One Of The First Ways You Can Play With Your Newborn
Baby milestones can be exciting and reassuring for parents - the first smile, first roll, sitting up, walking (eek - this one terrifies me as it's fast approaching and I'm not ready!). But it's amazing to realize that nearly every single movement your baby makes in their first weeks is a milestone - a new movement experience that lays new pathways in the brain.
In fact, a large portion of early brain development is "activity-dependent" - meaning what babies DO shapes how their brains GROW. No Leapfrog learning device, baby gym class or infant sign language video will ever compare with the brain development that freedom for early movement experiences naturally promotes.
The Ultimate Play For a Brand New Baby
The first intentional movement your baby will likely gain is the ability to turn their head. You can engage this skill in the early weeks and give baby plenty of opportunity and incentive to turn their head on purpose.
Not only does this practice contribute to developing head control and sensory processing skills, it can help baby work through any minor muscle imbalances from being confined in the womb. Lack of adequate opportunities to strengthen and balance the muscles of the neck (very commonly caused by too much time in Baby Gear) increases the risk of Torticollis, neck muscle tightness that leads to a tilted head and is a very common contributing factor in the development of Flat Head Syndrome (Positional Plagiocephaly) - and very frequently is diagnosed only after head flattening has occurred.
Positioning Your Newborn for Play
Great positions for encouraging head-turning with your newborn:
Belly-up: Baby can be flat on their back or with head elevated by laying against your thighs with your knees bent and feet propped up - awesome for face to face interaction (and you can ensure good positioning unlike a baby swing or bouncy seat).
Tummy Time: You've heard how important it is, but what you may not know is that even just 30-60 seconds counts for newborns; aim for frequent, short bursts of belly-down play throughout the day. Need some help with Tummy Time?
Sidelying: As baby gains neck strength, they can lay on their side for play and turn to look up; make sure to alternate which side you lay baby on so that they practice turning in both directions
Supported: Encourage head-turning while baby is supported on a shoulder with a hand guarding behind the head.
Head-Turning Activities for Babies
Simple sensory input is the stimulus most newborns need to work on head-turning.
Keep in mind that their sensory and motor systems are new and aren't used to working together yet. Go slowly, allow baby to respond at their own pace.
Play when baby is in a "quiet, alert" state and keep the play session brief to avoid overstimulation. Two to four minutes is a great playtime for most newborns. Keep background noise to a minimum.
Visual Play for Sighted Babies:
Materials: black and white pictures, your face, a basic toy or simple household object.
Hold objects 6-12 inches in front of baby's face in the direction they’re looking. Very, very slowly move the object an inch or two in one direction. Newborns are just learning to follow moving objects with their eyes (called visual tracking), so wait for baby to find the object and then move it a bit more.
Hearing Play For Hearing Babies:
Materials: rattles, paper to crinkle, musical toy
In a quiet room, it usually doesn't take much noise to capture baby's attention. Make some noise on one side of baby's head and wait for their eyes and head to search for the sound. Repeat on the other side of their head. Hint: a caregiver’s voice is often one of the most interesting and motivating sounds for a newborn to locate (awwww).
Touch Play For Babies:
Materials: your hands, textured toys or household objects (soft, bumpy, squishy, stringy)
Provide touch sensation to one of baby's hands and see if they turn their head toward that side. You can try light touch from your hand or a soft piece of fabric or more firm pressure like a gentle massage to her hand or arm. You might try rubbing a textured toy on their hand or wiping their arm with a bumpy dry washcloth, a cool metal spoon or your hair. Different babies will respond in different ways. There is no right or wrong response to new sensory stimulation - notice how YOUR baby responds.
Movement Play For baby:
Materials: your hands
By moving baby's arm for them, you bring their awareness and curiosity to the sensation of muscles and joints changing position (called Proprioception). Gently bend their elbow and then straighten it again. Bend and straighten each finger. Watch to see if they turn toward the movement.
The best way to play with a baby is to meet them at their ability level and expand on it with new experiences. Through head-turning play, you take an important skill that your little one is ready for and naturally working on and stretch it into new and exciting ways. You allow your kiddo to DO so that they can GROW!
Wish you knew how to play with your new baby like a developmental expert?
Is your creativity zapped by sleep deprivation? Do you struggle to know what to do with your baby to promote healthy development? Here's your expert guide - featuring 45 simple ways to play with your infant plus how they can naturally support learning, developing and bonding.
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