Playing with your baby

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Babies find out about the world, and their part in it, through play. Even a simple thing like shaking a rattle can show your baby that he can make things happen, and that makes him eager to see what else he can do.

You can be a partner in all this exploration and experimentation by providing safe play ideas that are fun, that stimulate your baby's imagination and that teach him about himself and the world.

Your baby may be busy tipping out drawers, emptying cereal onto the floor, pushing every button in sight and putting toast in the video – all just to find out how things work. Before long he’ll be climbing, walking, running and jumping – all just to test new physical skills.

As he gets older, your child will like leading the play and having you follow (until you decide it's time to rein things in!).

Dangerous things look like fun things to a baby. Now's the time to think about making your home a safer place for a baby on the move. Read more about keeping your baby safe.

There isn’t a clear moment when your baby becomes a toddler, although the term ‘toddler’ comes from your baby's distinctive early walking style. Many of the skills and interests of your baby and toddler will cross over between the two stages. And your toddler might like lots of the play ideas that a baby enjoys.

Ideas for playing with your baby

• Make some noise together. All kinds of songs (loud and soft, fast and slow, all sorts of rhythms), bashing pots and pans (hit them softly, then hard), and having a go at making animal sounds (and animal-like faces, if you can, while you make the sound) will amuse your baby for hours.
• Encourage exploration. Choose or create a safe environment that encourages exploring and the development of skills such as sitting up, crawling, pulling up, cruising and walking.
• Play simple games. Games like pat-a-cake and peekaboo are a real hoot for a giggling baby. Babies also love touching different parts of your face, and having you touch theirs. These games can also do a lot to help his learning and movement skills.
• Start reading to your baby. For babies, books are for more than just reading. They're fascinating toys to chew on, play with in the bath, feel new textures in, and even look at. If you read together often, your baby will soon realise that this intriguing activity is a lovely way of spending special time together. Point to the pictures once your baby is close to one year of age.

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