How do you play with your little one?

littlemissmarla · October 2014

Going off the thread of how do you occupy your day... how do you play with LO?

My DD is almost 3 months, she's working on holding her head up and just found her hands. We have a fisher price piano that we play with often and other various mobiles and soothers, we sing a lot, go for walks with the dog and sit on our porch. Lately, DD has been interested in the TV, I know she's not actually watching it but is amused by the bright lights and sounds.

What kinds of things do you do to amuse your LO? I just feel like there is more I could be doing to entertain her.. I have this irrational feeling that she needs to be entertained 24/7 (which I'm not but I feel like I should). I know babies need down time and can get overstimulated. So I'm hoping to hear from my fellow moms about how much time you are actually entertaining your LO and what kinds of things do you do? If you could tell me your LOs age, that would be helpful too! Thanks ladies!

mcvgal · October 2014

I don't actually use a lot of toys with LO, but am constantly singing to him and trying to do any physical activity. I have him play exercise by moving his legs in a bicycle motion. I help him clap and mostly just try to do things to make him laugh and smile.

lamarei · October 2014

Olivia has latched on to one of the dolls she was gifted, so that is encorporated in lots of what we do. She likes the bubbles in the arch thing of her bouncer. Rattles or toys that shake. We sing, dance, wiggle, talk back and forth, make faces. I talk to her and tell her what's going on, where we are going, doing, playing etc. She practices sitting up in her bumbo or laying on the play mat. Music is almost always on, she and I both love it.

littlemissmarla · October 2014

@tundrabunny‌ ohh the ball is a good idea!

cookiemomma14 · October 2014

We play patty cake, use the bumbo, tummy time and the play mat. He likes these scrunchy sounding soft books, rattles, read books, make faces and sing, look at the mobile in the crib, a silky/minky blanket bear, play in the mirror (a favorite), and he loves these connector rings. I put them on the car seat, play mat, and swing. They are lightweight and small enough he can grip them. He loves to put them in his mouth.

beff12 · October 2014

DD is about two and a half months and usually seems entertained by me talking to her and singing to her. The first toy she's really shown interest in is her Oball. I love that she can get her fingers around it and she loves the rattle sound!

Jordanjkmr · October 2014

Baby spends most of his time watching his brothers play. He loves everything about them. They include him a bit too. Makes baby #3 much easier of an addition to the family than baby #1. But they're not really a toy you can buy at the store

kenziebug22 · October 2014

We do tummy time, play mat, he just recently started going in his little walker and he loves to push the buttons to make sounds and play with the little toys attached. We go for walks when its not raining, or a million degrees out lol. I read books and sing to him. I got him this new toy that plays different songs and animal noises that he seems to already love. I like the fact he can push each one on his own and it works so he can associate pushing them to hear the noises. Bath time is always a favorite with him he loves the water, and we are starting to do different crafts each day, yesterday we finger painted and today we "painted" with food colored ice cubes he LOVED it and its really fun to do and have his master piece after the fact to keep

ETA: He will be 3 months Friday and we have flash cards with letters that he likes and touches and a foam puzzle with numbers he pushes them out to try and hold them, so cute!

TugboatSheila · October 2014

Mobile in crib, playmat, crinkle toys, singinf, talking, reading (whatever book I am reading I just do it out loud), sometimes I just wiggle my hands at him and he acts like I'm hilarious.

Sometimes I see something he is looking at and bring him closer to it.

littlemissmarla · October 2014

I'm ordering the Oball now! I never really understood how they could be entertaining but now that she's wrapping her little fists around things, i'm sure she will love it!

keshupe29 · October 2014

We do play mat. Toys that make noise. The mobile is her new love. Swing and bouncy seat are hit and miss. She either loves or hates them. Looks like I need that oball! I also feel I need to be doing more with her though

darkangel42 · October 2014

She likes staring at her swing mobile, it has star-shape lights and mobile stars. Also rattly cloth toys, play mat with arches, taking a toy in her Bumbo, going to see mirror baby, assorted chewable toys and then we also sing, ply silly faces, dance, I copy her and we go look at things so I'll carry her over somewhere and talk to her about something I'm pointing out. She's happy just sat in her bumbo or bouncy chair, watching the world too.

She loves watching/petting the cat though. He adores her so he just lets her rub him, shout at him and drool on him.

Her latest "toy" is a colourful spoon to get her used to the idea before she starts on food and her next "toy" will be a teether toothbrush combi toy.

[Deleted User] · October 2014

Well, today he got to play the role of hurdle as DS1 jumped back and forth over him while I was getting his bath ready. Oy.

He's one of the younger babies here so he still sleeps a lot during the day. During his wake time he does tummy time and has just started to notice his toys and attempt to hold them so we work on that. He loves the fish on his bouncer chair more than he loves any of us but usually only tolerates the swing for more than a few minutes in the morning. He likes to be outside so we usually sit on the patio while DS1 plays. I keep trying to pass my affinity for walking around Target at least once a week to him but between not liking to be in the car seat much and being struck with the Target poops our trips usually are short now. I hope once he can sit up in the cart he will love it like DS1 and I do.

rachelchristina · October 2014

tundrabunny said:
Sometimes I just lay her in her crib and turn on the mobile for her to watch. I'll give her a toy to play with sometimes and shake it in front of her or just let her play with it. She really likes this one because she can hold onto it. It's lightweight and has those thin pieces. Last night she was holding onto it and kicking it around with her feet.

She played for a while in her crib with that one last night.

I have this for my DD...she loves it too!!

beff12 · October 2014

@littlemissmarla‌ and @tundrabunny‌ I hope your LOs like them! It's the perfect size for her to wrap her fingers around. I think she scares herself when she moves it occasionally but overall she enjoys it haha

Nichole8787 · October 2014

@LeaLupins‌ Baylor always gets the target poops too! What is it about target? He always has his massive blow outs at target!

ghostof5letters · October 2014

I'm not really the "playing" type.

I need apparatus.

keshupe29 · October 2014

After seeing all this talk about the Oball I ordered one off amazon today!

SaraRL07 · October 2014

My 14 week dd likes watching tv ... Husband says she likes football but I try to limit it

What we do....

Sing and dance
Read books... She has started to really look at the pictures
Play mat has toys and lights up and plays music
Go on walks with dogs

She loves her hands, the orb ball more than the other one pictured because makes more noise, but she really LOVES jauque the peacock at first she just batted at it but now she grips it to hear it crinkle and brings it to her face and talks to it ( we have Freddie the firefly but it's much bigger and she doesn't like it as much). just this week she started holding Sophia the giraffe by the feet

littlemissmarla · October 2014

Just got the Oball! I think it's a keeper!

shortstack930 · October 2014

Just bought an Oball thanks to these recommendations!!

cookiemomma14 · October 2014

I think we bought one of those oball things today and didn't even realize it was so recommended! It was like $4 at target. DS also loves these links in the picture below. He chews on them and we put them on everything

littlemissmarla · October 2014

@stellabunny, oh yea the kick n play piano is a favorite around here!

ashleymarie1027 · October 2014

@Lucanjo14‌ my LO loves ceiling fans... As in, if he sees while I'm trying to nurse him in the MOTN, he gets completely distracted and starts giggling uncontrollably. It's hilarious.

We also dance to Taylor swift "shake it off", I put him between my legs and we're both facing a small mirror (so he can see himself while sitting up and my legs keep him propped up). I move his arms around to the beat and he loves it. Lots of giggles.

Artistmom30 · October 2014

I actually have an Oball that I forgot about! Thanks for the reminder. I don't play with my LO per se. I sing to him, tickle him, talk to him, put him on his playmat, grab his feet and kiss them while tickling him. It's more interaction stuff we do. He loves lights and fans as well. So there are times I prop him up on a pillow, on mine and DH's bed, and let him watch the fan.

ChrisB · October 2014

stellabunny said:

@Lucanjo14‌ my LO loves ceiling fans... As in, if he sees while I'm trying to nurse him in the MOTN, he gets completely distracted and starts giggling uncontrollably. It's hilarious. We also dance to Taylor swift "shake it off", I put him between my legs and we're both facing a small mirror (so he can see himself while sitting up and my legs keep him propped up). I move his arms around to the beat and he loves it. Lots of giggles.
My DD is a ceiling fan addict too. If she's fussy we will stand another the fan for a while and it calms her down every time, at least for a little bit.

My son is too! So strange. He also loves TV.

To answer your question of how we 'play'... he has a play mat that he is on a few times a day. We also have an Oball and something similar to what @stellabunny posted, as well as a few other toys. He is also a little narcissist and LOVES looking at himself in mirrors.

littlemissmarla · October 2014

@Lucanjo14‌ that's a great idea with the mirror! I'll have to try that this week!

squnkie · October 2014

I can also vouch for the oball - my little girl loves it! It's thin enough that she can actually wrap her little fingers around the pieces.

We do a lot of mimicking - it used to just be sticking her tongue out or making a shape with her mouth, but she found her voice a week ago, and now we're doing "oh", "ah", "ma", "guh", etc. She'll go on talking sprees for 10 minutes at a time!

Like a lot of other moms have said, I do tickling, play mat, clapping hands, etc.

She also LOVES to stand up. I hold her under her arms and stand her on my lap, and her face just lights up! She's getting really strong doing it too.

melissaquinn106 · October 2014

My LO is 15 weeks Tuesday. We do a lot of time on the play mat I have this pottery barn mat that's super soft and has 4 animal faces in the corners that are raised up and furry and have crinkly ears. Also there are these 3 little animals attached that at just smal enough to hold. It's a great photo op and we use it multiple times a day every day. I lay her down and give her Sofi the giraffe and there is this butterfly toy that she touches and it makes music/talks in 3 languages colors/shapes/hello/goodbye. She's also been practicing rolling over on the mat front to back and back to front, she's getting really good at it!! I also use the bumbo to do her hair every day. (She has a ridiculous mop of hair) We go for a 1 hour walk at one of the state parks everyday. My mom actually uses an Oball with her but I'm prob going to get one for the house now too. She really loves chewing on Sofi the giraffe. It's so fun to play with her but I love that I can just stick her in the momaroo and give her Sofi and she'll occupy herself. I want to start reading to her more though.

melissaquinn106 · October 2014

Seriously love this pottery barn mat.

Jordanjkmr · October 2014

Reading all your posts and reminiscing about which toys my kids have liked in the past. DS1 was about the same age as our little ones now three years ago and he loved:

The Christmas tree

Those lights kept him entranced for quite a while. He'd coo and kick the couch with his feet, in general just having a great time hanging out with the Christmas tree when I needed time to make supper or something.

Might have to put it up extra early this year

littlemissmarla · October 2014

sharmon1317 said:

Seriously love this pottery barn mat.
Ummmm her hair is beyond beautiful!!! I love it!!!!!

Yea seriously! Her hair is so adorable!! So much of it!

melissaquinn106 · October 2014

Thanks!! It's super fun to play with!!

TurtleMonsters · October 2014

We use the balls and rings, stuffed animals. We sing and dance. I wear him a lot, so he sees me cook, do chores take care of ds1. ds1 entertains w/ song and dance and whatever other antics. then we have a lot of music toys, foot pianos. he particularly likes this toy:

ChrisB · November 2014

Just wanted to add that we put Spencer in his exersaucer this week...loves it! He can't quite reach all the toys yet but he loves that he can stand up in it and look around. He lasts about an hour at a time in it.

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