How to play with your young baby
Many of us find playing with your child difficult and embarrassing, especially when you have a newborn. This is understandable, given it’s been at least 10 years since most of us played a game! But play is an essential part of your baby’s development, so it’s important that they enjoy regular play time. Here are some tips on how to play with your baby:
- Sing to your baby. Babies find their mother’s voice comforting, and love they love to hear your voice as often as possible. So whether you have the best singing voice or not, try your hand at singing a nursery rhyme or two. Hearing your baby giggle will make any embarrassment about your voice totally disappear!
-Play in the bath. Simple things like taking a bath are new and exciting experiences for your baby. Try splashing water across her body whilst making splashing noises, or even introduce a basic chunky bath toy so that your baby can explore the different textures whilst in the water.
-Pull funny faces. Your newborn baby’s eyesight is still very limited in the early weeks, and she can probably only see about eight to twelve inches from her face. Research shows that even a four-day-old infant will stare at her mum’s face longer than anyone else’s. Move your face close in to her, so she can see you clearly, then start moving your face and pulling funny faces to hold her attention, and keep her looking at you!
-Buy simple toys. Young babies love to stare at cot mobiles, or the shapes which hang off play gyms. Choose simple shapes and bold colours, or mobiles that play soothing tunes. Newborn babies like high contrast colours like black and white at this stage, whilst their eyesight continues to develop.
Please keep checking back this week for other great features all about play, including:
-Revealed: The top ten toys for this Christmas
Last Modified:
Mothercare
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