Simple Ideas for Baby Play

Today I am excited to share a post with you from my sister-in-law Leah who blogs over at Simple Home Blessings.  Leah has two beautiful little girls and writes about home, faith, motherhood, and activities for young children.  Be sure to stop by her blog and follow her on Facebook!

Simple Ideas for Baby Play

I am so excited to welcome our latest niece to the family! Welcome, Janie! You have so many people who love you. And I also want to say a big congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law, Jordan and Sarah! Having a baby is such a blessing – and having a girl is a new adventure for you two!

Sarah asked me to share something this week about baby play with her readers and I am honored to share. I know when I brought home our first baby, I was very concerned about filling her every moment with learning and development. I thought that if it was quiet in the house while she was awake, I was missing opportunities. But, slowly I discovered that babies are constantly learning from EVERYthing around them, so as long as I was involving her in my life and chatting her up along the way, she was going to be learning.

I like simplicity in my life and so my ideas for playing with our little ones are very basic. But they are also entertaining and easy to fit into the day.

Tummy Time

The very first opportunities to play with your little one come with the advent of tummy time (just after they lose their umbilical cord). But tummy time is not a favorite activity for every baby! It is, however, crucial to development of their core muscles. Here are some ideas for making tummy time FUN for everyone!

Mirror Play

As baby begins to become aware of body parts like fingers and toes, the moments of discovery are so precious. I love to help foster this with our little ones by spending some of our play time in front of the mirror. We have lots of fun in front of our mirror and I have not yet met a baby who doesn’t love to meet another baby that looks just like them! Here are some tips for making the most of your mirror play with baby.

Getting Dressed

Another opportunity for learning and playing about body parts and self awareness is during dressing. Dressing our babies is not always the easiest process! I came up with some dressing games to play with our little ones. We still use them, even with our toddler girls!

Keeping Babies Busy while you Shower

As your baby gets a little bit older, you may notice changes in your schedule that often leave you un-showered and still in your bed clothes at the end of the day! I started making it a part of our routine early to get a shower in the morning while our babies were awake. Here are my tips to keep baby entertained while you are in the shower.

Baby Signs

Communicating with your baby can feel very one sided for a long time. And trying to decipher her every screech and cry can be difficult. We introduced five very basic baby signs to our girls very early and were so happy with the success we had in communicating with them. I know it can seem kind of intimidating to add baby sign language to baby’s day, but we did only the simplest signs and used these tips for making baby signs work for us.

Having fun with your baby can almost feel like a natural thing as long as you keep things simple! Babies don’t usually require and intensive schedule or long, long periods of play. You will find a natural rhythm to your days with baby and will have lots of things to discover together. I hope these ideas serve as suggestions and tips, not guidelines.

Congratulations on your new baby…HAVE FUN!