Maternity and Paternity Leave: how to make the most of it!

Subject page : Life & Style

Days in

Try these activities if you're having a day indoors with your baby

Reading - It's never too early to read to your baby. Choose from soft books, board books, lift-the flap books, and short story books, it needn't be expensive as many bookshops, supermarkets and other large shops have very low priced books to choose from. See our guide on 'choosing the right books for your child'. You can also use your local library and borrow

Books for free. Singing and action an individual or charities.

Games are a great pastime, babies love the sound of their mother's voice and enjoy nursery rhymes and bouncing and action songs, sing-along tapes are a great asset if you feel your voice is up to it. Water play - Have a daytime bath with your baby and let her play with cups and strainers. This is perfect for afternoons when you just want to relax.

Organised activities

As your baby gets older there are more and more activities to enjoy. Depending on your budget you may want to take your baby to the swimming pool where there may be special parent and baby sessions. Babies any age can learn to swim. Tumble Tots is a national organisation that runs active physical play classes for older babies and toddlers. Your local community centres may also run music for babies where your child can be involved in music groups specifically designed for babies and toddlers. These classes are either run by

Out and about

Babies like to get out and about. A simple local walk with the buggy or with the baby in a backpack can break the day up for a small child. Go to the playground they may be too young for the swings but you can take them on the roundabout or seesaw. Try a park that has a pond and ducks, toddlers love to feed them. A trip to the library makes a good outing. Some libraries offer sto~ reading or activities for young children. Visits to friends are always a good option; babies need company as well as mums. If you already have friends with babies then that's convenient. If not why not go to a mother and toddler group. It is an excellent way to meet other families. Your health visitor will have a list of the ones in your local area. We hope these ideas give you plenty to choose from. Check our 'what can we do now' listings for names and numbers for some of the activities mentioned in this article.

Author:  ffig
Added:  03 Jun 2009