Fresh Babies Can Play!

By Dr. Emily Spaeth, PT, DPT, CBS, CNT, LMT, TIP, NTMTC, RPYT
Infant Physical Therapist, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist

“Babies don’t know how to play…” My two-year-old said when I told her she could play with her new baby brother, giggling as she gazed at him and touched his nose…

Silly mom…

Turned out, this was the first lesson she got as a big sister.

Fresh babies can play, they need to, and you can help them!

It just looks a little different than kicking a ball around. And everything we do for a newborn should be twice as slow as we think it should.

Step 2: Touch

Touch is one of the first senses to develop in the womb, and something we take for granted as parents. Of course we touch our babies! But intentional touch can be incredibly important to babies. Consider learning infant massage from a qualified professional – or give it a try and see how it feels! The simplest way to start is to give gentle pressure on the sole of the foot with a mild oil (coconut, calendula, or grapeseed) from the heel to the ball of the foot- You might even elicit the toe grasp reflex like you see in this photo.

Remember that when you are massaging your baby, the goal is to respond to the cues your baby is giving you. Experiment to see what they enjoy (speed, depth) and if they are telling you no thank you, listen!

Try:
• Skin to skin
• Gentle foot massage
• Gentle hand massage
• Clockwise massage on the belly

Step 4: Floor time.

Your baby will gain strength when they are on a flat, hard surface. The floor is the safest place for that. When you go to put them down, the respectful way to do this is to let them know what the plan is!

“Hey baby, we are going to play on the floor together for a little while.”

I like to place a baby down on their back where they can still see me, and then let them know that we are going to spend a little time on our bellies together. Gently roll your baby to their side but make sure you are there- right there next to them while they are on their side, and you move to a position where they can see you when they end up on their tummy.

If there are two caregivers around, it’s nice to have a little tummy time party together as a family.

Try:
• Roll into tummy time rather than place baby on their belly
• Use eye contact, storytelling, rhyming, singing and most importantly, YOU for an engaging moment on the floor together
• Tummy time on your chest is a fun addition to floor time, but not a replacement!

The lesson for the two-year-old big sister ended with her learning that when she stuck her tongue out, the mirror neurons in her little brother worked such that he stuck his tongue out back at her. And a loving, silly, sibling relationship was borne.