Fun Stuff To Do With Babies

I've been reading about activities that would help a baby's development while at the same time being fun. Here are some I've come across

* Read to your baby, and pause once in a while when your baby makes noises. This encourages him to eventually speak, and in the meantime he is practicing making different sounds. Look him in the eyes often while reading aloud.

* Take your baby out in a carrier or stroller, facing out toward the world, and give a running inventory of everything he is seeing.

* Touch different fabrics against your baby's cheeks and hands. My son has a blanket that is part cotton terry, part satin, and part embroidery, and it's attached to a little plush puppy. He loves to have these different parts rubbed against his cheeks.

* Blow bubbles- even if your baby is very young, the rainbow shine of the lights reflecting off the bubbles can catch his attention.

* Show your baby his reflection in a mirror (little man keeps wondering who that dapper little kid is that smiles back at him).

* Show him colorful, contrasting objects (that are safe for him to grab should he want to). Some companies make terrific plush toys with bells or rattles inside and vibrant, appealing colors on the outside to fascinate and entertain babies. A mobile with such objects going around is a great idea too.

* Take lots of pictures of it all! I love getting pictures of little man looking at an object in awe, smiling, etc. I'm sure his children will love it one day too (I'm going to make a photo album to present to them one day). In the meantime, little man keeps wondering what this thing is that mommy keeps pointing at him and flashing. I have some pics of him looking rather confused as a result :)