Bringing your newborn baby home is one of those moments that cannot be described in words. It marks the end of your wait and presents you with the joy of parenthood. Once the daily routine has been chalked and well imbibed into your and the baby’s lives, you start building a bond and connection with the baby.
In fact, stimulation in these initial days plays a crucial role in your baby’s language, social, and emotional development and builds an emotional connection. Below, we have listed 10 activities that will help you enjoy motherhood and boost the overall development of your little bundle of joy.
10 Fun Things To Do With Your Newborn Baby
The first 3 months of a baby’s life are the hardest, so to speak, as the baby and you both try to adjust to new surroundings. Sometimes referred to as the ‘fourth trimester’, it is the time that both of you get to know each other and start to form a strong bond.
Playing may seem tough with such a fragile little being, but actually, it is quite simple. Interacting with your baby would come naturally to you while including some activities as mentioned below would give you some clever ways to stimulate development in your angel.
1. Have Some Face Time
Gazing into your baby’s eyes is a great way to start bonding. In fact, newborns prefer happy, smiling faces looking them in the eye to any other toy whatsoever. They also become more responsive to these faces that they see daily. This is a simple, pleasurable, and a highly engaging activity for your baby, and for you, well, smiling into her eyes could spark some beautiful motherly feelings in you.
2. Stimulate Their Senses
A newborn comes into this world with no ideas or expectations. The best thing to do with your baby is to let her feel everything, the water when she bathes, the bed she sleeps on, the creams, the diaper (no, not the soiled ones), her bottle, your skin, and everything else that she lays her hands on. This gives your baby a chance to feel different surfaces and textures and boosts her overall mental, physical, and emotional development.
3. Get On The Floor
The floor is your baby’s best friend as of now – most developmental milestones like rolling over, sitting, crawling, etc. are achieved on the floor. And yes, the tummy is very, very important for your baby. Tummy time presents a beautiful opportunity for your newborn baby to learn to balance her head control, and though many babies fuss about it because of the hard work involved, it is a must to be imbibed into their routine.
4. Hug The Baby
Close contact with your skin boosts the baby’s health as well as yours. While holding your newborn you are fostering feelings of warmth, love, affection, safety,, and comfort, you are also paving way for healthy breastfeeding and fighting postpartum depression. Hugs also help regulate the baby’s body temperature, boost immunity, and encourage brain development.
5. Sing Around
Revisit your bathroom singing passion by singing for your baby. Play along with the children’s songs and move your little one’s hands along with them. Make gestures and faces, and get back to being a kid. Not only will you love it for yourself, but your baby’s developmental skills will also get encouraged. You will also notice her smiling and trying to move along her limbs after she gets the hang of it.
6. Dance To The Baby
When you hold your newborn baby, you can try swaying back and forth, raising her up a little now and then. Dancing with your baby while keeping safety in mind can be a wonderful way to play and bond with your angel.
7. Narrate And Talk
Yes, your newborn baby cannot talk, but you can! Narrate what you are doing as you go about the room, and let your baby trace your voice and presence. Carry your baby in a sling and point out her things when you walk around, narrating about them. Your baby will be pretty enthralled by the new sights and things in this new world.
8. Try Music Therapy
Babies generally have an affinity for music, the right kind of music will soothe a baby and have a calming effect that encourages memory development. Try different rhymes and genres of music and observe what your baby likes best. Sing along and watch your baby getting charged, annoyed, or sleeping. Now you know what to play and when.
9. Peek-A-Boo
This one is everyone’s favorite! Hide behind a cloth or your hand and call your baby’s name. Your baby will try to figure out where your voice is coming from, and when you reveal yourself, she will burst into peals of laughter. Shower her with your love at this moment, and we bet you will love it! This will make your baby alert but is would be wise not to go very far from the baby.
10. Emote And Mimic
Make funny faces and use your hands to make gestures and animations. Animate things and modulate your voice and pitch. You will be amazed to see how closely your baby watches you. This will increase the baby’s attention span and boost early speech along with making her recognize emotions.
Enjoy every moment with your baby and make them special by recording these precious moments. Engaging your baby from an early age will make her develop faster and better, and she will enjoy her learning!
