words Alexa Wang
Parenthood is one of the noblest and tender treasures one could experience. A child, by all measures, is truly a gift to the world. Every child innately carries the best qualities humanity has to offer within them. Curiosity, joy, and a fascination with everything around them are what make a new life so endearing to witness and behold.
In order for a child to develop healthily, though, it’s important that a child stays active from early infancy. Being a parent is already so much work. Even for the most prepared parent, having all the answers is just not going to happen. To get some clarity, peace of mind, and even just overall better rest as a parent, here are seven tips to help keep your baby active.
Your Baby Needs Fuel
In this vast universe bound by the laws of thermodynamics and entropy, it is impossible to escape the fact that your little one needs fuel. Eating right and staying nourished is the best foundation of any activity. From the moment a baby is born, it’s an immediate cycle of eating, crying, and then sleeping.
It’s a hilarious aspect of parenthood – and oftentimes a stressful one! – but it’s no less important to pay attention to it. The first step to allowing a child to make the most out of their activity levels is through the right amount of nutrition that allows them to move and wander about.
Recharging for More Playing
Like we already mentioned, babies eat, sleep, and cry… wash, rinse, repeat. Eating and sleeping are the two main critical points to focus on when thinking about your child’s growth and development. It is important that a child is properly nourished and has the energy and building blocks to grow and stay active, and just as important is rest.
Rest is more than just avoiding cranky meltdowns at naptime, too. The human body is always building and working, this is especially true of newborns and children. The proper rest allows your baby to properly recharge and rest after all the new experiences they’ve been introduced to during their time awake.
Toys That Move
The greatest toys for children are often the most simple ones. It makes sense, though, as the bewilderment of an infant’s imagination goes beyond the average hyper-specialized toy. In fact, the toys that will make the most out of their development are as abstract as they are simple.
A child is fundamentally learning what it means to interact with the world. As such, the toys that safely allow them to do so are a great way to get them active. Toys that are safe and vary in texture, color, size, and weight are all perfect examples of toys for children. Even something as simple as a ball prepares a child to think critically about their spatial awareness.
Ample Outdoor Exposure
It is important for a child to interact with the open environment as much as possible, given that one day they will realize they inhabit the planet Earth with the rest of us. The sooner, the better. While toys prepare them for their understanding of objects, the outdoors exposes infants to the sounds and sights of the world around them.
Finding a safe area is always paramount, but areas with soft natural features will be the safest places for even the youngest infants to interact in. Think of areas with soft grasses, leaves, or soft-base jungle gyms at the park.
The Right Gear for Your Infant
The right gear for your infant will make the most out of their ability to move around and interact with the world around them by keeping their movement range free. These clothes will not only allow your infant to stay protected, but they’ll also let them move around and feel the world out.
The romper is a fantastic example of clothes that protect the little booties so prone to, well, falling on their booties. Take, for example, a baby girl bubble romper. Clothes like these allow your child to look cute and colorful, while also providing a free range of motion and no constricting fabrics to frustrate them.
Diapers are also an important consideration. Diaper preferences will vary from parent to parent, and each infant will have the type of diapers they work best with. Regardless of which diaper is chosen, though, it’s important to find a diaper properly suited for comfortable movement and walking.
Wrapping Up
The new lives that are now learning to interact and make meaning of the world around them are absolutely a precious joy to any proud parent. Keeping a child active may seem difficult with all the responsibilities of parenthood, but a child will always make the most of what it is given.
The bottom line? Don’t overthink it, get your child some simple toys (or get them outside whenever possible!), and get them the right clothing that frees them up for roaming. Being intentional is what will bring out the best of you as a parent – and you will undoubtedly do well with it for years to come!
