Play Gyms!

Play gyms are an excellent resource to get your baby moving and stimulated during floor time! These days, they have plenty of options out there. They include music, lights, hanging toys, animal noises, and mirrors (so baby can see how cute he is!) Did you know, there are multiple ways to use them? 

Let baby lay on their back and reach up for the fun toys. You can hang the toys right in the middle above baby to help promote holding their head and reaching for toys in the midline. Then try hanging the toys down towards the sides of the arches to encourage head rotation and reaching to the sides. Play gyms aren’t just for hands, though! Get baby’s feet involved by showing them how to kick at their toys! This really helps strengthen their core muscles to prepare for rolling back to tummy. Oftentimes, as baby grows, so does the play gym. Many of them can be adjusted as baby transfers to rolling and sitting by removing the overhead arches to make room for new skills. 

Fun tip - while toys are fun, you are baby’s favorite during play time! (or anytime really). Get down there and show your baby all the fun features. Sing songs, clap, play peek-a-boo and enjoy floor time together!

Check out a couple of my favorite play gyms here and here! 

Bonus** Around 4-6 months babies have enough core strength to kick their legs up high and even start grabbing their toes. But you can help them with this and bring awareness to their feet even earlier!