Activities For Babies Up To Six Months

New babies are well known for having two main activities in their lives - eating and sleeping, usually in that order too. Until they reach approximately 6 months of age or until they can sit up on their own, life can be pretty dull. For the first few months they can't hold their own rattles, soft toys or teething rings without some assistance. During the time between this eating and sleeping business, they need to do something for entertainment, but what? They can only stare at the ceiling for so long before they scream for something different.

Here are some ideas to help you bond with your baby and introduce them to the exciting and colourful world in which we live.

• Cuddle them and kiss them frequently.
  
  
• Give them a little massage with baby oil.

• Play a musical instrument to them, i.e. piano, flute, or guitar.

• Take them for a walk in a front pack, backpack, pram, or a little walk in your arms.

• Play ‘peek-a-boo’, ‘round and round the garden went the teddy bear’ or ‘this little piggy went to the market’ type of games with them,

• On the floor, do exercises like sit-ups with them perched on your tummy.

• Talk to them and show them things, like their own face in a big mirror, the cat next door, their teddy bear or a rattle toy, etc.

• Have an extra special fun time in the bath.

• Read a short colourful book to them.

• Place them in a bouncer, or propped up carefully in a lounge chair, or on the couch with pillows, in view of a musical mobile, looking out the window to the garden, or in view of family activities.

• Lay them on the floor on a blanket to watch you. Place a few rattles and teething rings near them so they can practice picking up and enjoy chewing.

• Play music to them.

• Take them out visiting or invite friends and family over, to provide new faces for them to look at, and people to goo and gaa over them.

• Lay them on the floor under a play gym with extra rattles and toys attached to it for variety.

• Sing to them.

• Invest in or borrow a baby swing, or play swinging games using your arms in a cradle hold.

• Take them for a car ride to see something new (if they aren't already asleep by the time you get there.)

• Let them interact with another baby of a similar age for mutual gurgling conversation.

• Give them shiny, wet, dry, soft, hard, fluffy, lumpy objects to feel, and safe household objects to play with.

• Hold them on your lap, and let them watch while you play with an elder sibling, especially during book reading time.

• Buy or make a play mat to lie on with scraps of brightly coloured and different textured materials sewn together.

• Attend a baby/toddler/coffee group in your area if there is one for mutual friendship, or advertise for other mothers and begin your own group.

• Undress them or just remove their nappy and let them kick around and enjoy the fresh air on their little bottoms, provided it's not too cold.

• Around 4 months, when they can roll, play roly-poly games with them on the floor.

• Lay them on their tummy for a couple of minutes at a time to strengthen their back muscles for sitting and crawling.

• Blow 'raspberries' all over their tummy.

• Buy, get second-hand or borrow a fun toy for them to play with such as excersaucer, swing, fancy play mat or aqua mat, hammocks, multi-gym walkers, a bouncy jolly jumper etc.

• Make getting dressed and undressed, and changing nappies (diapers) into fun and stimulating times with lots of talk, singing and tickling.

• Let them feel your hair, face, nose, mouth, fingers, etc.

• Change their scenery regularly, by just moving them from one room to the next in the house, while you do your housework, vacuuming etc.

Above all, make sure you enjoy your baby as they soon grow up!

VICTORIA PURDIE

Howick, New Zealand

Ross and Victoria have three children, Keegan, Cayden and Jaymee.

Home Made Toys for Babes

Isn't it amazing that no matter how many fancy toys you buy or are given for your baby, they always prefer the box it came in, or something they find lying around the house?

My eldest son showed this theory to be true. He was given many teddy bears when he was born - big ones, little ones, cute furry ones, some really expensive looking and one really big one, but he preferred, and still does, a plain-looking knitted teddy that someone made for him as a gift. It is quite cute, but definitely doesn't have the style of any of the others.

If you've got some time on your hands, would like to save money and enjoy making crafty things, have a look at these ideas:

FANCY BABY BOTTLES

Using a clean and empty soft drink bottle, clear plastic is best, fill with any of the following items: chopped up pieces of kitchen sponge, some marbles or clean pebbles, glitter and tiny pieces of cut up Christmas tinfoil. Then fill up the bottle with clean water and either glue or cellotape the lid on tightly. These can be rolled around the floor or just shaken by a baby to produce a lovely effect.

RICE RATTLES

A little handful of rice or pebbles inside a small clear plastic bottle or a container will make a nice gentle rattle. Secure the lid on tightly and remove from baby once they are capable of taking lids off, or have grown out of it to prevent accidental choking on the small pieces inside.

HAND AND FOOT RATTLES

A quick way to make a hand or foot rattle for a baby under 6 months old is to stitch a small existing rattle onto a bootie or mitten. Then place onto the baby to produce a rattle when they move their hand or foot.

BABY BALL

If you have some left-over scraps of material, particularly in different textures, sew together to make a little ball and stuff with more scraps, and if you like insert a small bell inside before stitching up well.

BABY BOOKS

Very first books for a baby can be made in a concertina formation. Using a sheet of cardboard cut to a size that is easy to handle. Fold into three or four equal sections and decorate each section with either bright colours drawn using felt tips, or use cut out pictures from a magazine and stick onto the cardboard before covering with clear plastic such as cover-seal. Since a baby sees black and white clearly as a newborn, you can draw some bold patterns and shapes using a thick black pen, onto the sections of the book, instead of using colour, as another variation.

STOCKING SCRUNCHIE

To make one of these, simply insert some shiny crinkly wrapping paper into an old stocking or pantyhose, and tie at each end. You can make short ones, or long ones that can be tied to a pram or mobile gym for entertainment.

LID CHAINS

First you'll need to start saving plastic lids from milk bottle tops, soft drink bottles, jam jar lids, etc and then by punching a little hole into the top of each with a knife or sharp pair of scissors, thread onto a piece of cord, ribbon or thick string, in an interesting formation to create a chain of lids that rattle and can be chewed.

BABY MOBILES

Using a wire or wooden coat hanger, decorate with pieces of Christmas tinsel, strips of fabric, small teddy bears, teething toys, rattles, shells, cut-out pieces of cardboard in fish or tree shapes that are brightly coloured, ribbons, strips of crepe paper, clothes pegs and anything else you can find to make an interesting mobile, to hang over baby's cot safely out of reach.

PLAY GYMS

A thick piece of smooth wood, i.e. a broom handle can be made into a play gym that can be placed over the top of two chairs securely or hung somewhere for baby to play with. Attach things that are safe to be chewed and touched, by short pieces of strong string so as to avoid baby getting tangled in them. Thingslike plastic milk bottle tops in a bunch, rattles and teething toys, stocking scrunchies (see above), small teddy bears, large plastic or wooden cotton reels, lids from hair spray cans, plastic spoons, etc.

COVERED BOXES

A small box like a wine casket size or cereal packet, can be covered with plain paper to begin with then add pictures of people's faces, flowers, and animals for example. Then cover with plastic or cover-seal. Baby will turn the box over and over in their hands to see the pictures, especially if they are bright and nice to look at.

TINY HAND RATTLES

Empty and clean film canisters, covered with paper and decorated, filled with rice, macaroni, pebbles, etc makes a nice small rattle for baby to hold in their hands.

STACKING TOYS

Save any empty lids you come across like shaving foam and hair spray lids, and then give to baby from sitting up age to practice stacking and clapping together to make sounds.

If after making all of the above, your baby is still bored, put a little honey on their fingertips and give them a fluffy feather to play with. It's almost homemade and very effective too.

VICTORIA PURDIE
Howick, New Zealand

Your Child's Artwork

Is your fridge door overflowing with your child's artwork? Or are their creations brought home and put away somewhere never to be seen and admired again? Here's some ideas to help show your child how much you value their artwork or to keep some for them to enjoy when they are older. You’re sure to find great ideas to suit you from this list.

RINGBINDERS

If you have an old ring binder folder, cut artwork to size if necessary, and punch some holes neatly in the side. Store artwork away in the ring binder with the newest work on top. Your child will love to flip the pages to see their work, and the folders can be easily stored on a bookshelf.

VIDEO, CASSETTE AND CD COVERS

Using the plastic covers of CD's, Videos, and Cassettes, empty out the original paper liners, and insert a piece of your child's artwork cut to the appropriate size. A bright painting using bold colours will look good. The CD's can be hung on the wall in groups to form a small gallery. If you don't have any old CD holders or cassette holders, try obtaining some surplus or scratched ones from a music shop.

LAMINATING

Choose one or two really special pieces of your child's artwork and consider having them professionally laminated at a photo shop. They can be used as place mats at the table, or coffee coasters, to sit under pot plants to provide a colourful protection to tables, as drawer liners, given away as original gifts to doting grandparents, or just kept as a nice piece of artwork that will be long lasting.

CALENDERS

Use a large painting or collage work for the basis of a calendar. Old calendars can be used or buy a calendar pad from a stationery shop. If you have access to a computer with a publishing package on it, calendars can be printed up in a jiffy to provide a base for your child's painting. If you hang it up in your child's room or on the back of the toilet door or wall, your child will learn thedays of the week, months of the year and counting skills.

PRESERVING ON WOOD

Find a nice flat of cut of wood, (something light coloured like Radiata or Baltic pine), sand until smooth, and then encourage your child to paint on it with long lasting acrylic

paint. Even an abstract design using lots of colour will look good, or they could dip hands or feet into paint and then press onto the wood. When dry, name and date it, and spray with a coat of clear lacquer (available from hardware shops) to preserve it. To display, hang on the wall, sit on a mantle piece or china cabinet or use in the kitchen to sit your teapot on, or to brighten up a windowsill.

FRAMING THE BEST

Once your child begins to do regular artwork, choose the best you can find over the period of a year, then buy a frame to hang it in, or have it properly framed at a photo shop. Hang up somewhere prominent like in the lounge or hallway, so that visitors can also admire your child's artwork.

CARDS

Cut out some of the more colourful and interesting parts of several of your child's artwork creations, and glue them onto folded pieces of thin coloured cardboard to make cards. Or you could ask your child to decorate the front of a card depending on their age and ability, using sponge painting techniques or glue and glitter or sparkly crayons. The back of envelopes can also be lightly painted or decorated to match the cards.

DECORATED CLOTHING

Decide what you want to decorate i.e. a plain T-shirt, shorts, sweat shirt, white sandshoes, a material bag, a cot or bed quilt, a hat etc. Take to a photo shop that advertises image transferring along with one of your child's best plain drawings and ask them to transfer the image onto the clothing for you. Your children will love to wear their own creations. This is especially good if your child doesn't like to wear hats as you may find they will wear their own special one. Alternatively, decorate a piece of clothing or pillow case, using special crayons, paints or glitter, that won't come off in the wash.

WRITING PAPER

By cutting up one of your child's boldest and brightest paintings into little strips, you can glue them onto the top of plain sheets of paper, to make interesting and original writing paper for yourself or them to use. Wrap the sheets in a bundle with raffia or a pretty coloured ribbon and then store in a box, or give away as a gift. Envelopes can also be decorated in the same way to make a complete writing set.

AN EXHIBITION

Once in a while, gather together some of your child's best paintings, collages, models, drawings etc, and put them on display somewhere. You could use a large cork memo board, a wall in the rumpus or play room, in a bedroom or pin to the fence outside and invite your friends and their children over for refreshments. You could even invite your friend’s children to participate in the event by bringing along some of their own work to display. If you like, hand out pieces of chalk and let the children draw on the pavement while the adults admire the work on display.

MODELS

If your child likes to do models of animals etc, using play dough, salt dough, plastercine or proper modelling clay, air dry or bake them before painting and then display somewhere on your china cabinet, a dressing table or on the top of your coffee table for visitors to admire too. If they make practical items like a vase, bowl, or soap dish, be sure to use to help demonstrate how useful the things they make can be.

DRIED FLOWER PRESSINGS

Teach your child how to pick and press flowers. They can then be made into bookmarks and covered in plastic or put on the front of envelopes to collect coupons or receipts in, or for pictures. They can add some swirls of colour around the pressed flowers with paint or glitter to liven them up.

PILLOW CASE EMBROIDERY

Take one of your child's best drawings, and copy it in pencil onto something like a pillowcase, handkerchief, library bag etc. Then if you are able, embroider or do cross stitch around the design to preserve it for your child to use, enjoy and keep for time to come.

JUST HANG

Even a scrap of painted paper or a quick painting can be quickly stuck up on display somewhere such as your memo board or hung on the side of your desk at home or work. Fathers who drive trucks, work in shops, or in offices for example, can have a little piece of their child's artwork hanging up somewhere.

DECORATED TOYS

Many home made toys can be made for your child or a younger sibling or as a gift that requires some artwork by your child. Encourage them to be involved whenever you are making something crafty. They might like to decorate a toy box, art box, and a rubbish bin or pencil holder with their own designs.

WRAPPING PAPER

Save some of your child's better artwork, and use as wrapping paper for presents for friends and relatives. Wrap neatly and add a bow or ribbon for extra effect. At Christmas you could provide your child with lots of red and green crayons, felt tips, pens, glitter, etc and encourage a Christmas looking theme, with snowmen and holly if they are able to draw properly. It will mean original and inexpensive wrapping paper that makes the most of recycling.

NOTE PADS, SCRAP BOOKS AND EXERCISE BOOKS

Use these to encourage your child's regular drawing and writing practice. They can easily be stored away as a tidy unit to keep for their future, especially their first writing book. Scrapbooks are also large enough to store the best artwork you want to save in them. Lie flat somewhere away from light and dampness. The front of the book can be covered with a piece of your child's work to personalise their own book, and then covered with plastic to protect it.

FRIDGE MAGNETS

A small drawing on a piece of cardboard can be covered with cover seal plastic and then have a magnet attached to the back of it. It can be useful in the kitchen or given away as a unique gift.

PLASTIC PHOTO FRAMES

Clear plastic photo frames that are quite inexpensive to buy can be used to display a latest piece of artwork. They usually sit on your desk or bench top and can be changed regularly by slipping out the old picture and inserting a new one.

DECORATED PHOTO FRAMES

Get your child involved in home paper-mache -making with strips of newspaper and loads of glue. You can use an old photo frame or a piece of cardboard cut out into a frame shape as a basis to start with. Finish by decorating with shells, pasta, plastic animals glued on etc, and then paint and lacquer. These make great gifts as well as just having a few around the house to put your own photographs in. This theme of paper mache can be extended to make all sorts of interesting things with a little imagination.

TISSUE BOXES

Buy a plain box of tissues and encourage your child to decorate it using bold colours.

A relative will love to receive such a personalised gift.

VICTORIA PURDIE
Howick, New Zealand

Ross and Victoria have three children, Keegan, Cayden and Jaymee.

Top Tips for Little Ones

Talcum powder is good for removing wet sand from babies and toddlers, without harsh rubbing from a towel.

Can tops. Collect up empty and clean tops from hairspray cans, shaving foam cans, laundry liquid scoops, etc and put them into a box. They make great playthings for various activities like pouring water, stacking games, holding pretend tea parties, for use in the sandpit etc.

Laundry basket. Your laundry basket is not only good to use when hanging out the laundry, but children love to play in it. It can also be used as a portable playpen for babies who can sit up or almost sit up by themselves. Put in a pillow and a few toys to keep them entertained. If you have a paddling pool, just put your laundry basket in with the baby inside. This stops the toys floating away and subsequent reaching and slipping under the water. It can be used in the bath in the same way.

Cleaning-up help. Another use for your laundry basket is to carry toys and a picnic lunch in at the beach, travelling from the car to the sand, and for tidying up at home. Load it up with items that need to be put away in other parts of the house, and it will save you lots of little trips.

Toilet Training. To help your son with toilet training, drop little pieces of toilet paper into the bowl and get him to aim at them until he gains better control.

'Veggie-hating' young children. Blend raw veggies in a food processor or chop very finely and then add to soups, stews, casseroles etc. They should be so minute that they aren’t even noticed. they aren't even noticed.

Bath toys can be stored in a mesh fruit bag that can be hung over the bath taps after use to drain.

Sandpit Box. A broken or damaged paddling pool or even an old dingy can become a sandpit by adding clean sand and a cover.

Sandpit covers. Plastic trellis is good to cover sandpits with, as it stops animals fouling the sand and is easy for children to remove by themselves.

Try tying a teething ring to the pram, highchair or changing table, so baby always has something to rattle and chew on (especially during teething), that can't get lost.

Medicine. If your baby won't take medicine from a spoon, put it in baby teat and let them suck it. For tablets, crush up and mix with a spoon of honey.

Old towels can be turned into baby bibs, or put in the bath to stop slipping.

Make sheets last longer. When your child moves to a big bed, turn their sheets up the other way each week, instead of washing them, as they are usually so small that they only use 1/3 of the bed anyway. It will help the sheets last longer and wear more evenly too.

Avoid Spills. If you find your young ones spilling their drink at the table, buy a placemat with a colourful picture or animals and numbers etc, and teach them to put their drink down on one particular shape each time, that is safely out of elbow reach. You will find they enjoy looking at the placemat and even when it is not there, they will still remember where the drink should be in relation to their plate and elbows.

Empty wet wipe containers make great baby rattles with pebbles, stones, rice, acorns etc inside. Be sure to secure the top with cellotape or masking tape so they can't be opened easily. They can also be used to store matchbox cars or plastic animals if you remove the lids, or make a moneybox out of one by enlarging the slit in the top and covering with paper and decorating.

Bags for bibs. Calico bags made in a tube shape with elastic or ribbons at each end make good storage bags for baby bibs or hankies. Put clean ones in the top and pull them out of the bottom when needed. The bag can be hung on the side of the highchair by attaching a piece of string to it, or tying with its ribbon.

Cardboard Boxes. Most children love big cardboard boxes, so save any you can for a few days, and let them play in and around them using their imagination to create boats, cars, dolls houses etc.

Always keep a container of wet wipes and a box of tissues in the car. You will probably use them very frequently for all sorts of messes.

To help your baby to sit up and play with toys on their own, blow up a child's swim ring and place it around their tummy. They will enjoy poking it especially if it has bright pictures on it, and will offer protection all around if they happen to topple over.

Keep a nappy (diaper) bag always packed and ready. Add to it every time you use a nappy or something else from the bag. Keeping a can of baby food (with a peel top lid, no can opener needed) is handy if you are caught out with a hungry baby or break down somewhere unexpectedly.

Peppermint essence is a good quick alternative to creams to help stop itching after receiving a mosquito bite, especially for children as it doesn't irritate sensitive skin and smells good too.

Toy scoop. To quickly pick up small blocks or toys off the floor, cut up a plastic bottle like a large sauce bottle that has a handle on it, and use that to scoop up the toys. Your children will want to use it to tidy up too.

Inexpensive and changeable mobile. Instead of buying an expensive baby mobile, you could purchase a plastic clothes hanger with pegs attached to it, and then hang up different coloured toys that can be changed regularly.

Clean doll's tea sets by soaking in water with a little bit of baking soda. It takes away any stains and makes the plastic smell fresh again.

Baby baths that are no longer used can be put outside with lots of plastic odds n' ends in them to use as a little paddling pool during the summer months. They can also be used as a doll’s bath, small sandpit, toy storage box inside or under the bed, or in your garden with herbs or flowers planted in it.

Children’s baking equipment. Save boxes and empty containers that are suitable for pretend baking, like Christmas pudding containers, baking soda containers, yeast and yogurt potties, empty salt and sauce bottles, an egg carton, small spice packets etc. When you are baking and have a toddler or two at your feet, you can get out their box of baking equipment along with an old spoon and an ice cream container or plastic bowl, and they can keep busy baking on their own.

Clean and empty roll on deodorant bottles can be re-used by adding sunscreen to them from a large pump pack for your child to put in their swimming bag. You can also add liquid paint to them for a different kind of painting effect.

To make a quick indoor ball, either roll up a pair of socks inside itself, or roll up a sheet of newspaper or coloured junk mail and secure with cellotape.

Clothes pegs. If you run out of toys or ideas to keep your little ones amused, especially if on holiday, get out the clothes pegs. Small children will like to chew on them and put them in and out of a bucket or container, and older children will enjoy clipping them together to make models or laying them down into shapes or colour grouping them. You can also set up a container and practice tossing one peg at a time into the container moving further away each time you get one in.

Fluffy feather. A very inexpensive and entertaining idea for a young baby is to put a little honey on their fingertips and give them a fluffy feather to play with.

Ross and Victoria have three children, Keegan, Cayden and Jaymee.