Baby Caregiver Games

At some point you are going to have to get out of the house without baby. For those times you will need to have a caregiver who can babysit while you are out. Let’s say your teenage niece is an available babysitter but this would be her first time looking after a baby alone for a few hours. You wouldn’t want her to sit your baby in front of the TV or strapped into their swing the entire time, so how do you encourage her to interact with your baby? Here are some baby caregiver games that she can play with her baby cousin so that your child gets the interaction they need to thrive and stimulate their development.

Playing with Newborns

While newborns mainly eat and sleep the first couple of months, there are a few activities you can give your caregiver for amusing your little one. Infants this young are not able to hold toys just yet but they love to gaze and take in new things. You can have a few baby toys with bright contrasting colors and sounds for your babysitter to entertain with. Finger puppets are great for newborns. Have some handy (pun-intended) for her to play with baby.

A fun game for both baby and the sitter is pedal-pushing. She can do this after diaper changes or while on a mat on the floor. Show her how to gently ‘pedal’ baby’s feet as though she is riding a bike. Babies love it because they like to kick and it will also help her develop gross motor skills.

Right now, your baby is adjusting the their surroundings and that includes other people. Voices apart from mommy and daddy’s are one of the ways babies get to know others. Encourage your caregiver to talk to baby or sing, especially if baby is beginning to get fussy. It’s never to early to start reading, so you can also have a few books that she can read to her.

Games for Active Babies

When your little one starts becoming more active and alert, there are many more baby caregiver games and activities your babysitter can do. A great way to have your caretaker play with them as well as help with their development is tummy time. Have a mat and some toys that she can use to play with baby by moving them and encouraging them to hold their head up to see.  Mirror toys make great floor-time toys because babies love to see themselves.

Once your baby is old enough to sit up on their own and grasp toys, have a basket or toy bin that your babysitter can give to baby to play with. Stacking cups, rings, and blocks are great things that she can play with baby. Let her put the rings together then give to baby for them to try to pull them off or stack blocks and let your little one knock them down. These toys can provide fun entertainment as well as honing important developmental skills.

Hiding games are really great as well. From 4 months on, this is an easy game your caregiver can play with baby. Have her place a small toy or rattle on the floor then place a box (or small blanket, towel, etc) over the toy and say ‘Where did it go?’ She can let baby ‘look’ around for it. She can also place a toy within a box then in a larger box and so on for 5 layers. Have her open each one while they are watching in amazement until she reaches the one with the toy and let baby go for it.

Young Toddlers

Once your child becomes more mobile, you can have more active baby caregiver games for your babysitter to play with them. A simple game of chase can be exciting for your little one and keep them busy while on the move (and out of trouble as babies tend to get into everything in the blink of an eye)

Young toddlers like to imitate others so this is another game your caretaker can play with your child. She can make silly sounds, faces, and dances then letting your child try to copycat them. She can put on music and dance around the house with your toddler following and dancing along.

If your caretaker will be babysitting at night and you don’t want your little one all riled up just before bed they can play some quiet games together that are just as engaging. Singing nursery rhymes with hand gestures such as ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ are good games she can still play with them while helping them wind down followed by a book.