Like many only children, my daughter grew up in a household of adults. When she was an infant, baby and toddler, she had no other children to play with. Unfortunately, most of our friends were single or were childless married couples. Although babies lack conversational skills, they do need social activities. Socialization begins at home and when you take them with you to go shopping, to run errands and to eat at restaurants.
How many people resist stopping to talk with the baby? They will applaud the cuteness and adorableness of your child. They make faces; they talk to them and your baby will likely talk back. It’s important for your baby to see these different faces and to talk to these different people. It gives them a realistic viewpoint on the world as they see people of all ages and races from grandparents to adults to teenagers to children to other babies.
When my daughter was 20 months old, she commented to a waiter in a restaurant that she liked his brown skin. The waiter didn’t miss a beat. He gave her a toothy grin and winked. He thanked her and then she asked him where he got it. He told her he was born with it and she looked at me plaintively and said, “Why couldn’t I be born with brown skin too?”
Our children learn the world around us through interaction and processing of those interactions. For stay at home moms with one or two small children, it may seem hard to find situations that are right for you and your child. We enrolled our daughter into a daycare for two days a week when she was 2 and ½ in order to let her have other children to play with.
So if you’re looking for places to go and socialize your baby, check out the following:
· Parent-Child Play Groups – Expands your circle of friends as well as that of your child.
· Mom’s Day Out – Many Churches, children’s activity schools and daycares offer a “Parent’s Day Out” class that may meet once a week for two or three hours, this is a great opportunity for baby to get some time with other children while Mom gets some quality time to herself.
· Play Bye-Bye Games – Saying hello and goodbye are important social rituals that children grasp quickly and it teaches them to be a part of the larger community.
· Adventure to New Settings – Take your baby to the park, the playground area at the Mall or even just to a pet store. Expose them to new arenas where they can interact with others.
· Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – Babies love mirrors. They can see themselves, talk to themselves and interact with the other baby in the mirror. They learn about their expressions and much, much more.