15 Ways To Engage and Play With Your Baby

Life with a newborn is an adjustment. It’s exhausting, repetitive, and sometimes overwhelming, but it’s also absolutely wonderful. Your days consist of changing diapers, feeding, soothing, bathing, and putting baby to sleep. But once babies get a little older, they stay awake a little longer. Parents then begin to wonder what they should do with their babies to play and engage with them. It’s not like they can really move around, play, babble, or laugh with you. So, what are some things you can do with your new baby?

How To Engage and Play With Your Baby

Here are 15 different things that are great to do with your baby, along with their benefits:

1. Wear Your Baby

There are so many benefits of babywearing. It’s good for babies (it helps them cry less, learn more, etc.) and amazing for moms.¹¹ When you wear your baby, you can engage with your child closely and be hands-free! Whether you have a wrap, sling, or carrier, I highly recommend snuggling up close to your baby and wearing them. It makes things easier for you and soothes your little one.¹¹

2. Do Skin-to-Skin

We’ve talked about the power of touch many times on our site. Holding a baby close to you is a form of communication.¹² It will not spoil your baby.¹³ It lets them know they are safe, secure, and cared for.¹⁴ When you hold your baby skin-to-skin, it’s even better. Here are just a few of the many benefits of skin-to-skin contact with your baby:^{15,16,17,18,19}

• Helps the baby’s senses develop
• Stimulates baby’s psychological and emotional growth
• Can boost a baby’s immune system
• Promotes bonding with baby
• Can help with diminishing postpartum depression in moms
• Regulates baby’s body temperature and heart rate
• Can aid in tempering a new mom’s hormonal fluctuations
• Encourages a positive sleep rhythm for baby (proven in preterm infants)

Note: Both parents — not just the mother — can (and should) do skin-to-skin with their baby.¹⁵

3. Try Baby Talk

From the moment babies are born, they’re familiar with their parents’ voices.⁷ Your baby loves to hear you talk; talking to your baby is extremely important for their future development. It builds their language foundation and contributes to how quickly they pick up talking.⁸ It’s been proven beneficial for babies to listen to normal speech patterns, cooing, and exaggerated baby talk.⁹ So, tell them what you’re doing, how you’re feeling, and what you’re thinking. They will sit there and eagerly listen!

4. Sing to Them

Even if you think you have the worst singing voice in the world, your baby will love it. They’re hardwired to enjoy the sound of their parents’ singing voices.²⁰ So sing to them! (We recommend picking something with a good tune and melody. Heavy metal might not do the trick.) Singing actually:^20,21

• Increases baby’s listening skills
• Encourages language development and introduces new vocabulary
• Can relax your baby
• Is a wonderful way for parents to express their love in a way that baby will understand

5. Read to Them

Research has repeatedly proven that reading is beneficial for babies and children.^1,2,3 Of course, parents can strengthen their babies’ minds and build their children’s vocabularies by talking to them. But reading to them is also effective!² Reading aloud is the best way to help your child develop word mastery and grammatical understanding, which will, in the future, form the basis for learning how to read.^2,23

6. Go Outside

There’s something about the great outdoors that babies love.²⁴ Whether it’s the fresh air, the birds chirping, or the change of scenery, they can’t get enough of going outside. Some parents worry that they’re taking their babies outside too soon. However, as soon as a baby is born, it’s okay for parents to take them outside or on errands.¹⁰ (Of course, be mindful and keep them away from potential health issues.¹⁰) You will notice that your baby will become less fussy and more relaxed as soon as you walk them around outdoors.²⁴ This is because they’re stimulated and engaged by the world around them and focusing on processing all the information.²⁵

7. Take Them Where the Action Is

Babies can get bored. If they’re in the same place doing the same thing for too long, they will begin to cry out for a change of scenery.^26,27 I recommend setting up your baby in the area of the house that gets the most action. This usually happens when other kids are home from school, around the kitchen getting ready for breakfast or dinner, or when Dad comes home from work. Wherever that place is, place baby in a bouncer or bassinet and let them soak in the conversations and interactions. This will give your baby free entertainment!

8. Show Them Interesting Visuals

Visual stimulation is crucial in infants. It’s the only way the visual center in their brains will develop. Dr. William Sears encourages parents to surround their babies with light and dark contrasting colors and interesting visuals. These contrasts will register more powerfully on their retina and help their optic nerve, sending strong visual signals to their brain. If you were only to have neutrals and pastel colors around your newborn, Dr. Sears says that’s on par with keeping them blindfolded!⁴ (Keep this in mind when designing your baby’s nursery and buying your baby toys.) So, sit down with your baby and show them black-and-white contrast cards. Also, introduce them to interesting, different-colored objects, like ones with primary colors.

9. Color With Them

This might sound dangerous, but coloring is a great way to engage and play with your baby. Strap your child into their high chair or hold them on your lap, and lay out some crayons and paper in front of you. Demonstrate making marks on the paper, then hand over a crayon. Many parents fear their children will start scribbling everywhere, but a very young child can use crayons with supervision.²⁸

10. Try Infant Massage

The benefits of infant massage go above and beyond using touch to relieve gas or colic — although this is a definite plus!²⁹ Massaging a newborn is a way for parents to communicate with their baby nonverbally. This gentle touch will help an infant develop trust, confidence, and familiarity with a parent. Plus, massage is a surefire way to stimulate all of baby’s senses, which aids in their rapid development.³⁰

11. Feel All the Things

Introduce a variety of textures to your baby. Allowing them to feel different textures is a great way to stimulate their sense of touch.³¹ You can show them various sensory toys, board books, blankets, playmats, and even the surrounding environment (sand, water, grass, etc.). This allows them to explore and learn. A parent can take it further by having their baby touch a bumpy texture followed by saying the word “bumpy” or having them stroke fur while saying “soft.” Eventually, baby will know to associate the word with the feeling.

12. Do Tummy Time

If you’ve done #allthethings with your baby, remember that they also need to be doing enough tummy time. Pediatric recommendations for tummy time range from three to five minutes, two to three times a day.^5,32 Whether it happens all at once or is spread throughout the day in smaller increments, include tummy time in your baby’s day. Studies have shown that infants who get this amount of tummy time are quicker to reach milestones in the first years of life.⁶

13. Take a Class or Join a Support Group

Getting out of the house is excellent for you and your baby. You can meet other moms with babies and do an activity you enjoy. Some examples are Mommy and Me yoga classes, a group exercise class such as Fit4Mom classes, or a music class like Kindermusik. But before committing to something, be mindful of your baby’s schedule (their naps and mood throughout the day).

 14. Take Them on a Tour

Whether in your home, at the grocery store, in your backyard, at Target, or somewhere else, take your baby on a tour! Walk them through the area, show them different things, and explain what they’re looking at, touching, and hearing. They will love the private tour!

15. Take a Dip

Sometimes, taking a good bubble bath is exactly what you and your baby need. It’s a relaxing experience and a perfect way to end the day. Play soothing music in the background or sing to your baby as you soak together in warm water. Add some bath toys and plastic cups if your baby is in a more playful mood. Whether you’re relaxing or playing, it’s a great bonding experience.²² For safety reasons, be sure not to fill the tub too high and always hold your child firmly.

Playing and engaging with your baby doesn’t have to be a big production. These simple activities can really allow you to engage with your baby, peak their interest and curiosity, and help them learn and discover new things. Watch the video below to see these examples and more in action. I hope you and your little one have fun!