u/Odd-Cookie-6384

My daughter is nearly 20 weeks old. Normally I try to get out and about with her a lot but she hates her pram and will only tolerate the carrier, so in the hot weather it's not feasible unless really early or late in the evening.

She gets so easily bored and frustrated - she will play on her play mat and in her swing for 10-15 minutes before getting fed up and needing something new. I read to her, sing to her, dance around, hand her different toys, but it feels like there are so many hours in the day and we're both losing our minds. She is frustrated by not being able to move and wants to be held upright or walked around constantly. To be honest I have given in to screen time a few times because I've run out of things to entertain her with and I'm exhausted.

She is low sleep needs and barely naps during the day - on a good day we get 2 hours of napping tops, some days it's as little as one 40 minute nap. I've accepted this as she sleeps well at night (9-11 hours with one wake up) and trying to get her to nap any more than she needs to was driving me crazy. I hear all these parents talk about 2 hour wake windows at this age but she is comfortably awake for 4 hours sometimes and nothing will make her sleep!

Anyone else have a wide awake baby that needs constant stimulation and have ideas of what to do in the house? Recommended toys, books, games etc?

Edit to add I live in London and don't have a car, so that does restrict going anywhere in 30+ degree heat (no aircon on buses or tubes)

My little girl is 19 weeks, thankfully sleeps really well most nights (around 8:30pm - 6:30am with one dream feed at 10pm) since we stopped feeding to sleep at night so I feel very blessed with this. However naps are a different story.

I've had some mixed success feeding to sleep then placing her down in her cot, but most of the time she just wants a contact nap but remains latched and cries if I try to remove the boob from her mouth. She can sleep like this for 45-50 minutes - I assume she is done actually eating after around 20 minutes and just comfort sucking, but it's hard to know.

Sometimes she falls asleep in her carrier or pram but otherwise will only nap after/during feeding.

Some days I embrace it but would really like the option of putting her down and going to the toilet or having a shower 😄

Anyone have the same experience and were you able to change it/did baby grow out of it?

I'm married to a pilot who works away about 10- 15 days/nights a month. I've never struggled with him being away before and enjoyed my time alone, but since having our daughter who is 4 months old, I feels intensely lonely and have struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety.

I'm lucky enough to have family nearby (45 mins drive) so have spent a lot of time staying with my parents when he's away, but won't be able to do this so much next year when I go back to work and the baby goes to nursery.

I've connected with other mums through an antenatal group and meetup once a week or so but none of them are in the same circumstances as me. I'd be interested in meeting other pilot wives in my area (London) but not sure how.

Are there any other mums here who found ways of coping or finding a community? I'm hoping it'll feel easier once I go back to work and my daughter can talk and interact more, but at the moment I find myself waiting for time to pass and counting down the hours alone with her.