One of the secrets to a smooth parenting journey is having lots of things to entertain your baby. When I was pregnant, I assumed that diaper bags were for diapers. Maybe some wipes and a change of clothes.
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Wrong! As my daughter has gotten older, I’ve realized that the diaper bag is not just for the bare essentials. My diaper bag is a walking toy box. Since we spend a lot of time at the houses of family and friends, we require sets of toys for everywhere that we spend a lot of time. Jenna is pretty good about playing by herself, but there are times when giving her a toy and letting her entertain herself just isn’t going to cut it. So we’ve figured out how to keep the baby occupied no matter where we go! When Playgro approached us about testing out their Ball Activity Nest
5 Early Learning Activities For Babies:
1. Always carry toys.
We have toys in the car, the diaper bag, and any purse or pocket that will fit one. Generally, Jenna is content playing with a single toy for ten or fifteen minutes, but if we’re going to be stuck somewhere for a long time without ample play space, it’s nice to have a few toys to switch out. We like the Playgro Jungle Friends Gift Pack for on the go! It comes with 3 teething links shaped like hands, 2 animal finger puppets, and two animal wristbands. The wristbands are perfect for grocery shopping or dining out, because they can’t be thrown on the ground….repeatedly.
2. Learn songs.
We go to a song and movement class for babies at our local library once a week. At first, it was a nice way to get out of the house. Now, it’s a great way to learn new songs to calm and entertain the baby! Jenna loves music, so I’m always willing to burst out in song if it will entertain her– even if it means getting some weird looks in the unmoving line at the grocery store.
3. Clapping games
There’s a reason that Pat-a-cake and Tortillitas are such long-lived nursery rhymes. Babies love clapping games. When Jenna was younger, she loved to watch us clap to the rhymes. Now that she’s older, she claps and babbles right along with us!
4. Have special toys at places you spend a lot of time.
At every place we spend a lot of time, we have a special “big ticket” toy that can entertain Jenna for a long time. Part of the appeal is that she only gets to play with the toy when she’s at a certain place. Part of the appeal is the fact that we invested in grow-with-you toys that work with her as she hits new stages! At mom’s house, her current special toy is the Ball Activity Nest by Playgro. It works as a play gym with or without walls, and as a ball pit with or without hanging toys. We currently use it as a ball pit with hanging toys, and every time we set Jenna on the ground at her grandparents’ house, she crawls straight for it. The Activity Nest comes with detachable hanging toys, a water filled teether, and 32 balls. One word of warning: once your baby learns to throw, there may not be 32 balls in the ball pit anymore.
5. Get them involved
If your baby is anything like mine, they want to be doing what you’re doing. When we’re cooking, Jenna likes to think she’s helping. We set her on the ground with a silicone spatula and a tea towel and let her play along. Sometimes she even gets to bang her spatula on a pan! If we’re vacuuming or cleaning, I like to hand her a hand towel while I’m wearing her in the baby carrier. She thinks she’s cleaning too! When I was young, my mom gave me a toy steering wheel to play with on road trips so I would think I was driving.
How do you entertain your baby? What are your favorite learning activities for infants and toddlers? Do any of these tips work for you?
These are great tips1 It’s always important to have great learning toys to keep them busy!
Look at all those sweet pictures. My youngest baby is 9, so our entertainment has changed a lot from the baby days. 😉
Great tips.. I always interact with my kids and always try to keep them busy with learning toys.
She is too cute!! I love her smile and adorable eyes! Enjoy these years because they grow up way too fast.
When I see babies like yours, I wish I could have more of my own ha ha ha. It’s fun seeing them grow and become their own selves.
These are great tips- when my kids were infants we made everything into a song! Singing definitely helped all of us get through those trying early months with laughter and light!
I can remember my kids when they were babies. They really love to play with anything and keeping them busy for half an hour is really a challenge! Glad that there are fun toys now suitable for babies. 😀
This is perfect for my nephew! He loves music and also sing a song. This is a great tips.
I wish I knew this when my son was a baby, but my sister will be mom soon. This will help her a lot. Bookmarked.
We are about to have a new baby in our home in a couple months. We definitely do all of these things, and we read a lot.
Perfect timing! My little niece just turned 3 months old. She’s very alert and active having the right toys and things to play with around in the right spots are key. She also loves music and loves to be sung to!
These are great ways to start teaching your kids. We loved to sing songs when the kids were little. I always kept a few toys in my bag at all times.
I think it is great that you are being so proactive in getting your baby educated. There is no age that is too young to start learning, I think.
These are all great infant learning games. I used to give my sons pots and pans to play with along with the plastic scapula. They would play for a very long time. Boxes are great for kids to play in too. Thanks for sharing these awesome toys and the tips.
These are all great ideas! I know I packed extra fun stuff when we were planning on taking the kids out for an extended period of time, such as to the mall or a restaurant.
Having a bunch of toys on hand is a must for so many reasons! Watching babies learn and grow is such a great experience.
These look like great toys to keep around. Keeping an infant stimulated educationally from the beginning I think is very important. I love the ball pit one!
All great ideas. My kids grew up sitting on the counter helping bake cookies. By the age of 3 they knew all the ingredients needed for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
I love these ideas. When my girls were babies, all I needed were a few toys and a good song to keep them excited and engaged.
My sister-in-law just had a baby so I’m going to share this post with her. She’s always interested in something that teaches her children in an interesting way.
Aww, she is adorable! I agree. Always have toys! Today’s toys are so much better than when I was a baby and even when my kids were. Educational toys are great because they are fun and don’t feel like “learning.”
It really helps to teach kids song and let them learn from their toys. If they’re happy, they can be more open to new things.
I don’t have children nor have I ever babysat before. I’m not used to all the toys that kids seem to have these days when I visit a friends house.
These are great tips/ways to entertain little ones! When I was younger my mom would always sing with my sister and I. I love the idea of introuding kids to music at a young age.
These are great tips. My kids always loved to sing and clap. I used to also use toys as a way to get them to problem solve. I’d put them under a blanket or something.
I love this post. You don’t have to buy special toys or get special learning products “for baby”. All they need is toys, singing, and interaction to get their noodles noodling.
These are all great tips. Even the simplest of play activity is a learning experience for the little ones.
It’s so much fun watching a baby learn to clap along to all the cute, silly songs. Having toys in the diaper bag was always a must for me. When my daughter was a baby, she loved banging pots and pans together.
We did lots of singing and clapping when my boys were babies. It was a lot of fun to see them learn how to clap themselves after a while.