Handy Hints for Helpful Babies

Hi there

As you’ll no doubt have realised if you’ve read my other blog posts, I’m getting pretty good at this whole baby thing. Mummy and I make a great team, and I like to think there’s a lot I do to make her days easier and more enjoyable than before I came along.

So I thought it might be helpful for me to write down and share a few top tips for you other babies. I hope you find them useful:

Around the house

• Always join Mummy in the bathroom – she hates to be alone! A good way of staying close by is to use her knickers to pull yourself up to standing while she’s sitting down.

• Bookcases are filled with things Mummy hasn’t used or sorted in a while. Why not try removing everything to get Mummy started with the sorting.

• Cooking dinner and doing chores can be boring. Entertain Mummy by holding on to her legs or letting her hold you while she works.

• Mummy likes to get some tummy exercises done each day, but she has limited time. Help to intensify the exercises by sitting on her tummy or legs while she does them.

• It’s really important to develop new skills, and it brings Mummy joy to see these. So surprise her with a new skill every once in a while – roll for the first time when on a high surface, use a box to stand on to reach a higher shelf, climb up the stairs or simply take something apart.

Out and about

• It’s easy for Mummy to get distracted so help her to remember that you’re hungry by tugging at her clothes. If that fails, try crying loudly.

• Mummy knows that exploring your world is an important part of your development. So make sure you do as much exploring as possible while out and about. See what that autumn leaf tastes like, or how far you can get from Mummy before she starts to fret, or maybe try out a new bit of equipment at the playground to see how high you can climb.

• Everyone loves a good game. Why not play hide and seek with Mummy? She’ll soon get the hang of the game when she realises she can’t see you.

• Out and about is a great time to show off new skills. Worked out how to say a new consonant? Shout it loudly during the prayers at church, when people are best able to hear you, or in the supermarket (great acoustics).

Meal Times

• You’ll have a lot of these, so it’s worth getting them right. Make sure Mummy knows you appreciate her efforts by ensuring she has plenty to keep her occupied – I tend to find that covering the high chair, me, and sometimes the kitchen floor, in food can keep her busy and contented.

• Mummy loves cooking and baking but not calories. So make sure you request plenty of varied food for her to make for you (easiest way to do this is to randomly refuse to eat things you usually love). This gives Mummy a focus for her cooking and stops her baking things she shouldn’t be eating.

And if somehow these don’t make Mummy utterly delighted with you…

• Remember that if you push things a little too far and Mummy seems upset, you can always cheer her up with your winning smile or, if even that doesn’t work, a big cuddle and a sloppy wet kiss.

Do you have any other suggestions for ways to make Mummy happy? I’d love to hear them so please send them through using the comments section below. Bye for now!