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Activities

One tap logs an activity for today. Reading a specific piece? Log it from the Read to baby shelf and the title comes along. Read to baby shelf →

Things to do with the baby

Ideas grouped by the age they usually start working, youngest first. Pick an area to see only those ideas. Open one for the steps, the reason it helps, and the sign to stop. Every idea logs with one tap, the same way the read shelf does.

From 4 months · 1

Hands on the bottle
  1. Hold the baby semi-upright in the crook of your arm for the bottle.
  2. Bring the bottle close and let their hands find it.
  3. Keep your own hand on the bottle while theirs rest on it beside yours.

Why it helps

For a young baby, feeding is something that happens to them. Hands on the bottle make them part of it, and holding on with both hands in front of the body is good practice for the two hands working together.

Watch for

Keep holding the bottle yourself, even when the baby's grip looks strong. Never prop a bottle on a pillow or leave a baby to feed alone, and never put a baby to bed with a bottle — propping is a choking risk, and milk in the mouth at sleep can lead to tooth decay.

From 5 months · 1

A song for bath time
  1. Pick one short song or phrase for each part of the day — one for the bath, one for bed, one for meals. A made-up tune works well.
  2. Sing the bath song as you carry the baby to the bath, before the water.
  3. Use the same words and the same tune every time.

Why it helps

A baby cannot read a clock, but they can learn that one song always comes before the water. Knowing what comes next makes a change easier to accept, and the song becomes a small signal that the day is moving on.

Watch for

Never leave the baby alone in the bath, not even for a moment to fetch a towel — a baby can drown in a few centimeters of water, quickly and without a sound. Gather everything you need before the water goes in, and if you must leave, wrap the baby in a towel and take them with you.

From 6 months · 2

Same seat, name the food
  1. Serve each meal in the same high chair, pulled up to the family table.
  2. Before each bite, hold the food where the baby can see it.
  3. Say its name plainly, like “carrot”, then offer it.

Why it helps

The same seat at the same table tells the baby that a meal is starting before the first bite. Hearing a food's name each time it appears links the word to the taste, the color, and the feel in the mouth.

Watch for

Seat the baby upright with the straps done up, and stay at the table for the whole meal. Turn screens off, so the baby's attention is on the food and on your face.

Sips from an open cup
  1. Pour a little water into a small open cup, a few sips at most.
  2. Hold it to the baby's lower lip and tip it just enough for one sip.
  3. Wait for the swallow before you offer the next sip.
  4. Later, put their hands on the cup with yours and drink together.

Why it helps

Drinking from an open cup takes months of small sips and spills to learn, and around six months, when solids start, is a good time to begin. The lips have to close on the rim and control the flow, which a bottle never asks of them.

Watch for

Plain water only, a few sips at a time. Water does not replace breast milk or formula, which stay the main drink until twelve months, and no juice before twelve months. Keep the baby seated upright, and stop if they cough or turn away.

From 7 months · 1

Hold a loaded spoon
  1. Load a short, soft-tipped spoon with thick puree.
  2. Hold it out handle first and let the baby take it.
  3. Let them bring it to their mouth, even if most of it lands on the chin.
  4. Load a second spoon while they work on the first.

Why it helps

Getting a spoon to the mouth is a chain of small skills: grip, lift, aim, and turn. Thick puree stays on the spoon, so the effort ends in a taste, and that reward keeps the baby trying.

Watch for

Seat the baby upright and stay beside them. Gagging is noisy and common while they learn — it is the body pushing food forward. Choking is silent: if the baby cannot cry, cough, or breathe, start infant choking first aid (back blows and chest thrusts) and call emergency services.

From 8 months · 1

Push your arm through
  1. Gather the sleeve up and hold it open at the baby's hand.
  2. Say “push your arm through”, and wait for the push.
  3. When the hand comes out at the cuff, say hello to it.

Why it helps

A baby who pushes an arm through is helping to get dressed. It is an early way to join in with a routine, and the words “push your arm through” become a request they learn to understand and answer.

Watch for

Guide at the elbow or the upper arm, and never pull the arm through by the hand or wrist — a sharp tug can slip the elbow out of place, which is called nursemaid's elbow. If the baby fights it, stop the game and finish dressing quickly.

Ages say when an idea usually starts working, not when your baby should manage it. Babies reach these months in their own order.