Fun Ways to Interact with Your Newborn Baby

Although your newborn baby can’t hold or physically play with any toys, you can certainly begin the early stages of interacting with toys at any time. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can begin to teach your brand new baby how to interact with the world at large!

Fun Ways to Interact with Your Newborn Baby

1. Sound – One of the best places to start out with newborn interactions is through sound. Your brand new baby won’t have efficient eyesight for a bit so enjoy the time you have to share communications through your voice, soothing sounds, saying your baby’s name and even repeating or mimicking some of their coo’s and grumbles.
2. Touch – Even while your baby’s eyes are adjusting and they are growing every so in-tune with your voice, gentle touches, strokes, hugs and snuggles are also very beneficial to your baby’s bond with you and yours with your baby. Combine sound and touch activities by rubbing gentle crinkle toys along your baby’s arms, legs or belly.
3. Baby Wearing – Depending on your baby’s age, you can carry them in a gentle sling, a front pack or even a backpack style carrier. This keeps your baby close, contained and along for the ride with the greatest benefit… free hands! This can also help with a fussy baby since your walking will mimic the rhythm that soothed them to sleep so many times while still in the womb!
4. Look at All the Things! – Take your baby around your house, your local park, the grocery store and just plain ole’ let them look at everything. Even at just over a year old my grandbaby is still tickled pink just to breeze through a grocery store, looking at cereal boxes and yelling HI! to everyone she passes. (It’s her only word) but just an hour of this sure does wear her out!
5. Sing and Dance – Whether you hold the baby and do it, or put them in their bouncy seat before you get started, kick up a tune, dance around and make a complete fool of yourself. Even the youngest of babies can spit up some giggles when they see Mom, Pop or even Grandma and Grandpa kicking up their feet and bouncing around. And hey, if it gets you some exercise, good deal!

By the time your baby reaches the three month mark, they’ll already be reaching out for toys and grasping often. Come back to Expecting Parents & Baby soon for how to play with your 3 to 6 month old babies!