When you’re getting ready to have a baby, you might be a little concerned about what in the world you’re going to do at home all day long with her.
In reality, chances are, you won’t be bored at all during those first few weeks. Having a newborn is a crazy whirlwind, and the baby will need tending every second of the day.
Even if you do have a spare moment, you should probably use it to rest!
But after awhile, things will settle down and you’ll have a little more time to fill. I’ll be the first one to admit that sometimes being home with kids can get a little monotonous, especially if you aren’t intentional about how you spend your time.
I’ve always found it helpful to create routines that involve my baby and to have a few activities to do each day. It can be hard to figure out what activities to do with infants. After all, they mostly just sleep and eat.
While babies are limited as to what they can actually participate in, you can give them all kinds of experiences for them to soak in and learn from! Here are some of my favorite things to do with newborn babies:
Sing to your baby
Your baby loves to hear your voice, so what better activity is there than singing to her? It doesn’t matter if you sing like an angel or if your voice is more of a “joyful noise.” Your baby loves it either way, so don’t be shy.
If you have trouble thinking of songs to sing, print out some lullaby lyrics to have on hand when it’s music time with your baby. Or you could find a Spotify playlist with some baby songs for you to sing along with.
If you find yourself losing your mind with all the baby music, feel free to skip it! Your baby won’t really know the difference if you decide you’d rather rock out to Taylor Swift rather than Baby Shark.
My favorite activity to do with infants
Right along the same lines, reading to your baby is a great way to interact with her! Reading helps to develop those very early language skills. Your baby loves to listen to the different tones as you speak and starts to understand the basic rhythm of language as you read to her.
Once again, don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to baby books! If you have a very young baby, it really doesn’t matter what you read to them as long as you are reading.
So feel free to read the latest popular novel aloud to your baby, she’ll love it just the same.
(I read Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover to my oldest when she was a newborn. I feel confident this will have a lasting impact on her financial prowess as she grows older. *wink*)
Tummy time is an important activity!
Tummy time is so important for babies! Even if your baby doesn’t like it, it’s important to do it anyway. It’s basically a baby work out, and we all know how important it is to get our exercise in every day.
It’s never too early to start doing tummy time – my nurses had me doing it with my girls while we were still in the hospital! That way they get used to it early on and don’t hate it so much as they get older.
If your baby does nothing but cry during tummy time, start with just a minute or two at a time and work up to longer periods. It will get better!
Don’t forget to do skin to skin with your baby
After my oldest was born, I didn’t spend much time doing skin to skin with her and I totally wished I had! It’s such a sweet way to bond with your baby.
So with my second, I did it as often as I could for as long as I could and I’m so glad I did. It’s so much fun to soak up those baby snuggles, but skin to skin also has tons of benefits for both you and baby.
And don’t forget to make sure dad gets some skin to skin time as well!
Go for a walk
It can be hard to stay home all day. When the baby gets cranky and you start getting restless and grouchy, that’s when you know it’s time to get out of the house and go for a walk.
Walking is a a great way for you to get some light exercise and for both of you to get some fresh air. Kids are almost always happier outside – even the newborns. Not to mention that it’s a free and easy way to pass the time until your husband gets home from work.
Schedule activities with your friends
You don’t have to wait until your baby is old enough to play with other kids to start planning play dates.
Let’s be honest – play dates are really for moms!
There’s no reason for all of us to stay secluded in our own homes with our children by ourselves. No one said stay at home moms actually have to stay home all day!
If we’re doing the hard work of raising babies, we might as well do it together in community. So call up some of your mom friends and invite them to the park or over to your house. You’ll be so glad you did.
There’s lots more to do with your baby!
This is by no means an exhaustive list of activities to do with your infant! There are so many places you can go and things to do with a baby.
If you have a particularly content baby, you might find that your life doesn’t even need to change all that much after baby. I’ve met many friends who have continued to do things like go out to the movies and have late nights out with friends – all with baby in tow!
But if you find yourself bored at home during the day, try adding some of these activities to your daily routine and you’ll be amazed at how the time passes!
Melinda worked with children for years in a professional setting before becoming a full-time stay at home mom. She currently has three young children, and enjoys sharing tips and ideas about parenting and how to manage a home with excellence. She’s been featured on Heathline and Her View From Home.
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