I Have A Baby, Now What?
By Rachel Hoeing
I feel like I have somewhat of a maternal instinct, and when I had my first child I did pretty well with the feeding, changing and sleeping routine. What I couldn’t figure out was what to do with the time in between! When they are a newborn, it’s easy to just snuggle and sleep, but as they grow, that time period before they begin crawling or walking always seemed a little … boring to me.
I remember that I even ordered a book online about activities to do with your baby because I felt like my child and I were both missing out on something! The book had ideas like using puppets and noise makers, etc. I remember that we listened to music and sat on a mat on the floor in my family room quite a bit. Another idea they had was for mom to put on all kinds of funny hats and sit in front of the baby. I felt like an idiot, but I’ll admit that my son did laugh!
One thing I did NOT want was for my child to always be dependent on me for entertainment, so I made sure to balance “mommy & me” time with time alone where he could sit in a mega-saucer, bouncy seat, or have some tummy time on his own.
I bring up this topic today because I am sure there are a few new moms out there who are in the same situation and might be wondering, “What in the world do I do with this baby?”
I found some great websites online, which I will share below, but more importantly I would love for our readers to share their ideas, too! Give us your ideas for ways to interact with your baby!
Helpful websites (click the name to visit each website):
Fisher Price Playtime guide – Choose the age of your child and it will show you age appropriate activities.
Kids Health – This link will take you to the Growth and Development section and give you playtime ideas for different age groups.
Baby Center – Another great website not only for playtime ideas, but there are plenty of forums to help you answer questions about your baby’s development as well.
Family Education – This link will take you to the baby & toddler section which lists activities & developmental exercises by age.
Veteran moms, share your thoughts on ways to interact with babies, and new moms, try out some of these ideas, but don’t forget to give your baby that alone time as well!
Related articles on TMoM:
Attachment vs Detachment Parenting: Which One is for You?
Tips on Feeding Your Newborn
Top 10 Tips for New Moms
Baby’s Sleep: The First Six Months
The Latest and Greatest in Baby Products
Oh No, Diaper Rash
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
New Moms, Go Easy on Yourselves
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