All About SingleMother : April 2013

Wednesday 10 April 2013

3 Month Play & Learn Activities ( fisher-price.com )

Pony Rides

As your baby increases her neck strength and head control, you can take her on some gentle pony rides. Choose a favourite nursery rhyme, or sing the ones below.

Materials

Your knee
Small, soft blanket or towel

Instructions

Lay a small, soft blanket or towel over your knee, for your baby's comfort.
Seat your baby on your knee, facing you, and hold her arms for support.
As you recite a rhyme, gently bounce your baby up and down.
Repeat the rhyme several times before moving on to another. Following are some rhymes to try:

Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men,
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

To Market, to Market
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.

One, Two, Bounce My Shoe
One, two, bounce my shoe;
Three, four, tap the floor;
Five, six, give a kick;
Seven, eight, legs stand straight;
Nine, ten, start again.

Safety

Don't bounce your baby too hard, and always hold her so she doesn't fall.

Learning Skills

Balance
Head and neck control
Language development
Social interaction

3 Month Play & Learn Activities ( fisher-price.com )

Baby on the Bus

It's time for a baby workout, set to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus." These exercises will help keep your baby in shape. He's never too young to start!

Materials

Soft blanket or towel on a soft surface
Your voice

Instructions

Lay your baby on a blanket or towel, on his back.
Sing the following song, moving the assigned body part on your baby as you sing.
Wheels on the Bus
(Bicycle your baby's legs as you sing the first four lines.)
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.
The people on the bus go up and down.
(lift your baby's arms up and down)
The wipers on the bus go back and forth.
(roll baby from side to side)
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep.
(touch your baby's nose)

Safety

Be gentle with your baby's movements.

Learning Skills

Language development
Motor movement and control
Physical exercise

Baby Massage Finger Face Pony Rides Wiggle Worm

Baby 3 Month Development ( fisher-price.com )

How your 3-month-old might play now

He recognizes Mommy and is interested in others' faces
She knows if something is familiar
Lying on his tummy, he can support himself on his elbows and raise his chest
She turns her head toward a sound and watches you as you speak
When toys are placed in his hand, he can grasp them and wave them around
She can swipe at an object but does not reach for it

Mobiles

Precious Planet™ 2-in-1 Musical Mobile
Precious Planet™ 2-in-1 Projection Mobile
Rainforest™ Peek-a-Boo Leaves Musical Mobile™

Help your baby learn more:

Music, please. Extend the benefits offered by a mobile's music by playing music for baby at other times of the day and in different settings.
Sing or hum along. You'll find that as you do, your baby becomes more vocal too.
What do you see? Try looking at the mobile from baby's point of view. Change its position once in a while, or change your baby's position so she gets a new view.
Make the connection. Right from the start, your baby will listen to and respond to your voice. Use this connection to point things out about the mobile—the colors, the movement, the characters that dangle from it.

Rattles and teethers

Friendly Firsts™ Shake & Twist Rattle
Ocean Wonders™ Deluxe Gum Soother
Discover 'n Grow™ Lion Ring Rattle

Help your baby learn more:

Shake it. Place a rattle in baby's hand and gently shake it. Babies at this age are just beginning to have control over grasping—they can hold on and let go on purpose—so your baby will probably be interested in grabbing, shaking and dropping a rattle.
Hear that? Help baby exercise coordination skills by holding a toy in front, shaking it, and letting him reach for it. Put the rattle in baby's hand, shake it and say, "Hear that sound? You did that!" Emphasizing the reward will make him want to try again.
Hand to hand. Choose a rattle that's big enough to let baby hold on with both hands. Place it in baby's hand; she'll grab on with one hand, then the other, and then let go. This action will develop into the skill of being able to pass an object from hand to hand.

Soothers

Discover ’n Grow™ Select-a-Show Soother™

Help your baby learn more:

Calm down. Help your baby learn to self-regulate—to stop crying and calm down. A soother with gentle sounds, music and sights helps baby understand when it's time to wind down and go to sleep.
See that? Point out the motion and lights to help baby focus on them.
So peaceful. Switch through the sound settings until you find one that's especially soothing to you and baby, then take a few minutes for yourself: listening to the soothing sounds as baby drifts off can be a peaceful time for you, too.

Infant play gyms

Rainforest™ Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym™
Precious Planet™ Deluxe Musical Activity Gym
Precious Planet™ Mix & Match Musical Gym

Help your baby learn more:

Demonstrate activities your baby can't reach yet—playing music or making something rattle or move.
Help your baby learn the connection between actions and reactions. Put baby's hand or foot within reach of the dangling toys. From there, it's bound to happen: baby's hand or foot will connect and activate a fun response from the toy!
Encourage your child to explore by pointing out colorful activities and describing features. To build memory skills, switch the position of dangling toys from time to time; your baby is likely to notice the change.

Playard toys

Discover ’n Grow™ Lion Activity Block
Link-a-doos™ Kick & Play Piano™
Precious Planet™ Kick & Play Piano

Help your baby learn more:

Colors and high-contrast patterns are a great way to stimulate your baby's visual sense. Point out the colors and name the animals; even though your baby won't understand the meaning yet, she’ll learn that she can switch her focus, too.
Did you hear that? If a toy plays sounds, take advantage of this opportunity to stimulate your baby's sense of hearing. Take baby's hands in yours and gently clap them together to the music. Make expressive faces as you playfully sing along or imitate the sounds.