Anyone else have a VERY busy baby?
Several years ago, I stayed with a family who had the cutest baby boy. He was so articulate, present, and hilarious. I asked his mom what she was doing that helped him to be so smart and to speak so well.
She told me that they didn’t use screens for the first year of his life, and that they read books together a lot. I tucked her advice away and have used her tips with my own baby boy. Avoiding screens is totally possible, but definitely requires some creativity to keep your baby occupied, happy, and learning, especially when you’re stuck inside or they skip nap time. I have asked lots of friends and scoured the web for fun activities for me and my little guy to do together and compiled them all into a list that I wanted to share!
Several of these suggestions came from those of you who follow me on Instagram. Thank you so much for adding some fun new things to my list!
I hope this will help you fellow moms with crawling/walking babies not feel stuck chasing your little one from room to room all day long! I find that if I’m trying my best to get out, have fun, be present and play with my baby, we are both so much happier. I plan to keep adding to this list as we discover new fun things together!
30+ Activites for Busy Babies:
- Go on a walk every day. Even if it’s just to the mailbox.
- Blow bubbles.
- Have a picnic.
- Help them drink out of a straw or from a big cup.
- Swings and slides at the park.
- Fill a pot or bucket with water and let them splash with bath toys.
- Baby pool in the backyard or head to the closest pool.
- Crawl/walk on the grass.
- Create an obstacle course.
- Build a fort.
- Play catch.
- Play with magnets on the fridge.
- Story time at library.
- Let them pull tissues out of the box.
- Dedicate an accessible kitchen drawer or cabinet to their favorite tupperware/kitchen utensils
- Read books together.
- Bath time. Multiple times a day if they love it.
- Bounce on bed or trampoline.
- Fill a muffin tin with little balls or toys.
- Play instruments together, like a xylophone, keyboard, or drums.
- Sweep the floor.
- Sing songs with lots of actions or dance moves.
- Put on some good music and have a dance party.
- Discovery baskets full of themed toys or objects grouped by topic or color. For example, leave a bowl or basket on the floor filled with vegetables that are safe for them to touch, feel, taste, and explore.
- Place tape on the ground or on their high chair tray and let them pull it up. Just make sure they don’t eat it!
- Collapsible Tunnel.
- Paint with water on cardboard, paintbrush and paint
- Play with balloons.
- Go on a bike ride. We got the coolest seat that attaches to the handlebars of my husband’s bike for the baby to ride in.
- Snacks in a bowl on the floor or somewhere else they normally wouldn’t eat.
