Hi friends! Today I am SUPER excited to welcome Colleen from Sugar Aunts to talk about Infant Sensory Play. Wondering when to start sensory play with your baby? Colleen is an occupational therapist, making her an expert in all things sensory, and the perfect person to share information on the when, the why, and the how of infant sensory play. We’re so glad you are here, Colleen…take it away! ___________________________________________________________________________
What is sensory play? Sensory play is a buzzword that is all over Pinterest and kids’ activity blogs. There’s much more to the nuts and bolts of sensory activities than the fun ideas that you will pin to your Messy Play Pinterest boards!
Integration of sensory input occurs from the very onset in little ones. There are so many fun and creative ways to introduce Baby Play. We wanted to share with you the when, the why, and the how to for sensory play in infants.
The WHEN…
Infants…those fun years from 3 months to one year…there is so much happening in those personality filled months! Babies are awake, aware, and taking it all in! The developmental milestones that happen between 3 and 12 months are vast. There are cognitive, physical, social-emotional, language developments. While there are ages when children typically achieve these tasks, advancements are SO different from child to child. They will begin to clasp their hands together, roll over, grasp an object, sit up, pull up, and so much more. Sensory play can be introduced as each of these skills emerges and develops. Sensory input begins from the very beginning when you first swaddle your baby in a blanket. During the newborn stage, babies are relying on sensory input to satisfy reflexes. In infancy, they start to respond to and organize that sensory input.
The WHY…
Sensory integration in children refers to theories that our nervous system gets information from the world around us, organizes it, and uses that information to produce purposeful responses. Incoming sensory information comes in the form of touch, taste, sound, sight, smells, vestibular input (the body’s position in space), and proprioceptive input (sensations from muscles and joints). So, the big question is WHY in the world do you need to think about these big words and senses galore?? (I mean come on, aren’t we sensing enough with all of those smelly diapers!?) The simple answer is, you don’t! At this stage of life, babies need stimulation to learn about their world around them, in order to see how their bodies work and what they can do with themselves. They need stimulation in order to foster intellectual growth. Sensory play provides new experiences about their environment, helps develop and engage memories, and speeds learning. Given sensory play experiences, a baby increases awareness of his or her body and what it can do. Sensory play can even provide comfort for a cranky and fussy baby.
The HOW…
So, what does an informed (and Pinterest-loving, Google-searching) parent do to stimulate their infant? It is beyond easy to introduce sensory play to these little ones. And get that camera ready, because this is when the fun happens! It’s as easy as singing to your baby in high and low pitches, pointing out new sights (That yappy-bouncing dog next door is SO interesting!), and providing new tastes in food. Sensory play is simple, easy, and fun. Sensory play can occur in more creative ways too. Pull out a mirror and pudding and let your baby explore the squishy texture of the pudding-paint. Put a handful of spoons and cups for baby play on a low table for the standing baby to explore. Provide a basket full of interesting items. Create discovery bottles for your sitting baby. Introduce textural play with lids, beans, ice, mud, feathers…the possibilities are endless! Stop by our Baby Play page for many more ideas for sensory play with infants.
*A quick note: Because of an infant’s tendency to put everything in their mouths, sensory play with infants need to be closely monitored by an attentive adult. Always keep a close eye and a quick hand nearby when introducing sensory experiences to your child.
Colleen has been an OTR/L for 13 years. She blogs at Sugar Aunts along with her two sisters about all things creative in motherhood. They love playful learning, creative kid’s crafts, sensory and fine motor activities, kid’s party themes, DIY, and so much more. Between the three Aunts, there are 6 cousins (with more on the way!) who are around each other so often, they are more like siblings than cousins! You can see the action at www.sugaraunts.com.
what a great information! Pinned:)
Awesome post, and I hope a ton of baby-owners see this and learn a little something about the ease (and importance) of sensory play for babies!
I love this site already, and I only just found it :). You guys have so many great ideas :). I work in a 0-2 and I was wondering if you know of any books available that would be helpful to me in regards to providing experiences for chn between the ages of 6mnts- 18mnths???