Play Ideas for Babies and Toddlers
Welcome to our collection of playful, hands-on ideas for the littlest learners. From sensory fun to first books and family travel tips, these posts share real experiences from our own home. Browse the stories below and find inspiration for your own little one.
Our Experiences Flying with a One Year Old
We had just returned from our first overseas trip as a family of three, and it was Lilly's very first plane ride. I was far more nervous about flying with her than I can properly describe. Our Brisbane to Auckland flight was only three and a half hours, yet the idea of a crying, unsettled toddler for that long genuinely worried me. I spent hours searching online for packing ideas to make the journey smoother. Here is a look at what we packed in my husband's backpack to keep the flight calmer and more enjoyable. I hope these tips help you too!
Choosing the Backpack
My husband bought this bag while Lilly was still in special care. He didn't want to carry a nappy handbag when it was just the two of them, so he wanted something more rugged. It worked perfectly and held everything comfortably, including her big coat for when we landed in New Zealand. We clipped her dinosaur toy to the zip because it was too large for the bag, and it became her favourite toy throughout the holiday.
What Was Inside the Bag
- A zipped lunchbox holding her sippy cup, packaged snacks and disposable bibs. If you are travelling anywhere, do yourself a favour and get some Heinz disposable bibs. It was so good not having to carry messy bibs around everywhere.
- Several nappies, wipes, nappy bags and a full change of clothes in a zip lock bag. Whenever we go out, I always pack two more nappies than I would normally use at home. We also learned while away to always carry a spare pair of socks. I won't go into detail, but... poo explosion.
- Entertainment. I packed Lilly's favourite board book and a zip lock bag of assorted toys. Most were fairly new, but the wooden worm is one of her favourites at home and I take it everywhere with us. There was also a dummy in there even though she won't take one; it was useful for her to chew on during take-off and landing because she wouldn't stay on the boob. I also packed the iPad, which I hadn't even turned on in the whole year we'd had Lilly. It was still full of educational games and apps from my teaching days, so I thought it might come in handy. I was wrong. Lilly just kept pressing the home button over and over.
- A nice, thick blanket. Planes can get really cold, so this was very handy. I also used it to shield my boobs from other passengers while I fed Lilly to sleep. I had packed a light muslin cloth too, but we didn't use it at all.
- Medicines. Not the illegal kind, of course, but the what-if-she-gets-really-sick kind. Lilly has allergies, so I made sure to pack her allergy medication just in case. We also packed nurofen and bonjela because she was teething. I never leave the house without my thermometer because I'm an anxious mum. Actually, this entire case never leaves my nappy bag.
How Did the Flights Go?
Our first flight from Brisbane to Auckland left at 9:30am, which is when Lilly usually sleeps at home. We let her sleep in the car on the way to the airport, about 40 minutes from 6am, then kept her busy and stimulated as we moved through all the customs lines. Once we reached our gate, we had breakfast and Lilly crawled and walked around to burn off all that toddler energy. Once we boarded, she was well and truly ready for a big breastfeed and a long sleep. I had planned to wait until we were on the runway, but she started to grizzle and I was anxious about what other passengers would think if she was already cranky. I popped the blanket over my shoulder to shield her face and my boob from view, and Lilly fell asleep feeding almost instantly. She slept for nearly the whole flight. I think she would have slept the entire way if the passenger beside us hadn't needed me to move so she could use the bathroom. I even got to watch an entire movie with my husband. We only had to entertain her for about 30 minutes. What a relief. The passengers behind us were amazed and hadn't even realised there was a baby on board. That's a big win.
Our second flight wasn't as smooth but was still a success in my books. I held off her afternoon feed and sleep for as long as possible because we were due to fly out at 4pm. Lilly normally naps around 2 to 3pm, so I was worried when she fell asleep in my sling at the airport. She slept for about an hour while we ate lunch and walked through customs, so it worked out quite well. Once we boarded, she was grizzly again, so I ended up feeding her to sleep just like on the first flight. She fell asleep as we left the runway and I thought, this is so easy. Fast forward to 26 minutes into my movie and Lilly's eyes were wide open. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to feed her back to sleep, but she wasn't having a bar of it. She was happy enough, though, so out came my bag of tricks. She played with her toys and we read our books together, which kept her happy for most of the flight. My husband and I took turns eating, and Lilly sat with her Nana and Poppy for part of the flight too. When dinner came, she had a little feast and even played a game on the in-flight entertainment system. The last hour was tough, though. She was getting tired but wouldn't settle enough to sleep. I tried shielding her face with the blanket, but that just upset her more. She even threw up some milk because she was so full. Overall, Lilly was fantastic to fly with, whether she slept or not. She didn't cry or scream once, and all my stress was for nothing.
Labels: baby, holiday, organisation, parenting
Lilly's First Painting Experience
As many of you know, I am a big supporter of sensory play for little ones. A friend of mine did some cute little paintings with her bubba, which inspired me to paint with Lilly too. I headed to the $2 shop and grabbed some bright, non-toxic paint just in case, along with some canvases. When we got home, I put an old sheet on the floor and dabbed some paint onto the canvas. Next I wrapped some cling wrap around it and popped Lilly down for some painting fun. She loved smooshing the paint with her feet and fingers, but I think Mumma had more fun. This is a great little craft activity, and the finished canvas now sits proudly in her Learning Nook.
Labels: art, baby, craft, play, sensory play
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Books for Babies
Reading is such an important activity to share with your babies and children. It helps develop vocabulary and speaking skills and fosters a love of reading from a very young age. As a teacher, it is quite obvious which students have been read to from an early age. Even though it can feel a little silly, I believe it's important to start reading to the youngest babies. I remember one particular day when Lilly was 8 weeks old. She was fussing and whinging a lot, so I sat down and read to her, and she instantly cheered up. My husband took a photograph of us together, and it is one of my favourite photographs now. So today I thought I would share some of our favourite books to read together at 9 months old. We started to incorporate books into a bedtime routine but found that normal picture books were a bit tough with Lilly and her busy hands. We now read mostly board books, which is what I want to share with you today. At the moment, Lilly is loving books with a sensory element, and anything she can feel with her hands is a winner. We absolutely love reading the Hungry Caterpillar playbook and the dinosaur story book. The Hungry Caterpillar book is so much fun. Lilly loves feeling the lion's...
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More Play Ideas
Explore more sensory and creative activities for your little learners.
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