What Happens If You Dont Interact With Your Baby
Interaction with you is vitally important to your babys overall development.
Babies need to feel loved and safe in order to thrive. Talking to your baby, playing with them and showing them the world are needed for your baby to feel cherished.
This is also how you and your baby will form a very special bond.
Your baby will NOT develop to their full potential if you do not interact with them.
So, the bulk of your time should be spent interacting with your baby but balanced with short periods of time where you encourage them to play and explore independently.
Deluxe Kick N Play Piano Gym
This was one of my daughters favorite activities when she was a baby! The piano gym is a best seller and gives your baby 4 ways to play as they grow. As your baby gets older, the learning stages will change and theyll even have a piano to play with that has real music notes. The piano keys light up, and when he/she gets older, the piano can be removed from the mat for them to carry around. This will improve their sensory development, gross motor skills, curiosity, and start them on early academics by showing them colors and shapes.
How To Entertain Your Newborn
Many mothers of young babies report feeling guilty if their baby is awake and not being entertained. However, after a few minutes of trying to entertain your newborn, you may feel yourself running out of material or see your babys concentration shift to staring at the wall rather than your performance. Today, well talk about how to entertain your baby and what they find fun.
Read Also: When To Call Pediatrician For Newborn
How Long Can A Baby Play Alone For
A rough guideline of how long your little one can be left alone to play is:
- 6 month old 5 minutes
- 12 month old 15 minutes
- 2 years old 30 minutes
I also believe that parents can offer their babies opportunities to play independently from very early on.
Infancy is a time of great dependence. Nevertheless babies should be allowed to do things for themselves from the very beginning.
Twist And Fold Activity Gym
We received this as a baby shower gift and we put it to good use too! My daughter was never a fan of tummy time and also struggled to hold her head up when on her tummy. This activity really helped her with holding her head up and rolling over. Her favorite part was the mirror attached. She would always look right in it and smile. It was the cutest thing that I probably took about 10 videos of her doing it! This activity is easy to store as it folds up in two easy steps. It can be used all the way up until your babys first birthday and includes a mirror with linkable toys. This activity encourages sensory play with colors, mixed textures, rattling, and crinkling sounds.
Read Also: How To Prevent Jaundice In Newborns
Get Your Baby Company
Babies like watching other babies, especially if they are close in age . If you have an older child, great! If not find someone with a baby who is eager to do playdates. Its never too early to start.
I noticed when working in the daycare that kids who have older siblings/friends develop faster and easier. I think thats because they copy other children, which is faster than figuring out each thing on their own.
How Do I Entertain A Clingy Child
At around 8 months of age, your baby will become acutely aware that they are separate from you and may develop separation anxiety.
This is perfectly normal but may derail your attempts to get them to play alone.
A good way to approach solo play with a child that is clingy is to make the most of opportunities that can be turned into moments of independent play.
For example, if they crawl off to look at a toy across the room just watch and observe what they do. Dont interrupt or join in.
As long as they are safe, allow them to independently play!
Again, if they are safe you could leave the room for a minute. Dont sneak out, tell them you are going and will be back in a minute.
If they fuss, then offer verbal reassurance from the other room rather than dashing back.
These are tiny steps on the way to solo play but what you are trying to do is establish trust.
Your little one needs to know that you will not leave without telling them and that you will return when you say you will.
Read Also: How To Soothe A Gassy Newborn
Playing With Newborns: Why Its Important
Play is essential for your babys overall development, learning and wellbeing.
Through play, your newborn learns about the world around him and how he can interact with it. New play experiences also help parts of your newborns brain connect and grow. And play that gets your newborn moving builds muscle strength as well as gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
Playing with your newborn helps her learn to talk and understand words. You might not always have time to stop everything and play, but you can still chat to your newborn about whats going on for example, while cooking dinner, shopping or folding clothes.
Playing together helps you and your newborn get to know each other. Thats because play can tell you a lot about your newborns personality. Rough and silly or quiet and calm, youll soon know what your newborn likes.
When you play with your newborn, your newborn learns to trust and depend on you, and the bond between you and your newborn gets stronger. This helps your newborn feel loved and secure.
Help Your Baby’s Eyesight Develop
Your baby’s once-fuzzy eyesight is growing clearer every day, and at around the 3-month mark, so is her ability to follow an object with her eyes. Give her some practice by offering interesting things to look at, such as:
- Bright patterns. Sharp contrasts are more intriguing to newborns than delicate pastels, so don’t hesitate to go bold in what you show her. Draw simple pictures or cut them from paper and hang them near her changing table.
- Mirrors. Babies love mirrors! She’s not vain , she just loves seeing another tot just her size. Choose an unbreakable mirror made just for infants.
- Mobiles. Hang one about 6 to 12 inches above your baby’s face, and off to one side . And remember, the objects on the mobile are for your baby’s benefit, not yours. Make sure the most interesting view is from the bottom not the side or top .
- Faces and people. Whether live or in photographs, babies are fascinated by the human face. Offer yours for observation often, or show her pictures of other people’s faces.
- Books. There’s no need for fancy words or any words at all. Choose sturdy cardboard or cloth books with simple, clear drawings or photographs of everyday objects, babies, children and animals. Your baby might spend more time chewing on the book than looking at it, but she might occasionally sneak a peek at the pictures.
Recommended Reading: How To Become A Newborn Hearing Screener
Ways To Entertain A Newborn: 0 To 3 Months
You got through pregnancy and labor, brought your little one home. Now what? How the hell can you entertain a newborn? Do you actually need to entertain a newborn?..
Well, yes and no. In my experience, first month both you and the baby are recovering from labor. My daughter wouldnt even open her eyes for more than a minute during the first month just sleeping and breastfeeding.
During months 2 and 3 she would stare at me for some periods of time. Thats when I felt like she expects some kind of entertainment from me
So What do I do?..
I went over all the stuff I ever did with babies and kids in order to entertain them. Some things worked, some miserably failed with her. But I was desperate to find things that would entertain my newborn and hopefully be beneficial for her development too. And eventually I found quite a few.
This being said, I offer you a list of things you can try to entertain a newborn. Some might work, some might fail, but at least you will have a starting point!
Great thing is that youll need to entertain a newborn only for a few hours a day cause they mainly sleep and feed. This will help you gradually get used to the idea of being a clown
Ways To Entertain A Baby And Toddler
Babies are eager to learn, and preschoolers are full of knowledge they’re eager to share. Put the two together, introduce these activities, and watch what happens! As a preschooler “teaches,” he cements his knowledge, and gains a sense of mastery, too. If your preschooler ignores any baby in his orbit or prefers not to be the center of attention you can step into the leading role at first. You may find that he’s soon ready to join in the fun.
You May Like: How To Boost Newborn Immune System
Accessible Kitchen Toys For Baby
This became an issue as baby became more interactive and mobile. By 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months these activities were used everyday.
I had a box that had little toys that he could empty out while I was in the kitchen although he soon found the cereal shelf and took great pleasure in emptying those boxes on the floor!
Do I Have To Entertain My Baby All The Time
The simple answer to do I have to entertain my baby all the time? is NO!
While I am a great advocate of babies learning through play and that they learn so much from their interaction with their parents, it is equally important to teach your little one to play alone.
In truth, your baby will learn a lot from playing alone!
The trick is to strike a balance between playing with your little one and encouraging independent play by teaching them to be comfortable by themselves.
Offering your baby time to play alone and be away from you safely, will go a long way in making them independent as they grow and spend some time away from you.
Solo play will also help to develop their problem solving skills, develop their imagination, improve concentration and boost their confidence.
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that Play facilitates the progression from dependence to independence and from parental regulation to self-regulation.
So it goes without saying that play is hugely important and offering your baby a range of age appropriate play activities is essential to their overall development whether that be while they are playing socially or on their own.
You May Like: What To Give A Newborn That Is Constipated
Sights Sounds Sensory Smiles How To Entertain A 6 Month Old With Fun New Experiences
Even Babies Need A Break
Parents may find themselves confused about their babies responses as they play. Its not uncommon to wonder: We were having so much fun a minute ago, and now hes crying. What happened? It may be that your baby reached his limit for stimulation and was telling you he needed a break. Babies have their own individual ways of responding to stimulationlight, sound, touch, activity. Some can take in a lot of stimulation before they top out and become distressed. Other babies get overwhelmed very quickly by what may seem to be just a small amount of stimulation Theres no right or wrong way to be. A babys ability to manage stimulation is based on his unique wiring.
Also Check: What If My Newborn Is Constipated
Best Activities For Newborn Babies
So what can you do with a newborn who doesnt do much more than, well, lay there? Experts say there are plenty of activities to help foster the rapid development that occurs during this stage. To engage your newborn and help her meet the milestones outlined above, try the following activities: