How To Play With Your Baby: 0-12M
Playing with your baby can be kind of overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
Carve out a few minutes during each play session or dedicate one wake window to playing 1:1 and allow the other wake windows to be independent play times. Don’t feel guilty if you’re not playing 24/7. Independent play is healthy and you’ve got stuff to do!
When choosing how to play, I think there are three key ways to play with them and then age-appropriate activities that you can do during each phase. Let’s take a look at the ways and then we’ll take a look at the phases.
It’s super easy to throw your baby in a high chair, bouncer or activity center, but with the knowledge that we have that baby’s need to spend most of their time outside of containers, it can feel stressful to know we have one more thing to plan and do. But playing with your baby doesn’t have to be hard or a full blown Pinterest project. Just remember, what you see online isn’t realistic and nobody actually plays with their baby in complex way with tons of activities all day, everyday. Do what you can and even if that’s just a few minutes a day, you’re doing great. Alright, so here are the three ways you can choose for your baby to play.
Independent Play:
Set 2-3 toys on a mat and set your baby down. Sit across the room or leave the room (if they’re in a safe environment) and allow them to explore the toys, explore their surroundings and move around. This is important for developmental milestones.
1:1 Activity:
Sit down with your baby and read a book. Sing a song. Practice clapping or dance with them. Over exaggerate your words and practice mimicking. Engage and make lots of eye contact. You could also do a puzzle, practice stacking blocks and knocking them over.
Baby Led Play:
This is a combo of the first two. Hang out on the floor with your baby and put a few toys out. Observe and let them make decisions about what they play with and how they play with it. If they offer it to you take it and demonstrate how to play with the toy. This is good for mimicking and learning behaviors but also allows them to take the lead and not rely on you for every activity- while you are still able to be present with them. This is a great time to do a sensory activity. You can still observe and make sure your walls don’t get painted, while still allowing them to explore and develop their creativity and imaginations.
Now that I’ve shared the how, let’s get into the actual activities you can do. Now these are simple, yes, but when you’re in the thick of postpartum it can be overwhelming to brush your teeth, let alone think of what needs to be done with your baby outside of feeding them and getting them back to sleep. As wake windows increase it can be overwhelming trying to fill that time, so here ya go!
0-2M:
These first few months you aren’t doing a whole lot of anything except for feeding, rocking and changing. But there is no such thing as too early of a start for floor time. Hayden was on the floor by 5 days old under the toy arch. I’d lay him down on the mat for five minutes or so. I’d jingle the toys, sing and talk to him. We did this everyday and as he grew he’d start to mimic my actions and play with the toys himself. You could totally read short books to your baby at this point but you don’t have to.
3-5M:
Start practicing rolling. Look up how PT’s do it on YouTube and you’ll see the proper way to teach your baby to roll. You can also check out @milestones.and.motherhood she’s got great highlights on developmental tips and how-to’s. Start to introduce more toys on the mat, read soft cover books while they sit in your lap so they get used to touching books and practice rolling and scooting around. The more you set them down and leave them be or offer toys to roll/scoot towards, the more you’ll start to see them go (in most kids). Don’t compare your kids to others as they all develop on their own timeline. If you are concerned that your baby isn’t developing on track, consult a pediatric PT, chiropractor or pediatrician. During this age range I loved to just walk Hayden around the house while I did chores so he could get used to seeing rooms that we didn’t typically hang out in. I’d point to things and say the color, function, make noises- anything to get his senses going. Touching objects and exploring what they do is great for this age. Simple toys that rattle, roll or squish are great for when they’re first learning how to control their hand-eye coordination. You can introduce more complex toys like stacking, knocking down and anything with multiple functions or that would require complex hand motions towards the end of this period. Personally I started giving him the more complex toys once he was rolling back and forth, holding his head up well and passing toys between his hands. This skill started around 5 months for him and around the six month mark he was sitting up and removing cups from within cups. But as I mentioned before, follow your baby’s lead!
6-12M:
At this point your baby may be independently playing some, or maybe not at all. This is a great time to start them in activity centers if they’re not already in one. This can give you a quick reprieve while you do dishes or fold laundry. Set them in their crib with toys for another alternative. Encourage independent play by setting a few toys out and sitting across the room or leaving the room for short time periods. Talk to your baby and allow them to explore. This has helped Hayden exponentially as it encouraged him to crawl to the items he wanted. Read longer books, sing, dance, practice clapping and waving, roll a ball back and forth, stack cups together, over annunciating words to encourage mimicking sounds- anything that is a repeatable process is great for them. You can also start baby sign language now and integrate that into meal and play times. As your baby gets older and starts to crawl more proficiently and walk, you can introduce movements through slides, swings, pikler triangles, and other activities that allow them to start moving vertically and learning to climb and feel stronger movements. This is also a great time to start spending more time outdoors exploring as the weather permits, although any age is good to get outside and go on a walk or sit in grass and explore those textures. Let your baby lead your play times and you’ll start to see them develop preferences, it’s a ton of fun at this age!
I hope this was helpful for you whether you’re a new mom, pregnant, a caregiver or even a seasoned mom looking for a refresher. And don’t forget, you’re doing great and you’re the best parent for your child. God created you for each other and that’s a beautiful thing.