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The past three-ish months have been a real “sweet spot” for my daughter. She learned to sit up and with that a whole world opened up to her. This is an amazing age in between the flat-on-the-back infant phase and the mobile child phase. She could sit, see what’s going on, and be entertained by simply watching her older brother run around. Of course I also prepared a few baby activities like Treasure Baskets and Bags for her.
I like to keep a few baskets handy and just toss a few items inside. A basket like this could keep her entertained for 15-20 minutes!
Some people like to use ordinary household objects like kitchen utensils, craft supplies and small containers. When my son was a baby I did more of this. However, be aware that babies will need close supervision when discovering objects that weren’t designed with their safety in mind. As a mom of two I’m typically more distracted and so I’m less comfortable giving her non-toys. It’s all up to you.
What’s key in preparing Treasure Baskets is variation. Even if you use toys, you can still get a nice variety of textures, shapes and colors. It’s also nice to present items in an interesting container. I bought this set rope-like baskets a few years back. They are a perfect size for her to sit right next to and comfortably reach into to pull things out. She often feels the basket itself, enjoying the bumpy texture.
My daughter would sit and pull each item out of the basket while carefully inspecting it, turning it over in her hands, “talking” to it, and nibbling it as well. She’s also started banging things on the floor, basket, or clapping two objects together. Banging may not seem like a big deal, but it’s a pretty cute fine motor skill milestone and she looks so proud of herself for doing it!
Of course we aren’t always at home and sometimes she needs entertainment on-the-go. So I pack a few little Treasure Bags for her to explore while we are out. I use an old cosmetic case or my Planet Wise travel wet/dry bag. I open the zipper and she peers into the bag and pulls each thing out with great curiosity and concentration. (These were great on the plane, by the way!)
You might recognize a few of the items from Sweetbottoms. We love the Dandelion Bunny Lovie, Chewbeads Teether, Little Adventure Wooden Whale Teether, and flexible, crinkly Baby Paper (all shown above) among others.
And you may have noticed that I’ve written this post in the past tense. That’s because, well, she started crawling last week! She still likes her baskets, but now after a few minutes she takes off to explore anything and everything else she can get her hands on. Baby-proofing 2.0 here we come!
What baby activities do you love for your little sitter?
