Outdoor Activities for your NEW baby

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As a play therapist, I can truly see a difference in children that are given opportunities to play outside compared to those that are kept indoors. Being outside is so great for a baby (and mom!) Today, Babies”R”Us, Pampers and I are teaming up to remind moms how to best prepare for the First 100 Days with baby… this includes heading outside for some much-needed fresh air (Those daily walks during the first few months were my sanity-savers!) .

The average American boy or girl spends only spends around 30 minutes outside each day (in unstructured play). This means that between the ages of 9-13, only 6% head outside on their own during a typical week. We can change this. It starts early, even when they are babies… it starts now.

A baby sitting in the grass dress in warm clothing with text above him.

Being outside & giving our kids the outdoor experiences promotes early langugage development, among other things. It gives them more sensory experiences, too. When an infant feels the grass and touches the leaves, they want to tell you about it. When they hear an airplane or feel a raindrop, they express their feelings. The more that they WANT to say, the more it will be recipricated. They “talk” to you, you talk to them. This promotes social & vertbal development. In additon, play is extermemly important and the outdoors are like a giant playground.

1). Touching a variety of things.
Letting your baby lay on different textures is great for a baby when they are learning. Let their feet touch the sand… Let your baby lay on the grass, lay on a quilted blanket outdoors, lay on a picnic blanket. Let your baby and hold different things: a leaf, a pinecone, grass (just watch that they don’t eat it). I like to touch our baby with silk, leaves, flowers, tissues, wool, terrycloth, even harder plastic toys. I talk about the way that it feels and if it feels good or if we don’t like the way that it feels.

$Picture of the bottoms of a baby\'s feet covered with sand.$

2.). Be prepared.
We always have what we need: Pamper Swaddlers are a must, an extra bottle, etc… We stock up at Babies R Us and I fill up my diaper bag every weekend. It’s nice to have a few extra Pampers Swaddlers for my on-the-go to enjoy outdoor activities. Whether you’re taking a walk, a wagon ride, heading to the park or going on a weekend trip, we just try to stay prepared. Babies R Us and Pampers help with everything. Babies “R” Us has always been the one-stop-shop for every baby need (especially purchasing Pampers! A leaking diaper is not what I want to be dealing with when we are out & about!)

3) Read to your baby!
When we are going on a picnic, I would read a book about a picnic before we left. Heading to the zoo? Prepare at home by reading a book about the zoo. It is proven that even babies as young as eight months can recognize words in a story if it is read twice in a row. This will help your child learn their language and learn to appreciate books, not to mention the bond built between the two of you. You can even head out and look at the stars at night…. We love to read Goodnight Moon outside on our back porch at night! A page from the Goodnight Moon book.

4). Sign with your baby.
Sign language is a great way to teach new words. Did you know that babies that learn sign language actually talk sooner than babies that don’t? Signing can be very easy! I always start out with More, Mine, Drink and Eat. You can find these & more by just doing a simple Google search for Baby Signs. Then, when you are outside, start signing what you see.

5). Talk to your baby
Simple, right? This is SO powerful. Talk to your baby all day long.
Changing their diaper? Talk to your baby “Do you have a dirty diaper? That’s OK! Let’s change it! Do you see the new Pampers Swaddler? Let me put it on you.” Feeding your baby? “Do you want a bite of these bananas? They are yellow. Let me open the lid. Here comes a bite!”
Cleaning the house “I am going to fold this shirt. You spit up on it and I cleaned it, so now I can fold it and put it away. It is white with blue letters. Do you like the color blue?” Talk as much as you can. Your baby is learning from you… every minute of every day.

All in all, be sure to be prepared. Buy what you need in advance. For both pre-natal and post-natal moms, Babies”R”Us has everything you’ll need to have the best products during those First 100 Days with baby (and beyond). We registered there when I was pregnant (we loved the playpen that we got) and we shopped there when our babies were born.

OH and be sure that you take advantage of sales & stock up. Here’s a good one:

From 3/29-4/12: Get a FREE $20 GIFT CARD WITH ANY 2 PAMPERS VALUE BOXES OF DIAPERS REG 42.99 at Babies R Us (in store only)
From 3/29-4/22: For onely 12.99, you can get PAMPERS WIPES (Normally $15.99). Gotta love a good deal!

Giveaway

$A baby\'s bare feet covered in sand.$
I’d love to help you bond even more with your baby, so we are giving away an awesome prize pack! How do you win? Just leave a comment telling me your favorite outdoor activity with your baby…