hey! sounds to me like you have a high needs baby. this will get better over time but my dd is high needs too and i have to constantly be doing something w/her. she used to like her swing but will only stay in it like a couple of min. now and we bought her a bouncy seat...HA! forget it!
the one good thing i have read on high needs baby's is that they are usually very smart! that's a good thing and may just mean he needs a lot of stimulation a LOT of the time. give it some time and don't give up.
and of course i wouldn't recommend the crying it out thing. he's trying to tell you something whether it be that he's bored or wants to play a lot of games.
look on the internet for some infant games. i'm with you on not really knowing a lot of baby games.
good luck and remember...this too shall pass:)

I never believed in all the toys and developmental ages printed on the toys that they sell at the stores. But people have bought my DD (7 mo) toys lately and she really enjoys the ones that are for 6+ mo. esp. if they have a face and/or make noise. The ones for 12 mo. she'll look at but really can't play with yet. Does he have any of those toys?

She has a little piano type toy, a CD man that plays music and his eyes move, and some weeble people. She'll play on her mat for an hour if I'm nearby and talk to her once in a while. Maybe I'm just lucky.

It is possible that your baby is experiencing difficulties processing sensory input. As a result, environmental stimuli are overwhelming for him and he responds by crying until you provide him security by holding him. You cannot spoil such a young baby. He is crying because something is bothering him. Your best bet is to have him evaluated by an occupational therapist. This is done through your county's department of health. You should not be suffering through his infancy and he is way to young to be stressing out (he's got plenty of that to look fwd to!) An occupational therapist will design a treatment plan to work with him and help his nervous system mature and thereby improve his sensory processing skills.

I don't know if you've found a solution yet, but I too have a 6 month old baby who doesn't like to be on his own AT ALL. I don't think it's a problem though, just his personality and I doubt you or I need to go the OT route to solve any clinginess. One thing I've discovered recently is a baby backpack and it has done wonders for us - Tristan will ride in it for very long periods of time - both indoors and outdoors. We've got a secondhand one from a friend, but I think I will look into getting a more modern version - Babies R Us had some that looked really comfortable and if we're going to get so much use out of it, I'd prefer one that is more ergonomically designed.

Also, another helpful idea is to find a playgroup for him. My DD (now age 10) and I were in one when she was little and although she didn't actually "play" together with the other babies at this age, it seemed to give her more confidence and helped with the clinginess.

Pam

Agree with Trish, I've got one like that right now and my firstborn was the same. Once they can sit up and crawl, they're much happier.

But now junior has graduated to pulling up and is getting frustrated when he can't cruise! ROFL! Oh well!

It's a phase, he's not spoiled. He's normal. And yes, your house looks like the aftermath of Hiroshima(like mine), it's frustrating at times, but that won't last forever. Take a deep breath and remind yourself how quickly this time passes.

Enlist your dd's help in playing with him. Change rooms and toys frequently. Start dragging safe items out of drawers in your kitchen (utensils, Tupperware, etc.) and make a messy pile on the floor and let him have at it while you load the dishwasher. Or do the same with him sitting in the highchair, TALK with him while you do things.. Have him sit IN the laundry basket with the laundry while you fold. Give him a gentle ride every couple of minutes. Learn how to SLOWLY do things with him.

You are now facing one of the unknown to working women challenges of this age. How to get something, anything done while they're awake (Btw, I"ve been a WM too...). Some days it will work, and some days it just doesn't and 'baby' is the only thing that you do. These days, I've got far more of the latter than the former. Dont let this get to you.

Get a baby sling. You can walk items back and forth putting them away with him in the sling and one arm holding him. Yes, it's much slower, but it will entertain him somewhat and some things will get put away. Slings are also great for your back as opposed to carrying Mr Two Tons of Fun inyour arms. It's less exhausting. If he sits up well, get one of those backpack carriers. You can even vaccum with those puppies...

Enlist help. Give a high school student a job by having them come over for an hour or two, twice a week to play with the baby while you bang out chores. Have a friend come over to do the same once a week (trade off if she has a baby too). Do the same thing with DH. I always give him baby duty after dinner (they play and then take a bath) and I run around trying to do all of the things that I couldn't get done during the day. I also send him to the video store sometimes with the four year old AND the baby, another little break.

Get some sing a long videos..Sing along! Teletubbies too... Stick him in the sling and dance together to YOUR favorite music. Take him for a walk in the neighborhood. TALK. Talk about everything that you're doing and why. Raspberries on teh belly. Let him roam naked a bit (they love that). This Little Piggy...Play in the bathtub and watch the tornado go down the drain. Splash..Play Kiss the Baby if you have a fulllength mirro. Hold him standing near the mirror and make faces..then say "kiss the baby", while you "kiss the Mommy" (can kill 20 minutes that way, easy!). Hang out in the five year old's room. Different scenery. Let him play with any of her toys that are safe.

Get more active baby toys. Fisher Price has a "whirlin twirlin garden" that I got ds for Christmas. It's loud and annoying but they love it if they can sit up well. They lunged for the spinning wheels, the stackable blocks and knowck the blocks over..You stack, he knocks. Repeat. Get some stacking blocks that are soft and colorful. Do the same. Make crashing sounds! :)

Make a basket of baby toys or strange household items, sit it next to him and let him pull out a toy at a time. OR let him dump them. Pt them back, let him dump them again.

Read very simple books. Good Night Moon...Hello Baby. Talk about the pictures and how anything is like him.

Pull out your camera and take pictures. Take videos...

Play on YOUR bed. Peekaboo with a cloth diaper.

Take a ride in the car and get the heck out of the house. Go mall-walking. This is a very good shopping age (but not a good driving age, stay near home). "Zoom" with the stroller.

Put him in the high chair and give him kitchen things to play with...you do dishes. Give him a popsicle without a stick. BATH TIME after! LOL!

Give him pots and pans and metal utensils to bang with...

It's all about being creative. Kid is bored. You're frustrated. If you feed your need, kid gets frustrated. You're bored...Remind yourself that this time is fleeting. By his first birthday, he won't want you to pick him up at all, he'll be too busy! You're going to be busy then too, keeping him safe!

Btw, this isn't about having 'coping skills'. He's too cognitively immature to have coping skills. There is nothing wrong with him. This is about his developmental age and his personality (more of the former than the latter). Dont be quick to label him. He's a smart cookie. He knows what he wants and babies at this age want MOMMA. I know it's hard to be the only answer at this point, but again, this time is fleeting. Even if he turns out to be an intense kid, he won't always need you to entertain him. Enjoy him now while he still wants to hang with you!

And don't forget to get help to have small breaks. Even an hour to yourself can be bliss and gas up your tank.

It sounds like your little one might be overwhelmed. Try quiet things - reading, soft soothing things to do. I don't think the baby is crying from boredom... more like too much overload.

Also, you might have a cuddle muffin that needs quiet time and soothing.

OK, I realize it's years later. But for anyone else reading this, the best thing I've found is to "wear" my baby! I use the Baby Bjorn carrier and we both love it. He stays entertained and I love him close to me. I can easily keep an eye on him as I do things around the house. We take walks in the backyard or around the block too! When he falls asleep sometime I just go sit on the couch and let him sleep in the carrier while I watch TV. We both get to relax. I also will sleep with him in the hammock that way because the carrier keeps him from going anywhere!