Related Health Information
Infant Play
What can I do to help promote play in my infant?
While all children are different and may enjoy different toys and interactions, the following are suggestions for activities and toys for the infant:
Birth to 1 month:
- hang brightly colored objects near your infant
- hang black and white mobiles
What you can do as a parent:
- sing and talk to your infant
- play music
- rock your infant, take him/her for walks
2 to 3 months:
- likes bright objects
- enjoys pictures and mirrors
- likes rattles
- enjoys infant swing
- enjoys car rides
What you can do as a parent:
- sing and talk to your infant
- play music
- rock your infant, take him/her for walks
4 to 6 months:
- likes brightly-colored objects
- likes to hold toys
- enjoys rattles or bells
- likes to splash in the bath
- likes swings and strollers
What you can do as a parent:
- talk to your infant
- encourage your infant to crawl and sit by placing him/her on the floor
6 to 9 months:
- enjoys large toys with bright colors that move
- likes to play peek-a-boo
What you can do as a parent:
- call your infant by name
- speak clearly to your child and encourage different sounds
- name body parts, foods, and people
- tell your infant simple commands
- play pat-a-cake
- begin saying words that tell what you are doing
- encourage your infant to crawl by placing toys beyond his/her reach
9 to 12 months:
- enjoys looking at books
- likes hearing sounds of animals
- enjoys large toys that can be pushed and pulled
What you can do as a parent:
- take your infant to different places and outings
- play ball with your infant
- read to your infant
- tell your infant names of body parts
Toys for infants:
-
birth to 6 months:
- mobiles
- mirrors that will not break
- music boxes
- bells and rattles
- stuffed animals
-
swings
-
6 to 12 months:
- blocks
- brightly colored toys
- books
- balls
- cup and spoon
- jack-in-the-box
- rattles
- teething toys
- toys that can be pushed and pulled
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