SAHM--What does your day look like?

I'm wondering how others spend their time during their day, particularly how you spend time with and play with the babies. When they are awake and alert, what do you do with them? How do you play? With both at once or one at a time? I'm having a bit of trouble juggling and would love some ideas/advice.

Also, at what age did you establish a sleep/eat/play schedule? And how do you get ANYTHING done during the day?!?

(FYI--my babies are almost 4 months, but were 2 1/2 months premature)

Thanks!!

 

So their adjusted age is roughly 6 weeks. When my guys were that age we didn't have a schedule. I barely counted as human since I was more zombie than anything else. When they were awake and felt like paying attention to me and not just watching the chaos that is my house I would put them on the couch and caress their cheeks or hold their hands and talk to them and tell them how wonderful they were. I would just look from one to the other and they thought that was great. If only one was awake I'd cuddle him and talk to him. Sometimes I would show them a toy or rattle and help them aim their hands so they could touch it. Sometimes we would just sit and look out the window. I had a jungle gym with toys they could look at and kick. We did tummy time a few times a day. I would lay them on their tummies propped up on a Boppy until they got mad.

 

QUOTE(Her Royal Jennyness @ Dec 10 2007, 03:35 PM) [snapback]528144[/snapback]
So their adjusted age is roughly 6 weeks. When my guys were that age we didn't have a schedule. I barely counted as human since I was more zombie than anything else. When they were awake and felt like paying attention to me and not just watching the chaos that is my house I would put them on the couch and caress their cheeks or hold their hands and talk to them and tell them how wonderful they were. I would just look from one to the other and they thought that was great. If only one was awake I'd cuddle him and talk to him. Sometimes I would show them a toy or rattle and help them aim their hands so they could touch it. Sometimes we would just sit and look out the window. I had a jungle gym with toys they could look at and kick. We did tummy time a few times a day. I would lay them on their tummies propped up on a Boppy until they got mad.


How much did they sleep? One of mine sleeps quite a bit, the other is much more awake and alert during the day. They are eating every 4 hours. I just sometimes feel at a loss for things to do with them. And I feel bad leaving them in swings/bouncy seats too much.

 

I put mine on a schedule at 3 months. I am so glad I did, they would nap in the mornings but barely sleep in the afternoon. I used a combination of Babywise and The Baby Whisperer...Eat/Play/Sleep. My girls were on a three hour schedule so it would take about 30-40 minutes to eat and burp leaving an hour of playtime before nap. I would rotate around the baby einstein play mat, tummy time with mirrors, sometimes I would leave them in their chairs and play Disney music (I made a cd of all my favorite songs that I loved so I already knew them and just sang it over and over) the girls soon had favorites and would smile and laugh, I would also read very short books (Dr. Seuss is great) or put on a baby einstein type dvd. Sometimes all you can do is just sit and rock with both of them at that age...the world is still a new and scary place, I guess. Back to the scheduling, it was hard in the beginning but they are so much happier after a week or two...they slept better at nap/night and it gave me time to enjoy them. Good luck!!!



QUOTE(Luluthewondercat @ Dec 10 2007, 03:24 PM) [snapback]528121[/snapback]
I'm wondering how others spend their time during their day, particularly how you spend time with and play with the babies. When they are awake and alert, what do you do with them? How do you play? With both at once or one at a time? I'm having a bit of trouble juggling and would love some ideas/advice.

Also, at what age did you establish a sleep/eat/play schedule? And how do you get ANYTHING done during the day?!?

(FYI--my babies are almost 4 months, but were 2 1/2 months premature)

Thanks!!

 

At 6 weeks adjusted age, they really don't do much! Just give them tummy time while awake, and watch for sleepy signs (HSHHC is a good resource for that) to put them down. Give them cool stuff to look at (especially YOU!), sing and talk to them, take them on walks around the house, do body-motion games like pattycake, help them feel different textures with their hands... It's not a very fun age, but it gets so much better.

As far as schedule, I've been feeding & sleeping on demand from the beginning. IMO it is SOOOO much easier to just give babies what they need when they need it than to try to keep them happy while waiting for the clock to say they "should" get to eat or sleep. As your babies get older, their needs will become much more predictable. Routine is helpful for some, but what routine you pick really depends on your babies. Eat/play/sleep works well for some; play/eat/sleep works well for others; and eat/play/eat/sleep is also an option! We generally do eat/play/sleep, but at 6 wks adjusted age, they pretty much sleep whenever they want, and that's normal. Don't go nuts trying to keep full, comatose babies awake after eating just for the sake of doing what a book says. Just watch your little ones and see what works for them.

 

At 6 weeks...yeah....no sort of schedual....just kind of went with with flow -- most "play" was just talking to, making faces at, holding babies. (for what little time they were awake and happy) -- although around that time they started to get interested in their mobile.

At about 10 weeks - we got a consistant bedtime from which to "build" the rest of our day.

We get up at 7- diaper -- change - watch mobile while I make bottles - we eat -- then they need to be upright for 10 min (they have mild refulx) -- they go in their bouncy seats- and I sit on the floor and talk to them - make funny faces, sing songs (right now christmas caroles) - tickel them, tell them what their "parts" are (this is your nose - your toes ect ) make up funny rymes - tell them about what I have planned for the day. They seem to like that for about 20-30 min - then they start to avoid eyecontact - and we move to "independent play" =- mornings they get set up for a while with their crib kick piano's (which they love) -- and if they get bord of them and arn't yet sleepy - they go in their gym. When they wake up from naps - we usually try to have some tummy time (though they HATE it) -- so I put one on my tummy while I play with the other one next to me - and then switch. -- then repeat!

We follow and eat/play/sleep routien for the most part.

I get (some) things done while they are sleeping -- though at 6 weeks I was excited if I could get a meal - let alone get anything else done!

 

I cant remember that far back!! I know we did alot of rocking and singing, stretching on the floor, tummy time (lots of it), and what I call 'run run run running" with their little legs!! LOL We practiced rolling from side to side, holding heads up. We made an event out of changing their clothes, with lotion and the whole 9 yards, they LOVED baby massage then but hate it now. I would put them in their highchairs reclined all the way back and buckled in and let them watch me in the kitchen or folding clothes.

I can tell you our schedule now too...

We get up around 6-7 to nurse and they go right back down... I on the other had start my coffee get DD #1 ready for school, watch the todayshow and snuggle DD #3 while DD#2 sleeps until 9!! Around 8:30 the babes get up and we get dressed (still making an event out of it with a song and a really quick lotion!!) they eat some table food for breakfast around 9ish (banana or hot cereal or yogurt) Big sisters are both up and eating too. At 9:30 I hop in the shower for about 5 min. flat. I go back and forth on weather this is a good idea or not my DDs are 6 and 4 and are great with the babies and love playing with them and so far so good (BTW I never lock the door or anything). I usually play with the babies on the floor for awhile then do laundry. 10am Babies go down for nap. I fix big sisters' hair and make sure they are dressed appropriately for the day. 11am LUNCH time. Babies get up around 11:30 and sometimes eat sometimes wait until 12:30. 12 noon we load up and take DD #2 to afternoon Kindergarden, go to the post office, get OOHs and AHHs from all the ladies and "grandpas" there LOL! 12:30 we are back home babies eat or play with me and DD #3. 1:30-2 they go back down for a nap hopefully for about 2 hours. Then I get on TS for awhile then clean while DD#3 rests and watches toons. 3pm I give babies fruit snacks, they have to "pinch them" out of my hands in order to get them, we are working on grasping and self feeding. 3:30 kids come home from the bus and they play with the babies for about an hour (they all LOVE this time of day) 5 pm is daddy time while I run last minute errands before dinner. 5:30-6 babies are in their walkers and are watching me and daddy do dinner most nights. 6-7pm we all eat. 7:30 bathes start DD#1, then #2 and #3 together, daddy has babies. Then 8:15 babies in tub and we let them play for quite awile in there, lotion, jammies, nurse and are both asleep by 8:45. In the mean time daddy has tucked big sisters in and I run down and smooch them all.
9 PEACE AND QUIET MOMMY AND DADDY TIME ALONE!!! And it is nonya' business what happens later! LOL Wow I am a busy lady! LOL Thanks for letting me share all this on your thread!

 

We play on the floor some--mostly me talking funny and making faces to get them to smile, I jiggle their legs or arms around too. Sometimes they will sit happily in their bouncy seats and stare at the hanging toys or at the tv. But usually that doesn't last long. If I have to wash bottles or something, I have to put them in their high chairs and talk to them because they get upset if I leave the room for more than a few minutes. They enjoy the vacuum, so that is one chore I manage to do regularly. Other than that, it seems that they are happiest when I'm holding them on my knees, rocking them, or sitting on the floor right beside them. Needless to say, there are some days when nothing gets done at all. They've been especially moody lately, so if I don't want to hear them shriek all day, my only option seems to be to hold them both in the recliner and rock them. (They've started to fight napping during the day and that seems to be the only way to calm them enough to sleep.)

 

QUOTE(Luluthewondercat @ Dec 10 2007, 03:24 PM) [snapback]528121[/snapback]
I'm wondering how others spend their time during their day, particularly how you spend time with and play with the babies. When they are awake and alert, what do you do with them? How do you play? With both at once or one at a time? I'm having a bit of trouble juggling and would love some ideas/advice.

Also, at what age did you establish a sleep/eat/play schedule? And how do you get ANYTHING done during the day?!?
Thanks!!

At that age, I did some tummy time, would put one in a bouncy seat or play gym and hold and sing/read or talk to the other. I also have a little guy who is almost 3 so that makes our day a bit more hectic! I usually rotate the girls through different activities during their wakeful periods. In the morning between waking and first nap, we nurse then have floor time. The girls play with toys while getting diapers changed, and dressed. We stay upstairs in either my bedroom our their playroom.Then, they go down for their nap (and I hope, pray, plead that they will sleep). Upon waking, they eat and then have more play time. We go downstairs then and do exersaucers and do more floor time. Right now I am working on giving them both practice sitting up (one can do it independently), and putting toys out of their reach so they have to problem solve to get to the toys. They rolling, squirm, etc. to get to them! I give them time on the play gym also. I usually play with both of them at once. If one is fussier,she usually gets held,walked or rocked, etc.. They do a lot of tagteaming! One is happy and one is not. They switch regularly.

Sleep/eat/play they sort of established themselves around 3-4 months.
I don't get anything done during the day and have accepted that this is life for now. 30 years from now, I won't look back and think, Darn, I should have cleaned my house more instead I will look back and remember the hours of cherishing and holding my babies!
Good luck!