New Ideas for Playtime Activities Etc for 7 Month Old

at that age, I loved to let my boys lay on the floor on their backs and play "catch," by standing over them with a stuffed animal and dropping it onto their belly. It helps develop co-ordination for hands and legs and the giggles are OUT OF THIS WORLD :) Also, I gave them fingerpaints in an empty bathtub, wearing just a diaper and let them paint the inside of the tub. They loved the bright colors against the white, smooth tub. Then, take off the diaper and clean both tub AND baby, she will enjoy watching all the colors run together and having bright colored bath water (clean rinse water is a must :) WE really loved baby einstein flash cards, and they learned a lot from them, too :) good luck!

M.,
I know how you feel. I do the same thing... over and over. What I do to change it up a little is put her in the stroller and walk a little, or go outside and write on the driveway and side walk with chalk. Sometimes we will go to the mall and walk around to break it up some. There have been times when we go eat lunch with Da Da sometimes too. The rest of the time we are at home, we read books and play with toys.
Also I got some of those HUGE foam letters and will hold them out to her and repeat what it is. Also singing the abc song helps too.
That is all that I know to do.
Hope it helps.

Hi M.! I take my son to story time at the library. He's by far the youngest kiddie there, but he loves being read to and he gets a kick out of watching all the other little children. They sing and do fun little dances - I dance while holding him. It's a blast!

Also, have you taken your daughter to the park yet? My son loves swinging! He could swing all day long! Make sure they have the swings for really little kids, though. And I always wipe it down with an antibacterial wipe (because I'm a nerd).

She might have fun in a baby pool. I put a few inches of water in ours in the morning and let the sun warm it up. When Brendan wakes up from his afternoon nap the pool water is usually warm and he LOVES to play in it! I dump his basket of bath toys in and lube him up with sunblock.

Hope those ideas help! She's at a really fun age, this is going to be a wonderful summer for you!

I'm kinda going through the same thing as you are with my 9 month old son. I went to the store a few weeks ago and i bought him one of those walk behind/ride toys and he played with it a little bit but the next time i went to the store i got him a ball. Who woulda thought that a 97 cent blue marbled plastic bouncy ball would have been a big hit! He likes to roll it around and watch me bounce it. I also just recently purchased him a sand box and he's been in it once and loved feeling the sand on his feet and inbetween his fingers! I think my next thing to get is some bubbles!

Hi M.! At 7 months I started doing the Baby Einstein flashcards with my daughter. Have you done anything like that yet? There are lots of different kinds of cards and brands but at that age my daughter loved the Baby Einstein Language cards. Very good way to interact with your baby!

Hi M.~
I've been using a non for profit organization called "Parents as Teachers." It's a wonderful, free program geared for parents and children from age 0-5. They are great; they come into your home at your convenience and help you with questions like the one you have and is age appropriate. Anything topics from toys, learning, discipline and probably anything in between. They are great with the children. You are present the whole time. They are not babysitters, nor are they social workers. They are merely teachers that are probably parents too. The national website is www.parentsasteachers.org and then put in your local info to find a teacher in your area. Trust me it's a great program. Good luck!

Paula G.

I know that feeling. I think it is boredom. I love my child to death but when you are so used to going to work everyday and having an active social life staying home can be hard. I wish I had some suggestions but at that age you are really doing a great job. I finally just went back to work with much guilt. My daughter is 4 years old now and honsetly I think she likes going to day care. It made me feel bad at first because I expected her to cry all day. She has so much fun somtimes and gets mad because I pick her up in the middle of her music class. I try not to do that anymore.

There are mom and baby yoga classes with laughing hearts yoga. Those are terrific! I would also suggest fit for fun center down town. Childrens museum downtown has an awesome baby area upstairs. Finally, as she gets older Monkey Joes is NEVER crowded on Sunday mornings because everyone is in church. If you can go to the super early service, it is great to take kids there at 10. You literally have the place to yourself. Me and my buddies call it "our lady of monkey joes"

Hello M., everyone had such a great ideas. When our boys were that age I always thought that they were too young for all those activities so we never did anything :(. But you would be amaized how it will benefit your daughter. I know some people who started around 7-8 months and their daughters were actually reading and swimming by THEMSELVES at 18 months. That was amazing.

I also have a 7 month old daughter and it is very hard to find new activities to do. I just signed up for some baby and mommy swim classes. It is only for 2 weeks but it will be something different and fun for her to do. Also you can take her to a story time at the library. That always adds a little more variety to the day. I hope this is helpful and I will also bechecking back up on this topic because I think it is one every mom has around this age.

This is a great time to play with water. A small pool for outside on nice days with some toys will keep her very busy. And although it can be messy introducing her to different textures is great too. Bubbles, cloths, cotton balls, and rice are some ideas for different textures. Ofcourse be cautious that none make it her her mouth :)
hope this helps

Take a mommy and me class together. My kids both did Kindermusik. The Little Gym is great. The Creative Discovery Museum has a playgym class that is fun.

I think every mom gets bored with the routine, you start to feel like a mush brain. I got into swim classes at the Chapel Hill Comm. Center. And classes at the Little Gym. It was enough for me to do 1 or 2 things a week. At that age that's about it. You'll be doing more than enough as they get older. I just keep telling myself this time will pass very soon and to enjoy the simpleness of it.

strip your baby down to her diaper, and try some good messy fun. finger paints on rolls of butcher paper, sand mixed with white glue, and uncooked rice and water are all great for developing motor skills and mental sharpness. feeling the different textures really stimulates babies mind and body. let her rub it on her body, to see how it feels and see the paint on her little tummy. she will love it and you will get some great pictures for her scrapbook. plus, washable non toxic paint and elmers glue are safe and a bath will have her clean and good as new.

Hi M.!

Enjoy every minute this summer with your daughter. She is at a very fun and precious age. They grow up so fast. I had just finished reading all of the responses you had already received and the ladies all had wonderful ideas. My kids always love to play in the water and they love finger painting too.

Does your little girl like books? I hope this is not inappropriate or you feel like I am just responding to push my business on you, but I wanted to let you know about my mom owned business. I am independent Usborne Book Consultant. We have childrens books that start from birth up to high school. They are interactive and very educational. We have all kinds to accomadate all learners. My one son who is now 3 1/2 years old loves our series of the touchy feely books. He is now getting into our kid kits. As your child grows you will find all sorts of wonderful activitie books for her. I truly love this company and got into this business for my kids. If you would like to check out my website you can go to www.bookskidsaskfor.com Again I am not trying to push my business on you just wanted to let you know some ways that I could help you.

Enjoy that precious little girl of yours! Have a wonderful summer!

I didn't see any mention of reading to/or with your daughter. I read to my daughter in utero all the way up to when she could read herself, we still read together before bed time. I also played/taught her how to do puzzles at a young age. Started with the big wooden ones & progressed as her learning did to the framed card board ones. Puzzles promote good math/spacial skills. My daughter is now a teenager & she has always done really well in school.

Food activities are always fun for kids. They get to be messy... with edible "paints!" Heh. Peanut butter, raisins (if she's that far along in her food habits), edible flowers, and such are all great things to let her play with. You can lay out a plastic cover or even a sheet if you want to just throw it in the wash, get some plates with the different foods on each one, and have at! If you get wax or rice paper, you can let her draw or paint on it. At the end... just dunk in the bath!

Swimming is always fun, as are sprinklers. Reading and coloring are always fun, so is dancing.

Then you can occasionally have special outings. Maybe look around your neighborhood for things that you think will be special and fun. See if there is somewhere nearby that boards horses and take her with some carrots or apples to feed them. Take her to a lake or pond to feed the ducks. You can go to the park and see if there is someone there with dogs or something you can let her play with. You could buy a recorder and let her sing or talk and play it back to her. Babies love to hear themselves squeal on recordings and such lots of times.

You can get sidewalk chalk and let her color outside. You could help her make a present for daddy or grandma. My kids love to imitate or do things with me, so I take things I like to do and I find a kid safe way for them to join in. My boys are always very excited to be doing what they see mommy doing all the time.

I hope this helps! Good luck and know that you sound like an amazing and wonderful mom!

I think you should try a mom's group. They give you activities and the adult interaction you need. I am involved in one right now. The do things all over Rutherford and Davidson County. It is called the Smyrna Sprouts and the group is on meetup.com. If you want more information just let me know.

We have a "Once Upon a Lap" program at our local library where they do storytelling and little fun activities for little one's your daughters age. Also, I am a member of a local Chapter of an International Mom's Club. It is a support club for Mom's but of course children are welcome at all events. There are events on the calendar just about every day of the week and included are alot of fun things for the children to do. Plus they get to meet other children and you get to meet other mother's. Loads of fun (and support!) A great group of women! I love being a member! If you'd like to check it out, go to www.momsclub.org I'm sure that they have a chapter where you are as they are everywhere. Always something to do, and the events are always optional of course. I hope this is helpful!
T.

Maybe try some "music time" activities with her - sing to her, let her shake rattles to music, bang on a little drum, etc. and put on fun music CDs for babies/kids. Another idea this time of year is to take her out in the shade - you could put a blanket out under a tree and let her play out there & talk to her about all the birds, flowers, trees, etc. and blow bubbles for her to see. Sometimes the Kindermusic type classes can get expensive, but there are lots of fun things like that you can do yourself! Good luck!