10 Baby Games Moms Love
By Kelly Bryant
Magical doesn’t even begin to describe the emotions a parent feels while watching their little one smile or laugh. And nothing provokes one of those gummy grins more than interacting with Mom and Dad through playtime. 10 moms weigh in on the activities that really get their kiddos going.
This Little Piggy
“My son, Caleb, has always loved ‘This Little Piggy.’ There is something about wiggling his toes that makes him laugh uncontrollably. To add some variation I’ll either slow it down, speed it up or try to recite it in different voices so that it never gets old.” - Cathleen S.
Pat-a-Cake
“I think I first noticed Lilah really smile while playing ‘Pat-a-Cake’ and now, so many months later, it still makes her giggle. We’ll either sing it softly or get really rambunctious and tickly with it, and at the end, for the grand flourish, I’ll usually lift her up in the air. I like how such an old nursery rhyme still works with babies today!” - Lauren O.
Peek-a-Boo
Bounce to the Beat
“In the early days, right after Michael was born, to divert his attention from whatever was making him upset I would turn on some music and just dance around the room with him — it always had a positive effect. Now he lights up when he sees my iPod and I continue to pick him up and bounce him around to the beat. I can’t quite lift him as high in the air as I used to now that he’s a bit bigger, but we still have a blast and I get a great workout.” - Jeannette K.
Where's Baby's Nose?
“Personally, my favorite game that I’ve played with all three of my kids when they were babies was the one where I keep asking them questions about where things are located — their nose, their eyes, their hair, their feet. I always felt like it was one of the best ways to truly interact with them, make them laugh and teach them something at the same time.”
- Marisol S.
Magic Carpet Ride
“I never thought of doing this game until my son Jamie and I attended one of his baby gym classes and they did a variation of it there that he absolutely loved where the teacher would pull the children around the room on a parachute. At home we take a giant fleece blanket and turn it into a magic carpet. Jamie sits in the middle and I pull him around the room. It’s fun for him and exercise for me!” - Lydia R.
Blowing Bubbles
“In our house we always have to have plenty of bubble making supplies around because my daughter Sophia loves them. She has so much fun trying to catch them and pop them. I can’t wait until she can walk on her own and really go crazy chasing after the bubbles.” - Shay T.
Rock Band
“I think I might have a future rock star on my hands. Corbin is really into a set of baby musical instruments we bought for him but he also just loves to bang things together in general. It’s so much fun to sit around making ‘music’ with him. He gets such a kick out of it.” - Bree M.
The Great Flying Baby
“A favorite game with our daughter is turning her into a ‘superhero’ by lifting her high up in the air and ‘flying’ around the house. Depending on what kind of mood she’s in we’ll run fast with her in the air outside or make a rollercoaster-like motion which makes her laugh.” - Rachael V.
Getcha, Getcha, Getcha
“I get on the floor with my son and say, ‘I’m gonna getcha. I’m gonna getcha,’ as I crawl and ‘chase’ after him. He thinks it’s so funny and works hard to get away. Although at some point he always stops because he thinks it’s equally as hilarious when I catch him.” - Cora A.
