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10 Easy Activities to Play with A Newborn (0-3 months)
As a parent to a newborn that might seem like a task for much further down the road but in fact babies are born ready to play or ready to have you teach them how.
One of the things I loved learning about the most while undergoing my Master’s in Adapted Physical Education was the developmental process from birth through the acquisition of motor skills in the early childhood years.
Studying the different reflexes and small patterns in motor development revealed some really neat things about how infants naturally progress through stages and how parents can help facilitate both motor development and social development through play.
This does not mean that you have to be ready to entertain your baby as soon as they come home from the hospital.
How to Play with a Baby 0-3 Months: Learning through everyday activities
The things that most parents naturally do such as talking in a sing-song voice or making faces at babies are actually helping them build connections and make associations as well as preparing them for their first “conversations” the adorable goo-goos that make a mama’s heart melt.
Skin to skin, baby-wearing and simply holding a baby against your chest all provide benefits of tummy time early on too. Therefore “having to play” isn’t something that has to be on your to do list the first month.
Focus instead on recovery and adjusting to life with a newborn!
Somewhere down the road after the first few weeks however once they start having more awake time, a thought is likely to start creeping into your head of “How am I supposed to entertain and play with my baby” and how do I give my arms a break from carrying her.
Baby playtime is a great way to do both!
So today I’m sharing a few easy ways to play with a newborn to 3-month-old baby.
How to play with a newborn baby: Easy Activities for 0-3 months
When figuring out ways to play with a baby, aim for a combination of independent play and social play.
This means encouraging baby to both explore and makes sense of the world around them through their discovery (with some help from you sometimes of course) as well as playful interactions with the family.
THE TOOLS OF THE JOB ARE SIMPLE:
- Visually interesting objects
- Contrasting books or patterned cards these ones are adorable and have over 285 5-star reviews!
- Tissue paper and other texture-interesting items
- A mirror regular or a baby floor version
- Soft yet sturdy surface for floor play and tummy time.
- While you can definitely play on any surface a soft foam play mat is ideal for tummy time and play/exploration.
I love using our 5 x 7 play mat by Wee Giggles for playtime since it provides a small amount of cushioning against the hard floor, but is firm enough for Ensley to practice pushing up from her forearms.
And let’s face it living with 2 dogs and a toddler and a mama who doesn’t like to clean my floors are never clean so it makes me feel better knowing she is on a clean, non-toxic surface.
I try to mix up how we play each day to keep us both from losing interest though not sure that is possible for babies as they are easily entertained.
Here are some of the best and my favorite activities for playing with babies three months and under.
10 Activities to Play with your Newborn
Tummy time looks different depending on where on the developmental timeline a baby is this post on tummy time positions for different stages is great for learning how to do it correctly regular tummy time without support is important too but this helps mix it up a bit!
Placing a boppy or tummy time pillow, rolled blanket or other types of support under a baby’s chest helps prop them up and facilitates play for babies unable to fully support themselves on their arms (which would be most 0-3-month-olds!).
2. Hey Macarena!:
Plus it is just super fun to make a baby dance so there’s that!
3. Follow the Sound:
Whether the music or sounds come from you a musical toy or rattle, or something else try placing the sound at different locations around your baby and watch them search to identify what and where the sound is coming from.
4. High Contrast/ Visual Books:
These books often contain bold contrasting patterns and objects, typically in black, white and red. Here are some great ones to check out.
5. Mirror:
6. Hanging patterns:
After the second “leap” in a newborn’s development typically around 8 weeks after the due date babies are able to distinguish patterns around them and are endlessly amused by them.Try hanging or even just holding patterned cards or high contrast toys in baby’s field of vision.
7. Kicking objects:
Try using tissue paper like in this tutorial from Mama OT as well as placing hard objects near the feet for them to push off of a cookie sheet or your hands work great.
I like having the mat there as it helps hold the cookie sheet up too.
8. The Imitation Game:
Imitate their conversational noises and facial expressions, and watch as they seem to mimic yours especially fun in the 2-3 month stage!.
9. Texture Touch:
Items such as dried beans or sand can also be placed in a bowl or shallow pan for hands and feet during tummy time or while laying on their backs.
Must try Activity: Jello Sensory Play for Babies & Toddlers
10.Water Play:
Baby can be positioned with their feet on the pan for some kicking fun or try guiding their hands to the water for some splashing fun. Always supervise infants during any type of play but be especially cautious around water.
Add visual interest by floating a toy and watch as they kick and splash like a little fish!
These are just a few of the easy ways to play with babies in the first few months by focusing on providing tummy time and ways to explore and interact with the world around them you will help your baby find excitement in all of the new things they can discover.
Playing even this early is a precursor for other baby milestones and essential for development and it is fun! For other fun ways to play with babies check out this post on incorporating Montessori for babies at home.a
Best Baby Foam Mat
The Wee Giggles Extra Large Play Mat is an excellent alter
It is non-toxic and free of BPA, phthalates, latex, lead and formamide and is perfect for babies as they do tummy time learn to crawl and walk, and makes a great play floor for a nursery or playroom as well.
I like how big it is (5 x 7) and how the tiles are large meaning they are less likely to come apart and/or go missing they come in a nice zippered bag which is great for storing when not in use.
The foam tiles are quick and easy to connect and come with a border that can be flipped up to form a wall to keep toys from falling off the mat.
The fence would also be a great place to tape photos or vision cards as a baby gets stronger and is able to lift their neck and chest higher up during tummy time.
Before You Go: 9 Signs Going Into Labor Is Near
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