9. If you have pets, now it’s the time to bring them in. (I don’t even want to talk vaccines and stuff like that- it’s our kids we are talking about.)
10. Tie cushions all around baby, put a helmet on its head a tiny automatic parachute at its back and let it go wild. Like a blister in the sun.
It must be comforting that we never had to resort to number 10.
It means all other nine things work.
Good luck!
Chill, grandma! The red parts are cherry juice- Baby is fine!
(Tip: Motherhood is synonymous to patience. Just not in dictionaries!)
