For many families, the first nine months of parenthood can be a unique but also overwhelming time. There’s a huge amount to learn and it feels like your baby is changing with every day that passes – keeping you constantly on your toes.
Knowing a little bit about the milestones that your baby may be reaching will help you to design some appropriate activities and entertainment for you both to enjoy together.
Our guide below is broken down into 3 month stages to help you narrow down what your baby may enjoy.
Rest assured that these are only suggestions if you feel that you want to expand on the things you do with your baby day to day. It is not essential that you perform endless entertainment for your baby – they are often happiest simply watching trees or listening to a lullaby.
0-3 months
Newborn babies have a huge amount to take in and they’ll be stimulated simply by watching people’s faces and engaging with the sights and sounds around them.
As 0-3 month old babies are not able to move, always make sure that you place them in their cot or play mat in a warm and comfortable spot with visual stimulation such as a patterned print.
Black and white books are a popular gift for newborn babies and can be shown to them slowly or simply left open on a page for them to gaze at.
At this stage, your baby will be starting to respond to sounds and your voice. It’s a lovely moment when they turn in response to you talking to them. Never underestimate how valuable talking to your baby is – whether you’re telling them about your day or singing a lullaby, this is all vital communication.
Your baby may enjoy grabbing or reaching out for objects above their head. Lying them carefully under a play gym is an excellent way to keep them entertained and start to develop some of their key motor skills. They may also start to track toys moving from side to side so you can encourage this by holding objects in their peripheral vision and moving them gradually across.
Babies closer to 3 months really enjoy face to face interaction with people. You may feel silly playing games like peek-a-boo with your baby but it may trigger a positive response and lead to a bonding game.
4 – 6 months
You’re probably amazed at how your tiny newborn baby is now starting to move and engage with the world. If you’ve been doing tummy time with your baby, this is the stage that they may begin to try and roll over during it and start the journey towards crawling.
Your baby is probably enjoying movement and noises more at this stage. In fact, you may have noticed that they particularly enjoy the noisiest toys you have!
Try playing background music (whatever type or genre you prefer) and watch their reactions – you may notice them starting to wriggle more, or perhaps they’ll just listen and take it in.
Getting some musical toys is an excellent way of entertaining babies at around this age. Simple toys such as handheld bells and rattles are ideal. If you don’t have any at home, you can easily make your own using a plastic bottle filled with rice or dried beans (remember to always replace the top tightly and secure it with tape).
Clapping and sing along games are great at this stage. Your baby may not always join in but they really enjoy listening to them and will be watching your movements and the sound you make. They may babble or smile to show their enjoyment.
Singing songs in a circle with other babies is a brilliant activity if you go to groups, attend education and care settings or simply gather a collection of close friends.
Mirrors are also a brilliant tool to use at this age and you can either position them for your baby to look into, or you can offer them a hand held mirror. Babies love holding the mirror themselves and at 4 – 6 months they may be using both hands to explore toys.
7 – 9 months
As they approach 9 months your baby is changing all over again. They may be starting to sit up on their own and beginning to show signs of wanting to crawl. This will provide a huge amount of entertainment for them in itself – discovering a whole new world of movement.
You can encourage your baby to play in a sitting up position by placing cushions behind their backs to prop them slightly. Encourage movement from your baby by placing objects slightly beyond their reach for them to project themselves towards.
Your baby may be able to pick up relatively small objects now, often solely using their thumb and fingers. You can encourage this by placing a tray of different sized objects in front of them for them to explore independently.
There is generally a lot more traditional communication between a parent and a baby at around this time. The baby can now participate in two way communication with some babies able to shake their head for ‘no’ or answer positively for things they want. It is around this age that your baby may start to imitate others, especially in play.
These new developments open up a whole new chapter for you and your baby to learn about one another and the world around you.
Having Fun
This is the most important thing to remember when communicating with your baby. During the first nine months of a baby’s life, parents or caregivers can grow anxious about providing them with adequate stimuli and ensuring that a baby has enough encouragement and activities to aid their development.
This is simply not necessary. The most important thing is that your baby feels safe and loved.
Some of the best things you can do for your baby are the simplest:
- Talk to your baby all the time – whether they’re in the pram, in the car or simply on your hip as you carry them about
- Show them things around you – point out a brightly coloured flower or a cat sitting on a wall
- Smile and laugh with your baby
- Offer your baby books, picture cards, musical instruments – but don’t worry if they don’t engage with them straight away
Planning activities
If you do want to do a set activity with your baby, make sure you pick an appropriate time. Try to choose a time when they have recently eaten so that they don’t get hungry. Equally, find a time when they aren’t tired or due a nap.
Don’t be disappointed if your activity doesn’t go to plan. Babies often make up their own schedule and you can simply try again on a different day when they may be more keen to participate.
We have developed a list of 40 Sensory Play Activities at Home which is a great resource to help get you started with some engaging ideas for your baby.