Play is the not only fun...it is the way your baby will learn how to move, communicate, socialize, and understand his or her world!

Here are some fun ways to play with your baby:

  • Put a toy away from his or her reach and say, "Come get the toy!", which helps baby practice using arms and legs
  • Put colorful mobiles over the crib that baby can reach, grasp or kick with his or her feet
  • Read to your baby or just look at the pictures, while you point out what the pictures are showing

Your baby will probably love listening to music. Baby rattles and musical mobiles are other good ways to stimulate your infant's hearing. 

 
Brain Science for Your Baby

 

Jean Piaget was a famous psychologist who changed our "thinking about thinking" in children. He described stages of development.  Children from birth to two years are in the "sensorimotor" stage of development.  He thought of young children as "little professors" who learn through their own senses and actions on objects.  New science tells us that these "baby experiments" help children understand how the world works by helping to build strong brain connections between neurons.  To see how play works to build brains, click on the link below to watch a short video. 

 

Why play is important for your baby's brain
A Baby Buffer Prescription for Your Baby
  • Put things in front of your baby for him to look at. As you move an interesting object slowly from side to side, your baby will follow it with his eyes. This is called tracking and is one of the first ways that young babies explore the world while building their visual skills.  
  •  Place your baby so that she can kick or hit at a mobile or rattle.  She will connect her kicking with the movement of the toy. This helps her understand cause-and-effect. And your baby will also discover that making noise is just plain fun!
  • Make everyday routines playful. For example, you can add a soft and caring touch to how you treat your baby after a bath or before she goes to bed. This helps her feel connected to you and also helps her understand that her body belongs to her.

A baby Buffer Prescription for You        

  • You may not be used to playing with a baby, or may find it hard to come up with ideas about play. Know that "playing" to a baby is just as simple as patting her hands together or singing to him, while gazing at him. 

  • Giving your child things to hold and play with can be fun for you...and a stress reducer. While you are playing with your baby, relax! Your smile and happy tone of voice will communicate love and caring...and help you feel good, too.  

What Your Baby Can Do - Developmental Milestones 

 

 

You may not think that your baby is old enough to "play", but you will be surprised that before you know it he or she will be holding a rattle, and rolling around to get to things that look fun!  Click on the links below to find out what your baby should be able to do:
  
Baby Buffer Blog
Rene Jamison, PhD

Beating the cold weather blues!

 

I've never been a fan of winter and this cold and snow makes me want to snuggle up on the couch and take in a marathon on the USA network. As a mother of a 3 year old boy and 6 year old girl......this is not an option! So, I need to muster up some excitement and creative ideas to break out of this funk! The go to plan at our house for getting rid of the cold weather blues is a living room dance party. As soon as we turn up the music and dance like crazy I am instantly revived and ready to defeat these blues. More importantly, this once drab house is now full of energy with ear to ear smiles on the most important people in my life. I am reminded how much I love playing with my children and how critical these moments are in their development and our relationship. The adrenaline rush is not only from the music, but the flood of emotion I experience seeing the impact this quick change in momentum has on my kids. Our living room dance party now has us ready to think creatively about other activities and excited to spend quality time together. Although I am sure no one would call me "organized" behind my back, I have great results when we schedule our activities and my kids love when they get to help with the planning. Try one of these ideas next time you need to beat those cold weather blues!

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