Having a routine for your baby each day can bring stability and predictability for not only your baby, but also you!
A baby's daily activities can be broken down into three parts: eat, play, and sleep. You will want to feed your baby, play with your baby, and have your baby sleep. You repeat this cycle throughout the day from the time your baby wakes up in the morning until the time your baby goes to bed at night.
An important element for establishing a routine is to have consistency. Get your baby up at the same time, try to have feedings and naps at the same times, and have bedtime at the same time.
Consistency is key, but it can of course get a little monotonous.
VTech® has some great products to help keep your playtime routine interesting and help your baby grow to reach important milestones.
Baby Playtime
Of course when you think of VTech®, you think of toys! They have wonderful toys that are high quality and best of all, will grow with your baby. Here are some toys that go well with a baby’s routine at various ages.
When you are starting a routine with your newborn and young baby, a big part of each day is tummy time. It is important to help build strength in the neck and shoulders, which is vital so your baby can one day sit up, crawl, and walk. It also helps prevent flat spots on your baby's head.
Tummy time needs to be a part of baby's day, each day, during at least one playtime.
The problem is that many, if not most babies, hate tummy time. This soft pillow helps babies actually enjoy it!
The VTech® Tummy Time Discovery Pillow™ is a cute giraffe with several textures, patterns, and colors for tactile and visual stimulation. This keeps your baby engaged. There are over 50 songs, melodies, and phrases with the light-up piano. It introduces numbers, colors, shapes, and animals and also plays nursery rhymes.
As your baby grows, you can use the pillow for playtime while sitting. It can support your baby while they learn to sit independently.
As your baby gets even older, you can remove the mirror, piano, and rattle to be independent toys for your baby to continue to enjoy.
Another excellent element of play to add to each day is independent playtime.
A playgym is an excellent toy to use as it allows your baby to play independently. New parents can tend to be in their baby's face the entire time they’re awake. In reality, it is good for baby to have some quiet playtime without a person overstimulating them.
A newborn is very entertained by simply looking at things. Everything is new. You can place your baby at the playgym and sit quietly to the side while your baby observes the gym. As your baby gets older, they will start to reach for toys, swat at them, and kick them.
This is also another excellent toy for some tummy time. Your baby will be able to look at the colorful mat design and play with the rattles, color cards, and other hanging toys while doing tummy time. It will help to mix up tummy time each day.
As your baby learns to sit, they can sit at the toy and interact with the items. You can also detach the panel to just play with that.
Allowing your baby to play independently teaches them many important skills. Your baby will learn creativity and problem solving. Your baby will also learn to be comfortable with their own company.
Add in independent play for 5-10 minutes each day for a newborn and work up from there as your baby gets older.
Another great activity during playtime is table time. This is when your child sits at the table and plays with certain toys. This can help develop focusing skills.
Once your baby is at least 6 months old and is able to sit up, you can use the VTech® Turn & Learn Ferris Wheel™ during table time. This toy helps with fine motor skills, colors, animals, and numbers. It has a suction base to keep in place. You can attach it to any smooth surface.
Table time is a great activity for your baby when you are getting their meal ready, doing the dishes, or helping an older sibling with something close by.
A walker is one of the best investments you will make when it comes to baby toys. The VTech® Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker™ can be played with as a crawler up to a walker. There is an activity panel you can remove for floor time play. This is great for more independent play options.
As your little one gets older and able to start trying to walk, the walker provides some support and a lot of fun with spinning gears, five piano keys, colorful rollers, light up shape sorters, light-up buttons, and a telephone handset.
This is a great toy to develop motor skills as well as provide your baby with the opportunity to focus on shapes, colors, animals, and music.
Baby Sleep Time
Once your baby is done playing, it is time for some sleep. If your baby can self-soothe, during, then they will be able to take longer naps and get longer stretches of sleep at night.
This VTech® 3-in1 Starry Skies Sheep Soother™ can help you reach your baby’s sleep goals. This toy includes a projector, glow light, and sounds.
These soothing lights and sounds help to set the stage for sleep. It can be used for white noise to help block out any noise the family is making while your baby tries to sleep. There are nature sounds, lullabies, and melodies.
You can change the volume and even set a timer on the projector and the sounds. Your baby's cries though activate the soother to turn on again.
You can use this during playtime and have fun listening to the nursery rhymes while your baby play, which helps develop language skills!
Once your baby outgrows the need for the projector and sound effects, you can remove the electronic module to create a cuddly, plush toy!
Conclusion
Being intentional about the toys you get for your baby can benefit your budget and space. These toys are super helpful when establishing baby's daily routine and will adapt and grow as your baby does! They help develop motor skills and language skills as well as help your baby learn to recognize letters, colors, and numbers.
A well-rested baby is ready to learn and make the most out of playtime. These VTech® toys will assist with all of that.
Valerie Plowman, known as "the Babywise Mom", is the happy mother of four children. She has been helping parents with their parenting concerns since 2007 and loves helping others absolutely love being a parent. She has helped thousands of parents and would love to help you! Head to babywisemom.com to get started!