Sensory Activities for Babies: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Development

As the magic of holding your newborn begins to become a part of everyday life, one question often arises: "What can I do to give my baby the best start in life?" Sensory activities are a wonderful answer to this. They allow your baby to discover the world, while contributing to their cognitive, physical and emotional development.

In this guide, we offer you a selection of the best sensory activities to practice at home to promote your baby's development from their first months.

Why are sensory activities so important?

Babies are naturally curious and eager to explore the world around them. Through sensory activities, they stimulate their senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. These experiences help them better understand their environment while strengthening essential skills like coordination, motor skills, and even socialization. It’s also a key time to create neural connections that are essential for their overall development.

Types of Sensory Activities for Baby

There are many sensory activities that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. Here are some ideas:

1. Tummy Time
   Essential for strengthening the muscles of the neck, back and shoulders, it also allows baby to better explore his environment. Make this moment even more sensory by placing toys with varied textures around him.

2. Sensory bins
   Fill a small bin with touchable materials like rice, sand, or water, and add toys. Be sure to stay close by to prevent baby from putting unsafe items in his mouth.

3. Music and songs
   Sing or play music to stimulate your baby's hearing. Dance with him to add a tactile and emotional dimension to this moment of shared pleasure.

4. Games with mirrors
   Babies love looking in the mirror. Show them their reflection and name the different body parts. These moments contribute to your child's body awareness.

5. View pictures
   Look through photo albums or picture books together. Smiling family faces are particularly calming and reassuring for baby.

6. Observe moving objects
   A walk outside to observe the moving leaves or the shadows on the wall allows baby to develop his ability to concentrate and his visual tracking.

7. Taste clean toys
   Taste is a sense that babies love to explore. Be sure to offer food-grade silicone toys like these from Ploomie, perfect for safe chewing!

Create a suitable sensory environment

Creating a safe and stimulating space is crucial for your child's sensory exploration. Here are some tips:

• Use different textures : soft rugs, hard toys, soft blankets…
• Bet on contrasting colors to stimulate baby's vision.
• Offer a variety of sounds : soft music, natural noises, interactive toys.
• Create a safe and comfortable space to encourage risk-free exploration.

Sensory toys

Sensory toys are essential for engaging your baby's senses. There are two main types:

• Passive toys , often light and sound, which amuse babies without them having to interact.
• Active toys , which require baby to manipulate them to discover sounds or textures.

In summary

Sensory activities are a great way to support your baby's healthy development. They help your baby explore the world while developing physical, cognitive and social skills. By creating an environment rich in stimulation, you are giving your little one the best foundation to thrive.