If you practice the "NO TV" for your babies...

I'm finding myself a bit stretched to keep them entertained without TV, nevertheless we want to keep them TV and DVD free as they are overall getting more attention from DH and myself and this can only be a good thing.

However during the day when I'm with them, I find myself running out of things to say or do to keep them busy.

We do have an exersaucer and a bouncy chair as well and they can happily play by themselves for short periods in there - maybe enough to wash some bottles or make a sandwich & cup of tea.... Then its back to chatting or singing with them. They seem to have short attention spans My Mum comes over twice a week and plays with them which they love but she can only handle one baby at a time

Any suggestions? What do you do?

 

Hmm, I don't know where you live, but can you go for walks? That keeps them pretty entertained. You can read to them. Mine don't sit still, but I still do it and they glance over every so often. Music is also good. Put on some music {I put on regular music, not only their baby music} and we have fun dancing. Oh and I do laundry with them, and I clean with them. Okay, I clean and they watch, but they love it. Another thing I did to sorta pass time was set up toys in more then one room, then we would move from room to room. In a different setting they seemed to do better, it was all new and more things to look at. Sorry, I don't have more ideas!!! :sorry:

 

I used to do the moving from room to room with different toys too and I also did the chores with them. I would talk about what I was doing while I did it, I am folding a yellow shirt, blue pants etc etc. It is amazing how exciting the chores can be for them :laughing: !

 

wow! Some great ideas!! I like the moving from room to room, never thought of that!! Thank you! And doing chores with them hahahahaha Reading is good too. Thank you again!

 

[SIZE=12pt]When mine were around that age I did what the PP's suggested too, alot of reading to them, and alot of moving them around.
As soon as it is warmer out (not sure where you are) bring out a blanket and some toys and put them on there. I would even take them out in the yard in their bouncy seats, just to give them a different view!!
Also walks~when my DH was home we would each strap one into a Bjorn and head out, when it was just me I'd use the snap and go.
The exersaucers were good too, also when they were around 6-7 months I bought a couple of those bouncy chairs that you hang in a doorway~they loved those!!
For tummy time I had one of those water filled mats with toys in it and I would place it between them~it was entertaining to all of us!

Just know you can entertain them, enjoy them and delight them better than tv (IMO!) I waited until my boys were 2 to show them anything on the TV (the first thing they saw was an Elmo DVD, and that is still the only thing they watch on occasion)

As they get older you will have more things to do with them, plus between feedings and naps, the days were filled![/SIZE]

 

Mine are a bit older than yours, but I'm dealing wth the same thing. We get on the floor on a blanket and practice rolling, exersaucers, bouncies, swings, read, playmat, bouncies outside in the shade on nice days, go for walks, sing, hang out in the cribs under the mobile, and then bottles and solids take up time too, then they face each other in their highchairs and laugh and babble. I want to buy a jumperoo but since they aren't sitting up yet I don't think they are ready for it.

When are you planning to let them watch some tv/videos? I was thinking of starting them at one year, but I really would like to try to hold out until they are 2.

 

With my son we did the no t.v. for a year thing. I had to get out of the house a lot. I'm just not that creative. We would go to the store and smell laundry detergent, feel fabrics....all that stuff. Probably harder with twins. We would listen to Laurie Berkner CDs in the car so a car ride was more educational than staring at other cars (and he started singing along sometime in his second year). We also joined a playgroup at around 8 months and it has become such a huge source of support for us. Those moms/kids are now are friends and we help each other out like family. Our local community center offered really inexpensive classes for tumbling/movement even for really young ones so we would do those to break up our week. Our outings burn up a whole morning usually, then we can come home for lunch/nap/playtime/supper/bathtime/bedtime. He did like "helping" me clean, too. I bought him his own vacuum in the toy section and to this day (3) he still loves it.

 

I LOVE the idea of having them watch me clean. This will be such a help! thanks. I already move them from room to room, but cleaning will be new for them to watch. Kathleen

 

Wow! More great ideas!! I'll take them to the supermarket!! hahahahahhaa

We plan to do the "No TV" till 2 years old and then moderated programs.

 

we have a little tv time in the morning when mummy is have a shower but thats about it.