The question mothers always wonder about is how or is it possible to play with their newborn or 0-3 months old baby. Based on the reviews done by our team, it is possible.
As mommies to your newborn babies, you think it might seem too much a task for them. But babies are born ready to play, or ready to be teachable to start playing.
To “play” is a critical part of healthy childhood development, and as they grow, playtime experience changes. Your newborn baby’s short wake time and limited abilities (sight, motor control, communication) are challenging parts of creating play experiences.
So mommies, let us begin to learn the simple guide on how to play with your baby.
Stimulation on how to play with baby age 0-3 months
After your baby learns to recognize your voice, face, and touch, and to relate them with comfort, your baby might respond. This response, during their first 3 months, may result in giving you a smile.
Your baby at this age spends more wake time and gets more curious about their environment. They start to get stronger and coordinate their movements.
You should encourage the learning process by talking to your baby, responding to any vocal communications, and providing colorful age-appropriate toys.
How can you help your baby learn stimulation?
You may respond to your baby’s coos and make sounds of your own. Let your baby keep talking. In this way, your baby may learn the language and back-and-forth conversation.
You may provide different colorful toys of different textures, shapes, and sizes so your baby may have something to hold on to. This is a good time for you to present an infant gym with interesting objects that swing for your baby to swat at.
You may also hold a toy beyond your baby’s reach for them to grab or reach for. Do not string toys in your baby’s crib because your baby might get tangled in them.
The following are the stimulations on how to play with your baby at age 0-3 months:
- Gently make your baby clap their hands together and stretch arms crossed, out wide, or overhead.
- Slowly move your baby’s legs as if imitating the peddling of a bicycle.
- Use your baby’s favorite toy to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for them to look for.
- Make a variety of facial expressions for your baby to imitate.
- Talk to your baby and let them respond.
- Read something (like a storybook for baby 0-3 months old) to your baby.
- While in their wake time, make your baby spend more tummy time. This lying on the tummy will help them strengthen their shoulders and neck. Always be on the look during this stimulation because they will probably get tired. Never let them sleep in their stomach to prevent the possible risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
These are some of the stimulations you can do with your baby. You may ask assistance from your pediatrician regarding this matter and if your baby does not seem to respond at all.
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10 activities to do with your baby
When thinking of ways how to play with your baby, modify a combination of independent play and social play. This will encourage your baby to both explore and make sense of the world around them.
They can do this through their discovery (with you as their facilitator of course), as well as playful interactions with the family.
The activities we can do with our babies can also help their stimulation, appropriate for their age 0-3 months. The following are the 10 activities a mommy can do with her baby.
Regular tummy time with a mix of with or without support is essential.
2. Body movements
Slowly moving your baby’s body parts, like extending arms and legs, massaging, and playing like they are a puppet are good examples of helping them stretch their bodies. You can also let them dance.
3. Following the sound
Playing music or creating sounds can work to encourage head turning and strengthening neck muscles.
Whether music or a sound that comes from you or from a musical rattle toy, try placing it in different directions. Let your baby wonder where the sound is coming from.
Image from Shutterstock
4. Showing a high contrast/visual books
Visual books are designed for babies to improve their visual and cognitive development. These books may always contain bold contrasting patterns and objects, usually in black, white, and red.
5. Using a mirror
A mirror is a perfect object for exploration and discovery. You can mount a mirror at ground level on a wall, prop up a soft-sided toy mirror, or talk with your baby during bath time with a mirror.
In this activity, your baby might always wonder and would stare at their own reflection.
6. Learning to kick objects
Guide your baby to discover and develop a sense of touch by setting up various things for a mini kick practice.
You may try using crumpled tissue paper, or you can place hard objects near your baby’s feet for them to push off of (like a wall, a cookie sheet, or even your hands).
7. Imitation game
For an easy way to play anytime, you may lay your baby down with your legs extended on a soft mat. Make different facial expressions while chatting with your baby.
Imitate their conversational sounds and noises, and watch as they seem to imitate yours.
8. Texture touch
Stimulation of the senses is one of the best ways to encourage development while presenting your baby with new things. Use safe, and common objects around the house and let these objects lightly touch your baby’s hands, feet, and skin.
9. Hanging patterns
After the second phase in a newborn’s development milestone (which can occur during their 8th week after birth), babies can distinguish patterns around them. Additionally, these patterns make your baby amused to them.
Try hanging or holding patterned cards or high-contrast toys within the baby’s sight of reach.
10. Water play
You can fill a shallow pan or a cookie sheet with water for a little wetness exploration. Add visual interest by letting a toy float and watch as they kick the toy and splash like a fish.
These are some activities you can do with your baby as how you can encourage them to play.
Aside from these 10 activities, we may add some developmental activities that may also help your newborn engage with you as they learn.
Developmental activities for a newborn baby
The list below is some of the developmental activities you can encourage your baby to do with your guidance. In this list, there are activities that might help and extend their discovery and exploration.
- Allowing your baby to hold and rip a box with wrap.
- Let your baby touches your face while you make various facial expressions.
- Teach your baby how to pull an object using a pull-along toy.
- Carry your baby around the house and point at any objects around while saying what it is.
- Toss some lightweight and colorful objects in the air and let your baby look at it while attempting to grab them.
- Let your baby hold two toys in each of their hands. Offer another toy, and let your baby decide on which toy will they let go to hold the offered toy.
Image from | pexels.com
Does your baby need toys to play with?
Of course, your baby needs toys to play with. Even if we have talked about the ways how to do activities and play with your baby, age-appropriate toys are needed as a source of stimulation, discovery, and exploration.
These toys are your aid as their playmate, not just in playing, but also in learning.
You may read this article to know what toys are appropriate for your baby with age 0-3 months old: Best Sensory Toys for Babies to Stimulate their 5 senses.
Remember mommies, it is not too early for your newborn baby to experience their play time. It can be done with your ultimate and best efforts to play with them as they grow and learn.
Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advise or medical treatment. theAsianparent Philippines is not responsible to those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend to consult your doctor for clearer information.
