Knock It Down, Baby!

Simple activities can be the best ones -- for both baby and mommy!

Here’s one for you: turn a laundry basket upside down and place one or more of baby’s favorite toys on top. The toys will pique baby’s interest. He’ll crawl, scoot, or slither over to the basket, see the toy, and think to himself: “how do I get this thing down?!” 

I’m sure that’s exactly what Hayden was thinking when I did this with him. He just stared at the top of the basket for what seemed like an eternity. Thinking, thinking, thinking.

He’s since managed to retrieve the toys in different ways, which is why this activity is a great one: it gives baby problem-solving practice. 

At first, he tried to knock down the ball with his arm. But it was out of reach. He had to figure out another way.

Baby activities: using a ball to knock down an item from a laundry basket

Later on, he lifted his arm up with a toy in hand; he tried to use it to knock off the ball. No success. More thinking and a lot of trial and error ensued. And that’s why this activity is a good one. 

Activities for babies: using a laundry basket while sitting

This activity is also fun to do while baby is sitting up. It’ll give him practice reaching for elevated toys that are just out of reach. 

Activities for babies: using a laundry basket with boxes

For an extra challenge, stack a small empty box (like a shoe box) or plastic container (like an empty yogurt container) on top of the laundry basket. Then, place the toy on top of the box or container. This, too, got Hayden thinking. 

I recommend sitting behind baby for safety reasons. One day, baby may decide that he’s had enough sitting and use the basket to help him stand up. 

Activities for babies: using a laundry basket while standing

That’s what Hayden did.

He was sitting in front of the upside down laundry basket. He must have thought to himself: “This toy would be easier to get if I were standing.” 

So he lifted his arms up, grabbed the edge of the basket, and pulled himself up to get the toy! He’d never done this before, and I was glad that I was behind him so I could help balance while standing and reaching. It's also useful to have the basket against the wall to provide more stability.

Needless to say, you can iterate on this activity in many different ways and baby will have loads of fun!