Hi! I'm Mummy A from Squishels and Me
and I'm really excited to be joining in Squiggles and Bubbles Playful Baby Series! This year we will share with you an arsenal of baby play ideas! We will share with you how we as mothers, learn and grow with our baby through
play. Last week Mummy Lozz shared her 9month old's playspace with you, now it's my turn.
Welcome to Squishels’ playspace. It’s warm and cosy, yet open and inviting. It centres around a bright alphabet rug, with reading and cuddling nooks and toy and book displays. It takes up about a third of our loungeroom but is definitely worth it.
A glider with an ottoman makes the perfect space to rock and
swing Squishels to sleep, whilst a teepee with a few choice cushions (the ones
that didn’t fit on our bed!) will provide a slightly older Squishels a more
private, ‘safe’ nook (although it currently gives me space when I need to
escape the non-understandable screams of an infant!). In the future, a
sheepskin rug (or something similar) with some fluffy cushions may adorn this
space to provide a comfortable reading and napping space for Squishels (if we
ever get around to it- it’s surprising how little gets done once you have a
little one!). We also plan on putting in a little table and chairs for
Squishels for getting her puzzles done or doing some artwork (off the carpet,
of course), but mumma’s can dream, can’t they?
The bright alphabet rug, combined with a softer ‘Winnie the
Pooh’ picture, create a focus for Squishel’s playspace. The rug is often used a
lot more than anything else- it’s almost as versatile as a terry towelling
nappy flat! It’s used for tummy time, song and rhythm time (when I sing a
nursery rhyme or move her arms and legs around like she’s rowing a boat), story
time and just a place to play.
A five-unit shelf provides a space to display toys, with
space for two baby books (a touch and feel book and a high contrast newborn
image book), two baskets with various things in them (typically various cloth
wipes in one and rattles or teething toys in the other), and her favourite
scarf.
At 3 months old, learning about texture through hand and mouth seems
very important (and quite terrifying for a mum who hates dirty things!), so
various textures are placed out for Squishels to explore with her mouth
(various teething toys made from silicon or wood), and her hands (various
materials such as different cloth wipes and her favourite scarf). As Squishel’s
gets older, these toys will be rotated around (with spare toys stored in our
linen closet currently), and the five-unit shelf may be exchanged for a
six-eight unit shelf.
A little basket with story books is kept close at hand, with
a selection of books (like Dr. Seuss’s ‘One Fish, Two Fish’, and a few
personalised books featuring Squishels’ name), so that Mummy can pick one up
and read it to Squishels’ whilst she practices rolling over and sitting up.
Her on-the-go toy selection (for keeping her happy whilst
she watches us pee or cook) involves the scarf (who knew a piece of material
could be so interesting) and a rattle. Grabbing these items for when we need to
get stuff done is ideal, unless Squishels’ just wants to cuddle us and then
nothing will soothe her except a long Mummy cuddle.
So that’s the space we’ve set up for Squishels- a rug, a
display of toys and a calm nook is all that’s really needed with lots of
natural light. It will be able to grow with her, yet provide her with all the
necessary developmental aids she needs at the moment. And hey, all she’s really
interested in at the moment is a spoon!
What does your playspace look like? I'd love to see it on Instagram just add #playfulbabychallenge @squigglesandbubbles @loving_naturally @squishelsandme @mummy_loz @something2offer
Playful Baby Giveaway
Each month as well as equipping you with some fantastic, playful baby ideas we will also be giving away one fabulous Grimm's Spiel & Holz Wooden Toy!Grimm’s Spiel & Holz have been making unique and distinctive natural wooden toys since 1978. Inspired by the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, Spiel & Holz toys leave room for independent and open-ended play, allowing for the child’s own imaginative and creative life to be developed. Spiel & Holz toys have no sharp edges or corners as all the toys are individually sanded by hand. Each toy is hand-finished with special non-toxic and water-based dyes providing distinctive colours and shades, and then treated with pure vegetable oil.
To enter: Upload your photo to Instagram using the hashtags: #playfulbabychallenge and tag @squigglesandbubbles @loving_naturally @squishelsandme @mummy_loz @something2offer
That’s it… TOO EASY!!
Every valid entry is entered in to the prize draw!
Winners will be chosen based on adherence to the guidelines – your photo can be literal, funny, clever, or really creative! Just make sure you show us how you connect with your baby through play!
The fine print…
- Giveaway is open to Australian residents aged 18 and over.
- The winners will be announced via a blog post and on Facebook and Instagram on the 15th of each month.
- The winners need to contact Squiggles and Bubbles via Facebook within 14 days or prize will go to the runner up.
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, authorised by or associated with Facebook or Instagram.
You may also like A Playspace for Turtle. Just click the picture to read all about it!
Beautiful space!
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