Wobble 'N' Roll
Milestone: Sitting Up
When babies first start sitting up, their sense of balance is still a little wobbly. (Remember the first time you rode a bike?) To improve balance, roll a ball and play catch while you're both sitting, or hold her hands as she sits and sing a song, gently swaying to the rhythm. The trick to this game is to distract your baby from any sense of "Uh oh, I am about to fall!" so her body can naturally fine tune her balance.
Stack 'em Up
Milestone: Spatial Awareness
Help your baby develop spatial awareness and improve control over grasping skills with an easy stacking game that only requires a set of plastic measuring cups. Show your baby two cups, then stack them so that one "disappears." Ask your baby, "Where did it go?" and watch her grab for the cups to separate them. Say, "Good baby! Let's do it again!" This time use three cups, then the entire set (usually four or five cups). As your baby gets better at this game, she will try stacking them up herself!
Batter's Up!
Milestone: Hand-Eye Coordination
Have big baseball dreams for your baby? Give your little slugger's hand-eye coordination skills a head start by building towers of blocks and letting him knock them down. He will soon realize the power he has when he reaches for an object and makes contact with it. As you stack, count the number of blocks out loud to add number recognition to your game.
MORE: Real Moms Share Creative Ways to Entertain Baby for 10 Minutes
Up Goes the Baby!
Milestone: Sitting Up
Starting around four months, neck and head control strengthen in preparation for sitting up (a milestone usually reached around six or seven months). Help your baby develop improved muscular control by making a game of pulling him up to sit: With your baby lying on his back, grasp his hands and gently pull him up to a sitting position. Make some funny faces or silly noises to help him bring his head forward to focus on you. Gently lower your baby back to his back and start all over again!
Face Time
Milestone: Lifting Head
Who says tummy time needs to be spent on the floor? When it's time for your baby to practice head control, lie on your back with your baby on top of you, tummy down, with her head on your chest. Talk and sing to her. She'll naturally want to pick up her head to see you. Take turns and have your partner play this game with Baby. It's great for bonding!
On a Roll
Milestone: Head and Neck Control
Add variety to tummy time by enlisting your yoga ball or therapy ball. Holding your baby securely, place him near the top of the ball (almost as though he's leaning against an adult's shoulder). Once he's comfortable, begin gently rolling the ball forward and backward, making sure to keep your grip in place. Do this in front of a mirror, and watch the look of delight as he catches sight of himself rolling along.
Pampers Cruisers
Whether Baby has just started walking or is simply on the move, Pampers Cruisers has got you covered with their unique 3-way fit that adapts at the waist, legs and bottom to move with your active baby. So Baby gets the freedom to play while Mom has one less thing to worry about. They also provide up to 12 hours of protection so your baby will stay comfortable and dry overnight.
Pampers Cruisers diapers are available in sizes 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Touch and Go
Milestone: Crawling
To encourage your baby's crawling efforts, activate her natural sense of curiosity by laying down different textured materials to crawl over. Try placing in her path fun textures such as crinkly paper, soft faux fur and shiny tinfoil (tape the edges to prevent tears or sharp corners). As she crawls over each one, give her a cheer for discovering something new.
Pillow Mountain
Milestone: Crawling and Climbing
As your baby begins using crawling sessions to practice climbing, keep it safe by piling couch cushions or soft pillows on the floor. Try a game of "Where's Mommy?" by ducking your face behind the tallest cushion and letting your little mountain climber find her way to you. The excitement of this game can also work wonders for reluctant crawlers.
Silly Songs
Milestone: Language, Body Parts Awareness
Every baby loves a silly song, so put this natural preference to work when encouraging language development and increasing vocabulary awareness. Trying to teach your little one the names of the different body parts? Sing, "These are your ears and these are Mama's (or Papa's) ears" while tapping your baby's ears and your ears with your fingers. Before long, you may be singing a duet!
Breezy Baby
Milestone: Language Development
Learning how to hold her mouth in different positions while expelling air can be a real help in aiding your baby's speech development. Starting when your baby is around nine months, try arranging a handful of cotton balls in front of the two of you. Show her how to make them move by blowing on them with your breath. Let her have a turn and see what happens. This game is also good practice for blowing out that first birthday candle — a day that will be here before you know it!
