Being a new parent can be both exciting and kind of intimidating. You want your child to have fun, but you’re worried about their development and sleep and how often they’re eating and sometimes just surviving, yourself. Thinking of ways to keep your baby entertained while not going crazy can just add to the overwhelm. The good news about babies is that everything is new and they are learning constantly, just by observing the world around them. As long as you’re engaging with your little one throughout the day, they are getting what they need to thrive.
Start Simple:
Talk to them often. Try narrating what you’re doing all day. It might be boring to you, but it’s fascinating to a baby!
Read to them. You can even read books that you want to read or even the news. They don’t understand the words yet, so just read it in an upbeat voice and they’ll love the sound of your voice.
Sing to them. You can sing your favorite songs. You can make up new songs… imagine your life is a musical! The sound of your voice is soothing and the music helps create new neural pathways- and those are something we love in the world of baby development!
When You’re Ready for a Little More:
- Walk outside. It might feel passive, especially since it can also give you kind of a mental break, but for babies, the whole world is brand new and is full of new things to learn about.
- Give your baby tummy time (or play time for slightly older ones) on the grass! Getting connected to the earth and experiencing those textures is incredible for both their health and their development.
- Get a water mat for tummy time. Most of them have little objects that float around inside, so this gives your baby something new to feel and see, as well as extra practice balancing on the wiggly water.
- Let them splash in water. This could be in a small bowl or bin or you could give them extra play time in the bath.
- Blow bubbles. Interest will vary baby to baby, but my son (who is now 19 months) loves something different about them each time we pull them out.
- Put various items double bagged in ziploc bags and let them play on top-ish of the bags. This provides a new sensory experience as they explore the different textures. Some items you could put in the bags are: flour, playdough, rice and/or beans, sand, crumpled paper, etc.
Remember, babies have very short attention spans and even by toddlerhood, their average attention span will range from 3-6 minutes. If you find an activity that gives you more time than that, awesome! And if you don’t, that’s okay, too! As your little one grows up, they will learn to play independently for longer and longer stretches of time. At this point, you’re giving them practice that they can build on later.
