How do you play with your 3-4 mo?

[RevoltingPeasant]

DD is 13 w today and I am trying to think of new, creative stuff to do with her as she starts to take notice of what's around her a bit more.

Sometimes I carry her out to the garden and show her plants and the sky.

Sometimes I show her shiny surfaces in the house.

We do stories, playmat, tummy time. Today I tried getting her to grasp all the door handles downstairs.

But it's a bit difficult when she doesn't sit up yet or grab things on her own. Any ideas for stimulating her?

Lots of toys with different textures. Lots of toys with different sounds.
I can't actually remember what I did with DS and he's only 8 months!
Playmat is good for sounds/textures whilst they flap/roll about or a toy bar thingy that goes over them to look at and reach for (in time).
Will keep thinking.

When ds is lying down I hold his legs, say 'Run baby run!', then I cycle his legs and pant. He loves it.

I play him music, all the classic rock ones as well as songs we like and we sing and dance.

I blow raspberries on his tummy and cheek.

I also just put him in the bouncer and he sits in it as we go into different rooms of the house so I can do stuff. Hes just been in the kitchen watching the washing mac

Oh yeah DS loved the bouncer too.

Oh yes, we also play Watching Mummy Tidy The Kitchen from the bouncy chair or Watching Mummy Hang Out Laundry.

Ditto raspberries, although she seems to find the first couple funny, and then develops an increasingly hard stare, as who should say "You've done that already Mother".

Run baby run is genius though

Yesterday I lifted DD up high as I lay on my back on the bed.

She grinned and then spat up on me

Mine watches me tidy, chop wood, garden etc
Gets stroked and kissed a lot by her brother
Gets licked more than id like by the dog
Lays on the floor under a play gym that she ignores
Lays on the floor outside watching geese and cows which looks fun

Just remember everything is new and amazing and make the most of it. Dc1 loved to watch dust in the sunlight and crows in the garden at that age.

DD is 15 weeks and I const worry she's bored out her mind after MIL said I wasn't stimulating her enough.

It's hard, though, because DH works away for a month at a time so yes I do need to sit her down in her bouncer from time to time. She doesn't seem to like it much though.

She used to love her gym but now she just kind of lies there on it - feel like I'm failing her at times.

I love the evening routine though; we dance and play then have fun splashing in the bath. The days though I don't seem to be much good at.

Yes to dog kisses Purple!

Everything you are doing sounds great. One of the most important things you can do is make lots of eye contact and talk to them, narrate what is happening and what you are doing. And don't forget that babies need some time for quiet reflection to make sense of everything they are learning too.

I grin at her and she grins back. We have "conversations" where I repeat her gurglings and we take turns. We do "row, row". She likes being sung to and being whistled at.

All useful stuff!
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Yes I talk to her loads. We also have conversations where I make small talk at her and she responds with "bvvv" and "a-guhhh".

blue DH has been away a lot this week - leaving house before five, back fourteen hours later - yes, it is so much harder on your own. Sounds like you are doing great.

Sounds like you're doing lots of great stuff.

this book is good. I just took ideas from it rather than following it month by month though.

Baby superman is fun, when you lie on your back, balance them on your legs and swoosh them around - ending up with a 'landing' into your arms

(just to clarify, you're obviously holding them the whole time, and the 'landing' is you lifting them off your legs and onto your chest)

Mine didn't like the bouncer very much either blue we had a play ring that he sat in which he much preferred. I didn't get much done at that age as he would cry after a few minutes left without me playing with him! We would go out every day and normally a walk in the afternoon to. I wouldn't worry about not stimulating them enough they let you know if they are content or not!

I put mine in wrap sling, and worked on laptop for a large chunk of the day at that age. Now 4 and 5 years they seem to have survived!

I did start taking them swimming around this age though

Yes swimming is something we haven't tried! I can work with her in sling briefly but she protests after a bit, so I mostly workmduringbher naps.

My ds loved a cheap metre or so of fabric with a pattern, it was voile with multi coloured stars on. He loves laying on his back, you lean over him waving the voile gently up and down singing twinkle twinkle little star etc. Mesmerised! Or get a foil blanket like they use at marathons etc they love crinkling them up as they are shiny and noisy.

A lot of dancing round the kitchen.

Had a swirly rainbow spiral mobile thing that I waved at them when they lay on the play mat. They'd giggle at that for hours.

Singing to them (very badly)

Baby gym.

just out and about with the buggy in the park or at the shops, or in a papoose round the market.

At 13 weeks I don't think I played with her at all really. When she wasn't on the boob (which was most if the time), she was in the sling or on the bouncy chair; I think she was just starting to explore the playmat. As others have said, everything is new and exciting, there's no need for specific entertainment.

My dd loved (and still loves at 8 months) me singing nursery rhymes to her. From a couple of months old I started taking her to baby classes which she enjoyed too.