Ideas for entertaining a baby?

[KitKat1985]

Hello all.

DD1 will be 11 weeks tomorrow. She definitely now of an age where's she interested in the world and wants to be entertained in the daytime. She has a babygym but usually only tolerates it for about 5-10 minutes at a time. She also likes people making silly faces at her and is interested in a couple of toys (although doesn't really know what to do with them other than look at them yet). I try to take her out daily so she can watch the world go by, which she enjoys. However I was wondering if anyone else had any ideas on 'games' I can play with her at home? I'm short on ideas and a tad bored of doing the same things all day.

Thank you!

I have the same issue with my DD who is 15 weeks. I carry her around our home and I talk continuously about what we can see in each room...until my arms start to hurt! I put on short 'puppet shows' with squeaky toys, we play peekaboo, I occasionally let her watch Baby Einstein to occupy her whilst I express milk, she also likes to watch me sorting through and folding a big basket of clean washing and touching each item. Apart from that, I'm very stuck for ideas so I'll be following this thread ??

I went to baby sensory classes with my daughter when she was about 12 weeks right up until her first birthday I loved it so much! I would definitely recommend if you have them in your area, gave me so many ideas and a lot you can recreate at home, singing nursery rhymes, reading story books, bubbles, waving coloured scarves and ribbons, shaking rattles and bells, flashing lights, projections on the ceiling. I bought a cheap disco ball that lit up from my local Tiger shop for a pound, that and bubbles were the best ting I ever bought! You can also create a sensory box with objects from your cupboards or from the pound shop, can be literally anything for example a shower scruff, nail brush, different fabrics, bottles filled with pasta/rice. Probably if you googled 'baby sensory' you'd find all sorts of ideas. X

DD is 22 weeks... Music, songs and nursery rhymes are good, holding her up and showing her things,letting her roll around on a furry throw or sitting in her bumbo while I sort washing/dishes/prep food, she also likes to look in boxes, so I have a shoebox with different things that she likes to inspect. When it was better weather I used to park her outside on her changing mat to cloud watch!
Any more suggestions are helpful for me too :)

"Let's look" -carry her upright to new rooms and show her new objects/say what they are. If safe let her touch and chew them! Eg kitchen one day, garden the next...

Thank you - some great ideas. I've booked in to do a one-off baby sensory class next month (it's a babies Christmas sensory party!) so hoping to pick up some ideas from that. Definitely like the idea of boxes and some sensory items, so will definitely give those a go. x

Oh and 'let's look' sounds fab too. x

DS loved looking at and interacting with 'the baby in the mirror' at that age - I spent endless hours holding him up to the hall mirror! He also loved snow globe type things and would spend ages watching glitter in a bottle of water.

Screw nursery rhymes!

Wack on youtube and sing along to anything that takes your fancy. Preferably with silly actions or dances.

Today DS has been educated with 80s Classics, much to his amusement bewilderment.

We have walked the dinosaur, lived the prayer, counted down to the final, ghostbusted and were serenaded by a sweet child. Oh and although its 70s, we had Bo Rhap thrown in for good measure.

Much air guitar has been done.

Don't entertain them too much...before long you'll have a demanding toddler who won't be able to do any self motivated play and will follow you around all day whining for you to be their very own private mr tumble. Children have to learn they aren't the centre of the universe.

Ok a bit harsh for some of the really little babies, it's all about balance.

Don't bother.

Enjoy the (short) time that they don't need entertaining every waking hour...

Here's an idea I had in the early months of baby's life. Might sound a bit cheesey but I like it:

1. Pick a favourite song that reminds you of your time with baby so far and the fun/bond/love you have together. As RedToothBrush mentions, doesn't have to be baby or kiddie music! can be 80s power ballad, indie acoustic track, anything.
2. using phone camera or whatever camera you have to hand, do lots of short video clips of baby, or yourself with baby. Could be really basic stuff like baby sleeping, smiling, waving hands and feet, or could be slightly more elaborate, doing little scenes to go with the lyrics (e.g. 'reach for the stars' - clip of you holding baby high above your head) or even dressing baby up.
3. one evening when baby has gone to bed, use something basic like Windows Movie Maker to edit your clips into a little music video to go along with your song.
4. Enjoy it as a nice keepsake to remind you of the fun side of these early but somewhat boring days! You'll probably cry watching it in the future!

If nothing else, it passes some time and makes it feel like you and baby are working together on a little project. Could even turn this into a Christmas idea to send to daddy or grandma.

Just let them be with you and watch you doing every day things. And talk to them about what you're doing. That's how they learn about the world. I sometimes wonder if some babies get to school and are totally bemused by the real world having been brought up thus far in a weird world of flashing lights, reflective surfaces and soft play. The world is exciting enough as it is.

Oh, and a more boring suggestion - wear baby in sling if you can and just get bits and bobs done round the house. YY to Isabelle's suggestion too, if you ever see that baby is happy lying on the changing mat fairly content to just look around, leave her there for a bit. We never left DS to cry or get too grumpy without picking him up, but we've always made sure not to pick him up whenever he's quite happy lying/sitting where he is. Now we have a 6 month old who happily entertains himself with toys, sometimes even for an hour, with minimal intervention - just the odd change of position or a bit of e chatting.

waits for lovely self-entertaining baby to implode and turn into toddler from hell

i printed out a load of black and white pictures off the internet and stuck them onto a big piece of cardboard, sat her in front of it for ten mins.
also, you can buy big silver sheets of plastic that they have as sirvival blankets at the end of marathons, they crinkle and make cools sounds but arent chokable, worth buying one and cutting it into smaller pieces for them to grab and play with

Ahh some fab ideas here thank you! x

Dont underestimate what taking them out to the shops and park (well maybe not at the minute) can do for stimulation --all different sights and sounds are stimulating not games but still all good. Chang eof scenary gives you a chance to talk about different things.

err bascially what ch1134 said

There's a great baby book about doing activities with your young baby. I think it's called Baby it's you or something like that. It has some great ideas which quite a few of my friends have used.

We read a lot and have done from when she was v little. Pop her in your lap with a picture book. I find it a great thing to do when you're bored of singing, making faces, etc. Also agree with PPs that it's good to leave her to it for short periods to entertain herself. As long as she can't go anywhere, you can make a cup of tea

Yours might be too young but this used to work for my friend when she wanted to cook - tie some toys (or anything really) on bits of string and attach them to the highchair they enjoy pulling up the toy and playing with it and when they inevitably chuck it you don't have to run over and pick it up for them. (all general safety precautions should be taken string not to long, not left unattended etc) also lots of clothes pegs in a bowl ?!, and a collection of lids and a collection of containers they will play with each separately when young and start putting them together when older.

Should say friend had a high needs baby who needed lots of attention if yours is happy just watching the world go by leave them to it I say :)

Christmas decoration shopping. Basically it's like a mega giant mobile for them! I use my pram not my carrier or sling so she can lie back and enjoy the show!
Garden centres and department stores are great for this.

My baby is quite visual and vocal!

She also likes it if I repeat her noises in a silly voice. This game can be done hands free so you can do chores or mumsnet while you play.

...agree with mamushka - my baby loves to pat the dangles on her chair or mat just knowing I am there to keep her safe. So I can do other stuff.
I got ticked off by a hv for not taking care to eat, drink etc myself so dangle chair and baby songs on Spotify are a godsend now and then.

Go to coffee shops lots and enjoy your drink and cake in peace whilst they nap or watch the world go by. Soon you will have a demanding toddler to entertain whilst you slurp your drink at lightening speed!

Do stuff that you like, museums and art galleries, winter walks in the woods, shopping. Put them in a sling or pram and carry on. Talk to them all the time and enjoy the relative peace and quiet.

I discovered yesterday that DD (16 weeks) was fascinated by watching me shower. Normally I let DH look after her while I shower but he's away right now so she sat near the shower in her bouncy chair and loved it. In fact, she seems to really like the sound of water - if I pop her in the wrap and go into the kitchen and run the tap she loves it.

We also spend quite a lot of time looking at books too - I read stories which no doubt go way over her head but it holds her interest nonetheless and she likes it if I do silly voices!

Mirrors are another winner - we have mirrored wardrobes and if she's having a grumble we'll sometimes go and look in the mirror and it often helps. As does standing near the clock!

Washing machine
Grease proof paper on legs to kick.

My two loved doing baby yoga, which was basically just doing lots of gentle actions to songs; row your boat, wind the bobbin up etc. DD especially enjoyed it enormously.
I also just used to chuck her in the pram and go for long walks - she loved quietly looking around, I got exercise and fresh air - win, win.