#AtoZChallenge Day 1: Activities that keep my one year old baby busy

Activities that keep my one year old busy

#AtoZChallenge

It’s the first day of the #AtoZChallenge! If you are clueless about what this #AtoZChallenge is all about, read it here. Now, that you have got the clue, let’s get back to business. Going by the rule of #AtoZChallenge, on Day #1 I have to blog with alphabet A and as per the theme – it has to be about H’s first year and her first birthday. So, I’ll begin with ‘A for Activities’ that my nearly one year old H enjoy to do. Even I love these activities since they keep her busy for some time and give me some time to blog / work/cook/clean (not in that order) 🙂 Even you can try some of these with your bundle of joy and I’m sure they’ll love it too!

1. Wet-wipes to rescue
H loves to pull wipes out of the packet. She can do it till the pack is totally empty. Initially, putting them back was a task for her, but now, she can do that too. Practice makes even a toddler perfect!
However make sure that you help your infant put the wipes back into the pack as soon as possible if the child is unable to do it. Doing that would not only save them from getting dried but will also keep irritation at bay and fun alive!

2. Clothes pin creations
There might be some time till your baby is big enough to create awesome structures with building blocks and legos, till then clothes pins can be a great engagement for your little one. They might not be able to open the clips on their own but things that you create can definitely keep them busy and provide a great exercise to motor movements. Whenever I have to wrap up work, I make H sit beside me with clothes pins and she gets busy. Though nudging and seeking appreciation for every thing that she does with those pins continues, but it’s still better than a cranky baby. This activity also promotes hand-eye coordination and motor skills.

3. Turn bathing into a sensory experience
H loves water ever since she was born. So, whenever we get a chance or over the weekend when dad’s home, I leave the two for a sensory bath. All that you need for that is a bath tub and some objects with different textures like her favourite rubber ducky, some straws, ice cream sticks, napkin etc. The warm bath is not only soothing but works as a great activity to stimulate baby’s senses. And since dad is taking lead in this, I can relax for sometime. Caution: Don’t leave your baby unattended even for a minute.

4. Befriend Books
There’s nothing new in the fact that your baby can’t find a better friend than a book and that it’s never too late to introduce books to kids. H enjoys spending time with her ‘Peek-a-Boo’ book. It was her first book full of bright pictures and textures that she loves to feel. and look at. She points at the pictures and expects you to name them. And gets irritated if you ignore her for more than 10 seconds. 😉 Even musical and sound books are a great idea to keep babies engaged.

5. Read aloud newspaper Babies love to listen to you. Every word you speak gets registered in their memory. Whether you are reading out a story, a poem or simply talking to them – interacting with babies is beneficial in all forms. So, just when I was losing my morning newspaper time to H (she just doesn’t let me read and keeps pulling it) I thought of making her a part of the exercise. Now, I read the news paper aloud and she listens to it.

6. Tear the tissues OK. You might not approve of this one but this activity has come to my rescue many a times in restaurants. Our first visit to a restaurant with hyper active H was a disaster. We had to come back with packed food. Next time I gave her a tissue and the girl had a blast tearing it out. Though we did get some stern looks from the restaurant manager but it was okay. Caution: Just keep an eye on your baby. One chance and they’ll put it into their mouth.

7. Sensory Box Children have very short attention spans. And you can never have enough toys to keep your little one entertained all the time. So, when toys fail to catch her fancy, I just pull out a big box and fill it with random things a few spoons, an apple, a rattle, a teether, a soft toy, a ball, a box. In short, a variety of shapes, colours, sizes and textures. She gets excited to see so many things together and boredom goes out of the window. And I’m sure you’ll find many random objects in your house that are harmless for your child.

8. Taste Box Now, this was real fun. For the first time H was surprised to see why mommy was not stopping her from putting anything in mouth. This activity is perfect for babies under the age of one, who put everything in to their mouth. I took a big bowl and put some rice flakes, some cheese lings, a couple of biscuits, 2 slices ofchickoo (Oh she loves them!), a piece of boiled carrots, a few boiled peas. She didn’t eat that all but had a good time during this journey of taste.

9. Let’s eat some paint This one is still on my to-do-list. H loves the squishy feel. You have to see what she does to the poor slice of orange. I have seen quite a few recipes of edible paint on the web. I’m looking out for a kid-friendly edible paint. In case I don’t get that, I’ll try this recipe shared by HandsOnAsWeGrow that uses fresh fruits for colours. Since, H is going through everything in mouth phase, I can’t take the risk of giving her normal paint. So, edible paint would be perfect for my little Picasso.

10. Nursery Rhymes on iPad
OK don’t judge me with this, but on certain occasions I have let H listen to rhymes on my gadget. I know it’s too early to introduce her to gadgets but in today’s day and age can we totally escape it? Even now, she’s done with her play and ready to pounce on my laptop.

P.S: In all the above mentioned activities, adult supervision is mandatory, not only because your infant will love your presence and appreciation at his tiny achievements but you cal always keep a watchful eyes as to what is going inside your baby’s mouth.

How do you keep your baby busy and entertained? Leave a comment below and share.

Keep watching this space for something exciting coming up on Day 2 of #AtoZChallenge!