Playsocks

This is a Montessori infant material--we used them at the lab school when I worked there. Yesterday I made a couple pairs for Beck. I just used old baby socks, sewed on some small objects very securely. I chose an empty scotch tape roll, a jingle bell, a large button and a wooden bead. Now we can put a sock on and he can explore the object with his eyes, fingers and mouth!

Beck's spot

I rearranged the playroom to make an area for Beck. He had a little spot before, but it wasn't working out because I couldn't see him from the kitchen. Often playtimes coincide with me making meals or cleaning up, and I needed a spot that was better for keeping an eye on him. I also wanted to give him some shelf space. I went through all my teaching books and weeded out a bunch, emptying a higher shelf for Quinn. Beck inherited two shelves on the right side of this lower unit. His shelves include a book, two baskets with a few age-appropriate toys, and a large jingly spider toy. I also put a mirror on the wall and a soft quilt for him to roll around on. Since this is kinda the doorway into the room I wanted his playmat to be movable when he wasn't using it. I am also going to move his mobile stand in and change out mobiles frequently.

This is a great place for propping up a book and providing a choice of two toys for him to wiggle forward and get!

He LOVES cooing to the handsome baby in the mirror!!

A little change up

Yesterday I spent a huge chunk of time in the playroom changing things around a bit. One thing I did was move Q's little kitchen into the back corner of our breakfast nook. She hasn't been playing with it much lately, so I thought a change of scenery might bring her interest back. Also in the evenings when I am cooking dinner she wants to be in the same room as me--so I am not successful in getting her to go play in the playroom. This way she can play near me. I also want to use it for some practical life activities such as dish washing, doll washing, and soap grating, and the tile floor makes this easier for clean up!
I love our breakfast room when it's filled with morning sunlight!!

I also changed out all the dishes and accessories in her little kitchen. I keep empty food containers for her kitchen, so right now it's stocked with hummus, cashews, and molassas!

She was excited to see her kitchen "in the kitchen" when she got up from nap and has already spent time playing with it.

Elf toy tutorial

Another of Beck's current favorite toys--This one is made from scraps of flannel and felt. I used THIS tutorial and improvised with the materials I already had at home. We call ours an elf instead of a gnome. Beck LOVES gnawing away at the hands and feet, and it's perfect for him to hold since it is made of fabric and he can get a good grip on it.
This toy encourages bringing objects to his mouth, hand, arm, and wrist control, hand-to-hand transfer, and sensory exploration.

Books!

Besides lap reading, we also use books with Beck for playtime. We stand up several bright colored board books around him, and as he rolls and scoots around, he loves looking at the pictures. I try to include both photos and illustrations. And usually I put him on a quilt in case he spits up or has a diaper leak...Last night I was livin' on the edge with no quilt for his playtime! :)

Playgym toys

I buy packs of wooden rings (in the knitting/crochet section at Hobby Lobby) for all sorts of baby toys. One of the most simple is just the grasping ring. It can be hung or just used on its own. It encourages grasping, bringing objects to the mouth, hand-to-hand transfer of objects, and reaching (when hung.) We have one tied on a piece of ribbon and hung from the playgym. Beck can reach for it, bring it to his mouth, and explore it with his mouth. The ring shape makes it easier to hold on to (fingers can curl around the ring) and also very mouth-friendly--no sharp pieces or pieces to gag as it really can't be put in the mouth too far by the infant.
Obviously we closely supervise him with this because it could be a strangulation hazard because of the ribbon.
At times I also attach some bells to the ring, so he also gets some auditory stimulation and can begin to make some cause and effect connections.

This is another of his current favorite toys--I've mentioned it before but wanted to give a close-up. It's just two squares of felt scraps. I cut them with pinking shears. I then cut strips of felt with the shears, lined them up to make a snowflake-ish shape, and then sewed them down. The two squares are sewed together, with a piece of elastic in between so it can bounce and stretch when tied to the playgym. Presto! Fun, bouncy, baby-friendly toy! You could also use hot glue if you don't sew. Beck loves "catching" this in his reachy hands and bringing it to his mouth to chew on!

Snowflakes!

Quinn painted some wooden snowflakes (bought at Hobby Lobby) with watercolors for her brother last week. I poked little holes in them and hung them with some wired twine. He loves watching them dance over his head and bat at them. I try to keep them high enough they won't go to his mouth since they're painted. I have a wooden ring on a ribbon that DOES reach to his mouth for him to gum on. He has now mastered enough motor control of his arms (and visual perception, as well) to be able to reach toward objects that interest him. These snowflakes help encourage him to "fine tune" his grabbing and reaching skills.

We are enjoying changing out the objects on Beck's playgym to give him something new and stimulating to gaze up at! Quinn enjoys helping with this, of course! It gives her a great opportunity to be involved in caring for her brother.