Playing is one of the best things you and your baby can do together. It’s how he develops a sense of himself and his place in the world.

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Baby games

• Make noise together. Gently bang pots and pans, sing a noisy song (see Baby Karaoke for some ideas), make animal sounds (‘the cow goes ‘moooooo’).

• Start reading. Babies use books to chew on, play with in the bath, discover new textures and, sometimes, even look at. By reading together often, your baby will soon realise that books are a lovely way to spend special time together.

• Explore safely. Create safe places in your home where you baby can explore his world and work on his latest skills of sitting up, crawling, pulling up, opening cupboards, picking things up, throwing them and putting them in his mouth, and, eventually, walking.

• Play simple games. Games like pat-a-cake, peekaboo and ‘this little piggy went to market’ are a real laugh for a giggling baby. They can also do a lot to help his learning and movement skills. Tickle his tummy and show him how to blow raspberries. Splash around together in a shallow bath on a warm day. Fill a small juice bottle with buttons to make a rattle. The list is as long as your imagination.

• Bits and pieces. You can develop your baby’s imagination slowly by giving him odds and ends to play with. Try a box of coloured bits of cloth and some empty egg cartons.

Television is not recommended for babies under two. If the TV must be on, try to limit his viewing time to short stints (10 minutes a day) of educational, baby-friendly programs such as Play School.

When does play start?

Play starts from birth. As your child grows and develops, play changes from you playing with your baby, to the baby gradually learning how to play with objects and – eventually – other children.

How baby learns

Everything is new to your baby – things we take for granted are a first time novelty for a them. Let them discover and get bored at their own pace. You can introduce toys slowly, one at a time, after he has tried to squeeze every use out of the one he is already playing with. This helps him develop his learning and attention skills.

Your baby has just picked up a rattle in his tiny hand. He moves his arm. The rattle jerks and makes an intriguing sound. Your baby moves his hand again. The rattle makes the sound. He moves his hand with great purpose. The rattle shakes noisily. Your baby has just made an exciting connection. He has discovered that when he shakes a rattle, he can produce a noise. He has learned that he can make something happen. He has control over some small part of his world.

Babies are even learning things automatically, like:

• how to fall asleep at a certain time of day (this is based on their internal body clock)

• how to get what they need (and, later, want)

• how to eat food

• how to breathe through their mouth when their noses are blocked by a cold.

Exploring is one of the ways your baby learns. It’s your job to make his frontier safe. That means the word ‘no’ can be kept to a minimum when your baby is poking around, because you have made it safe for him.