Play, Baby, Play! « Back to Group Discussions

[seraf]

Now that our babes are sleeping less and awake more, what is everyone doing with them?

What games do you play?

What books do you read?

What toys do they like?

What do you do to pass the time?

[LunaLady]

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Edited by LunaLady - 6/29/12 at 4:09pm

[Paigekitten]

Lot's of peekaboo over here.

[TalkToMeNow]

I have little areas where we play. I like routine, so I kind of have a system.  I'm a dork. Anyway, in the living room, I have a basket with some books, a blanket, and a few little toys. Twice a day, I put down the blanket and lay him on it. We do "baby bicycles" with his legs, then a bunch of rhyming game things: patty cake, open-shut them, the Grand Old Duke of York, this little piggy, etc. I have a ton of little song/ game things like that. He loves them. He anticipates them after the first line, which is so cute. We do baby airplanes while I lie on my back and put him on my knees. I toss him in the air. I do some yoga poses and stretching, and I kiss him when I bend over, or I put him on my tummy while I bend, etc. 

I have a few toys like this for him:

 

He will play with that for a few minutes while I hold it. We usually finish with the hated tummy time. 

In the basement, he has a play gym, a couple of toys, and the big girls' bean bags. He loves lying on the bean bags and wiggling! I try to only put him under the play gym once a day, if that, so he doesn't get bored with it. 

We do lots of random tickles and times where I put him down and just talk to him, nibble his feet, etc. 

For books, we don't have a lot of baby books right now. He likes Peek-A-Who?, There's a Wocket in My Pocket, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He can only sit through about 2-3 books at a time without getting fussy. At night, we read Goodnight Moon. I plan to get Go Dog, Go, and some more Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle books. 

As for TV, I'm really trying to do zero TV. Unfortunately, that is hard when everyone else watches it. From 7:30-8:30, dd1, dd2, and I watch an animal show (Cutest Cat, My Cat From Hell, etc). Jasper lies on his blanket while we watch, and I sit with him and fold laundry and play with him. He tries to turn his body to see the TV... not much I can do there. I'm going to have to relax on it as I can't make everyone else in the house stop watching. 

[jbk21]

D loves airplanes- often that is the first thing I do with him in the morning- before I even get out of bed, because it helps stretch me and wakes up my muscles, and it makes him all smiles.  So fun.  A good start to the morning.  I move him around the house- living room, older DS' room, kitchen in his highchair (he can sit up in it), etc as I do my cleaning or prep food for Owen or myself.  He lays on the boppy pillow on the floor and inevitably scoots himself right up and over it, he sits in his bouncy chair and tries to eat the animals hanging on the bar over it, and he lays on his activity gym and rolls around.  He loves watching his big brother or the dog.  He plays with a soft monkey rattle or some little stuffed toys.  He's still working on grasping and bringing to his mouth.  It's funny to watch :-)  I make faces at him, we sing and make funny noises (he loves zerberts).  I clap his feet together which he finds hilarious.  We play peekaboo here and there but he's not terribly interested yet.  He's usually watching as we read books or play games with older DS.  I figure he's getting some stimulation in that way, though it's not one-on-one.  

I feel like he's still napping a ton.  The days go by quickly as I am busy keeping older DS entertained and trying to keep up with things around the house.  We usually have a few errands to run once DH is home so D is, of course, along for the ride.  

[MrsKatie]

I feel like I spend the vast majority of my time with KJ just talking to her.  She has been vocalizing so much for so long now, I bet that's why.  We don't play so many games... I wonder if subconsciously I've talked to her more than done physical play with her because she's a girl.  I didn't even want to write that, because I'm worried how that makes me sound, but I read this thread yesterday and it got me thinking that maybe I'm doing that (not on purpose, of course). Gonna go play some airplane with her when she wakes up!

When we do play, she has a couple toys that interest her, but mostly she wants to interact with me.  She loves it when I clap her hands together and say "yay!" -- She doesn't quite get peek-a-boo yet.  She has been working SO hard to roll over, but isn't quite there yet.  She really hates tummy time but I'm trying to be better about it.

I sing to her all the time.  She loves that; she immediately stops fussing and gets a huge smile on her face.

Our biggest ones are:

Baby Beluga

I Will and Mother Nature's Son (Beatles songs - for sleepy time!)

Goodnight Irene (but I change "jump in the river and drown" to "jump in the river downtown" -- just wanted to spare her that image for now!)

Dream a Little Dream of Me

There are more but those are the big ones.  What songs to you guys sing to your baby?

[jbk21]

songs:  pop goes the weasel (during airplanes- i pop him up a bit on the "pop"!)  

cuppycake song (anyone else know this one?)

any songs that older ds wants to sing or has gotten stuck in my head (christmas carols- yes, in March- alphabet song, various sesame street songs....)

ps- <3 the beatles!

[jhsmama11]

J loves tummy time, I put a blanket down on the floor and we play there. His favorite toys are his baby einstein music thing that plays classical music and a toy that has sort of interlocking circles with big bead like things on it (not really sure how to describe it). He can pick that up and move it around. We talk a lot and I started reading to him some books I saved from my childhood, like The House that Jack Built. I sing to him-"You are my sunshine", "I see the moon", lots of show tunes and what ever other songs I know-I change lyrics and make things up all the time. He loves his bumbo seat too. I just ordered him one of those play gym things.

[TalkToMeNow]

J, Jasper loves feet clapping, too. I have a song I made up to go with it from when dd2 was a baby.

Katie, I mostly sing kid songs and songs I make up. I make up a lot of goofy songs to go with things. There's the feet clapping song, the baby bicycles song, the diaper changing song, the Jaspy Pants song... The list goes on and on. I found with my first, who was fussy, singing helped. So I made up songs to go with our activities.

Making up songs helps because I only know all the lyrics to two songs: Me and Bobby McGee and Romeo and Juliet (Indigo Girls version). Neither work as much of a lullaby!

[MrsKatie]

J - the cuppycake song!  OMG! I love that you sing that!

Amanda - you're cracking me up! Please, please serenade Jasper with Me and Bobby McGee!

Yeah I make up lots of songs for KJ, too -- she loves it when I sing, it's very flattering.

[jbk21]

Oh yes, Cuppycake is a hit in this house.  Owen needs me to sing it to him EVERY. Single. Night. before bed.   I think D likes it so much because he heard me singing it daily while I was pregnant with him.  Haha!  Owen can sing it too- it's the cutest!

[TalkToMeNow]

I think I need to know the cuppycake song!

[jbk21]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a312hgYuIG0

Care to share "Jaspy pants"???  

[Mal85]

Greta loves floor time, so she plays on the floor a lot. She has a few grasping toys that she's just starting to really play with (well, chew on anyway). We do bicycle legs and naked butt time during diaper changes. Naked butt time is when she does most of her rolling and grabs for her feet. She has yet to figure out how to get those toes in her mouth, but she's getting there. We do pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo. I also just talk to her a lot. We mimic each other's noises and I kiss her all over. She really gets giggling when I munch on her under her chin.

She also loves tv. DD1 never liked tv as a baby. She was probably 2 years old before she paid any attention to the tv. But Greta loves it. We limit it too. I turn her away from it, but she tries to turn toward it. If I keep her engaged in what I'm doing, she ignores it. Oh and we do baby airplane a lot too. She doesn't love that like her sister did though.

I have a few kids' stations on Pandora that I play around here a lot. I've heard the songs enough now that I'm able to sing along with most of them. Pandora was playing constantly when I did daycare in my house. You can totally lullaby with Me and Bobby McGee!! 

[dashley111]

Does anybody know Casper Babypants?  My kids all love them.  We listen to them all the time.

Im guilty of running out of things to do with baby.  I talk to her all the time,or narrate what Im doing- she hardly babbles at all.  I think its because DD1 talks so much- DD2 isnt in a hurry because she knows she wont get a word in until she is old enough to physically stop her sister from talking.  She is just starting to enjoy tummy time, and its nice because she is so quickly becoming squirmy and mobile.

[seraf]

Great post, Amanda. 

Christina, Shay isn't very patient with sewing. Knitting would be a mess. He loves cooking with me, if he gets bored I just turn on the mixer. He is heavy so I put him in his high chair occasionally when I need both hands or whatever. He will stay there for about 10 minutes. 

We aren't structured. We go out daily. To the park if not to town. We talk a lot. No airplane, hadn't crossed my mind. When the big kids are home he loves to watch them and we play things like hide and seek and chase. He likes when I balance him sitting or standing up and catch him when he falls. He likes smooches on his neck and cheeks. He is fairly serious, not generous with his giggles. 

I sing lots. I make up songs a lot but each kid had gotten a new lullaby. Hush little baby (not the mockingbird version). 
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. 
Baby beluga 
I don't have one for the new baby yet.

He got an activity mat and Johnny jump up recently. He also likes to lay on his quilt and eat it. He likes to eat everything, really.  

[birdhappy85]

I love that Cuppycake Song! I had never heard it until now. I'm going to play it over and over until I memorize it and can sing it to Sora at bedtime.  Thanks for sharing.

DH and I take any song and substitute certain words to make it funny or include the baby's name. It's been our "thing" since even before the baby was here... So when we came across the "I'm Sexy and I Know It" LMFAO song YouTube remake into "I'm Elmo and I Know It," we got the biggest kick out of it. We've been showing everyone we know... It's just too funny not to share. Little kids will love it too! We now substitute in Sora's name, dance with her and sing, "I'm Sora and I Know It....." It's lots o' fun.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWF86D_UNxc  Enjoy!

[TalkToMeNow]

Originally Posted by jbk21 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a312hgYuIG0

Care to share "Jaspy pants"???  

I'm going to try to post a video here, but I'm on my phone... Let's see how it goes! My girls and I love this YouTube video:

So we sing it to Jasper, except we sing, "Jasp, he's a Jaspy Pants and he cry cry cries and he cry cry cries. Jasp, he's a Jaspy Pants and he pee pee pees and he pee pee pees." etc. He loves it.

For some reason I add "pants" to some names. The dog is Marlee Pants. Jasper is Jaspy Pants.

Edited to embed video. Video everyone must see!
Edited by TalkToMeNow - 3/8/12 at 10:53am

[KayPea]

I was actually going to post and see what songs you ladies sung your kids/babies at bedtime. DD falls asleep to lullabies now that she's not nursing to sleep, and I'm getting bored of the ones I sing. I sing her (and Oren too): 

Castle in the Clouds (from Les Miserables, though I change the part about no crying allowed to crying, of course, is always allowed.)

Somewhere Out There (from An American Tail)

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Terrapin by Syd Barrett

Little Bird - the Elizabeth Mitchell version

And sometimes I'll sing Hush Little Baby, and make up silly things to buy. I'd like to learn the version that doesn't involve buying things. And I also sometimes sing "If You're Sleepy and You Know It" where I get her to do things that indicate sleepiness - close her eyes, lie down, be still, breathe deep etc. That one is if she is wired or upset before bed, to help her get into the sleeping mood. 

For the baby, I sing lots of songs where I change the words to his name. One of my favourites is the "Panda Bear" song by Kimya Dawson - I just change it to Oren-bear. I also narrate our activities with singing. It's a regular musical around here - DH does this too, and DD has started as well! I feel like I've forgotten all those baby songs and fingerplays, so I'll need to dredge those up. I'm totally going to learn Cuppycake!

Oren also prefers silly talking and neck-kissing and tickling to actual games yet. He gets really freaked out by peekaboo. I'm totally going to try feet clapping though, why have I never done that?  He loves to be lifted up slowly by his arms and smooched. His main pastime right now is rolling, even if he doesn't really seem to want to. It's a compulsion!  He has toys that he chews, and is definitely into them if I dangle/shake/move them for him. He especially loves the Skwish.  DD and I have also been into painting wildly colourful pictures for him, and we put them up at his level - near where his bouncy seat is, his change tables, the wall near his floortime blanket. He can stare at those for ages. 

He reads books with DD and I, and really loves looking at the pictures and snuggling with us. His favourites are Eric Carle and Taro Gomi, and Peek a Who. We have a ton of board books, and he loves anything that's colourful and graphic, of course. He's started to try and crane to watch TV, too, but I don't let him. We go out daily, and though he usually sleeps through it, he seems to like being out, just like his sister did. We go to playgroup and library storytime, to playdates and to the park, all for DD right now. 

[seraf]

This is how I sing it. Of course, Mama is the original version. And it really ends on the word lullaby.


Joanie, we sing the wiggle wiggle wiggle part of the song while wiggling boy-o a lot.