Help Your Baby To Explore

Here are a few things that will help him explore himself and the world around him:

• Hold your baby up in front of a mirror. Point out mommy and baby in the mirror.
• Hand your baby a toy, first to one hand and then to the other. He will soon learn to pass the toy from one hand to the other.
• Bounce a large ball up and down. Soon your baby can follow the ball with his eyes.

• Roll a ball toward a wall so that it hits and comes back. Your baby will learn to watch for the ball to come back.
• Help your baby to stand up by holding him under his armpits. Babies will straighten their knees before they learn to relax them.
• Sing songs when you are dressing or bathing your baby, or make up rhymes about his eyes, nose and mouth.

Here are some things you can do with your baby to help him learn:

• Get down on the floor with him and give him toys to play with. Sometimes, put the toy out of his reach so he will have to stretch for it. Other times, cover part of the toy with a blanket and see if he can find it. Be sure to make it fun so your baby doesn’t get frustrated.
• Talk to him and repeat the sounds he makes. When he says “baa,” you say “baa.” He will smile and laugh and try to make the same sound again.
• Read a book to him every day, even if it is the same book.
• Dance to music with him in your arms.
• Sing children’s songs to him.
• Take him for a walk in his stroller or in a cuddly pack when the weather is nice. Talk to him about what you see.
• Sit with him in your lap and show him color pictures in magazines.
• Show him toys of different colors.
• When he gets tired of playing or trying to talk, cuddle him and hug him. Let him know you love him and care about him.
• Babies love doing the same thing over and over and over again. This repetition is an excellent way for your baby to learn.