Playing with your baby (2 to 4 months)

Activities to do with your baby

Play is the natural way that babies learn. Playing with your baby is one of the best things you can do for their development.

Here are some fun things you can do to play with your baby:

• Let your baby lay on their belly for tummy time, a few times every day. Start with 5 minutes and try to do this up to at least 30 minutes every day.
• Lay next to your baby on your back and roll over to them on to your tummy. This will make them want to try too.
• Roll a ball to them when they are doing tummy time.
• Take your baby for walks in the pram. Talk to them and tell them what you can see on your walk.
• Read books to your baby. They love to hear your voice and to play with the book.
• Babies love to look at different designs and shapes. Show them toys, play mats or clothes with fun patterns. If your baby is looking at a pattern, you can point to it and say, "Wow, you see that pattern" or "This is a circle or a square".
• Join a group with other parents or go to a baby playgroup. 

Helping your baby build balance and body awareness

Your baby has two important systems in their body that start to grow when they are very young: 

1. one system helps them keep their balance (vestibular system).
2. the other helps them understand their body and body awareness (proprioception system).

Why helping your baby's balance system is important

The balance system helps your baby stay upright and not fall over. It also helps with their muscle strength, knowing where they are, staying alert, and moving their eyes to follow things.

Activities to improve your baby's balance include:

• gently swinging or bouncing them from side to side
• rolling on the ground
• making them follow a ball with their eyes as it moves side to side.

Why helping your baby's body-awareness system is important

When we talk about "body awareness", we mean how well your baby knows where their body is and how to move it. This helps them control their body, stay focused, stand up straight, and even speak better.

Activities to help improve your baby’s body awareness include:

• floor play: tummy time or helping them crawl
• massaging them: patting or rubbing their body or even giving them a hug
• gently rolling a ball over their body.

Doing these activities will help your baby grow stronger and understand their body better. 

Tummy time

Swaying and Rocking