The changed lifestyle of parents after the birth of a child could make them anxious and stressed wondering they are doing things right; so I thought it would be advisable to give some activities that parents could do with the baby to promote development and parent-baby bonding. I have covered some of these activities that help speech and language, hand movement and leg movement in my previous blog; now I will be covering other activities that help a newborn develop and promote parent-baby bonding.
The main purpose behind these activities is to provide warm, loving attention, build trust and help your baby reach important milestones. A word of caution; take your own time and do not push the baby too much to do new things especially when he/she is fussy or not feeling well.
Activities that promote core strength:
Get involved in tummy time taking care to always monitor the baby for safe breathing when on his/her tummy. Make sure you add toys to tummy time and help him/her reach out to the toys; it would be interesting. It would also be creative to read a book to him/her during tummy time and try tummy time with a floor mirror.
Help your baby to roll over on both sides and also ensure he/she lies on both sides.
Do some face to face tummy time by lying down on your tummy facing your baby.
Place your baby either on your lap or hold his/her hands and pull him/her to horizontal position; ensure that his/her neck is strong. Along with the baby sit-ups sway to some music.
Make your newborn tuck his/her knees under the belly for support.
Activities that promote visual
You could partake in face gazing or have a staring competition.
You could move objects either with your hands or suspended on a string and allow him/her to trace it with one’s eyes.
Show him/her objects of bright colors. You could also hang colorful scarves from the ceiling.
Let him/her track a flashlight beam.
Go out into nature and show him/her leaves and flowers.
Use plastic container and toys to play "where'd it go"; however ensure you keep very small things out of the baby’s reach.
Show him/her a photo album with family members.
Activities that are just playful fun:
Story time is best time for babies; during story time replace the main character's name with your baby's name. You could also check out story time at the local library.
You could play with some toys that make noise; also you could shake a rattle and try to get her/him to grasp it. Also you could ring a bell in different places in the room and observe if he/she looks towards it.
You could try to play finger activities like counting the fingers and toes.
Learn the "Trot Trot to London" song and bounce him/her gently on your lap supporting his head.
You could take your baby for a walk to a playground to watch big kids play or dog park and point out all the dogs.
You could try going to a local music class or mommy and me class. It would also be great to try a mom and baby yoga class or DVD.
Blow some belly raspberries and dance in front of him/her; the baby will giggle and laugh.
A massage with lotion would be great for your baby; also show him/her his/her reflection in a mirror.
Document his/her hand and foot prints in the baby book.Sit and rock in a rocking chair at varying speeds; you could also sway from side to side holding him/her.
Have skin-to-skin contact while you catch up on your favorite daytime talk show.
These are some of the favorite newborn activities you can enjoy doing with your little ones. Do tell me some of yours.
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