Have you been asking yourself what are things I can be doing with my baby? In this blog post I’m going to share six age appropriate activities that you can do with your newborn and one month old that will help with your baby’s
development.
Realistically In the initial several weeks of your newborns life, your primary focus will be becoming acquainted and establishing routines. The first several weeks your baby will be sleeping on average 16 out of the 24 hours, and the waking hours will be used up primarily for feeding, diaper changes, bathing and calming your baby. It’s usually after two weeks of age, that the baby starts to have longer stretches of awake time, giving you more opportunities to introduce her to various activities. Below are some of the activities that you can do with your newborn baby:
Tummy time
The best first activity that you can do with Your baby is tummy time. It helps strengthen the neck, shoulders and arms, and will set her up to be able to master other skill sets in the upcoming months. Most Pediatricians in the world recommend that supervised tummy time for full-term babies starts in the first week of life. Make sure you are doing this when she is comfortable, never hungry or irritable. You also must not to do it directly after a feeding, as it can lead to her having a spit.
Initially you can start off by putting your baby on her tummy, her elbows tucked to her sides on top of your chest or abdomen while you are in a position of leaning back.
Start with only 15 to 20 seconds in this position, as her muscles have not yet gained strength. She will alternate lifting her head and resting it back down. Gradually increase the length of each session as she gets stronger. In these early days, it’s more important to provide frequent but brief tummy time sessions throughout the day rather than one or two long sessions. A good goal to work towards in the first month Is 3 to 5 minutes of tummy time happening at least 2 to 3 times a day. Around two weeks of age, is a good time to start doing tummy time with the baby laying on a firm flat surface.
2. Laying your baby on his or her back on your lap
Another activity that you can do with your baby that will help improve her range of motion, flexibility and be good for her sensory and motor development is to have her laying on her back in your lap while you gently bicycle her legs several times. You can then transition to bringing both legs toward her tummy at the same time, then straightening them out together, and moving them towards her tummy again. This exercise also comes in handy if your baby is having a tummy ache from trapped gas. This can help with getting it out.
3. Talking to your baby
Talking to your baby throughout the day is another great activity for you to do. While holding her facing you, look into her eyes and talk with her and smile at her. Even though she may not understand exactly what is being said, she is listening and learning. You can also walk around and give her a tour of the house. You can tell her about your plans for the day or comment on whatever comes to mind. Taking a walk outside with your baby is another great activity. Not only do both of you get some fresh air, but it gives you more interesting things to see and for you to talk about with your baby. You can also sing songs to your baby. No matter what it sounds like, she won’t judge you. Even if it’s off key, she will instantly become your biggest fan, because it’s you.
4. Work on your baby’s ability to focus and learn to follow an object with her eyes.
Another great activity to do is work on your baby’s ability to focus and learn to follow an object with her eyes. Your baby’s vision is somewhat blurry in the early days, that is why she sees black and white or highly contrasted patterns the best. Initially she will do best at focusing on objects that are 8 to 12 inches from her face. Hold the item steady and try not to switch it until your baby looks away. Too much visual stimulation can be frustrating and can even make her agitated. Her visual system is adjusting to the big New World. So at this age less is more.
There are flash cards with high contrast color patterns or black and white images that are made specifically for babies, but you can also download images and print them for this type of activity. Hold the image in front of her face and wait till she focuses on it, then slowly move it up and down, then side to side, giving her time to focus on the new location of the image.
Conclusion
I hope you found this blog helpful and you will interact with your newborn using the above stated activities so as to help him or her with good development. Comment on the comment section oh how helpful this blog has been and also suggest on the topics you would love covered. Thanks for reading