About why floor play is so important for babies.
How do you know if your baby is developing at a normal rate?
As a maternal and child health nurse some of my most frequent consultations are helping anxious mothers determine whether their baby’s behaviour is normal. But when your child is a newborn the buck stops with you. If a parent displays a behaviour consistently when a child is in infancy, good or bad, the baby will learn from it. Baby stores sell plastic seats, rockers, swings and walkers, but teaching your child to use these will interrupt the natural process of child development, and here’s why.
Floor Play
Your baby needs to be on the floor for all of their playtime. This means flat on the floor, not in a seat, not in a walker, not in a swing, not in a bouncer, not in a jumper. All these “objects” contain the baby and not only keep them in one spot, but interrupt the natural flow of their development.
Sitting the baby up in one spot is the same as using a walker or seat. They can’t explore their surroundings, learn, move and progress. Babies that sit too long in one spot walk later, and their sleep is interrupted. For growing babies to sleep well they need enough food (calories) going in and active playtime (energy used) to equal sleep. Food + activity = sleep. Easy.
Keep play for your baby flat on the floor on a clean rug. Start their playtime routine from birth, giving the baby short periods of time after feeds on the floor, and as they get older gradually increase the time the baby has on the floor. They don’t need too many toys jangling over them. They love their hands, feet and toes. Lay them beside a window to look at a tree, a shadow.
