i know my kids are teething but why won't they play with ANYTHING and just constantly shove their hands, finger and thumbs in their mouths. they won't play with toys, they try and crawl for a bit then let their legs and butt try and crawl but stay still up top and lay down to suck their thumbs/fingers. i put them infront of some really neat toys that if they push buttons things light up and move around but they do it for a second and boom that thumb in in the mouth. they don't want to play they just want to suck...makes it hard to play with them and teach them how to do things with their hands. :/ i sucked my thumb until i was 11....HARD habbit to break!
At that age (mine were born at 35w, too) mine really only "played" with the things hanging down in front of them on their play gyms, they hit at the dangling toys on the bouncy seats and would hold onto rattles or other small toys and pass them back and forth from hand to hand, lasting only for a few mintues. Sucking is self-soothing and it is their way of comforting themselves. Have you tried offering them a pacifier in place of their thumbs since you are hoping not to have thumb-suckers? Remember your boys are really only 4 months 1 week adjusted. They will play with their toys, but probably not until they are a bit older. I really noticed more "playing" when mine were able to sit up independently around 7 months. They are babies, they just don't care too much about playing yet. At that age, mine really loved (and of course, continued to love) being held, cuddled, singing songs, playing games like Peek-A-Boo, Patty Cake, This Little Piggy, etc. Hang in there!
oh they love dangling toys, they grab and pull at them but then rollover all over the place and turn in circles. they don't like peek a boo or patty cake or things like that. they like to have their legs turned up and have you say "weee" and hold them up in the air bouncing them or having them stand up and say "who's a big boy", that's what gets them going...they don't like games that much i've notice, they are too busy with that thumb or smiling. they even try to shove the thumb in their mouth with their bottles while they eat. and we can't use the bouncy seats anymore because they try and rollover onto their bellies on them (even when strapped in) and fall out onto the ground. so it's the floor or the swing.
At that age, I always felt like I should be doing more with them. You know what? You are doing plenty with them! You are going to stress yourself over something that you don't need to worry about. Trust me when I say that there will be tons of toy playing in their future. It happened once my boys could sit more too.
I agree with Megan. Enjoy this baby stage because before you know it they aren't going to want to sit and smile at you, or stay in one place when you put them down. Keep offering toys but don't push them. Do what makes them happy, not what you want them to do to make you happy. If you don't want thumb suckers, offer a pacifier. Some babies have an insatiable need to suck, and there's no way you can "break" that habit at this age, it's genetics. Once they are able to sit up better, and start crawling around, they'll be exploring everything before you know it! You'll be baby gating all the rooms and tripping over toys very soon. Just be happy that they don't trash your living room yet! :lol:
At that age mine, especially DS, only played with their hands. DS was OBSESSED with getting his entire fist in his mouth, sometimes we even caught him sucking both thumbs at the same time! About 6 months they started being more interested in holding rattles, holding toys, really grabbing and playing with things. Give your boys a couple of weeks and you will be wishing they weren't so grabby!!!!
My 2 are so different, my baby girl loves to play with her toys and by that I mean she's the one who grasps and shakes the rattle and bats and grabs at the dangling toys while my boy just sits there or lays there with his little hands folded and likes to look at things haha. It's so funny that they are so different. But hey it shows me at least that the way they play or lack thereof is most likely personality and that's it. They'll play in their own way once they can sit up probably. Oh and even though my girl loves to "play" more she still tries to put all those things that she shakes or grasps into her mouth so it's all the same haha!
I sucked my thumb until I was 12 and it was a hard habit to break! It scares me that my girls have just started to suck their thumbs! I guess there isn't anything I can do about it!
