PLAY IDEAS FOR 10 WK OLD?

[MollyMooMin]

HI! This may sound silly, but I'm struggling to know what to do with DD1 when she's in her "awake" time. Other than changing, feeding, winding etc, i'm stuck as to how to amuse her. I want quality playing time, but not sure what to do as i believe they can still learn alot even from such a young age. PLEASE, any ideas?

I used to just prop ds in his car seat on the table and let him look around i don't remember actually playing with him til much later

I loved lying my DD on my knees and singing to her or talking in a sing song voice. At this age they realyy try to 'talk' back if you pause during converstaion they will try and 'speak' aswell.Also activity gyms sre good encourage reaching kicking etc!!

Thanks for that, although she has a playgym she tends to look quite bored in it. As soon as she starts to look bored, she cries, so I move her to something else... but then there's my fear of over- stimulating her.

Don't worry too much MMM she's still only tiny, my dd is nearly 3 and her concentration only last a short time let alone a 10 week old.!!

Sing and pull faces. Baby gym. Kiss bare tummy. Not much else you can do at that age IMO/E

Ds started to like looking at books about this age.

Baby massage - try to get on a course (ask if your HVs or midwives run any). takes a good 20 mins.

chatting together.

tickling. singing. books. tummy time. dancing around to music - either pop or classical.

finger and feet games, e.g. this little piggy; tommy thumb. round and round the garden.

more tickling, singing, chatting...

shake moving rattle at her to get her to move her head around. she might hold a soft rattle for a bit. help her hands explore different textures.

black and white simple graphic shapes/patterns are good for little babies. there's a brill b and w mobile from manhattan toy company that i can't recommend highly enough... ds (7wks) is gazing/burbling at his right now. he will do 20 mins under it

also, he loves his Woozit. it's a sort of softtoy. you can get these all over the place. we hang it on his playgym and he bats at it, making it tinkle. b and w on one side, multicoloured on the other.

whoozits, sorry.no time to do link

www.TOYSBYMAILORDER.co.uk/acatalog/Whoozits.html#aFS0012

I found it really hard to know what to do with a young baby. I think the best thing to do is let them sit upright and watch whats going on. I find girls a lot nosier than boys and don't like to be laying down and out of the action too much. Take her to friends houses with older children, they find it fascinating watching other kids. Just talk to her. There isn't a great deal you can do with this age, just don't wish the time away as it goes so fast.

at 3 months you can get a door bouncer. Children vary as to whether they like it or not. Mine loved it, he loved being upright and looking around and after a few weeks he was often happy in it for 40 mins!

Before that he was in a bouncy chair with an activity bar. I made the stuff on the bar move to being with and at 4 months he started batting them himself. In the first 2 months he loved looking at patterns too, lucky my sofa was very patterned and he could stare at that for ages.

that mobile is here

it's called an infant stim-mobile. apologies for false trail: it's not made by manhattan toy company after all

i find that if you get out of your bed in the morning a good idea.

If you can get a rattle with a round ring handle, you can put it in her fist and she will "wave" it and turn to look at the noise.

They learn a lot just from being awake at this age. YOu can talk to her and show her books if she likes it and sing nursery rhymes etc to her. Don't get stressed about it though. Just being cuddled and carried about is 'entertainment' when you've spent the previous nine months in a dark hole!!

Thanks! some good ideas there. They'll keep us busy for a while. We already have a door bouncer for her & can't wait to put her in it soon! I would love to do baby massage with her but she has very dry skin at the moment which could very well be eczema, so best to wait & see on that one.

LOL Jane at the patterned sofa. DS was also fascinated by walking (in his pram) under trees at that age. Both kids were about 12 weeks when they could shake a rattle reasonably well but it had to be put into their hand at that point.

At this age, just get a decent sling - carry her around with you whilst you just get on with your life. Being close to you, watching the world go by is all she needs right now. I still do it sometimes with my 16 months old. Put her in my ergo back carrier and get on with the housework, she's so happy in there.

I remember this being a really hard age, slightly bored with the gym but not really getting the bouncer. We used the door bouncer and she basically just sat in it with her toes touching, didn't bounce but loved to watch what was going on, also a front pack facing out so dd could see everything I did.
It does pass quite quickly this little baby bored phase luckily.

ooh also tummy time sort of propped on my v pillow in front of a mirror for a couple of minutes.