Your baby probably has some of cuuuuute tiny clothes. He may have little footie sleepers, hats and maybe even mittens to keep him from scratching his face. But all of this cloth keeps baby’s skin covered up and decreases his exposure to new tactile (touch) sensations.

So I encourage the parents I work with (and you!) to strip baby down to bare skin for playtime - not ALLLL the time, not even a majority of the time, but SOME of the time.

Through this one super simple tweak, you can make your baby’s active awake times an opportunity for learning and developing healthy sensory skills! Here’s how:

NAKED PLAYTIME HELPS BABY’S BODY MAPPING

Yep, it’s as simple as stripping your kiddo down and letting her experience different body positions and movements on bare skin.

Without clothes, your little one’s skin will experience a direct interaction with the surface she is laying on.

Through the feedback loops of body pressure on a surface and wiggling, your baby is mapping her body. She is learning how her body relates to the ground beneath her through her touch (tactile) and pressure & stretch (proprioception) senses.

The body map she creates now lays the foundation for the motor milestones to come - rolling, sitting, standing and walking.

MINIMIZING MESSES

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You can certainly strip baby down to the diaper for playtime and gain a LOT of benefits. But if you sometimes want to take it one step further, you can let baby play diaper-free.

It can take some trial and error to figure out the most effective way to manage all the newborn body fluids and I'm happy to save you (and your blanket) the mess by sharing the set-up I use:

-blanket on the surface for a little padding
- adult incontinence pads on the blanket
-place baby off-center on the pad so that baby can be moved to a clean area if a pee accident occurs (fold over the wet part of the pad)
-place a cloth diaper over a baby boy’s penis when he’s on his back to prevent a fountain

Live in a cold climate or have a winter baby? Let baby have naked playtime in the warm, steamy bathroom just after you've showered.

At What Age should I do this activity with my baby?

This activity is great for newborns and there is no limit to how long you can keep it going! Until, perhaps your toddler is pulling their own diaper off and streaking through the house (or maybe that’s just my toddlers ;)

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