Newborn Entertainment...

Hey All,

Now that Hannah is just over 2 weeks old, she seems to be spending more time alert. Prior to this, she'd just feed then go straight to sleep (or scream from wind). There was no time when she was alert, and content.

Now after a feed she seems to be looking around more...

What should I be doing to entertain her when she's awake like this? There's not much she can do just yet by way of grasping and grabbing things...

What's normal for a newborn? How much time a day do they spend awake, content, and alert?

I can't remember the exact timings of how much time Olivia spent awake at this stage, but by 3 weeks we noticed that she was more alert/awake.

We had a play mat /Gymini thing which we would pop her on and it had things hanging off it which she would gaze at.

The best entertainment for Olivia was always us and our faces and our voices.......I would cart her round either in the Baby Bjorn or the laundry basket, with the radio on in the background, and she would be happy!

She also loved watching the sunlight come through the blinds.........

We also had an old fashioned bouncinette which I would pop her into and put her on the kitchen bench & she would watch me whilst I cooked dinner.....it was lovely!

Hi Jules!

I also think that just putting them in a bouncer or something so they can watch what you are doing is all they really need at this stage.

I remember Aidyn loved music as well, so maybe put some on in the background every day?

Another thing which some people own, and which they have at the Creche at my gym, are those little baby swings. which rocks the baby gently from side to side or back to front... they look awesome, and I sure would have loved one of those when Aidyn was little!
Also there are bouncers you can get which vibrate (to help soothe baby if she's crying) and have little aquariums etc attached that baby can look at.
Anyway, I guess all that could be a bit excessive as well?
Sorry for getting off topic too, was just thinking about our phone conversation before, and wanting to give more suggestions on how to soothe her.

Lucy - now I remember Aidyn used to do the same thing and watch the sun coming through the cracks in the blinds. It was so sweet.... thanks for reminding me - isnt it amazing the things we forget?

I found putting Jacob in his rocker was great. It had little toys on it that he could look at. I would just take him from room to room in it and talk to him and he'd watch what I was doing. When the weather was a little warmer when he was a few months old I'd even take him outside in his rocker (it had a hood that would pull over on it for sun protection) whilst I was putting the washing out, or just to sit out in a different environment for a while......

We also had a play gym that I'd put him to look at the toys dangling from it.

Apart from that I'd cuddle him and talk to him, smile, laugh etc.....

We used to just put Nicholas in a bouncer too, we also put him on a rug for a while either on his tummy or back. He just loved watching what Rob and I were doing at the time.

Hey Juliette - I vaguely remember that gorgeous stage! I think we did the same thing as everyone else - we used a rocker and we had a free standing mobile that we used to put next to it sometimes too. I used to carry Charlie around when I did housework and sing to him ALL the time. By the time he was a few months old, we had special song, just him and me. When I started to sing it he would just gaze up and smile. It was very cute! Also, maybe there's a toy, like a teddy bear or something, that you could get him 'used' to. Charlie had one from a very early age and now he goes to sleep with it. It's good for when we're in new environments - at least he has something familiar with him to make him feel more comfortable. Just take it easy, and enjoy this age because it goes too quickly!

I put Matty in the Aquariam Bouncer and that has gentle soothing noises. I don't think that was too stimulating for him, he'd often drift off to sleep in it. We had one from 4 weeks, he still loves being in it now and he is 15 weeks. He'd also spend some time in the Hug A Bub on me.

I'd agree with putting them in a bouncer and letting them watch you. Some of the others also have a kick and whirl carnival which you can out them down on the ground with and they make music and the like.

Mirrors!!!!!!! Jenna loves lying on her back on the playmat alooking up at herself in a little hangy down mirror. For about the last 2 weeks she has really got into it, and talks to herself all the time.
Other than that, your face is probably all the stimulation she needs.

Fi