stimulating the newborn during their awake time

Hi All


Does anyone have good tips on what they do to keep the bub stimulated, after or during a feed, so that he does not go straight back to sleep.
I normally change his nappy, etc, to make himn more alert during the feed, but was hoping for some fun suggestions of playtime time things todo after the feeds, before I put him down.
He is 9 days old, so is still very sleepy, but I understand that the baby needs to have some awake time as well.


Regards
A proud new Dad

Hi There,

When my daughter was newborn I used to stimulate her by laying her under her playcentre (the kind that have dangly toys) she loved this expecially if I move and squeaked them. She also used to lay in her bouncer and watch me do house work which she also loved! Sometimes she'd just love to watch tv with dad! I'd also try to give her some exercise time, on her tummy and helping her bend and stretch her arms and legs seemed to stimulate her. Hope this helps!

Hi,
When my son was a newborn I used to talk alot about what I was doing etc, sing kiddy songs and nursery rhymes and finger/action rhymes. Now he's 3 months old and when I sing twinkle, twinkle (with actions) he loves it. He watches my hands and laughs and squeals in delight. Give that a try. At first they look at you but as they get older they'll recognise the songs etc and respond to it. smile

Hi Glevy,

My most valuable baby items are firstly my baby rocker which you can use from newborn. I put it in front of ABC kids when I need to have a shower or such, and I also put it in the kitchen when I'm in there.

My other item is a play gym with dangly and musical hanging toys. Ella loves to kick the toys so I arrange them near her feet. As she begins to use her hands I can then rearrange them.

I used both of these for my son as well.

It's nice to read questions and comments from a Dad.


Enjoy
Therese

Hi proud new dad! It's great to see a dad ask questions about his new baby-well done!!! This may seem a little cruel, but when I feed my 3 week old daughter, I undress her (ie., take off her socks, unbutton jumpsuit, etc.) and if need be, gently dampen her face/feet/legs, etc. with a cool-ish face cloth. She doesn't appreciate it much but the reason I do it is so that she doesn't associate feed time with sleep time, hence making it harder for me to (try!!!!! wink ) to settle her. Good luck!!!

My 8 week old daughter loves to sit with mum and watch Robbie Williams videos, you could try that, you may not get the same enjoyment as me though.

We often read to our baby using books that have simple words but really bright coloured pictures or shapes, like counting books, Spot books etc. We also walk around the house with our baby and talk to him about each room and let him look at different things. We also take him outside and talk to him about his surroundings. We also find the play gym to be highly stimulating.