My little girl didn't really care for toys until she was about 4 months old. This is fine. You can find other ways of entertaining your baby. (s)he probably still sleeps quite a lot, but when she's awake there are a lot of things you can try with her:
- You can play music to her. If you play stuff to her that you played whilst pregnant, she might even recognize it. You can play her whatever you like, your music. This is the time to see if (s)he's like you and what she likes and doesn't. You can play radio to her for a mix of new and old music, and you know it will all be bleeped, but you can find radio edits later.
- You can sing to her. Sing her whatever you want, a mix of things would be best, to see what (s)he likes, but you can swear as much as you like, (s)he doesn't understand you yet. This is all about getting comfortable singing to your baby, so you can do it in public and dance and be silly without being embarrassed, and the easiest way to do that would be to sing her music that you're comfortable with and know the words to.
- Explore her sense of touch. Run a feather along her face, show her how to rustle your empty crisp packet. If it's summery, take her playmat outside, and (s)he can lean over the edge and run her fingers through the grass, feel the wind on her little face. Also, babies love trees. They like to see them move in the breeze and hearing them rustle.
- You can bounce her on your lap and sing her nursery rhymes. Easy to look up, or YouTube, if you can't remember all the words from your childhood. There are regional differences too so keep that in mind.
- You can show her that baby in the mirror. They LOVE that baby in the mirror. They will smile at her, try to touch her, try to talk to her (as (s)he gets older) Say their name as they look at that baby in the mirror, it will help them associate, that's ME.
- You can read to her. My 5 month old baby is only just getting into books, but some will be into the, earlier. Try them out, and if your baby doesn't seem interested, try another time. It could be that her eyes aren't developed enough to see properly, or (s)he could simply not be in the mood for it. Reading can be very good for you, you need to talk to your baby and let her know your voice, and that you're there. Reading can be a great way to start off, because you get nervous at first, and you don't know what to say. When you're reading out loud to your baby (even the book you're currently reading if you want) (s)he is hearing your voice, and that is the most important thing. It really doesn't matter what you say.
~*Don't be afraid to be creative! Your baby will love personalized nursery rhymes, and made up stories! If you start now when they can't understand, you will be more used to it later when they ask you to, and you won't be embarrassed! These are some variations I have come up with for my little one*~
How much is that baby in the mirror?
The one with the beautiful smile?
How much is that baby in the mirror?
I do hope that baby's for sale.
Pat-a-cake pat-a-cake
Baker's man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Pat it and prick it and make it gluten-free
And put it in the oven for grandma and me!
(we're not snobs, grandma is actually coeliac, which means she's allergic to gluten)
~**I don't believe children should be shoved in front of the tv. Our parents did fine without it. "it's educational" Yes, sometimes, but not as interactive as YOU are. Not as fun, comforting, or educational as YOU + TOYS can be. Sure they like the colours, and it's cute to see them stare at it, and there IS a difference between letting them watch 2 minutes, and shoving them there for half an hour. It can make a rude little child that cranes around mommy and daddy to see the damn tv. Or cry if it's not on. I've seen it. I don't want my little one watching tv until she is at least year old. They can't understand or benefit from the tv until past then anyway, you just don't want to entertain your child. I know it's hard. I'm living it. But the BEST thing you can do for her is entertain her yourself. Please do not take offence. It is my opinion, not instruction**~
You will need to develop a constant monologue. Narrate everything you're doing: "Mummy's washing a plate, scrub scrub scrub, put it to dry, there we go!", "We're going to go change your bum, up, up, up the stairs, weeee! Okay Give me that little leggie..." Etc. This is useful because it helps your child's development of language, and understanding, if (s)he has more words being spoken to her (s)he will undoubtedly pick up the language quicker than a baby who doesn't! It is also a form of entertainment for her, and comfort. You need to learn how to be silly, and play with your little baby, and it starts here. You need to keep this monologue up pretty much always. It makes you thirsty, but you're doing the best thing for your child.
Talk to her on the bus. It makes me sad when I see people NOT talking to their babies on the bus! When she gets a bit older (I started at four months), you can even have her in your arms on the bus, (s)he can look out the window and watch the world go by, and there's plenty of things to say! "Where are we going darling? We going on an adventure? Ooh what's that? That's a TREE, and a CAR, and a FENCE..." Anything she can see, from the pram or from your arms. (I prefer to have her in my arms, it's a cuddle, and you can talk quieter in her ear) It may be embarrassing the first few times, but most people don't give a monkey's and some people look at you with admiration and indulgence (generally older people, a lot of them new grandparents. Don't be surprised if they talk to you)
You can get stuck for things to say to her quite often, but it's no problem. Start again, babies love repetition, or fall back on telling her how beautiful (s)he is, and how much you love her. You can talk to her about what you're going to have for dinner tonight, what time Daddy's going to be home, all sorts. If you notice yourself saying the same things over and over, it's okay. How many people have heard you saying it over and over? No-one, because people don't really care, and if they're just passing you in the street, they've heard it once. Don't get self conscious, your baby will LOVE this, I promise.
Some failsafe phrases, like how BEA-U-TI-FUL she is, repeated over and over, are so good because now our baby recognizes the word beautiful, at only 5 months old, and smiles every single time we say it. Break words down into syllables (like above) for a change of tone and pace in your monologue.
Some failsafe phrases, like how BEA-U-TI-FUL she is, repeated over and over, are so good because now our baby recognizes the word beautiful, at only 5 months old, and smiles every single time we say it. Break words down into syllables (like above) for a change of tone and pace in your monologue.
No comments:
Post a Comment