How does your baby like to play?

[sparklestars]

Might sound a strange question, but as a first time mum I just wondered what sort of games or activities you do/did to play with your baby? Charlotte is 8 months old now and I do sometimes struggle to know what sorts of things to do ‘with’ her? I’m not sure if I’m very in touch with my ‘inner child’ lol and my mum seems to have far more of a knack at playfully interacting with her than I do . I’ve got plenty of toys for her to play with but I don’t want to keep just ‘giving’ her things and leaving her to it, so I was hoping to find some games or activities I can do ‘with’ her….or am I trying to run before I (or she for that matter!) can walk here and being a ‘pushy mommy’ ?! We’ve done the hand clapping things/bouncing her up and down/tickling her tummy etc but she seems to get bored quickly. I can’t wait for the stage where I can glue bits of pasta and glitter onto paper….or splash round with pots of poster paint and tissue paper….but I guess that’s a bit much to expect of her yet lol. So has anyone any ideas they could share please?

Thanks

Tracey X

[Deee]

Hi Tracey

I have the same question really, Z is 7 months and we also have loads of toys and stuff to try and entertain him with - some noisy and some quiet eg cloth books that he likes to look at and chew ! but the noisy toys obviously get the most reaction. I also find you have to sit and play with the toys with him or he just seems to get bored and drops them and waits for the next exciting object to be put in front of him - of course that could be a lazy boy thing (I've been warned that boys are lazier than girls!)

Now he can sit up things seem a lot more fun and interesting for him. I can leave him to his own devices for 5 mins or so as long as he loads of cusions around him and has several toys within reach - so making a cuppa or dashing off to the loo is a bit easier.

We do quite a lot of singing games and he loves playing aeroplanes with his Dad (not after food tho, DH learned his lesson very messily on that one )

I've also got a door bouncer which he loves.

Hopefully some of the mums with other/older kids can give us a few handy hints for other games

D
X

[ann]

you know its something i have never thought about,

for toys that you could have five Min's peace to go to the loo
my lot always loved the toy Arch's that they could lie under and reach the toys and bash them to their hearts content, the last one i had for Alex and Ali was given to me, it was a German one ive never seen anything like it here as each time they bashed a certain toy, it played a tune and lit up,

the door bouncer was a firm favourite,

other than the obvious rattles and play mats that they can lie on and feel all the different things, we had a lot of sound and light things that i would sit and play with them, for some reason both the boys seemed to love anything that would light up red and always learnt that button first no matter what the toy was, (Allan always said it was because arsenal colours were red and that it was because they were born to be gooners)

sorry but pots pans and wooden spoons were another favourite, they can bang them and loved them,

of course shape sorters as they get a little older and those things that they have to turn, twist, flick, press to make something pop out, they loved that as well,

i also have a lot of light and sound books and have always read to them even from tiny and I'm talking 3 months on wards, when they just listened to the sound each button made eventually pushing it themselves (i think its very important to introduce books from very early on)

even though Ali is still very young he joins in the mess stuff such as painting, that i do with Alex,

sand pits go down well if you have the space, even from a young age they love the feel of it, even if you do have to watch them like a hawk so they don't eat it lol

anything like this always goes down well at a young age babies love feely touchy things, things that make a noise or light up, and above all else things that do many things as it then holds their attention span for ages,

oh and if you can stand the noise let them play with a keyboard or toy piano, of course the most favourite toys are ones they are not supposed to have like mummy's mobile, computer keyboards, etc etc

love Ann
click on the pic for more info

[sparklestars]

Thanks to you both very much for your replies

Dee – phew…I thought it was just me feeling like that lol. No, Charlotte is exactly the same (so it’s a relief to hear Z is too as I guess it’s just normal for that age then) and throws things down waiting for the next toy to be passed to her….which is inspected, chewed, played with for a few minutes then thrown down. She also likes aeroplanes – but I can only do that for a few minutes as she’s a ton weight now . I decided though to get a door bouncer reading your note, as I’d thought about it before and then forgotten, so I rushed to the shops yesterday and got her that and another toy….dashed home all excited….put her in….and she screamed blue murder…..typical haha!! I find she’s funny like that….seems to take her a while to get used to things. She’s got one of those lullaby light music projector things which she hated with a passion until a few weeks ago, I tried it again one night and from previously screaming whenever I put it on she just suddenly decided she loved it and laughs now every time it plays! I guess she’ll be the same with the bouncer – I’d love to have seen her playing in it though, I bet you get a good few giggles watching Z in there !

Anne – lol at the ‘Arsenal’ idea and thank you so much for the ideas and all those links….some of those toys look great fun for me (especially the mat in the middle of the second row) let alone Charlotte lol! I did go and get my wooden spoons and saucepan after reading your post and you’re right….I think I have a drummer in the making. I had to remove the spoons pretty quickly though as she got a really determined look on her face and was wielding them in the air like a cross between Zorro and a teenage ninja. Her dad got her one of those arches which she loves too ( how can so much noise come out of one toy?!) and I got her a similar type of V-tech baby walker kind of thing yesterday (with a keyboard and some noisy buttons) which thankfully she’s taken to. I totally agree with the books thing, I’ve got her a few including one of those with the buttons which are great – she’s yet to get the idea they’re for looking at though and seems determined to reduce them to paper mache (sp?) by sucking on the corners yuk. You’re also right re the remotes and mobiles….she has a few of the toy ones but has a remarkable knack for just wanting the real ones….if only she has that sense of detection for forged paintings and fake gold she’ll make a fortune lol .

Now all I need is a spare room to keep all her toys in! Thanks again for taking the time to reply .

Tracey X