11 Fun Activities To Do With Your Newborn Baby

Hi Mama,

When you first brought your baby home you probably noticed they didn’t really do much. They ate, slept, pooped and usually cried for no reason at all. This routine might start getting boring for you, but it can also get boring for baby too. That’s why I’m sharing 11 fun activities to do with your newborn baby! After all, just because your baby can’t play with toys doesn’t mean they can’t play with you! That’s why it’s your job to watch your baby see what they like and try different activities with them daily.

In this post I’m going to share some of the activities that I like to do with my little girl. We started a schedule when she was about one month old and I’ve been slowly adding in new activities for her to try. So far it has worked really well and she seems to enjoy everything that we do together. This is also helping with her development as I can see she’s changing everyday. So these are just a few ideas. Of course your baby may be different and may like other activities. The point is to just make sure you’re paying attention to what your baby likes and dislikes and keeping up with things that they like doing. After all, I’d be pretty bored too if somebody expected me to just sleep all day!

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11 Fun Activities To Do With Your Newborn Baby

 

1. Tummy time

At first I was really afraid to try tummy time. I know that some babies really hate doing tummy time and I was afraid that my baby would be one of them. However, when she was about one month old I decided it was time to try it out. The reason for this is because when I was holding her she was attempting to lift her head already. I knew she needed more stimulation and so I decided to start out with tummy time. I added tummy time to her morning routine so that way she had something to do in the morning that will tire her out for nap time. She ended up really loving tummy time and would typically spend about 15 minutes on the floor with me. She wasn’t much interested in the toys but she love to follow my voice and turn her head back-and-forth. She even started doing what I like to call crawling even even though it’s not really crawling. I put my hands down and she pushes off my hand with her leg and pushes herself across the entire blanket. These types of activities are great for her to build her strength and tire her out in time for nap time.

 

2. Bath Time

If your baby is anything like mine then bath time is a really exciting activity. She becomes so relaxed in the warm water and I can just spend a few minutes talking to her while I scrub a dub dub. Of course you shouldn’t wash your baby every day because it’s not good for their skin, however if they love bath time you should definitely try and add it into their schedule at a set time. I like to have that time just before lunchtime so that way I can wash her, feed her, and put her down for her afternoon nap. This allows me to then have time to have my lunch.

 

3. Swimming time

Yes, that’s right, I said swimming! My baby girl has started learning how to swim! We started her when she was six weeks old. We have this toy it’s called the Otteroo mini floaty. This is a small flotation device made for babies that goes around their neck. The one I have which is called the mini is good for babies as young as two weeks, as long as they can fit in the floaty and don’t slip out. It looks a little scary because it’s something around their neck but it actually works quite well. The purpose of the floaty’s to hold up their heavy heads while they’re in the water allowing them to easily float the rest of their body. I love this activity because it allows her to be able to free play in the water now that gravity is not pulling her down. During tummy time she gets more frustrated because she can’t move as well but when she’s in the water she has so much more room to play and has a lot of fun. This device is super fun and convenient and I highly recommend it if you have a bathtub at home. You can even dress your little one in a cute swimsuit and take pictures which is what I did and had a blast.

 

4. Take a walk

In the afternoon it’s time to bust out the stroller! Usually in the afternoon is when the weather will be the nicest and warmest so it’s the best time to take your baby out if you live in a cooler climate. I like to wait until after she’s had her lunchtime nap and then I will feed her, change her diaper, and dress her up for a walk. I put her in her stroller and when we go out I put down the dream drape on my stroller so the sun doesn’t go in her eyes. She typically will then doze off in the stroller while I walk around. I love this activity because it gets us out of the house to get fresh air and it also allows me to have some exercise which is what I need during my postpartum period. So going for a walk with your baby in the stroller is really a win-win situation. The baby sleeps and is typically calm and not fussy and you get fresh air, exercise, and a little break.

 

5. Listen to music

Every mom dreads the day when they’re little one decides that “Baby Shark” is their absolute favorite song, but when I say listen to music I don’t mean just children’s music. If you listened to music while you were pregnant (in the car on your commute to work) I would try and listen to those songs. For me I find that my baby actually responds well to those songs. She could hear those songs when she was in the womb so she remembers them. Try it! Put on a song that you were obsessed with when you were pregnant and see how your baby responds. Some songs my baby will become very calm and other songs she will actually start moving her arms and legs as though she’s dancing! It’s so much fun to watch and it’s a good activity to distract her and give her something to do in the evenings.

 

6. Sing to her!

One activity that I find my baby really enjoys is when her daddy and I sing to her. This is usually something we like to do in the evenings as she’s typically more fussy between 4 PM to 7 PM. If we sing to her then she usually will calm down because she wants to hear our voices. We have a few songs that she’s gotten used to so she expects them and we sing them daily. One song we actually sing right before bedtime as a signal that it’s time to go to sleep. That has worked really well as far as sleep training goes. And don’t worry if you’re not a good singer, I know I’m not! I actually said I would never let anybody hear me sing until I had this baby. Now I sing all the time every day making up new songs that make no sense but she loves them!

 

7. Dance!

Another way to sneak in some exercise while you have a new baby is to hold her and dance around! Same with singing, dancing seems to calm my baby down pretty quickly. I’ll put on my favorite songs and just go to town dancing around. Of course I get pretty tired after a while but that’s OK, it’s a great way to exercise especially if you’re not really ready to go to the gym! Just think of it like how they have baby yoga, this is baby Zumba! This is another activity that you both will enjoy as it helps the baby to relax and helps you to also relax and reduce your stress. It’s almost like a way of getting away for a little while even though you’re still entertaining your baby. You can just go off into your own world enjoy your favorite songs dance around and watch your baby smile.

 

8. Practice a foreign language

Since my daughter is half Vietnamese I plan to teach her both English and Vietnamese in our home. As a way to kickstart this learning I now sing her songs that are in Vietnamese. Huy taught me all of the different types of kids songs. Singing songs to her in Vietnamese is a great way for me to practice my language skills and also to get her accustomed to listening to a different language other than English. Of course she can’t understand either language just yet but she will be able to pick up on sentence patterns and the melody of the languages which will in turn help her to pick up those languages as she gets older and forms her language skills. You can also simply just speak to the baby in any language you desire. Speaking quietly while holding her close will be an activity that you both will also enjoy. You’ll see she becomes very relaxed and may look into your eyes as you speak to her. Pause in between and see if she responds!

 

9. Swing

The swing is another activity that you’re both going to enjoy (hopefully). My baby will go in the swing in the evening when I’m preparing dinner or washing dishes. This is a way to keep her entertained and in a safe place so that I can do what I need to do around the house. I like the swing because it gives me a little bit of a break from entertaining her and she also seems to relax in there as well. Make sure you have some fun toys hanging down for her to look at and maybe swat it when she gets a little older. If you’re lucky your baby may even fall asleep in the swing giving you a lots of quiet time. Unfortunately, that may not happen at the moment you wish it to happen such as during meal times. My husband and I never get to eat dinner together anymore!

 

10. Give her a tour!

This one sounds a little bit funny but it’s actually quite exciting for the baby. Give your baby a tour of your home every once in a while. Take her into every room and talk to her about what’s in each room. Let her have time to look at different things while you’re in there and take your time. The reason taking a tour with her is so much fun it’s because as she develops she will see and respond to things differently each time. Plus it’s another way for you to expand her vocabulary by talking about all the different objects in each room and even telling her who’s room is who’s. Pay close attention to your baby as well when you give them a tour and see what objects they focus on the most. This will give you an idea of other ways that you can entertain your baby when they become fussy. Does she like to look at the black and white curtains? Maybe because of the high contrast between the light and dark. Does she like the bright red carpet in the living room? Perhaps! Just take note of what she likes and dislikes as you give her a tour and you might be able to use those when she gets fussy. We usually will stand under the ceiling fan when she’s popping off and she gets real quiet!

 

11. Selfie Time!

Okay this one might actually be my favorite because it’s so much fun! My baby girl is really interested in looking into the camera, especially if it’s on selfie mode so she can see our faces. When we play selfie time, she can be quiet and totally into it for at least 10 minutes!! That’s a long time in baby attention span time. Plus, you get so many cute pictures out of it! I try to play selfie time or photoshoot with my baby at least twice a week. If your baby is young, simply lay down on the bed next to them and start clicking away. You can never have too many pictures of your little nugget!

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I hope this list of activities has inspired you to try new things with your baby. Again, make sure that you look and see what your baby likes and dislikes and whatever she seems to like most try and put that into her daily routine. This will help you to break up her day and give her something to look forward to, especially if you’re doing these activities at the same time every day. Babies are creatures of habit and will definitely pick up on each of these activities and know they’re coming. Just have fun with it!

Read Next:

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Leave a comment down below to share your favorite activities to do with your babies! I’m always looking for new things to try with my little one.

Thanks for reading!

xo
Mother of Fawn