The first 6 months in a child's life are filled with developmental milestones. During those months your child should learn to reach for things, make eye contact, reach for objects, sit up and make attempts at pulling up on the side of his crib or furniture to a standing position. You can help your child meet these milestones by providing a stimulating environment and playing with your child.
Step 1
Create an enriched environment for your child to explore. At this age children explore with all their senses, and you can help them by providing items to stimulate learning, but that won't overwhelm a young baby. For instance, loud noises and flashing lights can overstimulate. Instead, while holding your child, offer blankets with different textures and let your child feel the differences between warm and cool or soft and rough. Hang a mobile over the crib and the changing table to engage your child's attention, too.
Step 2
Buy toys to stimulate development. According to the website Keep Kids Healthy, infants younger than 6 months old like bright colors and toys that have a reaction that can be controlled by the baby. For instance, you could attach a toy to a crib that plays music when the child pulls it. Or, you could give your baby a brightly colored rattle to shake. Look for toys with simple lines and soothing music.
Step 3
Give your baby some tummy time. Babies spend a lot of time on their backs until they learn to roll over--usually by 6 months. Until then it's important to have your baby spend some time on his stomach to give him a chance to exercise neck muscles and arm muscles that will eventually help him to push up to begin crawling. Prop your child up on a boppy pillow and read him a story, or place some brightly colored rattles within his reach and let him grab for them. There are "tummy time" products on the market, but you can easily create your own with a boppy pillow and some toys.
Step 4
Use jumpers and exercise balls to bounce your baby. Some babies love to bounce or jump. If your baby isn't old enough to sit comfortably in a bouncer, use an exercise ball and, holding her firmly, bounce the baby up and down, or roll her back and forth on her tummy. These actions will help your baby develop some gross motor skills, strength and balance; and many babies just think it's fun.
Step 5
Practice sitting. Most babies can sit without assistance sometime between 4 and 7 months, according to babycenter.com. Take advantage of this by giving your child things to bang on while he is sitting. This will strengthen your baby's back and neck muscles and also help with hand-eye coordination, which are all essential for crawling and eventually walking.
Step 6
Make use of your baby play-yard or play pen. Encourage your child to stand or pull up by placing small stuffed animals or other favored items at the top of the play-yard or just above your child's reach if she is sitting. The child can use the play-yard to pull up to get the toys, exercising both her muscles and her coordination skills.
Tips and Warnings
- Babies like variety, so switch toys in and out when you're playing with your child, but always make sure to include at least one favorite toy.
- Never leave a baby unattended on any sort of pillow.
Things You'll Need
- Simple toys and rattles
- Mobile
- Boppy pillow
- Simple board books
