How do I keep my baby occupied all day? I asked myself what to do with a baby about a million times during the 9 months leading up to my firstborn’s birth. I mean, they are a baby! They don’t DO anything! The good news is that there are a million ways to keep a baby entertained and we are sharing some of our favorite ways to keep baby busy.
What to Do to Keep Baby Occupied
Once the baby came, the first few months were completely filled with baby-necessities. But once I got into a rhythm of keeping my baby bathed, fed, and napped, I once again was wondering what to do with a 3 month old baby all day long…or a 6 month old, 7 month, or a 8 month old…and on!
Related: Let’s play baby games and 25 Infant Art Projects
What to do with baby? Here are some my favorite baby activities that will keep baby entertained and adult sane.
Days Out Activities for 3 Month Old Baby
I could also name this section “What worked for me at 3 months old and beyond…”
1. Start with an Outing in the Morning
I found that my best days were ones where we got out of the house in the morning. It didn’t have to be a big trip or super planned baby activities. An outing to the grocery store or library story time was plenty. It was just the act of getting out of the house that seemed to lift MY mood. And MY mood was very important on my baby’s mood!
2. Protect Baby Naptime
Do I need to say more? If you have the flexibility to plan your day, then protecting a baby’s naptime is essential to everyone being in a good mood.
3. Outside in the Afternoon or Early Evening with Baby
The other thing that seemed to help was to get outside in the afternoon.
At the time we were living in Abilene, TX, which meant we were dealing with more hot weather than cold. The evenings tended to cool a bit and putting the baby in the stroller for a before-bed walk did us both good.
What to Do Inside with a 3 Month Old Baby
Inside, I set up three areas in the living room/kitchen area that had play stations for super quick activities that baby could do while I was doing other things and could watch or jump in and participate.
4. Accessible Kitchen Toys for Baby
This became an issue as baby became more interactive and mobile. By 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months these activities were used everyday.
I had a box that had little toys that he could empty out while I was in the kitchen – although he soon found the cereal shelf and took great pleasure in emptying those boxes on the floor!
5. Baby Floor Play Area
My living room play area consisted of a play blanket with two toys:
- Overhead arch of hanging toys for play while laying down or sitting
- Ball toy where the balls were placed in the top and rolled to the bottom
My plan was to rotate him to the next station when he got weary of one toy.
6. Place for Baby to Watch the World
I soon found that our windows were low enough for him to pull up on the sill and watch outside. Ryan spent hours gazing out the window at our dog and the other exciting things that passed on the Abilene prairie!
Find Time to Explore the World with Baby
Once a week I tried to plan a bigger trip – like to the local zoo or to visit a friend. I found I really didn’t have energy to do something like that more than once a week, but it also helped us feel connected with other families.
Find other Baby Interaction Opportunities
My main goal was to have something {even something small} to look forward to. Some days this was not necessary, but others it was a sanity-saver. I had been used to working a full time job with a ton of people interaction and all of a sudden, I was home with a tiny person that didn’t speak…but enjoyed crying a lot.
Another thing that can really help is find another mom that is in a similar situation.Those are the kind of friends that understand if you don’t show up for a play date or need to call them for a little adult conversation.
Here are some of the best Baby Activity Ideas from our Facebook community
- Try and get out as much as you can. Getting out in the sunshine and fresh air will also help him sleep better (as long as he doesn’t get overstimulated).
- Lots of messy play (cereal, yogurt, corn flour & water), reading to him and singing, make discovery baskets with bangles and shiny objects.
- Find the free programs at your library, join a moms group and do play dates. Try to get out in the mornings so that you can get home in time for naps – it makes the days go by so much faster!
- Make a treasure basket. This is just a box made up of things from all over the house that are safe for him to explore. Try things with different textures, like wooden spoons, metal spoons, sponges, toothbrushes etc.
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Related: How a Preschooler Can Help with Baby
Need Some Play Ideas for Baby?
Did we miss one of your favorite baby activity or play idea? How do YOU keep your baby occupied?
