I’m just going to say it: seriously…what do you DO with your baby all day? After you make it through those first few weeks when baby sleeps and eats 90% of the day but before they are old enough to go to tumble class and Story Time at the library, truly and honestly, how exactly do you fill your time during their waking hours? I have no clue, and I find myself just…holding him. And looking at him. A lot. But then what?
I know! It sounds stupid, but I genuinely didn’t know the answer to this question. So, I bravely asked my closest girlfriends one day because I knew they would still love me despite my rampant case of the dumb-dumbs. Their suggestions were amazing and, oddly enough, didn’t include a long list of intellectually stimulating things that I was sure I “should” be doing with my baby. (Ugh, cue the Mom Guilt!)
So, for those early couple of months when your baby is pretty immobile and non-participatory, these are some great time fillers to do during the 1-2 hour awake times between feeding, sleeping, and changing.
Here are my friends’ brilliantly obvious suggestions of infant activities:
- Tummy Time: This is like Baby Crossfit. And, like any workout, you’ll never regret doing it after you’re done. Whenever I have no clue what to do with my son next, we do a round of Tummy Time. It’s an easy, no-thinking necessary activity to do as long as your baby will tolerate it. This can last anywhere from 5-20 minutes.
- Read a (few) book(s): Now, full disclosure—one of my friends is a librarian (how ADORABLE is that!) and I knew her nerdy-self would suggest this one. But she made a good point that it’s never too early to start introducing a love of reading. So, we cozy up in a chair and go through about 10-12 books—yes, even including the 4-page board books and plush books. I know he doesn’t understand anything that I’m saying or showing him right now, but I like the idea of getting into a good habit of reading super early on. You can eat up a good half-hour reading.
- Tour the house: Ok, I’ll admit, this one was new to me. But walk your baby through all the rooms of the house. ALL OF THEM. Their room, your room, the kitchen, the living room, the
office, the backyard, even the bathroom. Name things that you see and point to them. Not only does this make baby familiar with their surroundings, but it’s a great way to say new and
different words to your child. (I’m amazed at how I become at a loss for words when I’m around my baby, almost like I get social anxiety and don’t know what to talk about. Just me? Whatever. Moving on.) This could be a good 15 minutes or so. - Go outside: This one also made me face-palm myself real hard because DUH! But more than just going for a walk with baby in the stroller, they suggested to just sit outside in the backyard and hand him a leaf, or a blade of grass, or a stick—anything to show what nature is and to introduce new textures. I thought I would call their bluff and say that it’s hard to sit outside because my baby isn’t old enough to sit up on his own yet. But she countered back that I could lay next to my baby on a blanket and we could look at the clouds. Remember, even the littlest babies can see and decipher patterns and color contrasts. I can’t think of a better contrasting pattern than big fluffy clouds on a beautiful blue day! We live in gorgeously sunny Arizona, so there’s really no excuse not to do this one! Plus, can you say Instagram-worthy pics?! An easy 15-20 minutes here.
- Dance: Oh, heck yes! No convincing needed! Put on whatever music floats your boat and boogie down with baby in your arms. They will absolutely love it! I have a son, so I plan to put on Etta James’ “At Last” and slow dance like I know we will at his wedding. #sMother #MonsterInLaw #NotSorryAboutIt This will occupy a solid 10-15 minutes. Awesome!
- Leave them alone: This may not be so obvious, but bears mentioning. Honestly, sometimes babies don’t want to be held and smooched and attended to 24/7. Sometimes they really just want to kick at their play mat alone (but still supervised, of course) for a few minutes. So, take advantage of the independent playtime and do something YOU want to do. Try 15 minutes. I promise, he will be just fine on his own for a little bit each day.
There you go, mamas! Have fun!
