As a new mom, navigating the world of newborn schedules and activities can be overwhelming. However, incorporating wake window activities into your routine can not only simplify your day but also provide valuable bonding time with your little.
In this blog post, we will explore five different wake window activities that you can do with your baby to promote development and create a sense of peace in your daily schedule. Let's dive into some of our favorite ways to play, bond, and learn in between naps.
Wake Window Activty #1: Tummy Time
Featuring aden+anais activity gym in rising star
Tummy time is crucial for developing infants' muscles and preparing them for milestones like rolling, sitting, and crawling. It introduces them to new perspectives, spurring curiosity. Enhancing tummy time with engaging toys and mirrors can motivate babies to lift their heads, strengthening their neck and shoulders.
Beginning with brief sessions and gradually increasing duration makes the activity enjoyable and beneficial. Interactive engagement through eye contact, talking, and singing during tummy time reinforces the baby-parent bond and muscle development. Adopting the 'superman' position aids in core strength, and different textures stimulate sensory development. While supervised, tummy time is essential for a baby's physical and cognitive growth, setting a foundation for future exploration and learning.
Our favorite registry items for tummy time: aden + anais activity gym, aden + anais sensory playmat
Rising Star
Wake Window #2: Baby Massage
Baby massage is a nurturing practice enhancing parent-infant bonds through gentle touches, providing health benefits like better sleep, reduced colic, and increased calmness. By using baby-safe oils and observing your baby's responses, you create a loving and tranquil connection.
This practice, woven into daily routines, helps parents decipher their baby’s non-verbal cues, promoting physical and emotional well-being, and laying a foundation for trust and secure attachment.
Wake Window #3: Reading Books + Listening to Music
Featuring aden+anais organic dream blanket in safari dreams
Introducing your baby to books and music fosters early language development, comfort, and an emotional bond. Choose simple, colorful books and incorporate singing to enhance auditory experience and brain development. These activities offer rich shared experiences that promote social and emotional growth, enriching your baby's early life with exploration and learning.
By adding reading and singing into your baby's wake windows, you’re laying a foundation for lifelong learning and fostering a love for stories and music.
Check out our perfect playtime playlist.
Wake Window #4: High Contrast Cards
High-contrast visuals like black-and-white patterns are key for a baby's visual and cognitive development. Such designs enhance focus, visual tracking, and optical perception, serving as foundational elements for early brain growth.
Incorporating these patterns through flashcards, mobiles, books, and toys can stimulate a baby’s senses during daily routines, supporting their natural curiosity and developmental progress in a nurturing way.
We included our favorite option in our complete registry guide: The List.
Wake Window Activity #5: Playtime with Simple Toys + Objects
Featuring aden+anais activity gym in ma fleur
Early play enhances your baby's curiosity and development through toys that improve skills like coordination and sensory understanding.
Toys with various textures and sounds, such as soft rattles and crinkly books, encourage exploration and physical engagement. A brightly colored ball can prompt your baby to attempt rolling or passing it from one hand to the other, fostering both motor skills and an understanding of cause and effect.
Choose safe, age-appropriate toys to aid motor skills, creativity, and problem-solving, while also promoting emotional bonds and language foundations through interactive play. It's about offering enriching play opportunities rather than overwhelming them with too many options.
Engaging in play with your baby not only supports their development but also strengthens the emotional bond between you. Narrating what you're doing, describing the toys' colors, textures, and sounds, and showing your baby how to interact with them enriches the learning experience. This
