How do I play with my baby? Ideas please....

[JetLi]

Sounds a bit lame of me but I have no idea how to play with DD of 10 weeks. I sing a bit and read the odd book, plus do "running commentary" on daily activities, but beyond that I'm at a bit of a loss and feel like a bit of a numpty.
Can anyone help please?

To be honest I never did more than that. At that age everything is new and interesting to babies. I did used to lie next to ds on his baby gym and play with all the dangly things to amuse him. Bouncing him in his bouncy chair used to amuse him endlessly, but he used to just watch my face for hours, I used to sit and gurn like a looney!

Singing is great, and chatting away in a high pitched voice, plenty of smiling. It is said to help language development if you can mimic the sounds your baby makes and have 'conversations'.

Don't worry, just pottering around and doing your own thing while they watch you is plenty of stimulation for them.

DD started to like lying on a playmat (plus dangly stuff) at that age. I also used to make up songs and 'dance' (ie move her arms and legs around for her) which made her smile a lot and kept me amused too.

She might like going to a baby group or similar as well, babies love watching other babies.

Sounds to me like you are doing fine.

Even very young babies like a bit of peekaboo.

Those metallic helium ballons can be great fun when attached to an ankle or wrist.

Eye contact, touch and talking are the important things and you are doing that already.

I have a really good book with the admittedly god awful title of Smart Start Your Baby by Penny Warner which has explains stages of development and then suggest fun games to play that are age appropriate. It's worth getting.

Sounds to me like you're doing just fine! Nursery rhymes, books are never too early but her main source of entertainment is being with you! Enjoy her,

Thank you for the tips and reassurances MN-ers

You've got some great suggestions, but I wanted to add - incey wincy spider and this little piggy etc - so he can have a tickle and a rhyme at the same time.

I used to roll my son across our bed (gently) - really just from side to side making "whee!" sounds

And he liked postcards of faces stuck on the wall next to his changing mat - stared and smiled at them. Especially around the 10 wk

• stage.

I just thought of something.

Make sure you pause to allow your baby to antipate what is coming next.

Even teenies can give you a sign that they want you to repeat something. They 'still' or wiggle or coo.

Its lovely when they do it

You're probably dead keen to play with your babay and have read lots about stimulationg the little brain etc, but my advice would be to chill and do nothing.

Baby will be just happy to be with you, observe you, be talked to, and have you close.

You'll be required to 'entertain' them soon enough. So whilst you still can: Put baby in a sling, go for a walk, browse through the shops, and have a coffee.

(Ooooh, typing this I feel really really broody. I want another little baby!!!)

Some of the things I did:

blow bubbles from one of those bottle thingies. My dd loved to watch them (still does!)

sit her in her bouncer, put on my favourite upbeat tunes and dance like a madwoman in front of her, sometimes holding her arms or legs and getting her to dance too. (This had the added benefit of helping me lose a bit of baby weight too!)

hold an interesting toy above her and slowly move it from side to side so she could follow it and move her head from side to side too.

Tickling- my dd laughed for the first time at about ten weeks because she was being tickled.

Songs with actions - sit on the floor with her between your legs leaning against your body and manipulate her arms to do the actions. Mine loves 'heads shoulders knees and toes', 'twinkle twinkle little star' and 'wind the bobbin on' and 'the wheels on the bus'

talk in silly voices, laugh lots, sing lots, tickle lots, hugs and kisses. Enjoy!

oh god, I didn't do anything! the moments that he was awake + not screaming + full of milk were so few and far between he just got parked under the baby gym/in the bouncy chair while I did the washing up.

he got held 75% of the time time when awake, but I still felt like a bad mother when I parked DS in front of Tikkabilla for 5 mins while ihad a shower.

and congratulations btw

Lying on the floor either under a baby gym or with an interesting toy on either side (to get the head turning from side to side) was the main thing for my lo. Looking at books, especially ones with different textures is also great. Photos of faces on mobile phone or computer or an old photo book is also great. Other than that you don't need to do too much more.

My DD is 15 weeks today and we do a lot of the bits and peices mentioned above.

The only thing I would add is perhaps creating a trasure box. Basically, a box of safe, everyday things that she can look at (my DD still not really grabbing stuff but very interested in this styff).. We've got wooden spoons, some keyrings, a paintbrush (clean of course) and other bits and bobs. I've also taken a few empty bottles, Oasis sized, and put silly things in them like some rice, little bouncy balls and some coloured pebbles - they're like rattles but she can see what's inside so loves them. The best thing about this, you probably have these lying around already so nice and cheap.

Have fun though - even though she isn't grabbing stuff yet, my DD is very sweet and super to just hang out with!

Sorry - meant treasure box!

hello
anyone give me some advice pls...my gorgeous, normally happy go lucky babyboy was inconsolable last night, wouldnt stop crying and has a streaming snotty nose, hes got loads of teeth coming through at the moment, and i am putting it down to this....he is sleeping a lot too. Anyone else found this situation with their little ones, hes 8 and half months old.

Hi pjane,

You should start a new thread about your question - you will get more replies than tacking onto an old thread. Sounds like a cold and/or teething to me - maybe a bit of calpol might help.

xx

Thanks all