At City Mom Collective, we are dedicating a week to empowering and supporting new and expecting moms. Even though we have always been doing that for the past 10 years, this week, we are focused on four specific topics, EAT, SLEEP, PLAY, and MATERNAL HEALTH. Today we are focusing on PLAY with Lavina of playbakecreate!
Lavina Dadlani:: playbakecreate
I’m a mother to a toddler boy and a baby girl while I work part-time in marketing. I have a passion for plant-based foods, travel and the arts. My son is hyper- active so I create sensory plays and crafts to help calm him while secretly learning. And now baby girl is slowly joining in!
My mission is to empower parents, teachers and caregivers to foster a lifelong desire for education through creative play ideas and to share innovative resources to make our lives as parents a little bit simpler.
Baby's First Year of Play
Play is everything in the first year and beyond. You may not know it but everything is just so new to your little one. All their senses are experiencing something new, so sensory has already begun!
Here are our 4 favorite ways to play in the first year:
1. Sensory Bags
For this sensory experience, you just need water and one object (flowers, pom Poms, toys, etc) and you can zip it all up and not feel less stressed about it going in your baby’s mouth!
When they get closer to one year of age, try paint and let them make their own work of art!
2. Taste safe sensory trays
In addition to sensory bags, babies love taste-safe sensory trays. For inclusions in a sensory tray, water is always a favorite in addition to any larger items they can use to splash! Water-safe lights are also fun to include and add another sensory element!
Other taste-safe options we love: aquafaba, chia seed slime and oobleck
Remember, taste-safe doesn’t mean taste it – it’s just in case it happens to go near their mouth!
3. Knocking down blocks
Knocking down blocks is a must-have for sensory experiences for babies. We use soft ones right now. We build and she knocks them down – don’t expect a baby just to build their own. But knocking them down is easy enough for babies to learn and is a great way for a baby to learn about cause and effect,
gravity and fine motor skills!
4. Involving Siblings
If your baby has an older sibling, involving them in their sensory play is a must! Older siblings love to play with their little siblings. Include older siblings in any of the previously mentioned sensory experiences.
