Do you struggle to understand how to entertain your baby? Or what they would like to play with? Allow me to share six products and toys that my baby loved.
Play mat/floor mat
ou should invest in a good quality floor mat. It should be large, thick, waterproof and made with non-toxic material. Also, it should be folding and lightweight, so that you can move it around the house. Buy before your baby’s arrival. Trust me you will spend lots of time on the floor with your baby. I have this Bammax baby play mat. Yes, it’s a bit expensive. But I think it was a good investment. We are using it all day, every day for a year now. Yet, it is as good as new. My baby did her tummy time on this. She learned to sit, crawl and pull herself up here. As a family we watch tv, read, do yoga, take naps or just play with our little one on our floor mat. For me, A good quality play mat is a must-have for any mum and Bub.
Baby gym
You can call it a play mat or activity gym. It’s just a mat with few bright hanging toys that squeak. You will be pleasantly surprised by how engaging this product is for babies.
When they are newborns, they will just stare at those hanging toys and doze off. But actual magic begins when they start to kick and touch those hanging toys. It was gifted to me by a friend and an experienced mum. And we enjoyed this toy for a good 6-7 months.
Tip: I used to tie one end of a soft silk ribbon to my baby’s leg and another end to the top of baby gym, where all the toys were hanging. So that when the baby kicks, all the toys will jiggle. And this will encourage the baby to kick more.
I had this Grow with Me 3 in 1 Baby Activity Gym Play Mat & Ball Pit with Mesh Sides.
Baby white noise/sound soother
White noise works like a magic on babies. Babies grow up in a noisy environment in their mother’s womb and the white noise offers similar sound experience for babies. It was a lifesaver to me. I had my baby during the covid lockdown. And I was hospitalised for 5 days after childbirth. Nobody was allowed to see or help us. In those stressful days, the only thing that will calm down my baby was this white noise video on YouTube. Just remember the steps – change, feed, burp, swaddle, and white noise.
However, after a month or so my baby grew out of it. That’s when our family friend, a grandmother of seven kids, gifted us this Cloud B sleep sheep.
Update: My baby is 16 months old and she still loves her sheep.
Teether
My baby started teething when she was about 4 months old. And teething can be very frustrating for babies and parents. Going out in the cold fresh air worked almost every time. Other than that, the following 4 items helped a lot.
- Sophie la girafe
- Nuby Teething Blankie.
- Manhattan Loops Teething Ring
- Cold wet muslin cloth
Rattles/shakers
Babies notice sound. You can make your own rattles by adding something in a bottle or containers. You can use glass, plastic or wooden material to make different sound.
- Coloured water in a bottle
- bead and small jingle bells in a container
- rice in a bottle
- lentils in a bottle
- jingle bell on a string
Just make sure their sound is not very harsh for little babies. Even though 6 months old babies may not be able to open the bottle cap just be safe and hot glue caps. I had two of these Soft Plush Shaker Rattles and one wooden Jingle Bells rattle. However, beans in a plastic bottle was her favourite rattle.
Toys for sensory and visual stimulation
Babies eyesight are not developed initially. But they can notice high colour contrast and shapes. Black and white are the best at this stage. I had these soft and crinkly fabric baby books. That my baby loved. I have hand washed them a few times and they are still great. Later, when she was about five months old she received these colourful books as a gift. that she loved for a very long time.
Well, these are my best suggestions for you. Now, I would love to hear from you. What your baby enjoyed the most at this stage in their life? Did you try any of the above-mentioned products? Share your experiences in comments.
Enjoy playing with your little one, they grow up so fast.
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Please note: I will receive no financial benefits for mentioning these products in my post. This is not a product endorsement post. I am just sharing my personal experience with my readers.