At 11 months old your baby is becoming an active and independent little soul and you may be wondering how to entertain them, but your baby’s personality could help you understand the types of play he/she is happier with.
There are a lot of changes going on with your little one. Exploring is such a fun thing to do and communicating in his/her own way. Your baby’s personality will be starting to take shape; is your baby a quiet and thoughtful baby – watching everything that is going on; is your baby more adventurous and always on the go; does your baby like routine? Your baby may already have particular favourite toys, games or books already and this may tell you what type of play your baby prefers.
Babies who are always on the move, becoming upset when things don’t happen quick enough will need you to satisfy their frustration. A baby with lots of energy may want to do a lot of active play. You could look at local soft play centres or mother and baby groups where babies can interact with each other and there is lots of safe play area and toys to play with. He may like the loud, bangy toys such as musical instruments, push-along toys and building blocks.
Some babies like to sit and watch the world go by. This doesn’t mean they are not learning but more that they are learning from the world around them. If this is your baby they may want to weigh up whether to interact or not. You may find your baby is happy playing with one particular toy and likes to play quietly on their own. They may not like noisy play groups or they may be happy just sitting there playing and watching. He may not be happy at play groups where there is lots of people – perhaps try your local library and see if there is a baby and toddler reading group – especially if your baby likes to handle books.
For all babies it is a good idea to encourage them to play and go to environments they are not quite happy with. Little and often play times with toys or games your baby is not used to will help them learn that they can do other things. For those babies that don’t enjoy noisy play/environments take them for little and often visits to help them adjust. For your on-the-go baby find times for quiet play – this could be in the bath or out and about. Whilst baby is in their pushchair or car seat you could provide a book, sing nursery rhymes or look at different places as you walk or drive around.
Your baby’s personality is starting to really emerge now and with all the other different developing he is going through it is worth taking some time to learn what he/she prefers to do. Your baby is unique in his personality and the way he plays, so go with it and introduce different play and situations slowly.
It won’t be long until your baby is turning 1 year’s old, read our ‘Celebrate Your Journey’ to find out about your baby’s development.
