Playing with your baby is the main way he or she will develop the skills needed to grow into a healthy, intelligent, and active child. You can play with baby any time between diaper changes, feeding, naptime, and more. Little things you do like playing peekaboo or airplane can all contribute to baby’s development. The best part if that baby gets to bond with you and have fun all at the same time! Here are some games you can play with baby to help engage her senses and teach her new skills.
Setting up an obstacle course in your home for baby to crawl and explore through is a great way to boost baby’s development. You can set up different stations around the house with pillows and toys to get baby to crawl over, under, around and follow you through each obstacle. All of these new movements will help baby develop motor skills and coordination.
Parents are encouraged to start reading to baby before he is even out of the womb! It’s never too early to start and you don’t even have to read baby books, you can read anything – baby will just love to hear your voice. Picture books will also help keep baby’s attention and soon enough, he’ll be able to recognizes word sequences from his favorite stories.
Pediatricians recommend that parents practice tummy time with babies every day from when they are born to develop strength and body awareness. When you bring baby home from the hospital you can practice for a few minutes each day by laying baby on your lap tummy down. This position often feels unnatural for babies at first so they may try to fight it but you can distract them with toys or by singing to them until they become more comfortable.
Who doesn’t love playing peekaboo with a baby? It’s so funny to see them laughing and smiling as you disappear from sight and then reappear. Babies develop object permanence around 9 months old so then they know that mom will reappear even if you can’t see her at the moment.
Sensory development is very important and texture plays a large role in baby’s senses. Grab a basket full of different types of clothes like bamboo, wool, cotton, silk, and fleece and take turns rubbing them on baby’s hands, feet, and tummy. You can describe the different textures as baby plays and let her enjoy the softness of the fabric against her cheek. Also let baby play with different textures of food like cereal and fruit so baby can practice fine motor skills and grasping.
Written by Carrie Shan, Founder of Silkberry Baby
Silkberry Baby is an organic baby clothing brand located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Developed by Carrie Shan, a mother of two young children, the range was conceived to create a baby bedding and clothing product range as her daughter had an allergic reaction to synthetic fibres. After much research, she sourced natural, eco-friendly and sustainable fibers (mulberry silk floss and bamboo) that she found to be the best natural choices available for baby and toddlers' bedding and clothing.
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