The Power of Play with your Newborn

The first few weeks of A's life were pretty rough.  Sleep deprived and physically exhausted from the child birthing process, the last thing I thought about was playing with my baby.  I was just happy that she was fed and taking a nap for some reprieve.  One day, my mother made a comment about how I wasn't playing with A enough.  She was maybe 2 weeks old.  I looked at her like a.) she was crazy and b.) I knew what I was doing, I am educator after all and c.) give me a break... didn't I call you hear so I could sleep?  I will admit, I probably wasn't engaging her as much as I could have, but, I was just happy to have a shower and think straight.  My parents really modeled newborn play to me, as I muddled through my sleepless nights.  Truth is, they were able to enjoy my baby with a fresh and awake mind.  Now play is embedded into our daily routines.  Some of my happiest moments with A are during our playtimes. 

How do you play with a newborn?  Glad you asked.  Here are some playful tips from an SLP momma:

1. Turn off the TV- In fact, turn off all the technology in your house that distracts you from your little one.  
2. Eye-contact- Establish and maintain eye-contact with your babes from the minute you can.  Most times, a newborn will intently watch you while you feed him.  Make eye-contact.
3. Smile- This one isn't hard.  Smile at your baby.  Your baby will surprise you when at about 6 weeks, he smiles back at you.  What a treat!
4. Talk to your Baby- It's NEVER too early to talk to your baby.  Some of it will be really natural for you, other times you may have to force it a bit.  Tell your baby you love him, tell him about your day, tell him about all the people that came to visit today.  
5. Take Conversational Turns-  It's really amazing, how a baby WILL take a "turn" in conversation if you let him.  Talk to your baby, wait and let him talk back to you.  Then talk again.  Even if he gives you a "coo" or smile, it definitely counts as baby talk!
6. Raspberries- Non-speech vocalizations are just as important as others.  They allow your baby to explore the power of his articulators.  Make eye-contact and make raspberries with your baby.  Watch their reaction.  My baby laughs hysterically when she hears these!
7. Copy Cat- My favorite thing to do with A is to copy exactly what she "says" and watch her react.  She gets such a kick out of it.  This will engage her in play for the longest stretch of time.
8. Sing- Take it all the way to Broadway if your discover a new talent.  At first, I used to sing to A to comfort her, but now I sing to engage her in a fun language task.  We make up songs, listen to Pandora, and sing old-fashioned nursery rhymes.  A's favorite song is Happy Birthday... we had so many birthdays in September and she "sings" along with me every time I sing it!
9. Peek-a-Boo-who doesn't like a round of Peek-a-boo?
10. Massage- After I give A a bath, I give her a massage with lotion before I put on her PJs. While I massage her, I name all of her body parts.  I started with, "Mommy is rubbing your legs!", but I've discovered that I can be a bit more specific, "Mommy is rubbing your femur, your knee, your calf, your heel, foot, toes...etc." Why not teach her correct, specific vocabulary instead of general words to describe the same thing?

I hope you have as much fun with your newborn as I've had with mine.  Now that she is officially 3 months old, we have graduated to the "infant" category.  Enjoy each.and.every day....

Peace, love and baby hugs,

JP