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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 birth · 5

Tummy time on your chestMoving
  1. Lie back on a sofa or bed, propped at roughly forty-five degrees.
  2. Lay the baby tummy-down on your chest, face turned toward yours.
  3. Talk and let the baby lift their head to find your face.

Why it helps

The easiest possible tummy time. Your chest is warm and it slopes, so the baby works against much less gravity than the floor asks for — and the reward for lifting their head is your face.

Watch for

Stay awake and keep your hand on the baby the whole time. If you feel yourself getting drowsy, stop and put the baby on their back in the crib — tummy time is only ever for an awake, watched baby.

First tummy time on the floorMoving
  1. Spread a firm blanket on the floor, away from soft bedding and pillows.
  2. Put the baby tummy-down and lie on the floor facing them.
  3. Aim for three to five minutes, two or three times a day, and build up from there.

Why it helps

Flat ground is harder than your chest, and that difficulty is the point: pushing up on the forearms is what builds the neck, shoulder, and back strength that rolling, sitting, and crawling are all made of.

Watch for

Awake and watched, every time, with you on the floor beside them — and back in the crib on their back for any sleep. Fussing after a minute is normal at this age and is not a reason to push on: pick the baby up, try again later, and count the short attempts, because they add up.

Bicycle legsMoving
  1. Lay the baby on their back and hold both shins gently.
  2. Cycle the legs slowly, one bend as the other straightens.
  3. Stop as soon as you feel the legs pushing back against you.

Why it helps

Slow hip and knee movement after a feed is comfortable, and it gives you a clear read on how the legs move — a baby who pushes back is telling you the hips are working well.

Watch for

Follow the baby's own range and never push a joint past where it stops easily. Resistance means stop, not press harder.

Side-lying playHands
  1. Roll a towel and lay the baby on one side, back against the roll.
  2. Put a rattle where the upper hand can find it.
  3. Swap sides the next time, so both get a turn.

Why it helps

On their side the arms fall together in front of the chest, which is where hands discover each other. It also takes the pressure off the back of the head for a while.

Watch for

This is a play position and never a sleep position. Stay in the room, and put the baby on their back in the crib for any sleep, including a short one.

Follow my faceSenses
  1. Hold your face about thirty centimeters above the baby's, close enough to be in focus.
  2. Talk, then move your head slowly to one side and wait for the eyes to come with you.
  3. Move back through the middle and over to the other side.

Why it helps

A newborn sees a face more clearly than anything else in the room. Tracking it turns the eye muscles and the neck into one system, which is the beginning of reaching for what you look at.

Watch for

Move slowly and stop if the baby looks away, arches, or goes still and glassy. Turning away is how a young baby says they have had enough input, not that they are bored.

From 3 months · 3

Push up on the forearmsMoving
  1. With the baby on their tummy, slide a rolled towel under the chest, armpit to armpit.
  2. Bring both forearms forward so the elbows sit under the shoulders.
  3. Put something worth looking at just above eye level.

Why it helps

The towel lends the baby a few centimeters of height so the chest clears the floor, and from there the head comes up and the world opens out. This is the position crawling grows out of.

Watch for

Use a firm towel roll, never a pillow or a cushion, and take it away the moment you leave the mat. Soft props and an unwatched baby are the combination to avoid.

Roll with a little helpMoving
  1. Lay the baby on their back and bring one knee up and across the body.
  2. Pause there and wait — most of the turn comes from the baby once the hips lead.
  3. Help the trailing arm out from underneath as they land on their tummy.

Why it helps

Rolling starts at the hips, not the shoulders. Starting the turn with a knee shows the baby the shape of the movement and leaves the effort to them.

Watch for

Guide, never twist, and stop if the arm gets trapped or the baby protests. Once rolling happens on its own, the changing table and the bed both stop being safe places to turn away from.

Reach for what you wantHands
  1. Hold a light rattle within arm's reach of the baby, slightly off to one side.
  2. Wait. Let the baby swipe, miss, and try again without moving it closer.
  3. Let them have it when they connect, then start again on the other side.

Why it helps

The misses are the practice. Every failed swipe is the arm and the eye calibrating against each other, and handing the toy over too early removes exactly the part that teaches.

Watch for

Keep it to a light, graspable toy with nothing on a string or a cord, and put away anything small enough to reach the mouth whole.

From 4 months · 13

Find your own feetMoving
  1. Lay the baby on their back and bring one foot up toward their hands.
  2. Let go once the hands take hold, and let them hang on by themselves.
  3. Put a bright sock on one foot if the feet have not been noticed yet.

Why it helps

Holding both feet curls the whole body into a ball, which is real work for the stomach muscles that later sit a baby up. The discovery matters as much as the exercise: these feet turn out to be attached to me.

Watch for

Let the baby set how far the legs come up and stop if the hips resist at all. A loose sock comes off and goes in the mouth, so stay with them and take it away at the end.

Sit inside your lapMoving
  1. Sit on the floor with your legs in a V and the baby between them, facing out.
  2. Support low, at the hips rather than the chest, and let the back do its own work.
  3. Put a toy on the floor in front so the baby leans forward to get it.

Why it helps

Holding a baby at the chest does the work for them. Holding at the hips leaves the trunk something to do, and the small wobbles they correct are the muscles learning to sit alone.

Watch for

Your legs are the sides, so a tip-over lands on you. Skip the propped seats and cushions that hold a baby upright before they can get there alone.

Kick at a targetMoving
  1. Lay the baby on their back on a firm mat.
  2. Hold a soft, crinkly toy or your flat palm at their feet, close enough to reach with a kick.
  3. Each time a foot lands, let the toy crinkle, then wait for the next kick.
  4. Move the target over to the other foot, so both legs get turns.

Why it helps

A kick at something is a kick with a purpose. Lifting and aiming a leg works the stomach and hip muscles that rolling also uses, and the crinkle tells the baby that their own foot made the sound.

Watch for

Keep the target in your hand, never tied or hung up, and stop when the baby turns away. Take down crib mobiles and anything strung across a crib or play gym by five months, or as soon as the baby pushes up on hands and knees if that comes first — a baby who can reach a hanging toy can get tangled in it.

Stand and bounce on your lapMoving
  1. Sit down and hold the baby upright facing you, your hands around the chest under the arms.
  2. Lower them until both feet rest flat on your thighs.
  3. Let them push down and bounce at their own pace.
  4. Sit them on your lap as soon as the knees fold.

Why it helps

Many babies this age push down hard through their feet when held standing, and bouncing turns that push into a game. The hips, knees, and ankles all work together, while you carry most of the weight.

Watch for

Start only once the head is steady when held upright. Hold the trunk, never the hands or wrists — a sudden pull on a baby's arm can slip the elbow out of place, which is called nursemaid's elbow. Keep each round short, let the baby set the bounce, and sit them down when the legs fold.

Hold it with both handsHands
  1. Pick a toy too wide for one hand, like a soft fabric ring or a light ball.
  2. With the baby on their back or sitting in your lap, hold it at the middle of their chest.
  3. Wait until both hands close on it before you let go.

Why it helps

A toy too wide for one hand brings both hands to the middle of the body to share the job. Working as a pair in the middle is what later holds a cup steady, or turns a toy over to look at the other side.

Watch for

Use a toy bigger than the baby's mouth, with no parts that can come off. A quick check is an empty toilet-paper tube: anything that fits inside it is small enough to choke on, so keep it out of reach.

Watch the bubblesSenses
  1. Hold the baby on your lap, or lay them on their back on a blanket.
  2. Blow a few bubbles slowly, up and out in front of them, away from the face.
  3. Let the eyes follow each one down, and say “pop” when it bursts.
  4. Once they start to reach, let a bubble drift close enough for a hand to touch.

Why it helps

A bubble drifts slowly, catches the light, and changes direction on its own, which makes it good practice for eyes learning to follow a moving thing. When a reaching hand makes it vanish, looking turns into a reason to move.

Watch for

Blow up and away from the baby's face, so no drops land in the eyes or the mouth. The liquid is soap: keep the bottle in your own hand and then out of reach, and wipe the baby's hands afterwards, because they go straight to the mouth.

Where is that sound?Senses
  1. Sit the baby on your lap facing out, or lay them on their back.
  2. Hold a rattle out of sight on one side and shake it softly.
  3. Wait for the head to turn, and show the rattle when they find it.
  4. Try the other side next, and later from behind.

Why it helps

Turning toward a sound means the two ears are working out where it came from, and the eyes go to check the answer. It is also a quiet, everyday way to see that hearing is on track.

Watch for

Shake softly, about an arm's length away, and never right next to the ear. If the baby still does not turn toward sounds by about six months, mention it to your pediatrician, who can check their hearing.

Shake it, hear itThinking
  1. Put a rattle or a squeaky toy in the baby's hand.
  2. Help them shake or squeeze it once, so a sound happens.
  3. Let go and wait. Give them time to make it happen again on their own.

Why it helps

The sound comes because of something the baby did. Making it happen again on purpose is one of the first experiments a baby runs, and the pause you leave is where they get to try.

Watch for

Use a store-bought rattle made in one sealed piece, with no parts that come off, and throw it away if it cracks. Homemade shakers filled with rice, beans, or beads can split open, and everything inside is a choking hazard.

Copy the babbleTalking
  1. Get face to face, close enough that the baby can see your mouth.
  2. When the baby makes a sound, say the same sound back.
  3. Wait, and count to five in your head, so there is room to answer.
  4. Answer whatever comes next, and keep the turns going for as long as the baby does.

Why it helps

This is a conversation before there are words. Taking turns with sounds teaches the rhythm of talking — I speak, you answer — and being copied shows the baby that their voice makes something happen.

Watch for

Stop when the baby turns away or goes quiet, and try again later. By about nine months, most babies babble strings like “bababa” or “mamama” — it is one of the CDC milestones. If yours does not yet, mention it to the pediatrician.

Say what you are doingTalking
  1. Pick an ordinary job: a diaper change, getting dressed, putting the groceries away.
  2. Say each step in a few short words as you do it — “Socks on. One sock. Two socks.”
  3. Pause and look at the baby, so they can answer with a sound or a kick.

Why it helps

Babies learn words by hearing them next to the thing they mean, again and again. Short words about what is right in front of them are the easiest to connect, and everyday jobs repeat often enough to do the teaching.

Watch for

Talk face to face where you can, and turn off a TV that is on in the background — it pulls attention away from your voice. The AAP advises no screen media before eighteen months, other than video chat with family. If the baby looks away, go quiet for a while.

Who's in the mirror?People & feelings
  1. Hold the baby in front of a shatterproof baby mirror, or stand it beside them during tummy time.
  2. Point to the baby in the mirror and say their name.
  3. Make a face — a big smile, a surprised mouth — and wait to see what they do.
  4. Point to yourself in the mirror and say “Mommy” or “Daddy”.

Why it helps

Babies love faces, and a mirror shows them two at once that move when they move. It will be a long while before they know the face in the mirror is their own, but the smiling, watching, and copying are all practice with people.

Watch for

Use only a shatterproof baby mirror, held in your hand or fixed in place. Never put a glass mirror on the floor or lean one against a wall where the baby can tip it. Stop when the baby looks away.

Copy my facePeople & feelings
  1. Hold the baby face to face, about thirty centimeters from you.
  2. Make one big, slow face: open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue, or raise your eyebrows.
  3. Hold it, then wait several seconds for the baby to try.
  4. When the baby makes a face, copy theirs back.

Why it helps

Faces are the first thing a baby learns to read. Watching yours closely, and trying to move their own to match, is early practice in reading and sharing feelings — and copying them back tells them their face is worth answering.

Watch for

Stop when the baby looks away, yawns, or starts to fuss — those are signs of too much input, not boredom. Keep each round short and try again after a rest.

Hands on the bottleDaily routines
  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 · 9

Rock on a big ballMoving
  1. Lay the baby tummy-down on a fully inflated exercise ball.
  2. Hold the hips or the trunk with both hands.
  3. Roll the ball slowly forward a little, so the baby props up on their arms.
  4. Roll it slowly back again, and keep every rock small.

Why it helps

As the ball moves, the baby keeps adjusting to stay up: the head lifts, the arms push, and the back works. That steady, small correcting is balance practice that a flat floor cannot give.

Watch for

Keep both hands on the baby the whole time, and roll slowly. Never tip the ball so far that the head points down toward the floor. Stop if the baby cries or the body goes floppy, and keep the ball on a clear floor with nothing hard around it.

Turn in a circle on the tummyMoving
  1. Put the baby on their tummy on a firm mat on the floor.
  2. Show them a toy in front, then move it slowly to one side, just out of reach.
  3. Wait while they push with the arms and legs to turn their body after it.
  4. Keep the toy moving around in a slow arc, then go back the other way.

Why it helps

Turning on the belly means shifting weight onto one arm and reaching with the other. It is often the first way a baby gets to something by themselves, and it builds the shoulder and trunk control that crawling needs.

Watch for

Tummy time is only for an awake, watched baby, so stay on the floor beside them. Stop when they put their face down or start to fuss, and put them on their back in the crib for any sleep.

Heavy and lightHands
  1. Take two small, matching plastic bottles: fill one halfway with water and leave the other empty.
  2. Screw both lids on as tight as they go.
  3. Hand the baby the empty one first and let them hold it for a while.
  4. Swap in the heavier one and watch the arm dip, then adjust.

Why it helps

The dip is the interesting part: the arm was ready for the weight of the first bottle and had to correct. Holding things of different weights is how the hands and arms learn to match their effort to what they hold.

Watch for

Use small, sturdy plastic bottles, never glass, because sooner or later one lands on a face. A cap that comes off is small enough to choke on, so check the lids every time, and throw a bottle away at the first crack or leak.

Watch the ball roll bySenses
  1. Sit the baby against you with support, or lay them on their tummy, facing a clear stretch of floor.
  2. Roll a bright ball slowly across in front of them, from one side to the other.
  3. Pause at the end so the eyes can catch up, then roll it back.

Why it helps

A ball rolling at an even speed asks the eyes to keep up with it smoothly, all the way across. That steady following is what a baby uses later to watch a toy roll across the room and go after it.

Watch for

Use a ball too big to fit in the baby's mouth and light enough not to hurt if it bumps them. Stop when they look away or start to fuss, because that is how they tell you they have had enough.

A basket of texturesSenses
  1. Fill a low basket with a few safe things that feel different: a soft baby brush, a wooden spoon, a satin cloth, a crinkle cloth, a silicone teether.
  2. Set it where the baby can reach and let them pull things out one at a time.
  3. Name each one as they touch it: soft, smooth, hard, bumpy.
  4. Swap one or two things every few days, so there is always something new.

Why it helps

Babies find out what things are by handling them, and at this age the mouth is part of the exploring too. Soft next to hard, and smooth next to bumpy, with your word for each, links what the hands feel to a word long before the baby can say it.

Watch for

Everything in the basket will go in the mouth, so use only things bigger than the mouth, and nothing that crumbles or tears into pieces when bitten — no sponges, foam, or paper. Check cloth edges for loose threads, and stay close the whole time.

Splash in the bathSenses
  1. Run a shallow bath, about five centimeters of water for a young baby.
  2. Test it with your elbow or the inside of your wrist: warm, never hot.
  3. Let the baby pat and kick the water, and say “splash!” when it flies.
  4. Pour water slowly from a cup over their hands.

Why it helps

Water answers every movement — a pat makes a splash, a kick makes a wave — so the baby learns that what they do changes something. The warmth on the skin, the sound, and the shine all arrive at once, which is a lot for the senses in one small tub.

Watch for

Keep a hand on the baby and never leave, not even for a second to fetch a towel — a baby can drown in a few centimeters of water, quickly and silently. Have everything within reach before you start, and treat a bath seat as a seat, not a safety device.

Pat-a-cakePeople & feelings
  1. Sit the baby on your lap facing you, with your knees up behind their back.
  2. Clap your own hands slowly as you say “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man”.
  3. Hold their forearms loosely and bring their hands together on the beat.
  4. Let go and leave a gap, in case they want to clap on their own.

Why it helps

Clapping to a rhyme ties a sound, a beat, and a movement together, and the shared routine is one of the first real games a baby plays with you. Many babies play pat-a-cake back by their first birthday.

Watch for

Guide gently at the forearms, and never swing or lift the baby by the hands or arms. A sudden pull can slip the elbow partly out of place, an injury called nursemaid's elbow. Stop if the baby pulls their hands away.

Say their namePeople & feelings
  1. Say the baby's name each time you come into the room, before anything else.
  2. Call it from a little way off, and smile when they turn to find you.
  3. Put their name into songs and rhymes in place of the name in the words.

Why it helps

Hearing the same word with every greeting teaches the baby that this sound is about them. Turning to their name is also the first step toward answering when someone calls.

Watch for

Call in a normal voice, not a shout, and do not keep calling while the baby is busy with something — try again later. By about nine months, most babies look when they hear their name — it is one of the CDC milestones. If yours does not, mention it to the pediatrician.

A song for bath timeDaily routines
  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 · 17

Reach across while sittingMoving
  1. Sit the baby on the floor with a toy just out of reach on one side.
  2. Wait while they turn, lean, and plant a hand to stay up.
  3. Move the toy to the other side and do it again.

Why it helps

Sitting still is only half of sitting. Leaning out past your own base and catching yourself with a hand is the reflex that decides whether a wobble becomes a bump on the head.

Watch for

Clear the floor around the baby of hard edges first, and stay close enough to catch a fall backwards, which is the one they cannot yet stop.

Rock on hands and kneesMoving
  1. On a firm floor, lay the baby tummy-down over a rolled towel or across your leg.
  2. Bring the knees up under the hips and the hands under the shoulders.
  3. Let them rock forward and back on their own.
  4. As they get steadier, take the towel away and keep a hand ready under the tummy.

Why it helps

Many babies rock on hands and knees for a while just before they crawl. It puts weight through the shoulders, wrists, and hips, and lets the baby feel how far forward they can lean before a hand has to move.

Watch for

Keep a hand ready under the tummy, and stop when the arms buckle or the baby lowers to the floor. Do this on a firm floor, never on a bed or a sofa, with no furniture edges close by.

Crawl to something you wantMoving
  1. Put the baby on hands and knees and set a favorite toy a body length away.
  2. Press a flat palm against one foot so there is something to push off.
  3. Let them get all the way there and keep the toy.

Why it helps

A crawl needs a reason. A toy one body length away is close enough to be worth it and far enough to require real travel, and the hand at the foot gives the push-off that a smooth floor takes away.

Watch for

Once the baby covers ground, go around the room at their eye level and clear cords, cables, and anything on a low shelf that comes loose when pulled.

Pass it hand to handHands
  1. Give the baby a light block or a teether in one hand.
  2. Offer a second one to the same hand, so the first has to move across.
  3. Say what happened and let them work out the order themselves.

Why it helps

Moving an object from one hand to the other means the two sides of the body are trading information. The same skill later loads a spoon and holds a cup steady with the other hand.

Watch for

Everything offered will go in the mouth, so use objects too big to swallow, with no batteries, magnets, or parts that twist off.

Bang two blocks togetherHands
  1. Sit facing the baby and put a block in each of their hands.
  2. Take two blocks yourself and bang them together slowly, saying “bang” each time.
  3. Pause and wait for them to try. Any clack counts, even a lopsided one.

Why it helps

Hitting two things together means both arms aim at the same point at the same moment, which is harder than it looks. The clack is instant proof that it worked, and watching you first turns it into a copying game.

Watch for

Use blocks bigger than the baby's mouth and light enough that a wild swing does no harm. Stop if the blocks start landing on their own face or fingers, and switch to soft fabric blocks for a while.

A blanket on the grassSenses
  1. Find shade, spread a blanket, and sit the baby on it.
  2. Fold one corner back so a hand or a foot reaches the grass.
  3. Follow what they notice — a leaf, a bird, the wind in a tree.

Why it helps

Grass, wind, and uneven ground give the hands and feet a kind of information a flat indoor floor never does, and the whole session costs you nothing but a blanket.

Watch for

Keep a baby under six months out of direct sun and in the shade rather than in sunscreen. Check the ground for cigarette ends, glass, and anything small enough to reach a mouth.

Smell the kitchenSenses
  1. Pick one thing with a clear smell: a sprig of mint, half a lemon, or a cinnamon stick.
  2. Hold it a little way from the baby's nose, and sniff it yourself first.
  3. Name the smell — “lemon, fresh and sour” — and watch their face.
  4. Offer one smell at a time, with a pause between them.

Why it helps

Smell is the sense parents name out loud least often, though a baby has used it since birth. Naming each smell, and letting them see your face as you sniff, links it to a word and to foods that will later turn up on the plate.

Watch for

You hold it the whole time and the baby only sniffs, so nothing reaches the mouth or the eyes. Skip essential oils completely — they are toxic if swallowed and harsh on small airways — and keep chili and pepper well away from the face.

Dance fast, dance slowSenses
  1. Put on some music and hold the baby close, one arm under the bottom and one across the back.
  2. Sway slowly to a slow song, then step a little quicker when a fast one comes on.
  3. Hum along, quiet in one part and louder in the next.
  4. Say the words as it changes: “slow… fast!”, “soft… loud!”

Why it helps

The baby hears the music and feels it in your steps at the same time, so fast and slow become something they know with the whole body. Hearing the music change, and then feeling you change with it, is early practice in noticing a pattern.

Watch for

Support the head and trunk the whole time, and keep every movement smooth — never shake, toss, or jolt a baby, even in play. Keep the music at about the level of ordinary conversation, and stop if they turn away or fuss.

Sounds around the houseSenses
  1. When the doorbell rings or the washing machine starts, stop and say “Listen!”
  2. Carry the baby to see where the sound came from.
  3. Name it simply: “That's the kettle. The water is boiling.”
  4. Next time, pause and let them look toward it before you go.

Why it helps

A home is full of sounds a baby hears all day but cannot yet place. Going to look, and hearing you name it, links each sound to the thing that makes it, which is the start of understanding what they hear.

Watch for

Look from a safe distance: stay well back from kettle steam, the stove, the oven, and anything hot, and hold the baby on the side away from it. A reaching hand moves faster than you can.

Squish the foodSenses
  1. Seat the baby upright in the high chair, with the straps done up.
  2. Put a little soft food straight on the tray, like mashed banana or soft-cooked pasta.
  3. Let them squish, smear, and spread it — the mess is the point.
  4. Name what they feel, “squishy” or “slippery”, and let the hand find the mouth on its own.

Why it helps

Squishing is how a baby finds out what a new food is before deciding to eat it. The feel of soft, sticky, and slippery on the fingers is part of learning to eat, and it gives the fingers practice for picking food up later.

Watch for

Use only foods that are safe for the baby's age and soft enough to squash between your finger and thumb, and allergenic foods only once they have already been introduced. Keep the baby seated upright and watched for the whole meal, and end it when they push the tray away or turn their head.

Peekaboo under a clothThinking
  1. Put a thin cloth over your own head and wait.
  2. Let the baby pull it off, and be pleased when they do.
  3. Next round, cover a toy instead and let them uncover that.

Why it helps

Pulling the cloth away is a whole arm movement with a reason behind it, and the reason is worth more than the movement: things still exist when you cannot see them. Reaching under the cloth for a hidden toy is that idea becoming certain.

Watch for

Use a single thin, breathable cloth and keep it in your hand between rounds. Nothing that covers a face stays on the mat with the baby.

Drop it and lookThinking
  1. When the baby drops a soft toy from the high chair, say “Down it went!”
  2. Lean over and look down at the floor together.
  3. Pick it up, hand it back, and expect it to fall again.

Why it helps

Dropping things on purpose is a baby testing whether the toy still exists once it leaves their sight. Looking down together, and finding it every time, gives the same answer again and again until it sticks.

Watch for

Keep the baby strapped in, because they will lean over the side to look. Use soft toys only, and never tie one to the chair with string or ribbon to save the trips: a cord near a baby's neck is a strangulation risk.

Nose, toes, tummyTalking
  1. At bath time or a diaper change, touch one body part gently and name it: “Nose.”
  2. Touch your own nose and say the word again.
  3. Move on to toes, tummy, and hands — a few each time, and the same ones often.
  4. Later, ask “Where is your nose?” and wait a moment before you show them.

Why it helps

A baby's own body is the first thing they know well, so its words are easy to attach. Understanding comes long before speaking, so the words go in now and come out later.

Watch for

On a changing table, keep one hand on the baby the whole time, even to reach for a wipe. In the bath, stay within arm's reach and never step away, not even for a moment — a baby can drown in very shallow water.

A rhyme on your kneeTalking
  1. Sit the baby on your knees facing you, with your hands around their trunk.
  2. Say a short traditional rhyme, like “Hickory Dickory Dock”, with one small bounce on each beat.
  3. Slow down near the end and pause just before the last word.
  4. Say the last word with a big smile, then wait to see if the baby asks for more.

Why it helps

A steady beat and a rhyme make the sounds of language easy to hear and easy to predict. The pause turns the rhyme into a game of waiting, and soon the baby wriggles or laughs to ask for the ending.

Watch for

Hold the trunk firmly so the head and back stay steady, and keep the bounce small and soft. Never shake a baby, in play or at any other time. Skip it straight after a feed, and stop when the baby looks away or fusses.

Meet new people slowlyPeople & feelings
  1. Hold the baby in your arms when a new person arrives.
  2. Ask the visitor to talk to you first, warmly, while the baby watches.
  3. After a while, have the visitor offer a toy without reaching for the baby.
  4. Let the baby decide whether to go closer.

Why it helps

A baby checks your face to decide whether something new is safe. Seeing you relaxed and chatting with a stranger gives them the answer, and letting them set the pace builds trust instead of fear.

Watch for

Fear of strangers is normal around eight to ten months, and it is a sign the baby knows who their people are. Do not hand over a crying baby to be won over. Anyone who is sick, or has a cold sore, waits for another visit.

Same seat, name the foodDaily routines
  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 cupDaily routines
  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 · 12

From lying on the side to sittingMoving
  1. Lay the baby on one side on the floor.
  2. Put one hand on the top hip and the other on the top shoulder.
  3. Help them push up through the lower arm, first onto the elbow, then onto the hand, until they sit.
  4. Next time, start from the other side.

Why it helps

Many babies first sit up on their own this way: from the side, pushing up through one arm. Knowing the route lets them get into sitting without help, which is worth more than being put there.

Watch for

Guide at the hip and the shoulder, and never pull the baby up by the hands or wrists. Clear a soft space around them first, because a new sitter often tips straight over to the other side.

Sit with both hands busyMoving
  1. Sit the baby on the floor with a cushion behind them.
  2. Hand them a toy big enough to need both hands, like a soft ball or a large stacking cup.
  3. Let them hold it, turn it, and bang it while they stay sitting.

Why it helps

With both hands on a toy, the baby cannot prop on a hand to stay up, so the balance has to come from the trunk. This is the step from sitting with a hand on the floor to sitting with both hands free.

Watch for

Stay within arm's reach, and keep a cushion behind them until sitting is steady. A slow tip to one side is normal and part of the practice, but a fast fall backward is the one to catch.

Pull scarves from a boxHands
  1. Empty a tissue box and tear away the plastic film around the opening.
  2. Push three or four light scarves inside, with a corner of the first one poking out.
  3. Let the baby pull them out one by one, then stuff them back in for another round.

Why it helps

Pinching a corner and pulling against the light drag of the fabric gives the fingers and the wrist real work. And there is always one more inside, which keeps the baby reaching back in long after a single toy would have lost them.

Watch for

Scarves are for play you are watching, and they go away the moment it ends, because fabric can wrap around a baby's neck. Choose plain scarves with no ribbons, strings, or tassels, and check that no plastic film is left on the box.

Crumple and tear paperHands
  1. Give the baby a sheet of plain paper or a clean paper bag.
  2. Scrunch it into a ball and shake it, so they hear the crackle.
  3. Start a small tear at the edge and let them pull it the rest of the way.

Why it helps

Paper answers every movement with a sound and a change of shape, so the baby sees at once what their hands did. Tearing takes two hands pulling in opposite directions, which is a different kind of teamwork from holding.

Watch for

Torn paper goes straight into the mouth, so sit right beside the baby and take out any wet, chewed pieces. Use plain paper only: no glossy or printed paper, no tape or foil, and never a plastic bag, which can cling over the nose and mouth.

Rake food off the trayHands
  1. Strap the baby upright in the high chair and sit at the table with them.
  2. Scatter a few soft pieces on the tray, food that squashes easily between your finger and thumb.
  3. Let them sweep the pieces in with the whole hand, however messy it gets.

Why it helps

Before the fingers can pinch, the whole hand works like a rake, sweeping small things into a fist. Food on a tray gives that rake something worth collecting, and the reward goes straight into the mouth.

Watch for

The baby sits upright and strapped in, with an adult at the table for the whole meal. Keep to pieces that squash easily, and leave out the foods pediatric guidance names as choking hazards: whole nuts, raisins, whole grapes, and popcorn.

A pot and a wooden spoonHands
  1. Turn a pot upside down on the floor.
  2. Give the baby a wooden spoon and tap out a few beats yourself first.
  3. Let them bang, then copy their rhythm back to them.

Why it helps

A drum gives a big sound for a small movement, which makes cause and effect easy to see. Copying the baby's beats back turns the noise into a conversation, with turns and pauses, long before there are words for one.

Watch for

Set up on the floor well away from the stove, the oven, and anyone carrying hot food. Use a light pot and a smooth wooden spoon with no cracks or splinters, and stop if the noise makes the baby startle or cry.

Cool and warmSenses
  1. Wet two washcloths, one with cool tap water and one with warm.
  2. Test the warm one on the inside of your wrist first.
  3. Let the baby touch the cool one as you say “cool”, then the warm one as you say “warm”.
  4. Let them go back and forth, and watch which one they reach for.

Why it helps

A baby feels warm and cool all day long without a word for either. Touching the two side by side, with a word for each, makes the difference clear and gives the baby their first words for how things feel.

Watch for

Check the warm cloth on the inside of your wrist before it touches the baby — comfortably warm, never hot. Keep hot water and hot mugs out of the game and out of reach, and never put anything straight from the freezer on the baby's skin.

Pull the towel to get itThinking
  1. Lay a small towel on the floor in front of the baby, with the near end within reach.
  2. Put a toy on the far end, just out of reach.
  3. Wait. If they stay stuck, give the towel a small tug yourself so they see the toy move.

Why it helps

To get the toy, the baby has to stop reaching for it and do something else first. Using one thing to get another is an early form of problem solving, and a towel is the simplest tool there is.

Watch for

Use a towel to pull, never a string, cord, or ribbon, since those can wrap around a neck or a finger. Stay with the baby for the whole game and put the towel away afterwards.

What does the cow say?Talking
  1. Open a board book with animals in it, or line up two or three large toy animals.
  2. Point and say, “The cow says moo,” in a big, happy voice.
  3. Next time, say “The cow says…” and pause, so the baby can fill the gap.
  4. Cheer any sound that comes, whether or not it is “moo”.

Why it helps

Animal sounds are some of the easiest “words” a baby can say: short, repeated, and fun to make. Pausing gives the baby a turn, and pointing at the picture links the sound to the thing.

Watch for

Use board books with thick pages, and toy animals too big to fit in the mouth — anything that passes through a toilet-paper tube is small enough to choke on. Stop when the baby loses interest, even in the middle of the book.

Time with other babiesPeople & feelings
  1. Sit the baby on the floor near another baby or a toddler, with a grown-up beside each child.
  2. Put out a few toys for each of them and let them play side by side.
  3. Let them watch each other — at this age, staring is the main event.
  4. Say what the other child is doing: “Look, she is banging the drum.”

Why it helps

Babies this age play next to each other rather than together, and they learn a great deal just from watching. Another child is the most interesting thing in the room, and copying them is how new ideas travel.

Watch for

Older children's toys often have small pieces, so clear the floor of anything small enough to choke on before the babies sit down. A child who is sick stays home for another day. Stay close, and step in for rough hugs, hair pulls, and toys grabbed from hands.

A calm “no”, then something elsePeople & feelings
  1. When the baby reaches for something unsafe, say “No” once, calmly and briefly.
  2. Move the baby, or move the thing, out of reach.
  3. Offer something they can have instead, and name it: “Here's the cup.”

Why it helps

A short, calm word followed every time by the same action is something a baby can learn. Offering something else gives the reach somewhere to go, and many babies begin to pause at “no” around their first birthday.

Watch for

Never shout, slap hands, or shake a baby. Babies this age cannot yet hold back an impulse, so the real protection is moving hazards out of reach — cleaners, medicines, button batteries, cords, and outlets. The word “no” only starts the habit.

Hold a loaded spoonDaily routines
  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 · 10

Crawl through a tunnelMoving
  1. Open both ends of a large cardboard box, or drape a blanket over two chairs.
  2. Kneel at the far end, where the baby can see your face.
  3. Call them through to you, and cheer when they come out.

Why it helps

Crawling into a small space asks the baby to keep the head low, feel where the sides are, and keep going toward you when the light changes. It also turns crawling practice into a game they will ask for again.

Watch for

Pull out every staple and strip of tape first, and keep both ends open so you can see the baby's face the whole time. Never close a baby inside a box, keep plastic bags and packing material away, and check that the chairs cannot tip when the blanket is pulled.

Pinch a peaHands
  1. Seat the baby upright and strapped in, with you at the table.
  2. Put one soft, pea-sized piece on the tray at a time, like a cooked pea or a blueberry pressed flat.
  3. Wait while they work out how to pick it up with the thumb and first finger.

Why it helps

One small piece on an empty tray is too small to rake, so the fingers have to try something new. The thumb-and-finger pinch that comes out of it is the grip that later holds a crayon and does up a button.

Watch for

Press round foods like peas and blueberries flat first, because round is the shape that blocks a small airway. Keep the baby seated and watched, and practice only with soft food, never with beads, buttons, coins, or anything else small.

Poke and pointHands
  1. Put a ball in each cup of a muffin tin, big enough to fill the cup.
  2. Show the baby how to poke one with a single finger, then dig it out.
  3. Around the house, point at things and name them, and see whether their finger follows.

Why it helps

Using one finger on its own, with the others tucked away, is new control for a hand that has mostly grabbed with everything at once. The same finger later becomes a way to ask: pointing at what they want, then looking back to check that you saw.

Watch for

Every ball must be too big to fit in the mouth: anything that slips inside an empty toilet-paper tube is too small. Check the tin for sharp or rusty edges before you hand it over.

Under which cup?Thinking
  1. Set two upturned plastic cups in front of the baby.
  2. While they watch, hide a toy under one and ask, “Where did it go?”
  3. Let them lift the cup and find it.
  4. Once they find it every time, hide it under the other cup instead.

Why it helps

Finding a toy under a cup means keeping it in mind while it is out of sight. Switching cups is harder than it sounds: younger babies often look again where they found it last time, and getting past that is memory catching up with what the eyes just saw.

Watch for

Hide a toy too big to fit in the mouth, and use cups that are not glass. If the baby gets frustrated, lift the cup yourself, show them the toy, and end the game on a find.

Open and shutThinking
  1. Share a lift-the-flap board book and let the baby do the lifting.
  2. Give them a container with an easy lid and a toy inside.
  3. Say “open” and “shut” each time the toy appears and disappears.

Why it helps

A flap or a lid makes something vanish and come back, and the baby decides when. Each time, the hidden thing is still there, and saying “open” and “shut” as it happens gives those words a meaning the baby can see.

Watch for

Once lids and doors interest the baby, put safety locks on every cupboard that holds cleaners, medicines, or sharp tools. Watch little fingers at hinges and at lids that snap shut, and pick containers with no small parts to pull off.

Nesting cupsThinking
  1. Show the baby how a small cup drops into a big one.
  2. Hand them two cups at a time to start, with sizes far apart.
  3. Add a middle size once two is easy, and let them stack the cups upside down too.

Why it helps

Big holds small, and small does not hold big. The cups teach size by letting the baby get it wrong and see why, and two cups far apart in size make the answer easy to find before the harder ones come in.

Watch for

Use cups too big to fit in the baby's mouth, including the smallest one in the set. Check them for cracks now and then, and throw away any cracked plastic, which can break into sharp pieces.

Where's Daddy?Talking
  1. With Daddy, or another family member, across the room, ask the baby “Where's Daddy?”
  2. Have Daddy wave and call the baby's name, so the baby turns and finds him.
  3. Point at him and look at him yourself as you say, “There's Daddy!”
  4. Swap in other people, and use everyone's names often through the day.

Why it helps

The baby learns that a word can stand for a person, and that following your point or your gaze leads somewhere worth looking. Looking where someone else looks is one of the foundations of learning words.

Watch for

Keep it a game and stop when the baby loses interest. By about nine months, many babies look toward a familiar person when you say their name. If, by around the first birthday, the baby rarely looks where you point or where you look, mention it to the pediatrician.

Wave bye-byeTalking
  1. Each time someone leaves, wave and say “Bye-bye!” the same way.
  2. Hold out an open hand and say “Give me” when you want something passed to you.
  3. Clap and say “Yay!” when something good happens.
  4. Wait after each one, so the baby has a turn to try it.

Why it helps

A gesture is easier to make than a word, and it carries the same meaning. Pairing the two again and again helps the word land, and many babies wave bye-bye around their first birthday.

Watch for

Never move the baby's hands through the gesture for them, and never ask for a performance for visitors. Show it, wait, and stop when they lose interest — the gesture comes when it comes.

Give and takePeople & feelings
  1. Hand the baby a toy and say, “Here you go.”
  2. Hold out an open hand and ask, “My turn?”
  3. If they let go of it into your hand, say “Thank you!”
  4. Give it straight back, so the turn always comes around again.

Why it helps

Letting go on purpose is a new skill at this age, and handing something over is the first step toward taking turns and, much later, sharing. Giving the toy straight back teaches that a turn is not a loss.

Watch for

Never take a toy by force or pull it from the baby's grip. If they do not let go, that is fine — holding on is normal, and the game can wait. Use toys too big to fit in the mouth.

Push your arm throughDaily routines
  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.

From 9 months · 6

Pull up at the couchMoving
  1. Sit the baby facing the sofa and put a toy up on the cushion.
  2. Let them grab the edge and pull themselves up to standing.
  3. Show them how to bend the knees and sit back down, which is the harder half.

Why it helps

Getting up is mostly arms. Getting down is legs and nerve, and a baby who can only get up ends up stuck and shouting at the furniture until someone comes.

Watch for

Anchor or remove anything that tips when it takes a baby's weight — floor lamps, bookcases, open drawers, the television. This is the month a room has to be checked for what comes down.

Cruise along the couchMoving
  1. Stand the baby holding the sofa and put a toy an arm's length along it.
  2. Let them shuffle sideways to reach it, both hands on the cushion.
  3. Move the toy a little farther each time they arrive.

Why it helps

Sideways steps with the hands taking some weight are how a baby learns to shift onto one leg. Standing on one leg for a moment is what a first unaided step actually is.

Watch for

Bare feet, or grip socks, on a floor you have checked for rugs that slide. Skip an infant walker — pediatric guidance is against them, and they get a baby to a hazard faster than you can cross the room.

Push a loaded boxMoving
  1. Put a few books in a sturdy cardboard box so it slides without running away.
  2. Stand the baby behind it with both hands on the near edge.
  3. Walk beside them across the room and back.

Why it helps

The weight is what makes this work. A box that slides too easily gets away and the baby falls forward, while a loaded one pushes back and becomes a walking frame that costs nothing.

Watch for

Do this on a level floor, away from stairs and doorways. Add or remove books until the box moves steadily instead of sliding or sticking.

Climb the cushion hillMoving
  1. Pile two or three sofa cushions into a low slope on the floor.
  2. Put something worth having at the top.
  3. Kneel on the far side and let them climb up and slide down.

Why it helps

An uneven, soft slope makes every step a slightly different problem, so the ankles, knees, and hips have to solve each one. That is balance being built, and a flat floor cannot ask for it.

Watch for

Keep the pile low, put it on a soft floor, and stay within arm's reach on the descending side. Break the pile up when the game ends, so it is not there to climb unwatched.

Drop it in the bucketHands
  1. Set an open bucket or a pot on the floor with big blocks beside it.
  2. Let the baby pick each one up and let go of it over the opening.
  3. Tip the bucket out and let them fill it again.

Why it helps

Letting go on purpose is a separate skill from grasping, and it arrives later. It also involves sitting down, standing up, and bending over many times, which is more leg work than it looks.

Watch for

Blocks bigger than the baby's mouth, and a light bucket that does nothing if it lands on a foot. Take away any container a baby could get their head inside.

Feed the teddyTalking
  1. Sit a teddy up next to the baby and say, “Teddy is hungry.”
  2. Feed it from an empty spoon and name what you do: “Open wide. Yum.”
  3. Hand the spoon to the baby and say, “Your turn.”
  4. Name each thing they do: “You fed Teddy. Now Teddy is full.”

Why it helps

Pretend play starts with copying what you do every day, and feeding is the job the baby knows best. Naming each action as they do it puts words like “eat”, “spoon”, and “full” at the moment they mean the most.

Watch for

Choose a soft toy with stitched eyes and no buttons, beads, or ribbons that can come off. Use a short, soft baby spoon, and keep the baby sitting while they hold it, so a fall does not push it into the mouth.

From 12 months · 4

Carry it to someoneMoving
  1. Hand the toddler something light but bulky, like a cushion or an empty box.
  2. Ask them to take it to another person in the room.
  3. Have that person send it back.

Why it helps

Walking while holding something raises the difficulty a long way: the arms are busy, so they cannot help with balance, and a bulky object blocks the view of the floor.

Watch for

Light and soft only, nothing breakable, nothing with a hard corner at face height. Keep the route clear, since they cannot see their own feet.

Walk on uneven groundMoving
  1. Find grass, sand, or a gentle slope in a park.
  2. Hold one hand at first and let go when they are steady.
  3. Let them stop as often as they want to look at things.

Why it helps

Indoor floors are flat and honest, and they ask the ankles almost nothing. Grass and sand change under each step, which is the work that turns new walking into steady walking.

Watch for

Check the ground before you set them down, keep well back from water and roads, and expect more falls here than at home — that is the surface doing its job, on a surface that is kinder to land on.

Stairs on all foursMoving
  1. Open the stair gate and sit on the step behind the toddler.
  2. Let them go up on hands and knees, two or three steps only.
  3. Turn them around and teach coming down feet first, on their tummy.

Why it helps

A toddler will meet stairs whether or not you practice, so the question is only whether they meet them with you sitting behind them. Coming down feet first is the half that prevents a head-first fall.

Watch for

Stay one step below them the entire time, within arm's reach. Close the gate the moment you finish — practicing stairs does not make a staircase safe to leave open.

Squat down and stand back upMoving
  1. Scatter a handful of blocks around the toddler's feet.
  2. Hold the bucket at their chest height so they must stand up to post each one.
  3. Keep going until the floor is clear.

Why it helps

Squatting and rising without a hand on the furniture is a real leg exercise, and holding the bucket high is what forces the full movement instead of a lean and a grab.

Watch for

Bare feet on a non-slip floor, and stop when the squats turn into sitting down. Tired legs are how a good game becomes a hard landing.

From 18 months · 3

Kick a ballMoving
  1. Put a light ball still on the floor, right in front of one foot.
  2. Let them walk into it first — that is the beginning of a kick.
  3. Later, hold a hand while they swing one leg at it.

Why it helps

A kick means standing on one leg and swinging the other, which is the hardest balance a toddler attempts. Walking into a still ball is the version that works months before the real kick arrives.

Watch for

A light ball, away from furniture and glass, and never on a street or a driveway. A ball that rolls out of view is how a toddler follows it somewhere you did not intend.

Walk like animalsMoving
  1. Show them a bear walk, on hands and feet with the bottom up.
  2. Then a duck waddle in a low squat, and a rabbit hop with both feet.
  3. Let them pick the next animal.

Why it helps

Each animal loads the body differently — a bear walk puts weight through the shoulders, a duck waddle holds a deep squat, a rabbit hop needs both feet to leave the ground together. Together they cover more ground than any single exercise.

Watch for

Clear floor, no hard corners, and let a hop wait until both feet leave the ground easily. Copy along and stop when they stop, rather than counting repetitions.

Dance and stopMoving
  1. Put music on and dance with them.
  2. Stop the music and freeze completely still.
  3. Start it again and carry on.

Why it helps

Stopping on cue is harder than moving. Holding still on purpose asks the brain to override a body already in motion, and that is the same control that will one day stop at a curb.

Watch for

Keep the volume moderate and the space clear of furniture edges. Follow their lead — if the freeze turns into falling over on purpose, that is a fine game too.

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