Before I had Baby R, I envisioned parenthood very differently. I imagined quiet cuddles, naptime in his crib, and a flexible but somewhat predictable schedule, complete with plenty of playtime.

As any parent probably does the first time, I quickly realized that I knew nothing. My quiet cuddles turned into intense cluster feeding, my baby woke up immediately if I tried to lay him down on his back, our routine was completely nonexistent, and playtime was really hard to work in.

You will find plenty of advice online on how to put your baby on a schedule, usually involving some sort of Eat, Play, Sleep routine. I am sure that works for some people, and if you are fortunate enough to have that kind of baby, then congratulations, and go enjoy a nice warm cup of coffee that you hopefully don’t have to microwave four times!

But if your family is like mine, scheduling the baby was practically impossible. Instead of Eat, Play, Sleep it was more like Eat, Sleep, Eat, Sleep, Eat while Sleeping, Eat some more. I knew play was important, and yet…it was very difficult to find awake time where play was even a realistic option. If that sounds more like you, my condolences…but it does get better, and within a few weeks you will probably find that if you seize the opportunities when you can, playtime becomes more realistic.

When you start to have a bit of time to play, you suddenly might find yourself thinking “ok…what do I do?” while staring at your baby, who is waiting to be entertained. If your experience with children is limited, knowing how to play with the baby might not come easily, and that’s ok! The best advice I can give you is trust yourself! You might feel a bit silly after singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for the 400th time or creating silly voices or reading out loud the ingredients in a Clif bar, but your baby won’t mind! Nobody knows what is best for your baby like you do. You can’t do it wrong!

If you need some gentle guidance, read on for tips for playing with a new baby, plus toys to scoop and toys to skip.

Interacting with your baby

You are going to be your baby’s favorite toy in the fourth trimester, so playing is all about interacting with you! The first and most important thing to do with your baby is talk, talk, talk. Talk about everything! Sing songs, read books aloud, narrate your day, recite poetry, discuss philosophical questions and the meaning of life. Let your personality show through here…I am a mega Harry Potter fan, so I enjoy talking to Baby R about the nuances in Hogwarts houses and discussing the characters in the books. My husband loves to do impressions, so he created characters and backstories for every stuffed animal we have!

Talking and singing to your baby will let him/her learn about language and conversation, as well as allow plenty of bonding and interaction. And if you run out of things to say….seriously, just read those ingredients from your Clif bar or whatever snack you have on hand!

Tummy Time

Tummy time is another great interaction opportunity. I got really lucky here as Baby R always loved tummy time. But if your baby, like most, is more of the scream-in-protest type, there are some things you can do to make it more pleasant.

• Get down on your tummy so you are at the baby’s eye level. Make silly faces, funny voices, sing songs…whatever it takes to create an enjoyable environment for Baby.
• Place some fun toys in front of the baby so he/she has something fun to look at! Baby won’t be reaching out for them at first but will still like to look.
• I also find that making a fun playlist for tummy time makes it enjoyable as well. We go with Beach Boys!
• Give tummy time in small doses. Nobody is going to be happy if the little one is shrieking in misery. A few minutes here and there can really add up.

Baby Toys to Scoop

You are going to be bombarded with ads for the latest, greatest toys on the market. There are thousands of options for toys even for little newborns. However, not all toys are created equal, and the truth is, your baby doesn’t need much in the way of toys. Keep it simple and just pick up a few to start. These are 3 must-haves in my opinion.

A Play Gym

To me, a good play gym is far and above the most important toy you can get for your baby. It combines a mat for tummy time with toys that hang overhead. This is great, because whether the baby is lying in his back or his tummy, toys above are eye-catching and stimulating. Make sure you get one with hanging toys. I also prefer one that isn’t too tall…Baby will be grabbing toys before you know it and if they hang up too high he/she won’t be able to. I like the Skip Hop gyms like this one because they are the perfect height.

A Rattle

As soon as your little one can grasp toys, rattles are the most fun! Baby R shakes his while my husband plays the guitar. I wanted to be very happy and only have wooden rattles, but I found they were a bit too heavy for the first few months. The O Ball is perfect-lightweight and easy to hold on to. It’s definitely R’s favorite toy.

Links

We were gifted these links from a co-worker and they have been a life saver! They were the first thing R could hold onto and he still prefers them to most of his other toys. You can even put them on the car seat or stroller handle and Baby can entertain himself wherever you go! I always have 4-5 in our diaper bag just in case.

A Mirror

Somewhere towards the end of the fourth trimester Baby will discover mirrors. Little ones are fascinated by faces and will love staring into the mirror. I like to think R is trying to figure out how a person got into one io their toys! Many play gyms have mirrors, but if you don’t have one you will definitely want to spring for a mirror around month 3. R likes to try to crawl towards this mirror.

Toys to Skip

Just as there are some absolute must-haves there are some definite wastes of money and space. These are toys that I would skip.

Your Baby Can Read Programs

I will save you a lot of money here…your baby can’t read, and shouldn’t. This pretty much applies for any educational technology program…they don’t work, aren’t research-based, and are attempts to exploit parents who think they need to give an early reading foundation to their kids. At best they will memorize some words, but this is wholly unnecessary. Better to just instill a love of literature by reading out loud everyday!

Big Fluffy Stuffed Animals

These look so cute in the crib before your baby comes. They look a lot less cute when you are tripping over then on the floor because you have nowhere to put them. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good stuffed animal for an older baby or a toddler, but little ones are pretty much uninterested in them, and since they can’t be in the crib for safety reasons, you will end up with a pile of worthless trip hazards. Best to hold off a bit on these…just get a couple of small handheld ones that your baby will like to hold.

Plush Animal Mats

These are adorable, and we actually have one in our nursery that I just love the look of. But in terms of playing, they are completely impractical. Our downstairs one has become a cat bed. I am sure the plush feels nice, but it isn’t great traction. Babies are constantly working hard to roll over, hold themselves up, and start crawling motions. I found these just got in the way and inhibited movement. We quickly abandoned using these in favor of the play gym.

Those are my tips on play for your newborn, toys to scoop, and toys to skip. Of course, every baby is different! What toys worked for you and your little one?

Posted on: July 12, 2018, by : admin