Tag: infant

Connect with Classical

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Travis has pulled out his old violin this morning (from a brief foray into Suzuki last year), which was a nice reminder to put on some classical music for the whole family to enjoy!

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Classical is fantastic for babies (not just Bach, although that’s what we started with). I put on concerto music and held Veronika in my arms, and I could instantly feel her whole body relax. Mine, too!

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We listened to the music at various volumes – first loud, then softer, then loud again. She was practically dancing to the music!

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I also whispered to her what we were listening to: string instruments like cellos, bold brass instruments, winds like clarinets, and more.

Although the jury is still out on whether or not the “Mozart effect” actually helps babies’ intelligence, there’s no reason not to listen to classical music. It certainly calmed us all down on a chaotic Saturday morning! A nice reminder to leave my Mozart and Bach on repeat in the background.

Ready, Action

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Veronika is familiar now with some of our favorite fingerplays, like Itsy Bitsy Spider and Wheels on the Bus. Today, it was her turn to get in on the hand motions!

Sit your child in a comfortable position facing you; the Boppy or a similar nursing pillow is a great option for little ones who can’t sit up on their own yet.

I knelt in front of Veronika with a big smile, and held her hands as we went through the rhyme. She seemed so excited that her fingers were making the spider go up, too!

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Down came the rain…

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…and out came the sun.

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Next we tried Wheels on the Bus, which consists of fun movements for your infant to join in on. Her little arms went round and around, up and down, open and shut, you name it.

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This game made for an adorable morning of play, and we’ll be sure to try it again soon.

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Advanced Tummy Time

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At almost three months old, Veronika can now keep her head up at a 90 degree angle during tummy time. So it was time for some advanced tummy time play!

Today, I placed her on a soft blanket, and helped prop her up on her elbows.

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Then I got down with my belly on the floor and looked right at her. Well boy was she ever surprised!

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We sat this way for a good five minutes, and she wanted to chat the whole time. It was an absolutely adorable tete-a-tete. If your child is hesitant still about tummy time, talk to them reassuringly, or perhaps sing or play a song they find soothing.

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Veronika jumped right in to the game, though! And I wasn’t the only one she wanted to check out at floor level; the cat caught her eye, too.

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Another way to do tummy time with babies who resist it is to place them right on your chest. Nothing says you need to be on the floor to strengthen those little muscles, plus you get great skin-to-skin time.

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Either way, on the verge of three months old, we’re aiming for 15 to 20 minutes of tummy time daily, so it’s time to step it up!

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Hang a Mobile

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I’ve been meaning to hang an old mobile above Veronika’s crib for quite some time, but in full disclosure…we haven’t even bought a mattress for the crib yet, since she’s so comfy in her bassinet!

But I didn’t want to lose that small window of time for a mobile; by the time babies are grabbing things down around 6 months old, they become a hazard, so two or three months of age is really the sweet spot. We’ve had items temporarily dangling over her, but I wanted something more permanent for her to enjoy.

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So today, I screwed a small wall hook above her diaper table, and put the mobile there. Now it’s the perfect visual during our daily diaper changes, since she spends a lot of time looking up from here!

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The screw gives me flexibility as well; to keep things interesting, I can also hang our Cricket Crate mobile there on occasion.

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For a fun DIY “mobile” idea, you can also attach small felt animals or toys to the spokes of a bright umbrella. First I tied strings onto the umbrella’s spokes.

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We affixed felt finger puppets to the end of each string – a nice reuse of this project!

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Rather than secure the umbrella from the ceiling and risk it falling, I simply held it over Veronika and spun it around, to her great delight.

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What’s hanging from your baby’s mobile? Please share in the comments!

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Tower of Blocks

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Today was time for Veronika’s first engineering lesson!

Ok, not really, but soft blocks are a great toy for babies, and the first step towards all the stacking and building to come. For now, the fun is simply in the bright colors, and of course, the knocking down!

Use any soft foam or fabric blocks for this game; save the wooden ones with sharp corners for later.

I built a small tower of four blocks next to Veronika, and first let her just enjoy looking at it.

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Then I knocked it down, whee!

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The next time, I built it up and encouraged her to knock it down. Boom!

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She loved the back and forth of this, and we built quite a few little towers. You can talk about the colors, shapes, and more as you build.

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She seemed so intrigued by the blocks that I then set them up as visual stimulation for tummy time – a nice variation that kept things fresh.

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How do you and your little one play with blocks? Please share in the comments!

First Instrument

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We’ve played several games focused on hearing for Veronika lately, and today I made her her first “instrument”. Essentially a maraca, this easy little project had Veronika fascinated!

First, I showed her the two things we would need to make it: an empty plastic water bottle and dried lentils. Be sure to use a small water bottle, so that it fits in your little one’s hands.

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I carefully spooned in the lentils, letting Veronika watch wide-eyed, until the bottle was about one-quarter full. Replace the cap, and shake shake shake!

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First I just demonstrated shaking, but then we shook it rhythmically and sang some of her favorite songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

Wheels on the Bus was fun because I could move the bottle along with the words of the song – up and town for the windows, around and around the town, etc.

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Next, let your child try to hold the bottle and shake along with you, so they can feel the rhythm. He or she probably won’t be able to grasp it solo, but let them feel the rhythmic motion and associate it with the visual of the lentils.

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In sum, this toy makes a great musical intro.

Join a Local Parent and Baby Group

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Life with a newborn can feel terribly isolating, especially for first time parents who aren’t being dragged about on an older sibling’s agenda. But even veterans might find it jarring to find themselves at home once more with a preverbal little person, and a full day to fill!

One great suggestion is to join a local group. Look to your town’s library for this, or perhaps a local rec center, or mommy group on social media in your area. One of these will surely point you in the right direction.

So today, Veronika and I headed off to meet our group! Full disclosure: We went to the first class last week, but she slept right through it:

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It was an adorable “share and play” time with other babies aged two months to one year, with no walkers allowed, which made it a safe space. The small age range also meant that all the parents in the group are dealing with (roughly) the same issues: sleep, teething, milestones. Consider the time as much for the parents as for the babies!

Meanwhile, Veronika loved checking out the toys during open play…

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…followed by a story time with a huge-format book, great for little eyes.

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We also had a quiet reading moment together from my lap.

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Her favorite part by far was bubbles, her first time seeing them!

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Wherever your local group is hosted, take advantage of meeting new faces, having an adult conversation (a rarity, perhaps!), and gleaning advice from the hive mind of new parents.

New Household Sounds

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Today was all about the auditory for Veronika and me! I devoted our together-time today to exposing these cute little ears to a variety of sounds – it helped that big brother was at school, and the house was quiet!

Even the most mundane sound will be new to your baby, so do a walk around the house and pause at anything that makes a noise. The kitchen was full of interesting examples, from the hum of the microwave…

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…to the splash of water from the faucet.

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The kitchen timer startled her a little with its beep! Perhaps she would have preferred an old-fashioned ticking timer… I get nostalgic for childhood evenings whenever I hear that noise.

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Other good noises include the hum of a dishwasher or fridge. Some won’t be as obvious, but tune in to sounds like the opening of a drawer…

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…or the crinkle of newspaper pages.

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Even diapers make a cool noise, at changing time!

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Veronika’s favorite seemed to be the ticking of Travis’s clock. We paused calmly together to listen to the second hand work its way around.

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Overall, I liked taking a day to zero in on noises. I tend to be more tuned in to the visual than the auditory, but I could tel Veronika liked our emphasis today, too!

Musical “Hide-and-Seek”

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Our games are getting a bit more sophisticated with Veronika! When she was smaller, I tested her ability to locate a voice to either side of her head. Today we made the game… musical!

Small rattles with a variety of bells or other percussion sounds are perfect for this game. I feel like everyone has this classic quartet!

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First, I let Veronika see and hear the rattles, so she knew what was making the sounds.

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She wanted to reach out and hold one, great for practicing her grip!

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Next I sat her on my lap, and shook the rattle just out of sight. As she turned her head, I would bring it closer, so she was rewarded with a full view. Photo credit to my four year old!

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I gave each of the four rattles a turn, and she particularly responded to this one:

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Big brother Travis loved being the one to hold the rattles, too. She loved turning to find where he was holding the musical bells.

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All in all, this was great musical fun for a simple afternoon at home.

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Touch and Feel

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Today Veronika played around with new feelings and textures! Set out a little collection of toys, make sure baby’s tummy is bare, then have a little textured fun.

I collected a pile of different sensations: a woolly lamb toy, a squishy bird toy, a leather glove, and a rubber sensory ball.

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One by one, I rubbed each item on Veronika’s tummy. As I rubbed, I described the item, saying “woolly” or “soft” or whatever was appropriate to the item.

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Then I held it up, giving her the chance to see what the item was, and to reach with her fingers, if she wanted to.

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The leather glove was the most interesting to her, probably because she hasn’t encountered this material in toys before!

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I also let her try to hug the soft, squishy toy with both hands, although this type of grasp advanced for her age.

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Overall, her eyes were wide, and I could tell she liked the new sensations!

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