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What to buy for your child in the first year beyond diapers & other essentials?

What to buy for your child in the first year beyond diapers & other essentials?

May 12, 2021


The first year of parenthood can feel like it’s all about feeding, pumping, changing diapers, rocking the little thing to sleep - and repeat all over again. Well, that’s true. But, there is a whole lot more going on with your baby.  At this age, every day is a new adventure for them, in fact every minute can be a new adventure! 

 

So what can you do to feed that adventure? How do we go beyond routine care to nurture their natural curioisty and development? 
Here is what our early education team at indigrow kids says: 

Read 

Reading to your child, even when they’re in your womb is proven to be effective in developing emotional attachment. Nothing beats the bond you can form with your child as you read while they sit on your lap or lie down next to you. Not to mention improvement in visual, langugage and story comprehension. Remember it’s never too early to start reading to your child.  A few tips while you choose for this age:

 

  • Representation is important, specially when you’re rasing your child in a multicultural environment. Be sure to find books that represent your own culture and those that your child sees around them. indigrowkids, we need diverse books, coloursofus are all great resources.

Play

Your child develops a surprising amount both physically and emotionally in their first year. Make space and time for play. Not structured play, just free play. 

  • Make sure you have enough space for tummy time, for a little crawl or walk, for rolling about. A good, safe mat is must.
  • Think about movement. Things like grasping, holding, pushing, pulling - All of these are big adventures for little ones. So have a little basket filled with soft blocks, pull open cloth books and as they grow a little older safer wooden pushing and pulling toys.

Smallable & Wee Gallery are both great for these things. 

Walk 

This is not something to buy, but just something to do. Walk outside twice a day if you can. Be it a walk in the park in the stroller or a stroll through the neighbourhood in the baby carrier, the outside enviornment opens up a child’s world view like you would not believe!

Talk 

Your little one’s brain is like a sponge at this age. Don’t hesitate to introuce multiple languages from Day 1. One parent can talk to your little one in English and the other in your native tongue. Or if you’re from two different cultures, you can nurture two native languages and English will be picked up by the natural environment. Trust us, we’ve seen kids who speak 4 languages by the age of 3. Or you can just take it easy and go with the flow. That’s ok too! Just make sure you emphasise on conversation and interaction. 

Sing

This one, we cannot emphasise more! Music is more than moodlifter or a calming tool. It plays a strong role in brain development. Kids can sing and hum before they speak. So, 
  • Make a playlist of your favourite songs and play them during the mornings. A great way to start the day!
  • Create a night time routine of listening to a “ baby’s bedtime playlist”
  • Go beyond the baby songs, add some culture, add variety - old and new, rock and jazz , African and Spanish or even some Bollywood. Every little sound adds to your baby’s personality.
 
And lastly smile. Babies pick up expressions and positive vibes as early as a few months. So be part of the fun, in fact - create the fun. Yes parenting is tough, but these seemingly small acts of reading, talking, singing, walking go a long way in raising a happy, well rounded child.
 

Thanks for reading!

 

This blog is the copyright of indigrow. indigrow makes delightful books, games & songs that help little ones all over the world discover the magical world of different cultures!  Visit us at www.indigrowkids.com  to check out all of our goodies! 

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