As a mom of a beautiful baby boy I can imagine how you might be feeling right now. You are probably overwhelmed with emotions of joy and excitement looking at your baby. You could be wondering ‘how he will grow and develop’, and ‘how I can help with that’, but beyond feeding and sleeping, where should I start? Well, as you might have heard before, babies learn through play, so by introducing simple but yet thoughtful games can help your baby develop faster. In this article, we will explore the benefits of play and provide practical tips on how to play with a newborn. But first understanding the importance and benefits of playtime is essential. So let’s jump into it!
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Importance of Playtime or ‘Why should I play with my Newborn?’
Initially, it may seem like your newborn’s life revolves around sleeping, eating, and pooping, as they are awake for only 60-90 minutes at a time. Thanks to their limited vision and hearing, babies require simple interactions, not necessarily structured play times. You are likely already “playing” with your baby through natural bonding activities such as mimicking their expressions, talking, singing a lullaby, or simply gazing into their eyes. These interactions are the first steps to stimulate your their senses during these early weeks, slowly extending the awake window as your child grows and develops.
Benefits of Play
Engaging in play with a newborn offers a range of benefits. It helps promote sensory development, stimulates cognitive growth, helps their physical development. Playtime stimulates neural connections through sensory experiences, accelerates brain development, and prepares infants for future learning. It can also assist in the development of language and communication skills, as well as social and emotional development. With all that taken into account, it is a fun way to naturally help your child’s development and strengthen the bond between you.
Understanding Your Baby’s Development
Sensory Development:
When they arrive to the world newborns heavily rely on their vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste to explore the world. Initially, their vision might be fuzzy, only clear for items within 8 to 15 inches – approximately the distance to your face during interactions. They’re attracted to bold, black and white or brightly colored patterns. Similarly, their hearing is sensitive to a wide range of sounds, but they might be more responsive to high-pitched tones and to the voices of caregivers. Therefore talking or singing stimulates their hearing. As their senses evolve, newborns start to engage more with the world around them, laying the groundwork for future intellectual and perceptual growth.
Cognitive Development:
Newborns are born with the ability to absorb information from their environment from day one. And speed of learning is absolutely mind-blowing. Luckily, we can help them to grow their brain even faster by simple activities. But what is actually cognitive development? It is the process through which the brain rapidly grows and establishes neural connections, forming the foundation for future learning, memory, problem-solving, and understanding of the world around them. A newborn’s brain forms approximately 1 million new neural connections per second, which is astonishing. These connections create a large network that allows the brain to communicate and process information.
Physical Development and Mobility:
During the early stages of life, newborns undergo significant physical development despite their limited mobility. Their journey from being unable to support their own head to achieving milestones such as rolling over, sitting, standing, and crawling is truly impressive, that any athlete or personal trainer would praise. Daily, their muscles strengthen and motor skills improve.
As parents, we can help this process from day one. Tummy time, for example, is a simple yet effective exercise that improves head control, strengthens neck muscles, and prepares babies for rolling over. However, beyond tummy time, there are numerous other activities you can engage your baby in to boost their physical development.
11 Tips on ‘How to Play with a Newborn’
1. Mimicking or Imitating
Imagine the joy of having your own secret language with your baby! Mimicking is your passport to this new secret world. It’s as simple as imitating your baby’s adorable expressions and sounds. When they coo, you coo back; when they smile, you beam even brighter. This playful dialogue builds a strong foundation for communication, fostering imitation skills that are vital for their development.
2. Activity Mat or Mobile
This is also my son’s all-time favorite. Transform a corner into a baby gym with hanging toys, vibrant textures, and enchanting colors. Each playful bat and kick foster motor skills and hand-eye coordination, preparing them for the exciting journey ahead. This was an activity that we introduced very early. Feel free to experiment and hang new exciting colorful, and textured toys on it. I remember when we first placed the baby gym on top of my son, he was mesmerized by the moving objects.
Even as he grew and began using the gym for standing support and as a makeshift walker, he still enjoyed examining the toys from his first few weeks. Sometimes I catch him looking at his old hanging toys as if they would remind him to those first weeks.
3. Tummy Time
Flip the script and let your baby lead the way! Tummy time isn’t just for muscle building, it’s also about their exploration and strength discovery. From week one, you can introduce them to this new world, starting with brief sessions for a few minutes, and slowly increasing time. Initially, your baby might not enjoy Tummy Time, but don’t fret. Avoid forcing it to prevent negative experiences. Instead, try engaging alternatives like face-to-face time. Elevate the fun with an activity mat, tummy time toys, or a supportive pillow. If you have a dog around I am sure your baby will love it too!
4. Face to Face or an Alternative to Tummy Time
Your baby doesn’t need much entertainment, and you would be surprised how fascinated they are by simply watching your facial expressions. Engage them with a smile or goofy faces. Swap traditional Tummy Time for Face to Face time, where your baby lies on your chest while you recline on the couch or bed. While your upper body elevated, they can hold their head more easily, and it is more engaging looking at you while doing the heavy lifting, rather than being on the floor. This way you can make Tummy Time a fun activity instead of a mandatory training. I remember this activity was one of our favorites. Nevertheless, it is a great way for dads to bond with their little ones too.
5. Baby Massage
Baby massage isn’t just about skin-deep relaxation; it’s also a great way of bonding. Gently glide your hands over their skin with baby-safe oils, give some kisses on their belly and feet or anywhere else where you wish. This tender touch stimulates healthy circulation, stimulates the senses through touch and the skin, as well as helps your baby to increase their body awareness and discover their body parts.
6. Let them Help with House Chores
Who knew chores could be this much fun? Make your baby your assistant in everyday tasks. With them snug in a baby carrier, engage them in your routine tasks, like folding the laundry or dusting the shelves. This gives them a new perspective and sense of being involved in exciting activities. My son started very early and he absolutely loved it. As he grew, his interest in these tasks increased. Once he became more mobile, I found him helping with laundry and other chores. So, there’s no such thing as starting housework too early with these little apprentices!
7. Singing Them Lullabies
Singing is another great way of engaging with your newborn effortlessly. Sing their favorite lullabies. Don’t worry about your voice, your little one does not care if you are not an opera singer or pop star, they only care for listening to your voice and the words. Not only it helps with their language and sensory development, but hearing your voice has an extremely calming effect, and they often even fall asleep. Sing something that you like, or just make up something by yourself, it really doesn’t matter.
8. Giving a Tour Around the House
Ready for a mini-adventure? Take your baby on a tour around your home. Explore each room together, describing colors, shapes, and objects. Similarly to housechores, they will love this new experience with you. Remember, you give them a whole new perspective, they can see things through your eyes, with a filter of some newborn visual limitations. Wit those activity you give them some sensory stimulation as well as improving their cognitive development.
9. Narrate Your Day and be the Storyteller
Be the storyteller of your day. You don’t need to be a great entertainer or storyteller in the traditional sense. Has it ever happened to you that you were thinking out loud and you were muttering to yourself? Well, I am one of those people who do that all the time, so it is not much different from that, just try to speak to your baby instead of yourself. Your words are helping to build their vocabulary, and understanding of the world. You can craft the narrative from breakfast to bedtime, just telling everything that you do together.
10. Dancing
Do you like dancing? If yes, that is great, if not, also fine. I am sure after having a baby at least you will definitely get used to swinging and rocking. Swinging, rocking or dancing, can not only help your bub slowly drifting away, if you find the moment when they are present and awake, they will find it really entertaining to move to the rhythm along with you. This activity stimulates their vision, hearing and even helps with the development of their balance, so don’t hold yourself back let those moves carry you away and shake that booty.
11. Visual Cards
This is something we started in the very early days. Introducing visual cards is a great way to stimulate your baby’s limited visual capabilities. Just hang some high-contrast images around the house positioned at a distance of 8 to 15 inches – focus range of newborns.
Fun fact, these visual cards can be a beloved toy for your baby for a much longer time than expected. After they learn to grab and sit, they will love looking at the cards themselves, sorting or just throwing them around the house and eventually you can even play a memory game with them as they get older. My little boy’s eyes light up every time we take the cards and play with them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During Playtime
Overstimulation:
While engaging with your newborn is important, be mindful of their cues for rest and quiet time. Newborns can quickly become overstimulated, leading to fussiness or fatigue. Pay attention to their body language, such as turning away or arching their back, as a sign that they need a break.
Ignoring Your Baby’s Cues:
Every baby is unique, and they have different ways of communicating their needs. Pay close attention to your baby’s signals and respond accordingly. If they seem disinterested or upset during playtime, it may be a sign that they need a change of activity or a break.
Not Providing Enough Physical Support:
During playtime, your newborn may need physical support to explore and interact with their surroundings. Use pillows or cushions to prop them up or provide a secure space for tummy time. Always ensure that the environment is safe and supervised.
Final Tips and Advice for New Moms
Playing with your newborn is enjoyable and essential for their growth and development. By engaging in sensory play, cognitive stimulation, and physical activities, you are providing your little one with valuable learning experiences. Here are some finalt tips for you:
- Follow your baby’s lead and let them guide the playtime activities.
- Take cues from your baby’s reactions and adjust the intensity or type of play accordingly.
- Don’t feel pressured to have elaborate play sessions. Even a few minutes of focused interaction can make a difference.
- Remember that the most important aspect of playtime is the bond you build with your baby.
Enjoy your playtime adventures with your little one and watch them thrive as they grow and develop through the power of play!
