Fellow parents, are you suffering from an abundance of time, money, energy to run errands, creativity and motivation to build things from scratch?

Me neither! So if you've ever seen an adorable handcrafted wooden baby sensory board online and wished you had one, I have a much more doable solution for you.

Got 5 minutes? I have a FREE answer to your baby sensory board envy. It won't win any awards for design aesthetic but it'll keep your baby busy and happily engaged in development-promoting play!

STEP 1: GATHER SUPPLIES YOU ALREADY HAVE

- a laundry basket with holes in it

-stuff from around your home that's safe for baby to mouth and fits partly through the holes of your basket

STEP 2: CRAM STUFF INTO HOLES

-no explanation is really necessary here - it's really that simple

STEP 3: AMAZE YOUR BABY

Positioning for Play

You didn't really think I could write a play post without getting a little child development nerdy, did you?

This activity is awesome for all ages of baby - the position of the activity and the set-up of your basket just changes for different developmental stages and positions.

Play for Infants (~1-4 months)

Baby won't be able to reach in Tummy Time yet, so position items in the holes of the basket closest to the floor for baby to visually explore.

This also makes a great sidelying play activity - baby will have more ability to reach and touch items when placed on her side beside the basket. This is also a great position for preventing and correcting flat spots on baby's skull - called Positional or Deformational Plagiocephaly. Learn more about why flat heads matter and what you can do to prevent or correct head flattening.

Play for Floortime Wigglers (~5-8 months)

Babies typically begin to reach in Tummy Time in this age range so this makes a great toy for belly-down play. While most babies this age can roll out of a sidelying position, a high interest toy like your fancy schmancy new sensory board may keep them there longer.

Play for Sitters & Standers

Use the holes highest from the floor for baby a who can sit. Or stretch toys across the top (or is it the bottom?!) of the laundry basket for a baby who stands at a surface! Just be sure to hold the basket steady when baby is pulling to a stand.