Any suggestions for awake time with 7 month old preemie besides physical play?

Question

My son is a preemie 10mnth chr.- 7 month adjusted and all I feel my husband and I do is stim him with physical activities- bouncing, playing on us, swing in johhny jumper- when ever I try to read or play a game- he gets very agitated- he does not like being in playpen alone with toys- he either wants to be held and entertained physically or fed where he falls asleep for very short intervals- 45 minutes....I am afraid he is going to need ADHD meds by the time he is 1....

Answer 1

Do you have a play mat?

My son is 3 1/2 months and loves his play mat! He'll sit there and grab at the toys and entertain himself so I can put a load of dishes or laundry in...tidy up and run the sweeper. Its great for them to learn to play on their own.

Your son may take it in slower strides. But, every five mintues by himself will lead to an eventual 30 mintues to an hour. It just takes time to work up to that. Right now my son is fascinated with the mirror on his play mat. This one also has a musical feature that lights up.

Mom mom has a play yard, I don't yet, and she attaches toys to the side --- however she can manage to do it. And, my son will reach and grab until he gets it off (sense of accomplishment).

Also, Target has SASSY books - they are musical push button books. AWESOME. They are plastic so he can chew on it. When fussy this is an instant calmer.

We also play patty-cake and this little piggy. And, peek-a-boo is exellent too. This teaches them that even when they can't see mommy or daddy it doesn't mean they are gone.

PS: My play yard is the Baby Einstein, and I got it at Target. If you go to www.target.com you will find it under baby/play yard. For some reason I can't get the link to work. I think it's too long.

Answer 2

My daughter was a preemie also (27 weeks). It sounds partly like some separation anxiety. We just had to be consistent with her to get her to sleep more through the night. It did take quite a while. She didn't have too much of a problem with playtime, however. Your son just may be more of a "people" person. Kaylee often wanted to be off doing her own little thing. She's 6 1/2 years old now, and frighteningly friendly LOL! Maybe try engaging him in an acitivity and then after a few minutes walking away (for maybe a couple minutes) and then returning). Do you have him in any type of occupational or developmental therapy or anything? They should be able to offer you some ideas. I hope things get easier for you. :)

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Sounds like he may be a bit spoiled(or well loved depending on how you look at it lol) My advise let him cry sometimes when you know there is nothing wrong ...if he does not have you to keep him busy all the time he will develop an interest in toys and such out of necessity :) Just give him some tummy time ....blanket on the ground toys to look at and let him cry for a while )

Answer 5

I don't know a lot about preemies specifically, but I know that music often calmed my brothers down. Maybe try singing (or a mellow CD if you'd rather not sing yourself) and rubbing his back. This still has the comfort of physical closeness, but it gives you both a chance to relax. And I think the reason my siblings are so musical is because I sang to them a lot when they were babies.

Answer 6

You should try visual entertainment with your child, try lights and sounds. Babies like colorful things, don't get frustrated and resort to doping the child up.

Answer 7

I change my sons formula to a soy based formula - with great sucess. Just be careful with his diet too.