What kind of games/activities do you play with your infant?

[MaggiesMom]

DD is 10 weeks old and gets SOOOO bored- always wants to be looking at or doing something new.

I don't really know how to play with her. (Long story short- I am the youngest in the whole extended family and my friends don't have kids. So, only a little experience with nieces and nephews.)

I sing to her and play with her hands and legs, etc, but what specifically do you do with your little one?

Any ideas are appreciated!

Thanks!!!!!!!!

[fireflies~for~me]

I am a music therapist, so I can tell you that singing is a WONDERFUL thing to do with your little one...babies love the sound of mama's voice and the sing-song lilty-ness is fun for them to hear and soothing as well...so keep doing that a lot, mama!!

Let's see, what else do I do with Sam (who is 12 weeks)? Well, he looves bathtime, so that is a fun thing-he loves to kick and splash and look at my face while he does those things...

Also, a couple of times a week, I put in a Baby Einstein video...they are pretty entertaining for babies, and I love that it introduces them to the arts!!! We have Baby Mozart and Baby VanGogh

Also...he loves to be outside, so we will take a walk (we live on an acre, so there are trees and flowers and birds and our garden) and he likes to sit on the front porch and swing - we have our American Flag hangin there and he gazes at it for the longest time while t swwoshes in the wind. Outside is good!!!!

This is a fun thread, I am glad you asked this ?

[jackson's mama]

Playing with the hands and feet are great. Looking at trees is also tons of fun, like nature's mobile .

I find out what developmental steps he'll be taking next, and somehow put those into ou playtime. For instance, Jackson will be rolling over soon, so I help him roll from side to side to he'll start to figure it out.

Jackson also liked time in his Gymini (or anythings else with colorful things that dangle at arms-length).

[sugarmoon]

Do you have any black and whites? When Gus was about that age (maybe younger?) I made him a mobile out of pinwheels (blank index cards that I drew designs on with a black sharpie). He would stare at that thing for ages. And when the furnace kicked in and created a breeze....ooooh. He still (11 mos) likes to watch it when the fan is on.

I think 10 wks is one of those a bit in between ages -- not a total newborn, but still too young for the next stage, iykwim?

Elsa

[Crunchier]

I read to Ben a lot. He really likes nursery rhymes and silly songs.
The sling is the very best entertainment for a baby. Find one that you really like-contact me if you'd like to see my design, comfy and easy to use- and wear baby while you walk in the neighborhood, or do your household chores. I'd never get anything done if I didn't have one. Ben will hang out in his all day. Just getting outside or going to a new place really helps. At this age I would just take Ben into the back yard and sit under a tree. He loved it!

[bloodrayne]

Mine is almost 10 weeks.

I put a wrist rattle one of his hands, and hold up chimes for him to bat at.

I hold up a mirror for him to look at. On the back of the mirror are a bunch of big contrasty pictures in black and white stripes.

Baby Einstein is cool too, those must be SO stimulating for their little eyes.

I sing him silly songs.

And push his cheeks together and say 'buddha buddha buddha!", or flip his lower lip with my finger and make 'buh buh buh' sounds, those two are his favorites and guaranteed to get huge smiles.

When he's waving his arms around I bend over and open my mouth and pretend I'm gonna bite his fists and make hungry monster noises, then when he actually gets his fists near my mouth I pretend to chew on them and kiss them and such.

I also let him play in his little floor gym thingie, I put the chimes on one end for his feet and there's a frog that has bouncy feet that he loves on the other end.

I want to get some bubbles and blow bubbles around too.

There's a really cute book by Gymboree I think, that has a ton of ideas, and most of them are things you don't have to buy.. such as, get one of those really flimsy tin pie plates from a frozen pie or something (not the ones you can bake with), and hold it so that his feet will hit it.

They have ideas for things with different textures for baby to feel, and all that stuff. I definitely want ot get that book. I don't have much experience with babies and I just needed more ideas for things to do besides sing and read.

[MaggiesMom]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

I have been doing some of these things with her. She loves (!) looking up through trees at the sky. She also still likes looking at black and white designs. She likes other colors now, too, but I usually just grab one of the zillion empty (white) gift boxes we now have, and color on it with black and red Sharpies.

I'd forgotten all about wrist/feet rattles. I know we have some around her somewhere.

She loves to be outside, but I worry so much about sun exposure.(We have a strong family history of skin cancer.) Our ped. (and the AAP) recommends putting small amounts of sunscreen on her when she can't be in the shade, but I find it easier to just keep her in the shade. So we do go outside several times everyday, but we are limited in what we can do.

Anyway, thanks again for all the great ideas! Now I have new things to try with her.

Edited to add that she loves ceiling fans, too. Smiles at them all the time.

[BowenTherapist]

i honestly never did/do a whole lot of "play" with dd.

i sang to her, but mainly cause i like to sing and whistle.

we play around in the bathtub , ie floating, splashing (not splashing her, splashing the wall), blowing bubbles in the water on her hands or belly, etc

tickling and flying (now that she is older, but when she was little we did very controlled "flying"

go for walks or visit people

mostly what i did/do is wear her in the sling ALL day and she could watch me work(housework type stuff) or whatever i was doing. she really likes just hanging out with me. now she likes to play on the floor and explore the room while i am working. if she wants to be picked up to be with me she lets me know..

in the book the continuum concept, the author talks about how great it is for babies to be with mom and observe the world, rather than specifically playing with the babe. she actually talks about how being too child centered can cause difficulties in the parent child dynamic. (this book really changed my outlook on parenting!)