Mutual enjoyment through play
Many games for babies involve your baby watching or listening to you and the comfort of repetition, anticipation and surprise.
Rhymes do you remember any from your childhood? Perhaps there are rhymes from other cultures that your relatives may sing to your baby? If you don’t quite remember the words or tune don’t worry, there are many resources available through your library and online. Your baby will enjoy you singing to them often. Your baby will recognise and prefer your voice to others so don’t be concerned that you don’t have a great singing voice because to your baby it is prefect!
- Round and Round the Garden
- Incy, Wincy Spider
- Pat a Cake
- Hickory Dickory Dock
- This Little Piggy
- The Wheels on the bus
Games with actions. Have a look at https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/baby-karaoke to remind you of the words and tunes for a number of old favorites. Or you can make your own!
- Peek-a-boo
- Row, row, row your boat
- Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes
Baby play
Play for your baby is touching, tasting, looking and listening. Play is essential for mental and emotional growth. Through play, babies learn about themselves and the world. Play helps the brain to develop and sets the stage for successful social interaction.
Caring for a new baby requires a lot of effort and play might seem like just one more thing you MUST do. Setting some time aside to play with your baby may become a pleasant activity which you can schedule into your day. You just may find you look forward to playing with your baby when opportunity arises, resulting in a spirit lifting win for you both.
When babies are contented and alert, they are most ready and able to engage in interaction and play. A good time is after being fed and before going back to sleep (daytime only). You have probably heard of the Feed, Play, Sleep cycle
These play sessions will start out small and grow as your baby grows. Playing starts with looking at things and listening to the world around them, and it progresses to touch and taste. Try singing songs or humming to your baby, let them explore natural objects (keeping safety in mind, as soon as babies can hold an object, it will go directly into their mouths), and you can even read to them. They will love the closeness you have when you share a book, the sound of your voice and the interaction you have with the pictures and story no matter what age they are. Playtimes help your baby to explore and learn about the world around them.
Playing with a toddler will involve more language and physical activity as their skills develop.
Is Mum and Dad play different?
Mother-baby play and father-baby play are different. So don’t worry if what you do is different to your partner. Each has its own important part to play in a baby’s development.
Generally, fathers’ play is likely physical which arouses the child, is exciting and often spontaneous. Fathers are more likely to lift their child above their head and fly them around. Dads will use toys often in unconventional ways like tickle or poke with them. As babies grow Dads may also tease and be competitive in play. Dads are more action oriented. It is thought that this teaches the child to manage emotional arousal, about risk taking, how to respond in unfamiliar situations and to manage competition.
While mums are more verbal, more modulated and less exciting. Mums play games like peek-a-boo and show baby toys and encourage interest by moving and shaking them and talking about the things in baby’s world. As babies grow, they engage in more pretend and role play. This is thought to build intellectual development, memory, problem solving and language, including labeling emotions and feelings.
Developing a Bond with Your New Baby
Here are some suggestions to help you develop and strengthen your bond with your young baby and to help you learn to understand them:
- Observe your baby closely and notice as much as you can about them, their unique way of being and rhythms of alertness and activity. Notice how they change each day.
- Try to imagine how your baby might feel and how they might experience the world. Empathy helps you work out what to do to make them comfortable.
- When settling, try to communicate to your baby that you understand their distress.
- Interact with your baby when they are in a state of quiet alertness by cuddling, gazing and talking to them, making faces and different noises. Try to imitate their facial expressions and noises. Pause and watch their responses. When they look away, pause and wait for them to look back.
- Take your baby for a walk in the pram or stroller so they can see and hear different things.
- A gentle massage often helps your baby relax.
- Provide interesting things to look at and noises to listen to, such as mobiles, a tree outside, music and nature sounds.
- Where possible, include your baby in your daily activities and talk to them as you go about your day. This helps them feel connected and assists with their language development.
All parents reach a point when they are not sure about what to do so don’t stress about it. Follow your child’s lead, what are they interested in looking at or playing with?
Being with your baby is what they want, not necessarily what you do or how you play.
