Time to Relax With Your Baby
Now is a simple heartwarming time to relax with your baby. Much of the holiday rush is over. In the meantime, the new year is just around the corner. Many of us are using this in-between time to relax just a little. Your baby is very likely overstimulated from all the season’s activities as well.
Relax and Listen to Music
Spread out your baby’s toys on a blanket on the floor. Then, get down on the floor and play with your baby.
I know what you’re thinking: there is laundry to do and I have to get up extra early tomorrow. Believe me, I get it.
But, I also have the luxury of 20/20 hindsight. If I had the chance to do it over again, I would have spent much more time relaxing with my two children.
I wish I had spent more time with them when they were babies and less time worrying about the laundry or if the floor was swept.
So, turn on some music and make the toys dance or sing. After that, you and your baby can dance or sing together. Do laugh and have fun.
Dr. Shinichi Suzuki put together a very special playlist of music just for babies. So, you can find the first seven pieces from that playlist in this previous post.
These selections will help you begin music listening activities with your baby. The melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of this music lend themselves to a relaxing time for you and your baby.
Your Baby Will Be Made a Reader On Your Lap
My apologies to Emilie Buchwald who said, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” If you want your baby to grow up to love books and reading, then you must do the same.
Reading to your baby helps their brain grow in so many ways that are critical to their overall growth. If you search “board books for babies”, you will find more books than you can ever hope to read.
To help you begin, here is a list of board books. These books are part of the Suzuki Early Childhood Education (Suzuki ECE) Baby Classes. All you need to do is add the rocking chair and the snuggly blanket to have relaxing reading time together.
Make Music
You and your baby can relax and make music together. For instance, play “Pat-a-cake”. Help your baby’s little hands clap and keep the beat.
You can do the same with “Baa Baa Black Sheep”. If your baby is a newborn, you can tap the beat gently on their little tummy.
Either way, you will help your baby to learn to internalize the concept of keeping the beat. Internalizing the beat can also create a sense of relaxation.
Another fun activity is “Humpty Dumpty”. Hold your baby and say the rhyme. On the word “fall”, gently flex your knees. Baby will learn to react on a particular beat in a song.
The idea is the same for “Pop! Goes the Weasel”. Once again, hold your baby and say the rhyme. Then, do a gentle flex of your knees on the word “Pop”. If your child is a toddler, they will enjoy learning to jump by themselves.
Singing nursery rhymes is just plain fun! Besides, songs like “Ring Around the Rosies” and “This Old Man” have catchy tunes.
“Eency Weency Spider” is a really fun song with actions. At first, you will model the “spider” with your fingers for your child. Then, model the rain coming down and washing away the spider with your hands.
Finally, the sun comes out and dries up the rain with your hand motions. Then, guess what? The spider starts all over again!
Believe it or not, your baby will not get tired of doing it again. In fact, the repetition can create a sense of security, if you will. Knowing what comes next brings usually helps all of us relax.
Listening, Reading, and Music Making
To conclude, listening to music, reading books, and making music with your baby can give you a simple, heartwarming time to relax with your baby. So, it’s all good for helping a parent relax as well!
On the “Beautiful Heart, Musical Journey” with you,
Susan
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