I am hoping someone can help as I am almost at the end of my rope...
My practically 15 month old DS does not play with toys, household items, or kitchen items and he will not watch TV. He will only play with something for a few minutes and then he is off..
To make matters worse he is not walking alone as yet - he holds onto one finger and *runs*. He doesn't use me to help him balance but to do all the work for him as he is literally running to the point were I have to take big strides to keep up. I just can't get him to slow down!
To make matters even worse he refuses to crawl, he will only crawl over to me then pull to stand and then proceed to winge till I take his hand and walk aimlessly around the house.. This is driving me INSANE.. I can't get anything done, he won't engage in any activities/toys/tv and I am really starting to resent it all..
I suppose my question is what were your kids into at this age and does anyone have any advice on how to increase his attention span so that he might begin to play with "something".. Also does anyone have advice on the walking side of things?
I think I am going to crack this winter if something doesn't change soon..
p.s. even when we are outside I just "walk" him around the yard - he will only stay on the swing/trampolene/slide for a few minutes... While I hang out the washing he will winge holding onto my leg till I am done..
My DS is 15 months old. He plays with his toys for only a short time unless me or dh play with him then he will play for longer, he loves playing balls and cars with us. He loves riding his bike and playing with his stand n sit giraffe alone. He plays with the mixing bowls in the kitchen ,taking them out of the cupboard, stacking them ect I think he would play with them all day only because he knows his not allow to play with them. He watches and dances to the wiggles, but he won't watch much else. He has just started drawing (Scribbles), he normally does 1 or 2 then gets bored.
That is just what my ds is doing, I really don't know what he is "meant" to be doing at 15 months old. With your son's walking, it sounds like he is capable of walking, he just sounds scared. Do you have someone who can sit opposite you and try to get him to walk to you, short dis at first then farther, gives him lots and lots of praise. Once he knows he can do it himself he will probably do it very quickly. I don't think they are meant to have long attention spans but if you are worried maybe see your doctor or nurse.
I know there are lots of arguments against using a walker, but if its at the right height (they arent using their toes to push) and for short periods of time (like you need to do the dishes/ cook etc) then I think they are a blessing. Mayb you can borrow 1 from somebody for afew days and see if he like its. DS#1 didnt like it, DS#2 loved it for afew months then decided it was better to walk holding on to furniture and then by himself. We also used a play pen with DS#2, for the first month I was in there with him playing/directing play, then I would sit outside for longer periods untill I could leave him in there for short periods- again to wash dishes etc, and he slowly learnt how to play by himself.
Ollie wanders round the house distroying everything he can get his hands on and trying to climb to get everything he cant reach to distroy. His attention span is short even when he is playing something he likes. He doesnt "sit and watch" any dvds just glances at them for afew mins then off again, comes back later for afew mins and off again.
Perhaps you are able to find a coffee group or something similar in your area so baby can have contact with other babys- they learn alot off each other- good and bad and it would give you time to talk with other mums.
Each babys is different and if they are happy and active its a good thing. Its too early to diagnose any attention disorders and the validitity of these is a big arguement in itself. I find a big breath and pause helps and not thinking so much like an adult, if I can try to get a babys perspective, I find my expectations and worries lessen and I enjoy the moment more with baby. after all thats what they do- just live in the moment, no thoughts of later on or earlier
When he is holding his finger does he hold his arm up so you can stand up straighter or do you hunch over and hold his hand down near his waist? Recently went through this with my DD (who is obviously much younger) but someone said to me that if you hold their arm up their centre of gravity is higher up around their chest, but if you hold their hand down near their waist they have to really manage the balance using the strength in their legs. I know its draining but if you hold his hand down by his waist he has to do pretty much all the work of walking himself and will probably be off and running sooner. I did this with DD and within two weeks she was walking independently after dragging me round by the finger for weeks. I second the walker - one that you push along though, not a sit-in one. And if you have any playgroups near by get to as many as you can. There it doesn't matter if they only have a short attention span because there are lots of different toys and kids to play with.
Sounds like my ds even now at 18 months old They are funny litttle critters. It's normal for them to have a very short attention span at this age- 2 minutes is a long stretch. I think, if they are very active- which my little one is, and it sounds like your might be too- it's normal for them to want to focus solely on learning and perfecting new motor skills, like walking, until they get it right. For them, that is 'playing'- it's just a very active and determined way to do it!!
My advice would be to hang on in there- it will start to get better soon, I promise. In a month or so, once bubs is up and running around well, he'll keep himself *slightly* more entertained. Be warned, he might still want to walk everywhere, but a walk arounsd the block will satisfy that almost compulsive urge and wear him out a bit too
My dd loves playing with blocks and balls the best. We got her some lego duplo and she's worked out how to pull it apart and is starting to work out how to put it back together. She also has some 4 wheel ride on toys (a horse on wheels and a push along walker that converts to a ride on) and she loves riding on those.
You could get something that he can push around like a walker trolley thing and he could hold onto that while he walks. DD was doing this for about a month before she took her first proper step unaided.
15 mth old attention span
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and it would give you time to talk with other mums.
They are funny litttle critters. It's normal for them to have a very short attention span at this age- 2 minutes is a long stretch. I think, if they are very active- which my little one is, and it sounds like your might be too- it's normal for them to want to focus solely on learning and perfecting new motor skills, like walking, until they get it right. For them, that is 'playing'- it's just a very active and determined way to do it!!
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