How hard is it to entertain a baby? Sometimes, it’s downright impossible! Our nine-month-old is usually content to play on her own, but some days, she wants nothing to do with her toys, her sister, and it’s still an hour before naptime!
This is when I pull out the big guns: sensory play.
Sensory play for baby is easy to set up, but because she’s so young, she requires full supervision.
I’m totally cool with that, though, because sometimes it’s impossible to take my eyes off her because she’s so darn cute when she’s playing and exploring!
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!
Why Babies Need Sensory Stimulation
Our baby, Lia, enjoys activities with sensory stimulation. Sensory play is important for babies’ development because their senses are what they use to learn about the world and develop their little brains into big brains!
Think about it. You give a baby a ball. She has no idea what it’s for, so she sets out on an investigation to figure out what she can do with it.
She’ll shake it. She’ll shove it around. And you can bet she’ll try to eat it!
Babies use all their senses when investigating an object:
- seeing,
- hearing,
- smelling,
- tasting,
- feeling.
Using their five senses helps babies learn about objects and figure out how to play with them all on their own. Although lately, it seems that tasting is the only sense that Mia is interested in developing!
Easy, Easy Sensory Play For Babies
Babies under six months don’t need much to become overstimulated. Once they start getting older, they’ll be able to handle more sensory stimulation.
I would recommend these sensory activities for babies who can sit up, but use your judgement in what you feel your baby can handle.
My baby girl just loves watching her big sister play. Whenever I can, I try to involve Lia in our toddler activities so she doesn’t feel left out.
(Well, really, so that I don’t feel like she feels left out. I think she probably has no clue what’s going on half the time!)
Here are a four quick and easy sensory play activities we do at home.
1. Wiggle toes in a sensory bin. I know she’ll eat anything she can get her hands on, but there’s no harm in letting her stomp around in a sensory bin! She really likes hearing the noise she can make when she moves her feet. When we don’t have a sensory bin accessible, baby girl also likes splashing with her feet in the sink.
2. Peel painter’s tape off the floor or wall. You’ll have to keep a close eye to make sure they don’t eat it, but tape is pretty fascinating for babies as young as six months!
3. Play with sensory bags. This is a super easy way to let babies play alongside toddlers and explore colorful, squishy, or tiny things in a safe way. To make a sensory bag, take a gallon sized zip-top bag and fill it with anything you wouldn’t want baby to eat! Then tape the top shut. Make sure to trim their nails 🙂
4. Painting with purees or yogurt. This one below is pea puree. Yum. Dump a quarter cup of colorful puree on a tray and let baby swish it around and try to pick it up. This will get messy, so I’d advise using a smock or going naked!
5. Explore cool stuff in a treasure basket. Load up a little basket with toys or stuff from around the house that have different shapes, textures, or colors. Toddlers also love making treasure baskets, too! This is a great activity for big sis to help with.
WhICH Sensory Play Idea Will You Try?
If you haven’t tried an activity with your baby yet, any of these sensory play ideas are sure to keep them interested! Keep a few of these activity ideas in your back pocket for a quick way to entertain and play with your baby.
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!