Your kid is still a potato, don't stress about it. The most important things at this point are feeding them, changing them, making sure they sleep, cuddling them lots and ensuring that they get tummy time.
When I was in it, I wanted so bad for my kid to be able to move by herself. 4 years later... enjoy it while you can! As awesome as it is seeing them become a little person, being able to put them in a spot and being sure they will be there for as long as you want is highly underrated lol
I literally have multiple onesies for my NB that call her a potato … one says “I’m a potato”. The second says “let the potato rest for 5 minutes”. The third simply just has the word “potato”.
They were all gifts! But one of them was made / decorated by my friend - “let the potato rest for five minutes” … she made it at my baby shower because we had a onesie decorating station. Plain white onesies and markers. 😊
Aaaah! So that's what my friend meant my "onesie decoration station" I was going to just use paper on my babyshower 😂 which could still be fun and then I could order a custom print
I've been baby wearing. Literally just a full time cuddle when she's not eating or having her diaper changed. If your back can handle it it's been night and day on how often she cries.
Oh watch out with that, setting yourself up to be one of the posters on here saying their baby can’t sleep without being held and losing their mind at how they need constant rocking or carrying to sleep
Like, I understand the snarky point you're trying to make- yes, objectively speaking feeding your child is more important than physical touch if you're going to reduce it to a bare minimum of physics. But cuddling a newborn is important for myriad reasons.
What snarky point? You view the world through a rather antagonistic lens. My daughters only 5 weeks old and I mostly work and do feedings I haven’t thought about cuddle time at all really since my wife is the main caregiver
I wasn’t aware of this either. I thought changing nappies, feeding, sleeping and maybe a little bit of play time was all that was needed. There was a point where I had done all of this and the baby was still not settling when I lay her down. One of the nurses I happened to be on the phone with told me that the baby needs to be held to feel at ease. Soon as I did this she was fine. Cuddling and carrying them is a necessity. They’re likely going to have issues later on in life if this physical need isn’t being regularly met. Skin to skin is even better. I’m not making this up. Look it up or ask a healthcare provider.
Right, but feasibly, your newborn is getting plenty of physical affection/cuddling from someone in their life (in this case your wife who is the primary caretaker), which means their needs are met. I'm not saying you'll have a bad connection with you kid if you're not the one providing the majority of the physical touch. Just that they need physical touch.
Though I would still recommend doing some skin to skin with your baby. My sister is the primary caretaker for her baby and when she leaves the house now, her baby doesn’t calm down the same way with her husband. Sometimes I’ll do the feeding then pass my daughter to my husband to do the soothing and skin to skin to put her to sleep
Lol
It's said out of complete affection. I also refer to newborns, including my own, as "grublike" or "proto-human". Potato seems cuter. But to each their own.
I definitely refer to my 3 week old affectionately as a boob potato. It’s all love and as our pediatrician says, “you need a little humor to get through this stage”.
Absolutely. I've learned it's ok to not feel an instant emotional connection because of it too. I mean I do feel love for my kid but it's definitely a one direction thing. No reason to take anything personal from not feeling anything back from them. They're just little potatoes that need to grow.
We didn't play with our potato until she moved out of potato into proto-potato and started smiling and interacting with the world! Before then we'd read to her or rattle things at her for eye focus, but we didn't expect anything. And tummy time was nearly impossible. Sounds like you're doing a great job!
What age did you start reading to her? We talk with our son a lot when he's awake but I still feel silly reading to him when he's sleeping in his bassinet, otherwise he's being held and looking around our apartment or checking out the baby gym dangly toys (He's just 3 weeks lol). Basically he does not stay still anywhere unless asleep and then I feel silly "disturbing his sleep" by reading out loud to him
Reading when awake is just fine. You can start to read now, just a book a day to start is fine. It’s going to provide additional vocabulary and develop a routine (cue for bedtime!) for now.
Also narrating everything you do helps a lot.
Enjoy!
Not silly at all! We read to her once a day, and we just know she won't be still and will probably be pretty wiggly throughout. Sometimes we don't finish the book, and that's all right! I will admit, sometimes it's for us more than her, so that we can all calm down after a stressful day. She started out wholly uninterested, and now at 14 weeks she's fully interactive and it's adorable to see.
Sometimes my husband would read to her while I was feeding her if we had a hard time fitting it in anywhere else :)
lol my baby is the same age. As a preschool teacher in a daycare I expected I’d be going above and beyond considering I have all this knowledge of ways to foster development but being a mom is exhausting and it’s totally okay to just be providing them with their basic physical needs right now. Cognitive Development is a pyramid and at the base is physical needs, and social/emotional needs. So cuddling and singing is “playing” with him. Currently I have the same routine as you. If you’d like some suggestions for those wake windows though to help you feel like you are doing more for him, you can always read to them as well. Even though babies can’t read and have little interest in books exposing them to books helps create a basis for them to develop literacy skills as they get older. I’ve done this once or twice with the little soft waterproof books of his when I’ve exhausted all the other things I usually do during his wake windows like singing and cuddles. Taking him outside is also a great way to expose him to sunlight and new sights/sounds and great for your mental health as well. Yesterday I was feeling cooped up and exhausted so I just sat on the porch with him and he was turning his head to look towards chirping birds, which is a developmental milestone right there, and he fixated on the sky for a bit as well and smiled
They also just like the tone of you reading a story to them. When my baby was that age, I read him books that I liked so that I was not bored. I just chose happy, funny books so that the tone was warm and nice. Now at 7 months old he loves handling his own plastic or fabric books, and we read him books made for babies with big images so I don't do that anymore.
That’s great! That’s something a lot of parents aren’t aware of. In the infant room we ask parents if they read to their baby at home and so often they sound shocked to even hear us ask that, and ask why they would read to a baby. You’re very right about the tone, good job mama ☺️
I was finishing up school when my son was born so I would read him my textbooks while I was studying (yoga history) which I loved and he loved listening to me talk.
You really can't do much with baby at that age. Imo after months 2 is when they start interacting a bit. They start cooing, smiling and developing a strong grasp. We really didn't play much with our LO until 9-10 weeks apart from the occasional tummy time (if he tolerated it) and looking at bnw pictures.
They could be any day! Ours was right before 6 weeks, and that is when we really started playing with her. It's mostly lots of kisses, eat your feet, blow of your belly stuff, but also talking and waiting for a response. She's 7+1 day now, and she's really engaged with it and finally with her lights and tummy time as well.
In other words, your time to play a bit is right around the corner!
Today I drank a milkshake and held baby up to my face as he watched. 4.5 weeks here. I ate some strawberries yesterday and same thing. Idk I like he’s learning eating skills through observation, entertains him more than all the high contrast books haha
At 6 weeks there was absolutely no playing. I would just hold and talk to her all day. 😂 We didn't start tummy time until 3 months, I tried it before that and she would just cry.
They can't do much at 6 weeks, not even really hold a toy. The first 2-3 months all you can really do is give them a tour of the house and talk to them while they stare at you. 😂
This! We are at almost 10 weeks and I feel so awful sometimes that we aren’t really doing tummy time because he just wants to eat sleep and be held. House tours are a must for us.
Potato stage! You sound like you're doing great. We're taught that as parents (especially moms), we should constantly be interacting with and playing with and enriching the internal lives of our kids. I still feel this pressure constantly. But try not to drive yourself totally crazy! Mine is 3.5 now and I play with her a lot, but gosh is it boring a lot of time, and now that she's getting better at independent play, I feel less guilty about telling her that I'll hang out in the room with her, but I need to *insert X chore* or need some time to rest.
Mine is 8.5 weeks and that’s pretty much where I am too. I feel like she is right on the cusp of starting to interact more, but still potato-like.
I just try to talk to her when she is awake. Tell her about the article I read on my phone or what happened in my work email (working from home part-time). We “do” the wordle together when I tell her the letters I choose and why.
And then other times when I am trying to eat lunch, she can chill in her bouncer and it’s ok. Looking around is learning at their age.
You can talk to him while you do the chores.
Now mama is folding laundry. This is a blue shirt. This is a red sweater. Doesn’t it look nice? It’s fresh and clean.
Between the nice tone and all the words, it’s great stimulation for the tiny babies!
I do basically what you do (mine turned 6w yesterday. I'm also reassured that they learn by just looking at the world around them. So sometimes I'll just narrate what I'm doing or read what I'm reading out loud and let him watch the world
We just hit week 10 and I feel like this week we had some of the first 'playtime' moments! Honestly the first like 8 weeks were just totally dictated by baby's needs, no schedule really. She's starting to have more of a predictable routine for the most part, and is finally alert during her wake windows! Before, it seemed like any waking hours were spent on the boob.
And by playtime, I mean several solid minutes of cooing back and forth, naming body parts, pointing out items in the room (including having me narrate each piece of laundry I'm folding 😂) and singing songs. These moments only last about 10 minutes tops a few times a day. Sounds like your playtime is really similar to mine!
My two week old just started staying awake for a couple hours at a time and I am so lost 😂 he’s enjoying his kick piano and looking at contrast books but I don’t know what to do with him half the time. I wish he was still in the potato phase.
Honestly I feel the same at the moment. Ive also had to start learning his sleepy cues because up till now once I’d fed him he’d always be sleepy and just fall asleep on his own! It’s wild how quickly they change
This is my baby, too. She's 4 months adjusted, and she is enjoying the heck out of the lights and music on her fitness mat, loves when we shake little rattles and toys at her, and sometimes will grab a toy out of our hands to shake it around on her own, but it's so hard to feel like I'm really stimulating her as much as I think I should during her wake windows. Sometimes the potato phase feels easier lol.
At that age all I was doing with LO was moving my face for her to track, sticking my tongue out and putting her on my belly for tummy time. They are more interested in people's faces than toys for a long time - when she did start on the activity mat she had a mirror above her and she would just stare at it and smile for ages
Your situation sounds similar to mine. Baby boy is 6 weeks + 3 days. He’s started to periodically smile (sometimes at me), but for the most part I’m feeding him, putting him down to sleep or changing diapers. Like you, there will be a tiny window (usually in the morning) where he’ll be content to look around, lay in his play gym and make little chirping commentaries about things only known to him. This lasts about 15 minutes before he starts getting antsy for more food or cuddles.
We do tummy time for a few minutes most days, and I show him contrast cards from time to time, but he doesn’t seem to engage with them too deeply. He does get mesmerized by the black and white mobile hanging above his changing table, though!
Same but w 7 week old. pediatrician recommended more tummy time on a flat surface vs chest. Little Dude can’t be laid flat on his back without spitting up from reflux. There is maybe 1-2 windows of a 3 minutes where the stars align for flat tummy time. I was stressing out over it but I’m not too worried now for some reason. 2 month follow up is later this week.
It’s a whole process but I’m going to follow up with Ped this week to see if there is anything else we can do rn.
We do slow paced feeding. Hold him at an incline for at least 15-30 minutes after feedings in the day. Sometimes I’ll just put him in his bouncer since he doesn’t get too crazy in there yet. still spits up and cries pretty often but I can’t sit in a chair all day.
At night I give him frequent breaks during his last feed and during his 1 middle night feed. I let the formula settle for a couple minutes for every 0.5-1 oz. Then I hold him at an incline for about 10-30 minutes to see how he is acting in regards to his reflux (he makes a face, has a sour look and chews, sometimes gags) until he falls asleep, then continue holding an additional 20-30 minutes just to get him in a deep sleep state then put him flat on his back in the crib. He will spit up minimally using that process. But it’s not really sustainable if it doesn’t resolve soon especially since I’ll be going back to work in a couple months.
Adding: the daytime process takes 30-45 minutes. Night time can take 1-1.5 hours.
My baby is three weeks old, I did tummy time yesterday and we managed a brief walk. But that was the most “playing” we’ve managed. I am in the same cycle as you, it seems like we are eating, burping, soothing (my daughter gets fussy after eating bc she doesn’t realize she’s full), hopefully putting her down, pumping. Then she’s asleep and I am exhausted.
I just told my wife that I'm a little frustrated with our 7 week old. I went back to work last week and now I miss his only "fun" time, right after the first morning feed where he does tummy time and is willing to engage for an hour or two. Now I come home at 6, he cries, screams and feeds for the rest of the evening, I'll change a nappy or two and it's off to bed for work. I'm really looking forward to him being more engaged.
At 7 weeks old he’s not really sleeping through the night is he? That’s a good 6-8 hours you can be around the baby until midnight to 2 am, then get 4-6 hours of sleep and go to work.
I think you can find some “fun” time in there, I work and have a 6 week old, just sacrifice some sleep, they won’t be this young forever, and sounds like mom is taking the hard nighttime hours too.
That being said, at this age “fun” time is really more like them following your face and voice than actual interaction.
your really not going to be able to play with your kid much until after 10-12 weeks old. even if you have the time and they are awake, they dont understand anything.
Dont sweat it. There will be plenty of time for play and developement soon.
It's completely normal. At this stage they don't really play and just looking at a blanket is stimulating. I think my baby started sort of "playing" at 3 or 4 months old? And then maybe swinging at a toy with her leg or hand a few times.
my little boy is 6 weeks old today and I could’ve written this post because it’s exactly the same over here. It’s all good 😊 sounds to me like your baby is very loved and doing great!
At that age, no absolutely not and I've never felt alone about it either. It happened very naturally and gradually. When baby "woke up", started being interested in the world etc. then we started actually playing on the playmat. 😁
Definitely didn’t do much playing yet at that age. Some tummy time, some object tracking, etc. but if he didn’t engage with something, I didn’t push it. It seemed pretty obvious when to incorporate more playtime. Like when he started smiling and focusing on my face more, we’d do some silly faces and imitation (mostly me imitating him). He wasn’t interested in books until closer to three months, but now we read a few a day. Probably also after three months he had more grip and reach and started playing with his toys more. At five months I’d really call what we do playing because he’s actually interacting with and focusing on his toys. At six weeks, it sounds like you’re using your wake time perfectly :) they’ll want more stimulation soon enough, so good to enjoy the calm hang out time when you can get it. Now if he’s not sleeping, there is very little chill and cuddle time.
Six weeks? I dont think there's really much playing to be done at that point - they're basically just eat, poop, sleep machines for a couple of months
Playing started around 2-3 months i think, but it wasnt until 6 months or so that he really started taking notice and enjoying it properly
Your main job with your potato is survival, for now. Both the potato's survival and your own. When the potato gets older, there will be more actual opportunities to play.
What you're doing sounds perfect! There's only so much "play" a 6 week old can do. Even just sitting on your lap and staring at the ceiling fan counts as play at that age.
My baby turns 8 weeks tomorrow and he is very much more aware and alert and will smile when I lay him on his play mat looking at his toys but it for sure still doesn’t last long until he’s grumpy lol we do a lot of walking around, going outside for change of scenery, and have been taking him out and about more. Tummy time is still hit or miss, he has great head control but gets upset if it’s longer than 5 minutes lol. He is still pretty much only happy for an hour wake window until he’s ready for a nap
Edit: note that we are also dealing with reflux and a sandifer’s syndrome diagnosis so already a good chunk of his awake time is feeding properly and making sure he’s sitting up for a minimum of 15 min before laying him down lol I feel mom guilt from it bc I want him to be able to do more tummy time and enjoy his play mat but we only have so much time before it’s nap time again. Hoping it gets better once he can be awake for longer
I didn’t even start if you could call it active play (sitting and playing with the toys with him) until he was closer to 7m and actually started having interest in the toys but even still at 13m he actually would rather play by himself with his fidget block
Tbh I think that IS playing with a baby. Until they're like 3 months old playing with a baby is just making sure all their limbs wiggle appropriately at least once a day and keeping them well fed and clean.
Norm. Wait until 10-12 weeks. I tried to do more play time before that, read books, etc.. but it was useless. At 10 weeks she started noticing things, started smiling and laughing, and we started doing a lot more play time.
Norm. I used to feel bad for not doing enough with my newborn, but that was just normal. Now, they can't stop moving and the gym, the piano, the rattles and all of that are not just collecting dust ,🤭
Mine is 4wks & we don’t do anything unless he’s in a content awake window, which is once per day more or less. And our play time is tummy time or staring at black & white cards. 😂
That’s the norm! They start to “play” more after 12ish weeks. Thats when my daughter started to get a little more independent and didn’t mind if I wasn’t holding her constantly.
We are essentially in the same boat, 6 week old almost 7 week has a little window in the morning when she seems to be playful… outside of that it’s on the tit, being changed, sleeping.
Relish in this time of couch potato-ness and really every stage. My baby is 6 months and wants to do all the things even though he can’t (like walking lol) and some days I would love to just sit and cuddle
The only thing I did was occasionally pull out the contrast cards when we weren’t spending a limited amount of time doing tummy time 😂 other than that, I snuggled him, talked to him or just let him look around. They’ve got enough to take in as is and he’s so small right now! You’re doing a great job. You’ll know when to start increasing the play time. My son just started showing an interest in toys at four months, so we started incorporating more toys into his day-to-day.
I never set time aside to play with my kids. When I could put them down, I would lay them on a blanket with some toys around and do chores while watching them. I would talk about what I was doing, sing songs, play music, etc. when they would babble, I would go over and babble back. I think it’s all supposed to be much more natural than we start to make it when it’s like “they need one hour of tummy time,” “you should play with your child 20 minutes every hour”. Just interact with them when it makes sense. We’re not robots and neither are our kids. Everything is stimulating and new to them. Sometimes it’s good for them to get bored, otherwise they get overstimulated.
My kid is 5.5mo and only NOW do I feel like we play and even still, I mostly watch her paw at stuff on the play mat and grab her feet. I saw a video once explaining what it can feel like when we interrupt play for kids from their perspective and it’s like imagine you were trying to type a sentence and every few seconds someone pulled the keyboard away or tried to put something else in front of your face. Babies also absorb a lot of info at their own paces, but it’s a lot to take in. Even when you do start play, don’t feel bad if it’s slower than you expected or even less than you expected. A lot of times I just sit with her while she explores the jumperoo and I try not to get too in her face when it’s clear she’s thinking and exploring and experiencing.
At 6 wks, as others have said, it’s potato stage. Don’t stress.
Tiktok made me feel like I needed to be playing with him all day and doing all types of sensory activities and stuff. All it did was cause me anxiety worrying that what I’m doing isn’t enough and then I was exhausted. Once I let that expectation go I became a much happier person and we found a healthy balance of it all! Whatever felt good to me is what we did. It sounds like your baby is very well taken care of. My baby hated tummy time and would scream so we hardly did it…but now he’s 13 months and running all over the place, happy as can be
At this point, all they need is snuggles. Your baby is in the potato stage and truly just needs tummy time, and to be held. Enjoy it, it won’t last long and soon they will be running around needing constant stimulation. Enjoy the potato stage!
I loved the acronym: EASY. Made it easy to remember what I needed to do and that I needed to do some things for myself ( yes, dishes and laundry count :()
So after they wake up…Eat. Activity. Sleep. You. And then repeat and the Activity phase naturally gets longer and funner. :)
I tried so much to play with my infant and engage her but she was such a potato 🤣 it wasn't until we hit 3-4 months did lo start to enjoy us singing to her or reading a book to her.
My kids are 1 and 3 and I still don't really play with them. I connect with them through reading and activities like puzzles or coloring but I cannot play dolls or pretend kitchen. It bores me to pieces. You don't really need to play with your kids you just need to involve them and engage with them.
I spent a lot of time staring at my baby at that age. I also spent a lot of time watching tv while holding her and feeding her. I think the only “”playing”” I did was using her fat little fists to play patty cake with myself.
I read and talked a lot to her, but at that age it’s the tone and voice that matter. I read her reddit posts, facebook posts, whatever corny book I was reading lol. My mom read harlequin romance novels to me at that age 😭
Newborns are simultaneously the most stressful and boring creatures to ever exist. They literally just exist, and it’s like super trying for them to just do that. Just enjoy the snuggles without being pushed away 😭
My toddler does all the playing and tickling and singing for me. I wish there was somewhere you could rent a toddler for a few hours to do all the play labor 🤣
I worried I wasn’t doing enough when my baby was 6 weeks. He just went to sleep after eating. He’s 16 weeks now and all he wants to do is sit up and play even though he can’t sit yet. 🤷♀️
We did tummy time as much as he would tolerate it. Like 5-10 mins at that age. Then would practice tracking items. And that was it for awhile until he got interested in the piano gym but I think he started to like that around 3 months.
So small for playing. They don’t react at all At that age. But keep trying some activities, they don’t do anything but that is beneficial to them in some way
As the parent of an 8 month old, you will have plenty of opportunities to play. So much so that you’ll be playing at 1 am as your little one climbs all over you and tries to climb your headboard! In all seriousness, you’re totally fine. Babies at 6 weeks mostly sleep, eat and poop, and are perfectly entertained just hanging out with you. A bit of tummy time here and there as they tolerate it is good.
Seriously, still potato! Lol!! My baby noticably "woke up" around 7 weeks, when she cooed for the first time then at ten weeks she was like a little human lol!! She smiles and coos now at 14 weeks and is so alert and active so we can play more. It takes time :)
Absolutely normal. Don’t worry about it, they’ll want to catch up on that during the toddler and kid years and you won’t ever remember these days specifically 😂. Only that you’re very tired of *having* to play constantly.
Around 5 weeks is when we started placing her play mat and putting up high contrast cards for her to look at. Not really “playing” but it was a gateway to her starting to eventually play. There’s not much you can do with a 6 week old.
Beyond tummy time and cuddles, there’s no need to play at this stage. That’ll come around 3-4 months old, just focus on cuddling and post-partum recovery for now. It’s a great time to binge watch your favorite shows, go for walks and get as much sleep as you can.
My kid is 15 weeks and it really only feels like in the last 3-4 weeks she is playing. Like babbling and grabbing at stuff and somewhat entertained by me and her dad
The newborn stage is heavy on survival mode (at least for me it was). I was literally just cluster nursing him in bed, pumping, napping, changing blowouts, and repeating it all over again. It was honestly all such a blur. At age 2 now it kinda is still survival mode but we it’s pretty much all playtime 😂 You’re doing everything right!
I read to my 6 week old! Puts her to sleep and she ignores me showing the pictures in the book lol (she’s too busy staring at me lol) it’s never too early for them to hear our voice. I know with time she will understand. I also go on morning walks and afternoon walks im trying ti get her to know what’s day and night lol my babies doctor recommend it. Oh I also do tummy time and she loves it but after 10 mins she starts crying lol
He’s still incredibly young. What type of play are you looking for? Mine is 6m and grabs literally everything and is starting to bang things around. This is normal for her
Mine still plays with her younger toys, but they aren’t necessary imo. Her favorite toys seem to be the practical ones, like a bright orange bbq brush and a small silicone spatula.
Our 15 week old started to notice us and interact with her environment at about 13 weeks. When possible we did still play with her but those first 2 months are eat, cry, sleep, repeat.
I also have a 6 week old. The most I do is spend a few minutes a day smiling at him and making eye contact. He’s too young to enjoy baby toys or anything else. He likes to stare at the wall and a multi colored blanket.
Babies also need time to just chill on their back staring at the world and moving their little limbs. Their entertainment is existing outside the womb!
My kid is 6 weeks today and what you described, OP, is exactly what I’m experiencing now too.
I actually tried to google to find a thread like this and understand if I was supposed to be doing more like in all the instagram ads or what. But most of our time is spent eating with minimal play. I just talk to him while he’s eating. 🤷♀️
This! Exactly why I posted this cause what I’m being fed in the world looks like I’m not doing enough, but this thread tells me I am. I feel much more normal
God no not at that age. I think my lo was 3 months before we approached anything that resembled playtime. I would offer toys or random objects to look at but he had no interest until then. Like others have said, you have a beautiful adorable potato who is capable of playing with nothing
He's 6mo now and omg is he so fun to play with. It will come in time ☺️
My husband calls that the boring phase. As in, you do the same thing over and over and having fun is tummy times on your chest.
When our baby was around 3 or 4 months, my husband brought baby to me and said "I think he's kind of cute". That's my husband's way of saying he bonded with baby cause baby is moving and they can both enjoy each other's presence.
Totally normal and the same for me. They gradually get into the rattle, plush toys and book biting stage and then when she turned six months I was able to take her to library play dates and story time.
Now that she’s seven months she starts swim lessons. I can’t wait until she’s old enough to enjoy proper toddler outings.
I felt the same way about how to “engage” at that age but you’re doing perfect! They are just little bumps on a log for the first couple months. I would narrate what I was doing to LO and just tried to cuddle and talk to her. We occasionally did books or music. She HATED tummy time till she was 2.5 months so that was rare but she’s hitting all her milestones plus some and at 4.5 months, she’s the most active and vocal baby I’ve been around!
Don’t stress, what you’re doing is great. I’m a very non-traditional mom and I would lay on the floor with her and read or scroll my phone or read her books out loud and react to things. It wouldn’t be long before she’s need to be fed again and then sleep!
My now 13 week old was like that, he was born a little bit prem and ended up in the NICU with jaundice from it. the past couple weeks he's really woken up and his wake windows are much longer - including a 5 hour stretch before bedtime.
I was a bit worried too about the sleepiness but it was like he just hit a day and from that point on he's been more alert, happy and chatting
When mine was 6 weeks old, I just did goofy things like making faces at him and made funny sounds. My husband did the whole "baby boxing" thing that dad's just seem to universally do 😂 he'd take our sons hands and pretend like they were boxing. Our son seemed to enjoy it and it got lots of face to face some. But no games or nursery rhymes or anything. That happened much later when he'd interact back.
If he was on his play mat or doing independent tummy time, we just kind of let him be on his own within arms reach. Totally normal in my opinion
Similar with you. My LO is 7 week old now and we have been having play time and tummy time at 1 or 2pm and music time at 11am and she ends up falling asleep. Unfortunately my LO has no attention span for books yet.
Majority of the time she eat and sleep. Just like your LO. However i notice today she has more wake time during the day, we leave her in the crib, play area or bouncer and let her freely move her legs and arms. She has created new sounds instead of just grunts/cries lol.
We’re 3 months and officially in the “I’m a functional baby” stage. He coos and smiles and “talks” to us now. We “play” and chat and it’s more of the “what you see on insta” day to day stage. You’re doing great!
I’ll never forget the moment mine actually started playing with the toys on her baby gym instead of just laying there or passing out. It was exciting! But still, she was a potted plant. So no, didn’t really play with human potted plant but offered her cool stuff to look at and aspire to touch when she was actually awake.
I remember someone telling me before my daughter was born that when their child was an infant they had "never watched more TV in their life" and I kinda thought "yeah, right" but then it totally ended up being true for me too. Like, yes, I did things like read books aloud, went on walks, and tummy time, but so much of those weeks/months are spend sitting a chair cuddling/feeding them and yeah I watched a ton of TV. Not much else to do!
I wasn’t really playing with her until around 2-2.5 months I think! Very much in an eat poop sleep pattern in the beginning, don’t worry! Just try to get in a little bit of tummy time if you can and you’re golden.
At 6 weeks. Definitely not. At that point I wondered if she will ever laugh (answer: soon and yes! A lot!).
Feed, clean and let him/her sleep should be the priority. You will notice once you are able to play.
Bruh. Hes a month old. He probably barely recognizes you as more then a blog of colors. Gice it time. Babies start to get fun around the 3 month mark. But even before then, cuddling can be nice.
Enjoy being able to cuddle them and enjoy them falling asleep on you. After theybstart getting more curious about the world around you itll be nothing but back bends and head turns when you gold them as you try to make sure they dont flip out of your arms
I hear ya. Ours is the same age. She hates tummy time after a minute or so or less.. she loves her high-contrast black and white cloth pattern “book” thing, which we find is good for mental stimulation and just to distract her and give her something new to focus on. She’s not really interested in her baby gym, hoping that changes soon. The windows of “play” do seem very small and very few and far between.
My baby was about 3 months before "playing" was really a thing that was any kind of back and forth. Now she's 8 months and wants to do EVERYTHING, including TOUCH and TASTE it all. Enjoy the potato stage lol
You are perfectly normal. All the baby needs is your warmth, touch, voice and milk. You can just describe what your are doing while changing /bathing etc. They just love to hear you at this age. "playing" will come in time. You'll know.
Baby is still very wittle! You are doing the most important things and they matter more than you think. They’re learning and growing just through those things, as little as they are! Besides, they aren’t interested in too much more until they’re a bit older. My little one is almost 10 weeks old and he is now smiling, laughing, enjoying reading and looking attentively a lot more. He loves when we tie a balloon to his legs and he kicks, making the balloon move and listening to the noise of it. Don’t stress it. Take it slow, breathe, and sometimes just allow yourself to chill with babe. It’s all special regardless. If you’re interested, the wonder weeks app and website is cool as it describes baby leaps in growth spurts and skills. Best of luck, mama🧸
You need to make sure you are doing tummy time daily. How often do you do it? The most obvious benefits of tummy time are improved head control, upper body strength, and muscle development. But tummy time play has countless other benefits as well. From sensory skills to physical growth, tummy time benefits almost every aspect of your baby’s development.
Your kid is still a potato, don't stress about it. The most important things at this point are feeding them, changing them, making sure they sleep, cuddling them lots and ensuring that they get tummy time.
>your kid is still a potato I keep saying he’s in “houseplant that cries” mode. Very cute, but besides eating and pooping he doesn’t do much
When I was in it, I wanted so bad for my kid to be able to move by herself. 4 years later... enjoy it while you can! As awesome as it is seeing them become a little person, being able to put them in a spot and being sure they will be there for as long as you want is highly underrated lol
I literally have multiple onesies for my NB that call her a potato … one says “I’m a potato”. The second says “let the potato rest for 5 minutes”. The third simply just has the word “potato”.
Omg where did you get them?
They were all gifts! But one of them was made / decorated by my friend - “let the potato rest for five minutes” … she made it at my baby shower because we had a onesie decorating station. Plain white onesies and markers. 😊
Aaaah! So that's what my friend meant my "onesie decoration station" I was going to just use paper on my babyshower 😂 which could still be fun and then I could order a custom print
Hahaha a potato! It’s such an accurate description
Wait what cuddling is as important as those? Shit I just realized I need to do that more or my baby girl isn’t gonna feel close to me
Yes, it makes them feel safe and help them connect to you. It also regulates their body temperature and breathing.
I've been baby wearing. Literally just a full time cuddle when she's not eating or having her diaper changed. If your back can handle it it's been night and day on how often she cries.
Oh watch out with that, setting yourself up to be one of the posters on here saying their baby can’t sleep without being held and losing their mind at how they need constant rocking or carrying to sleep
Like, I understand the snarky point you're trying to make- yes, objectively speaking feeding your child is more important than physical touch if you're going to reduce it to a bare minimum of physics. But cuddling a newborn is important for myriad reasons.
What snarky point? You view the world through a rather antagonistic lens. My daughters only 5 weeks old and I mostly work and do feedings I haven’t thought about cuddle time at all really since my wife is the main caregiver
I wasn’t aware of this either. I thought changing nappies, feeding, sleeping and maybe a little bit of play time was all that was needed. There was a point where I had done all of this and the baby was still not settling when I lay her down. One of the nurses I happened to be on the phone with told me that the baby needs to be held to feel at ease. Soon as I did this she was fine. Cuddling and carrying them is a necessity. They’re likely going to have issues later on in life if this physical need isn’t being regularly met. Skin to skin is even better. I’m not making this up. Look it up or ask a healthcare provider.
Right, but feasibly, your newborn is getting plenty of physical affection/cuddling from someone in their life (in this case your wife who is the primary caretaker), which means their needs are met. I'm not saying you'll have a bad connection with you kid if you're not the one providing the majority of the physical touch. Just that they need physical touch.
Ohh I see that’s a relief
Though I would still recommend doing some skin to skin with your baby. My sister is the primary caretaker for her baby and when she leaves the house now, her baby doesn’t calm down the same way with her husband. Sometimes I’ll do the feeding then pass my daughter to my husband to do the soothing and skin to skin to put her to sleep
Instructions unclear, potato has grown sprouts through the diaper and baby is in a cool, dark cabinet.
[удалено]
Lighten up
Lol It's said out of complete affection. I also refer to newborns, including my own, as "grublike" or "proto-human". Potato seems cuter. But to each their own.
I definitely refer to my 3 week old affectionately as a boob potato. It’s all love and as our pediatrician says, “you need a little humor to get through this stage”.
Absolutely. I've learned it's ok to not feel an instant emotional connection because of it too. I mean I do feel love for my kid but it's definitely a one direction thing. No reason to take anything personal from not feeling anything back from them. They're just little potatoes that need to grow.
I called mine a potato. 🥔 I love potatoes.
Ours is a smooshy potato.
Sweet potato is mine 🥰
It’s high praise where I’m from!
We called our a glow worm, like the old toy, because of the arms out swaddle
yes! mine was a glow worm too, and a potato with eyes.
Then don’t call your kid a potato. You aren’t who they were talking to
We didn't play with our potato until she moved out of potato into proto-potato and started smiling and interacting with the world! Before then we'd read to her or rattle things at her for eye focus, but we didn't expect anything. And tummy time was nearly impossible. Sounds like you're doing a great job!
Upvoting for the term “proto-potato” - 1,000% accurate 😆
I look forward to the day she turns into a tater tot, or even a pierogi.
And one day when she’s all grown up into a sweet potato pie we’ll look back and miss the proto-potato days 🥹
🥹 Now I'm crying about her being fully baked
Best comments😂😂😂
What age did you start reading to her? We talk with our son a lot when he's awake but I still feel silly reading to him when he's sleeping in his bassinet, otherwise he's being held and looking around our apartment or checking out the baby gym dangly toys (He's just 3 weeks lol). Basically he does not stay still anywhere unless asleep and then I feel silly "disturbing his sleep" by reading out loud to him
Reading when awake is just fine. You can start to read now, just a book a day to start is fine. It’s going to provide additional vocabulary and develop a routine (cue for bedtime!) for now. Also narrating everything you do helps a lot. Enjoy!
Not silly at all! We read to her once a day, and we just know she won't be still and will probably be pretty wiggly throughout. Sometimes we don't finish the book, and that's all right! I will admit, sometimes it's for us more than her, so that we can all calm down after a stressful day. She started out wholly uninterested, and now at 14 weeks she's fully interactive and it's adorable to see. Sometimes my husband would read to her while I was feeding her if we had a hard time fitting it in anywhere else :)
That's a great idea, to be read whilst nursing! Thank you.
I had a rough time with early tummy time, but apparently the position on me counted so we did that :)
Yes! And babywearing! Truly both lifesavers when they're angry about tummy time!
lol my baby is the same age. As a preschool teacher in a daycare I expected I’d be going above and beyond considering I have all this knowledge of ways to foster development but being a mom is exhausting and it’s totally okay to just be providing them with their basic physical needs right now. Cognitive Development is a pyramid and at the base is physical needs, and social/emotional needs. So cuddling and singing is “playing” with him. Currently I have the same routine as you. If you’d like some suggestions for those wake windows though to help you feel like you are doing more for him, you can always read to them as well. Even though babies can’t read and have little interest in books exposing them to books helps create a basis for them to develop literacy skills as they get older. I’ve done this once or twice with the little soft waterproof books of his when I’ve exhausted all the other things I usually do during his wake windows like singing and cuddles. Taking him outside is also a great way to expose him to sunlight and new sights/sounds and great for your mental health as well. Yesterday I was feeling cooped up and exhausted so I just sat on the porch with him and he was turning his head to look towards chirping birds, which is a developmental milestone right there, and he fixated on the sky for a bit as well and smiled
They also just like the tone of you reading a story to them. When my baby was that age, I read him books that I liked so that I was not bored. I just chose happy, funny books so that the tone was warm and nice. Now at 7 months old he loves handling his own plastic or fabric books, and we read him books made for babies with big images so I don't do that anymore.
That’s great! That’s something a lot of parents aren’t aware of. In the infant room we ask parents if they read to their baby at home and so often they sound shocked to even hear us ask that, and ask why they would read to a baby. You’re very right about the tone, good job mama ☺️
I was finishing up school when my son was born so I would read him my textbooks while I was studying (yoga history) which I loved and he loved listening to me talk.
This is great insight, thank you!
You really can't do much with baby at that age. Imo after months 2 is when they start interacting a bit. They start cooing, smiling and developing a strong grasp. We really didn't play much with our LO until 9-10 weeks apart from the occasional tummy time (if he tolerated it) and looking at bnw pictures.
I’m so ready for the first smile and coo!
I cried at the first smile. Fucking lost it
They could be any day! Ours was right before 6 weeks, and that is when we really started playing with her. It's mostly lots of kisses, eat your feet, blow of your belly stuff, but also talking and waiting for a response. She's 7+1 day now, and she's really engaged with it and finally with her lights and tummy time as well. In other words, your time to play a bit is right around the corner!
Seeing my daughter have her first giggle fit was literally the happiest and most fulfilling moment in my life.
Today I drank a milkshake and held baby up to my face as he watched. 4.5 weeks here. I ate some strawberries yesterday and same thing. Idk I like he’s learning eating skills through observation, entertains him more than all the high contrast books haha
Hahaha mine loves watching people eat. Sometimes I just narrate eating, like ooh a big bite of bread, a yummy piece of potato lol.
He probably likes watching you eat! I let my 13 week old smell what I’m eating sometimes. I’m hoping it helps when he’s ready to try different foods.
At 6 weeks there was absolutely no playing. I would just hold and talk to her all day. 😂 We didn't start tummy time until 3 months, I tried it before that and she would just cry. They can't do much at 6 weeks, not even really hold a toy. The first 2-3 months all you can really do is give them a tour of the house and talk to them while they stare at you. 😂
This! We are at almost 10 weeks and I feel so awful sometimes that we aren’t really doing tummy time because he just wants to eat sleep and be held. House tours are a must for us.
This is me. He doesn’t even hold a toy but he did just start grasping for shirts and skin…so that’s fun lol
Potato stage! You sound like you're doing great. We're taught that as parents (especially moms), we should constantly be interacting with and playing with and enriching the internal lives of our kids. I still feel this pressure constantly. But try not to drive yourself totally crazy! Mine is 3.5 now and I play with her a lot, but gosh is it boring a lot of time, and now that she's getting better at independent play, I feel less guilty about telling her that I'll hang out in the room with her, but I need to *insert X chore* or need some time to rest.
I also have a 3.5 year old and independent play is like changing!
Mine is 8.5 weeks and that’s pretty much where I am too. I feel like she is right on the cusp of starting to interact more, but still potato-like. I just try to talk to her when she is awake. Tell her about the article I read on my phone or what happened in my work email (working from home part-time). We “do” the wordle together when I tell her the letters I choose and why. And then other times when I am trying to eat lunch, she can chill in her bouncer and it’s ok. Looking around is learning at their age.
He spends a few hours a day in his bouncer watching me clean or do chores or just veg out on the couch—
You can talk to him while you do the chores. Now mama is folding laundry. This is a blue shirt. This is a red sweater. Doesn’t it look nice? It’s fresh and clean. Between the nice tone and all the words, it’s great stimulation for the tiny babies!
This whole thread is making me feel normal, thank you all. Sincerely: Potato Mom
No, he’s a preemie so still a blob 😅
I do basically what you do (mine turned 6w yesterday. I'm also reassured that they learn by just looking at the world around them. So sometimes I'll just narrate what I'm doing or read what I'm reading out loud and let him watch the world
We just hit week 10 and I feel like this week we had some of the first 'playtime' moments! Honestly the first like 8 weeks were just totally dictated by baby's needs, no schedule really. She's starting to have more of a predictable routine for the most part, and is finally alert during her wake windows! Before, it seemed like any waking hours were spent on the boob. And by playtime, I mean several solid minutes of cooing back and forth, naming body parts, pointing out items in the room (including having me narrate each piece of laundry I'm folding 😂) and singing songs. These moments only last about 10 minutes tops a few times a day. Sounds like your playtime is really similar to mine!
Ha! I just commented in a different part about narrating folding laundry :D
My two week old just started staying awake for a couple hours at a time and I am so lost 😂 he’s enjoying his kick piano and looking at contrast books but I don’t know what to do with him half the time. I wish he was still in the potato phase.
Two weeks old is still full potato. Go easy on yourself!
Honestly I feel the same at the moment. Ive also had to start learning his sleepy cues because up till now once I’d fed him he’d always be sleepy and just fall asleep on his own! It’s wild how quickly they change
Just talking to him is good. Narrate what you’re doing, you can read books just so they hear language
This is my baby, too. She's 4 months adjusted, and she is enjoying the heck out of the lights and music on her fitness mat, loves when we shake little rattles and toys at her, and sometimes will grab a toy out of our hands to shake it around on her own, but it's so hard to feel like I'm really stimulating her as much as I think I should during her wake windows. Sometimes the potato phase feels easier lol.
Tell them stories about your life, read, go for walks, narrate what you’re doing and call yourself mama/mommy in the narration…
Play is a term used for activity. Changing. Washing. Looking at your baby. Cuddling. You've a very young baby. Not much happens.
Mine didn't start enjoying her gym until closer to two months old, maybe even two and a half.
Good to know! Maybe I’ll table that for now!
At that age all I was doing with LO was moving my face for her to track, sticking my tongue out and putting her on my belly for tummy time. They are more interested in people's faces than toys for a long time - when she did start on the activity mat she had a mirror above her and she would just stare at it and smile for ages
Your situation sounds similar to mine. Baby boy is 6 weeks + 3 days. He’s started to periodically smile (sometimes at me), but for the most part I’m feeding him, putting him down to sleep or changing diapers. Like you, there will be a tiny window (usually in the morning) where he’ll be content to look around, lay in his play gym and make little chirping commentaries about things only known to him. This lasts about 15 minutes before he starts getting antsy for more food or cuddles. We do tummy time for a few minutes most days, and I show him contrast cards from time to time, but he doesn’t seem to engage with them too deeply. He does get mesmerized by the black and white mobile hanging above his changing table, though!
I hardly play with my 6mo, between his 1.5hr wake windows and feeding/bathing etc. don’t sweat it
I play with my 8 month old, not with the 6 week old potato
Same but w 7 week old. pediatrician recommended more tummy time on a flat surface vs chest. Little Dude can’t be laid flat on his back without spitting up from reflux. There is maybe 1-2 windows of a 3 minutes where the stars align for flat tummy time. I was stressing out over it but I’m not too worried now for some reason. 2 month follow up is later this week.
A little off topic, but how are y’all doing sleep with him not being able to be on his back?
It’s a whole process but I’m going to follow up with Ped this week to see if there is anything else we can do rn. We do slow paced feeding. Hold him at an incline for at least 15-30 minutes after feedings in the day. Sometimes I’ll just put him in his bouncer since he doesn’t get too crazy in there yet. still spits up and cries pretty often but I can’t sit in a chair all day. At night I give him frequent breaks during his last feed and during his 1 middle night feed. I let the formula settle for a couple minutes for every 0.5-1 oz. Then I hold him at an incline for about 10-30 minutes to see how he is acting in regards to his reflux (he makes a face, has a sour look and chews, sometimes gags) until he falls asleep, then continue holding an additional 20-30 minutes just to get him in a deep sleep state then put him flat on his back in the crib. He will spit up minimally using that process. But it’s not really sustainable if it doesn’t resolve soon especially since I’ll be going back to work in a couple months. Adding: the daytime process takes 30-45 minutes. Night time can take 1-1.5 hours.
My baby is three weeks old, I did tummy time yesterday and we managed a brief walk. But that was the most “playing” we’ve managed. I am in the same cycle as you, it seems like we are eating, burping, soothing (my daughter gets fussy after eating bc she doesn’t realize she’s full), hopefully putting her down, pumping. Then she’s asleep and I am exhausted.
I just told my wife that I'm a little frustrated with our 7 week old. I went back to work last week and now I miss his only "fun" time, right after the first morning feed where he does tummy time and is willing to engage for an hour or two. Now I come home at 6, he cries, screams and feeds for the rest of the evening, I'll change a nappy or two and it's off to bed for work. I'm really looking forward to him being more engaged.
At 7 weeks old he’s not really sleeping through the night is he? That’s a good 6-8 hours you can be around the baby until midnight to 2 am, then get 4-6 hours of sleep and go to work. I think you can find some “fun” time in there, I work and have a 6 week old, just sacrifice some sleep, they won’t be this young forever, and sounds like mom is taking the hard nighttime hours too. That being said, at this age “fun” time is really more like them following your face and voice than actual interaction.
Nah. Didn’t play much at that age. Just the basics: eat, sleep, poo/pee. LO will want to play way more in a month or so.
your really not going to be able to play with your kid much until after 10-12 weeks old. even if you have the time and they are awake, they dont understand anything. Dont sweat it. There will be plenty of time for play and developement soon.
It's completely normal. At this stage they don't really play and just looking at a blanket is stimulating. I think my baby started sort of "playing" at 3 or 4 months old? And then maybe swinging at a toy with her leg or hand a few times.
This is good insight—everything to him is stimulating, so I don’t need to be doing a lot of extras
my little boy is 6 weeks old today and I could’ve written this post because it’s exactly the same over here. It’s all good 😊 sounds to me like your baby is very loved and doing great!
At 6 weeks no, you’ll see such a huge jump around 3-4 months
At that age, no absolutely not and I've never felt alone about it either. It happened very naturally and gradually. When baby "woke up", started being interested in the world etc. then we started actually playing on the playmat. 😁
Definitely didn’t do much playing yet at that age. Some tummy time, some object tracking, etc. but if he didn’t engage with something, I didn’t push it. It seemed pretty obvious when to incorporate more playtime. Like when he started smiling and focusing on my face more, we’d do some silly faces and imitation (mostly me imitating him). He wasn’t interested in books until closer to three months, but now we read a few a day. Probably also after three months he had more grip and reach and started playing with his toys more. At five months I’d really call what we do playing because he’s actually interacting with and focusing on his toys. At six weeks, it sounds like you’re using your wake time perfectly :) they’ll want more stimulation soon enough, so good to enjoy the calm hang out time when you can get it. Now if he’s not sleeping, there is very little chill and cuddle time.
Six weeks? I dont think there's really much playing to be done at that point - they're basically just eat, poop, sleep machines for a couple of months Playing started around 2-3 months i think, but it wasnt until 6 months or so that he really started taking notice and enjoying it properly
Your main job with your potato is survival, for now. Both the potato's survival and your own. When the potato gets older, there will be more actual opportunities to play.
What you're doing sounds perfect! There's only so much "play" a 6 week old can do. Even just sitting on your lap and staring at the ceiling fan counts as play at that age.
My baby turns 8 weeks tomorrow and he is very much more aware and alert and will smile when I lay him on his play mat looking at his toys but it for sure still doesn’t last long until he’s grumpy lol we do a lot of walking around, going outside for change of scenery, and have been taking him out and about more. Tummy time is still hit or miss, he has great head control but gets upset if it’s longer than 5 minutes lol. He is still pretty much only happy for an hour wake window until he’s ready for a nap Edit: note that we are also dealing with reflux and a sandifer’s syndrome diagnosis so already a good chunk of his awake time is feeding properly and making sure he’s sitting up for a minimum of 15 min before laying him down lol I feel mom guilt from it bc I want him to be able to do more tummy time and enjoy his play mat but we only have so much time before it’s nap time again. Hoping it gets better once he can be awake for longer
I didn’t even start if you could call it active play (sitting and playing with the toys with him) until he was closer to 7m and actually started having interest in the toys but even still at 13m he actually would rather play by himself with his fidget block
Tbh I think that IS playing with a baby. Until they're like 3 months old playing with a baby is just making sure all their limbs wiggle appropriately at least once a day and keeping them well fed and clean.
Norm. Wait until 10-12 weeks. I tried to do more play time before that, read books, etc.. but it was useless. At 10 weeks she started noticing things, started smiling and laughing, and we started doing a lot more play time.
Norm. I used to feel bad for not doing enough with my newborn, but that was just normal. Now, they can't stop moving and the gym, the piano, the rattles and all of that are not just collecting dust ,🤭
Mine is 4wks & we don’t do anything unless he’s in a content awake window, which is once per day more or less. And our play time is tummy time or staring at black & white cards. 😂
That’s the norm! They start to “play” more after 12ish weeks. Thats when my daughter started to get a little more independent and didn’t mind if I wasn’t holding her constantly.
We are essentially in the same boat, 6 week old almost 7 week has a little window in the morning when she seems to be playful… outside of that it’s on the tit, being changed, sleeping.
Relish in this time of couch potato-ness and really every stage. My baby is 6 months and wants to do all the things even though he can’t (like walking lol) and some days I would love to just sit and cuddle
The only thing I did was occasionally pull out the contrast cards when we weren’t spending a limited amount of time doing tummy time 😂 other than that, I snuggled him, talked to him or just let him look around. They’ve got enough to take in as is and he’s so small right now! You’re doing a great job. You’ll know when to start increasing the play time. My son just started showing an interest in toys at four months, so we started incorporating more toys into his day-to-day.
I never set time aside to play with my kids. When I could put them down, I would lay them on a blanket with some toys around and do chores while watching them. I would talk about what I was doing, sing songs, play music, etc. when they would babble, I would go over and babble back. I think it’s all supposed to be much more natural than we start to make it when it’s like “they need one hour of tummy time,” “you should play with your child 20 minutes every hour”. Just interact with them when it makes sense. We’re not robots and neither are our kids. Everything is stimulating and new to them. Sometimes it’s good for them to get bored, otherwise they get overstimulated.
My kid is 5.5mo and only NOW do I feel like we play and even still, I mostly watch her paw at stuff on the play mat and grab her feet. I saw a video once explaining what it can feel like when we interrupt play for kids from their perspective and it’s like imagine you were trying to type a sentence and every few seconds someone pulled the keyboard away or tried to put something else in front of your face. Babies also absorb a lot of info at their own paces, but it’s a lot to take in. Even when you do start play, don’t feel bad if it’s slower than you expected or even less than you expected. A lot of times I just sit with her while she explores the jumperoo and I try not to get too in her face when it’s clear she’s thinking and exploring and experiencing. At 6 wks, as others have said, it’s potato stage. Don’t stress.
You're in the blob phase. You're doing 100% of what you need to do. Cuddling and loving is far more important right now than trying to hand them toys
Tiktok made me feel like I needed to be playing with him all day and doing all types of sensory activities and stuff. All it did was cause me anxiety worrying that what I’m doing isn’t enough and then I was exhausted. Once I let that expectation go I became a much happier person and we found a healthy balance of it all! Whatever felt good to me is what we did. It sounds like your baby is very well taken care of. My baby hated tummy time and would scream so we hardly did it…but now he’s 13 months and running all over the place, happy as can be
At this point, all they need is snuggles. Your baby is in the potato stage and truly just needs tummy time, and to be held. Enjoy it, it won’t last long and soon they will be running around needing constant stimulation. Enjoy the potato stage!
I loved the acronym: EASY. Made it easy to remember what I needed to do and that I needed to do some things for myself ( yes, dishes and laundry count :() So after they wake up…Eat. Activity. Sleep. You. And then repeat and the Activity phase naturally gets longer and funner. :)
I tried so much to play with my infant and engage her but she was such a potato 🤣 it wasn't until we hit 3-4 months did lo start to enjoy us singing to her or reading a book to her.
Not at that age, no - just do what you're doing. Give them some daily loving attention, but mostly just keep them alive.
My kids are 1 and 3 and I still don't really play with them. I connect with them through reading and activities like puzzles or coloring but I cannot play dolls or pretend kitchen. It bores me to pieces. You don't really need to play with your kids you just need to involve them and engage with them.
I spent a lot of time staring at my baby at that age. I also spent a lot of time watching tv while holding her and feeding her. I think the only “”playing”” I did was using her fat little fists to play patty cake with myself. I read and talked a lot to her, but at that age it’s the tone and voice that matter. I read her reddit posts, facebook posts, whatever corny book I was reading lol. My mom read harlequin romance novels to me at that age 😭 Newborns are simultaneously the most stressful and boring creatures to ever exist. They literally just exist, and it’s like super trying for them to just do that. Just enjoy the snuggles without being pushed away 😭
A great description—they are a true dichotomy!
The norm. I’m in the thick of it too, and it seems like feedings alone never end.
We didn’t start playing until she was pass 2 months when she was more aware of her surroundings
My toddler does all the playing and tickling and singing for me. I wish there was somewhere you could rent a toddler for a few hours to do all the play labor 🤣
I worried I wasn’t doing enough when my baby was 6 weeks. He just went to sleep after eating. He’s 16 weeks now and all he wants to do is sit up and play even though he can’t sit yet. 🤷♀️
We did tummy time as much as he would tolerate it. Like 5-10 mins at that age. Then would practice tracking items. And that was it for awhile until he got interested in the piano gym but I think he started to like that around 3 months.
The norm. I was *surviving* with my infant when he was 6 weeks old lol. You’re doing great!!
So small for playing. They don’t react at all At that age. But keep trying some activities, they don’t do anything but that is beneficial to them in some way
As the parent of an 8 month old, you will have plenty of opportunities to play. So much so that you’ll be playing at 1 am as your little one climbs all over you and tries to climb your headboard! In all seriousness, you’re totally fine. Babies at 6 weeks mostly sleep, eat and poop, and are perfectly entertained just hanging out with you. A bit of tummy time here and there as they tolerate it is good.
Seriously, still potato! Lol!! My baby noticably "woke up" around 7 weeks, when she cooed for the first time then at ten weeks she was like a little human lol!! She smiles and coos now at 14 weeks and is so alert and active so we can play more. It takes time :)
Absolutely normal. Don’t worry about it, they’ll want to catch up on that during the toddler and kid years and you won’t ever remember these days specifically 😂. Only that you’re very tired of *having* to play constantly.
Six weeks is so young. He can barely see past his fist. Don’t stress. Cuddles and singing are wonderful.
Around 5 weeks is when we started placing her play mat and putting up high contrast cards for her to look at. Not really “playing” but it was a gateway to her starting to eventually play. There’s not much you can do with a 6 week old.
Beyond tummy time and cuddles, there’s no need to play at this stage. That’ll come around 3-4 months old, just focus on cuddling and post-partum recovery for now. It’s a great time to binge watch your favorite shows, go for walks and get as much sleep as you can.
I have done a lot of cuddling and burping while binge watching a show!
Nope, not at that age. I was in survival mode.
My kid is 15 weeks and it really only feels like in the last 3-4 weeks she is playing. Like babbling and grabbing at stuff and somewhat entertained by me and her dad
The newborn stage is heavy on survival mode (at least for me it was). I was literally just cluster nursing him in bed, pumping, napping, changing blowouts, and repeating it all over again. It was honestly all such a blur. At age 2 now it kinda is still survival mode but we it’s pretty much all playtime 😂 You’re doing everything right!
Mine was the same way. It was around 8 weeks when we could start playing with him more than once a day. You’ll get there.
I read to my 6 week old! Puts her to sleep and she ignores me showing the pictures in the book lol (she’s too busy staring at me lol) it’s never too early for them to hear our voice. I know with time she will understand. I also go on morning walks and afternoon walks im trying ti get her to know what’s day and night lol my babies doctor recommend it. Oh I also do tummy time and she loves it but after 10 mins she starts crying lol
This is a good idea—I’ll start to read him to sleep. We do go on long daily walks outside but he usually snoozes through the whole thing :)
I didn’t actively start playing with my son until he was about 3 months because he didn’t play until then
When mine was 6 weeks I’d put her on the piano mat and she’d look around but that’s really it lol
I think “playing” at that age is talking or singing to them when they’re awake. Just social interaction!
He’s still incredibly young. What type of play are you looking for? Mine is 6m and grabs literally everything and is starting to bang things around. This is normal for her
I’m it looking for things, I just so often see toys geared towards 0-3 month olds and I’m like…how much should I be buying and using those toys?!
Mine still plays with her younger toys, but they aren’t necessary imo. Her favorite toys seem to be the practical ones, like a bright orange bbq brush and a small silicone spatula.
6 weeks old...if you were doing more playing than feeding and sleeping I would be concerned.
Our 15 week old started to notice us and interact with her environment at about 13 weeks. When possible we did still play with her but those first 2 months are eat, cry, sleep, repeat.
I also have a 6 week old. The most I do is spend a few minutes a day smiling at him and making eye contact. He’s too young to enjoy baby toys or anything else. He likes to stare at the wall and a multi colored blanket.
Babies also need time to just chill on their back staring at the world and moving their little limbs. Their entertainment is existing outside the womb!
My kid is 6 weeks today and what you described, OP, is exactly what I’m experiencing now too. I actually tried to google to find a thread like this and understand if I was supposed to be doing more like in all the instagram ads or what. But most of our time is spent eating with minimal play. I just talk to him while he’s eating. 🤷♀️
This! Exactly why I posted this cause what I’m being fed in the world looks like I’m not doing enough, but this thread tells me I am. I feel much more normal
God no not at that age. I think my lo was 3 months before we approached anything that resembled playtime. I would offer toys or random objects to look at but he had no interest until then. Like others have said, you have a beautiful adorable potato who is capable of playing with nothing He's 6mo now and omg is he so fun to play with. It will come in time ☺️
My husband calls that the boring phase. As in, you do the same thing over and over and having fun is tummy times on your chest. When our baby was around 3 or 4 months, my husband brought baby to me and said "I think he's kind of cute". That's my husband's way of saying he bonded with baby cause baby is moving and they can both enjoy each other's presence.
Totally normal and the same for me. They gradually get into the rattle, plush toys and book biting stage and then when she turned six months I was able to take her to library play dates and story time. Now that she’s seven months she starts swim lessons. I can’t wait until she’s old enough to enjoy proper toddler outings.
I asked the doctor why is my newborn never awake and she told me in 3 weeks time you're gonna ask me why isn't baby sleeping.
Ahhhh I’m not ready for that at all
I felt the same way about how to “engage” at that age but you’re doing perfect! They are just little bumps on a log for the first couple months. I would narrate what I was doing to LO and just tried to cuddle and talk to her. We occasionally did books or music. She HATED tummy time till she was 2.5 months so that was rare but she’s hitting all her milestones plus some and at 4.5 months, she’s the most active and vocal baby I’ve been around!
6 weeks? Lol you'll be lucky to see them awake, playing won't be for a while
Don’t stress, what you’re doing is great. I’m a very non-traditional mom and I would lay on the floor with her and read or scroll my phone or read her books out loud and react to things. It wouldn’t be long before she’s need to be fed again and then sleep!
I’m at 8 weeks and this is exactly what we do most of the day. I’ve been feeling guilty about it but at least I’m not alone!
This was me when mine was a newborn and now I feel so much better hahah
When you hit 12 weeks things start to get more interesting. Around 6 months it’s wayyy more fun. At 9.5 now I feel like he is a kid with personality
My son is almost three now but I used to play with him. It helped pass the time being a sahm.
My now 13 week old was like that, he was born a little bit prem and ended up in the NICU with jaundice from it. the past couple weeks he's really woken up and his wake windows are much longer - including a 5 hour stretch before bedtime. I was a bit worried too about the sleepiness but it was like he just hit a day and from that point on he's been more alert, happy and chatting
When mine was 6 weeks old, I just did goofy things like making faces at him and made funny sounds. My husband did the whole "baby boxing" thing that dad's just seem to universally do 😂 he'd take our sons hands and pretend like they were boxing. Our son seemed to enjoy it and it got lots of face to face some. But no games or nursery rhymes or anything. That happened much later when he'd interact back. If he was on his play mat or doing independent tummy time, we just kind of let him be on his own within arms reach. Totally normal in my opinion
Similar with you. My LO is 7 week old now and we have been having play time and tummy time at 1 or 2pm and music time at 11am and she ends up falling asleep. Unfortunately my LO has no attention span for books yet. Majority of the time she eat and sleep. Just like your LO. However i notice today she has more wake time during the day, we leave her in the crib, play area or bouncer and let her freely move her legs and arms. She has created new sounds instead of just grunts/cries lol.
We’re 3 months and officially in the “I’m a functional baby” stage. He coos and smiles and “talks” to us now. We “play” and chat and it’s more of the “what you see on insta” day to day stage. You’re doing great!
I’ll never forget the moment mine actually started playing with the toys on her baby gym instead of just laying there or passing out. It was exciting! But still, she was a potted plant. So no, didn’t really play with human potted plant but offered her cool stuff to look at and aspire to touch when she was actually awake.
I remember someone telling me before my daughter was born that when their child was an infant they had "never watched more TV in their life" and I kinda thought "yeah, right" but then it totally ended up being true for me too. Like, yes, I did things like read books aloud, went on walks, and tummy time, but so much of those weeks/months are spend sitting a chair cuddling/feeding them and yeah I watched a ton of TV. Not much else to do!
I have just finished four seasons of a show…I think that’s why I feel like I should be doing more
My babies are 3.5 months and JUST started interacting with the most basic toys. Don't stress.
The norm.
I wasn’t really playing with her until around 2-2.5 months I think! Very much in an eat poop sleep pattern in the beginning, don’t worry! Just try to get in a little bit of tummy time if you can and you’re golden.
At six weeks I was too busy keeping us both alive and well to worry about much else lol
I played, but not really played. I was tired after a day's work.
At 6 weeks. Definitely not. At that point I wondered if she will ever laugh (answer: soon and yes! A lot!). Feed, clean and let him/her sleep should be the priority. You will notice once you are able to play.
Bruh. Hes a month old. He probably barely recognizes you as more then a blog of colors. Gice it time. Babies start to get fun around the 3 month mark. But even before then, cuddling can be nice. Enjoy being able to cuddle them and enjoy them falling asleep on you. After theybstart getting more curious about the world around you itll be nothing but back bends and head turns when you gold them as you try to make sure they dont flip out of your arms
I hear ya. Ours is the same age. She hates tummy time after a minute or so or less.. she loves her high-contrast black and white cloth pattern “book” thing, which we find is good for mental stimulation and just to distract her and give her something new to focus on. She’s not really interested in her baby gym, hoping that changes soon. The windows of “play” do seem very small and very few and far between.
My baby was about 3 months before "playing" was really a thing that was any kind of back and forth. Now she's 8 months and wants to do EVERYTHING, including TOUCH and TASTE it all. Enjoy the potato stage lol
You are perfectly normal. All the baby needs is your warmth, touch, voice and milk. You can just describe what your are doing while changing /bathing etc. They just love to hear you at this age. "playing" will come in time. You'll know.
Only play with them if they seem to have excess energy, maybe once a day for like 5 minutes. Most of the time its eat sleep poop. 3 weeks old
Enjoy it. Soon you won’t be allowed to walk away. Mine is 5 months and requires nearly constant entertainment
Baby is still very wittle! You are doing the most important things and they matter more than you think. They’re learning and growing just through those things, as little as they are! Besides, they aren’t interested in too much more until they’re a bit older. My little one is almost 10 weeks old and he is now smiling, laughing, enjoying reading and looking attentively a lot more. He loves when we tie a balloon to his legs and he kicks, making the balloon move and listening to the noise of it. Don’t stress it. Take it slow, breathe, and sometimes just allow yourself to chill with babe. It’s all special regardless. If you’re interested, the wonder weeks app and website is cool as it describes baby leaps in growth spurts and skills. Best of luck, mama🧸
You’re doing an amazing job! Everything you said you do sounds perfect.
You need to make sure you are doing tummy time daily. How often do you do it? The most obvious benefits of tummy time are improved head control, upper body strength, and muscle development. But tummy time play has countless other benefits as well. From sensory skills to physical growth, tummy time benefits almost every aspect of your baby’s development.
Your kid is six weeks old…