Books/activities for newborn

[Anonymous]

Hello Animals and Hello Bugs are good black and white books. I liked singing to my newborn. I wish I would have made it out of the house more (for my own sanity).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you need to talk to your baby all day; I certainly never did. I sang to her while she was nursing, read out loud to her from whatever book I was reading, and talked to her throughout the day but certainly not constantly. I wore her around when I went for walks or met friends for lunch. People really overestimate how much extra stimulation babies need--the world is really stimulating to them just as it is.

Wow you people are so literal. I'm the pp who suggested talking "all day" and this is all I meant.

[Anonymous]

My one month old seems to like tactile stimulation as well. Like gently rubbing her foot or cheek against different fabrics (got this idea from Baby Center: http://www.babycenter.com/0_20-fun-silly-development-boosting-games-to-play-with-your-ba_1479310.bc)

In general, though, I don't worry too much. I tend to tell her what I'm doing when it affects her, like if I change her diaper and then put her in her crib for a few minutes while I wash her hands/prepare her bottle, I let her know what I'm doing. Not sure if it calms her or not, but the sound of my voice can't be bad for her.

For the most part, she's absolutely fascinated by the ceiling fan even though we don't even have it on. And she can spend like an hour staring at her hand with her arm outstretched (my little stoner baby).

[Anonymous]

Go about your day - cook dinner, go to the store, go for a walk, do some laundry. Everything you do exposes them to something new, so you can't lose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is just bored. OP, wear baby in a carrier, and talk and sing to them all day. Go outside, go to the store, meet people. More stimulation than they'll get from the perfectly developmentally appropriate toy.

Agree.

Also, there is controversy over weather you need to be constantly talking to your infant. I am of the opinion that you do not need to tell your baby everything you're doing and constantly be talking to them, however many people do this and I doubt it's harmful. I chat a bit and coo but I'm not talking 100% of the time. Singing is fun too. No need to actually sing baby songs but if that's what you like it's fine too.

Baby will learn plenty from just doing your daily thing. Obviously don't leave them in their infant seat all day long but if you're wearing them or carrying them, they'll learn plenty. I run errands, get coffee, take care of things around the house, walk the dog, etc. I doubt there's actual need to do anything infant specific at this age. That's not to say it's [/i]bad[i] to read or play with your baby. If that's what works best for you to bond with your baby then go for it! Just know that at the end of the day you realize you haven't read your baby a book or sat and played with their toys, don't feel bad!

Interesting. Do you have any more info about that? I am a quiet person by nature and I feel so much pressure to talk to my infant all the time. (Obviously not ALL the time, but as much as I possibly can.) I thought the consensus was that this is definitely a good thing. I have read Nurtureshock and I understand their conclusion that how you respond to your baby is very important as well, but they didn't say anything to disprove the general idea that you should be talking to your baby as much as you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go about your day - cook dinner, go to the store, go for a walk, do some laundry. Everything you do exposes them to something new, so you can't lose.

This. Honestly, there are plenty of months and years ahead of you where you can actively engage your child. You are not there yet at 1 month. Watching you unload the dishwasher is probably fascinating. Relieve yourself of the responsibility to teach things to your one-month-old and go about your day. I am honestly not trying to make the OP feel bad but IMO thinking you need to be teaching something to your one-month-old is a symptom of the type of modern parenting that makes mothers (and fathers) miserable because we always think we should be doing something "productive" and thus never have a single moment of free time to ourselves.