The Best Toy Is You: Simple Ways to Support Infant Development

On today's episode we talked with guest speaker Sarah all about how to actually play with your infant in a way that supports their overall development. We talk about tummy time, toy recommendations, and specific ways you can interact with your infant at different months. 

Blog post: https://www.functionalfourthtrimester.com/blog 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:04

Welcome to Functional Fourth Trimester, a podcast created to support new parents as they return to daily life after having a baby.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Each episode will talk through common postpartum challenges, share practical education and strategies, and hear from real parents and healthcare professionals along the way.

SPEAKER_03 0:22

Whether you're listening during a feeding, a walk, or a quiet moment, this space is for you. I'm Lauren.

SPEAKER_02 0:28

And I'm Melissa, and we're excited to jump right into today's topic.

SPEAKER_03 0:39

We all want to support our child's development, but with so many toys, products, and opinions out there, it can feel very overwhelming to know what actually matters. What really supports development and what's just noise. Today we're breaking down age-appropriate play and simple activities that can make a meaningful difference.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

I'm happy to introduce our guest speaker today, Sarah Meisig. She's a pediatric occupational therapist, and she's also the owner of Sensationally Balanced, an occupational therapy and natural wellness company. She has extensive background in sensory processing disorders, motor coordination disorders, nutrition and feeding. She's passionate about using holistic wellness approach when working with families. So welcome, Sarah.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

Thank you. Yeah, welcome. We are so happy that you joined us today. I would love to just start off with hearing about kind of like what initially drew you to focus in on children's development and kind of learn more about this area.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Yeah, well, I've been in OT for over 30 years. Um, and I've worked with kids of all different ages. Um, and recently I started questioning my parents, my the kids that I work with about like what would you have wanted to know as a new parent? And most of them said, like, we didn't know anything. You know, we we've read all the books or we've been online and again, you know, Facebook and Google, and they wanted to know, like, what do we do with the kid? And obviously the kids that I'm working with have extra needs, and it's not always, you know, a special needs kid, but just someone who has some extra needs and that they needed some brief OT for. And I wanted to make sure that these parents have the knowledge when their babies are born or infants, so that they can develop typically. And, you know, I wanted to make sure that they knew what was appropriate to be doing at each level of development.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's such a good point about like just starting to like ask parents and wonder like what kind of things would be beneficial. And I think that's a commonality that I've heard from a lot of parents is like, what exactly am I supposed to do now, like at home, you know, other than feed them and get them to sleep and change diapers, like when they're awake and not needing any of those things, like what are we supposed to do then?

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Yeah, and really with my with the parents that I talk to that have little little babies, like one to you know, birth to three months, that is what we talk about. We talk about feeding and sleep and just different activities that you know they can do while they are awake, you know, tell me time and getting them to hold their heads up and roll and those kind of things. When you go to the doctor as a new mom, the doctor's looking at like, you know, is your is your kid healthy? Are they getting a cold? Are they, you know, meeting certain milestones as they go on, but they don't necessarily give you activities to do, they don't talk to you about certain um basic reflexes, which we're all born with, but kids should grow out of at certain ages, and the doctors don't tell you that. Um, and then they also don't tell you, again, where you know, what your baby should be doing at certain ages. And so my goal in working with new moms is to give them activities to do, to talk to them about reflexes, like what's normal for feeding, what's normal for sleep at this age, you know, whatever age their child is. Um, and then how can we help you physically, emotionally, and socially?

SPEAKER_01 4:03

And I think that's where the parent education is lacking, you know, from the pediatrician's standpoint.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

And development happens through play and interactions. So I think it's really important for parents to understand how do you play and interact with your infant and toddler child at different stages and ages, because there are different things that you do. At the beginning, it's very simple, but then it can grows into where they're figuring out those different motor, uh gross motor, defined motor skills, those big movements, those small movements. So I love that this is your focus area because it's so much needed. People want to know how do I play with my child at this age? What things can I do to help them reach that next milestone?

SPEAKER_00 4:47

Yeah, that's very important. And I think again, that's the things that the doctors aren't telling you. And and as OTs, I think it's so important for, I mean, we have that background, we have the development background. And so I I love working with new moms to be like, this is what you can do at this age, and then I'll come back in a couple months and we'll do it again at this age. And you know, I like to do it like every three to six months because babies change so quickly. Um, and so that's I just think it's important for for parents to understand like what's appropriate, what's typical development, and what they should be doing in those next steps.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

Yeah, I think that's awesome. I would love to talk a little bit about like, okay, how do we actually play and what are some activities that you would recommend? Um, and if if we want, we can talk about like certain like groups of months together, like maybe the zero to three range first, and then kind of as they get a little bit older. Um, however, it's easier for you to talk about that.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

In the birth to three, um, obviously, tummy time is the I mean, at birth to three, babies eat, they sleep, and they poop. You know, that's that's what babies do in the first couple months. So tummy time is super duper important. You know, in a 24-hour span, babies should be having tummy time for an hour and a half by three months old, cumulative, like over um, over a 24-hour span. So, you know, a few minutes here, a few minutes there on a firm surface. Obviously, you're not gonna put a baby on a soft surface on their tummy, but that's a lot of time for a baby. And I don't think parents realize that by three months old, they should be starting to lift their head up. You know, I really look at positioning. I talk to parents a lot about movement activities that promote development. Again, gross motor, fine motor, social um interaction, same-sided movement, cross-sided movement, um, you know, where you're touching their hands to their toes or the opposite, a contralateral movement, it's called, is when you're touching the opposite side. So important. Uh, I try with parents um to explain the importance of limiting container play because the more you put your baby in the car seat or in a um jumper or those uh exercise um bins or tables, like that's really limiting how much they are um are growing in terms of um getting stronger. Um, frequent changes of positioning too will uh prevent that flat head, which is called plagiocephaly. So, you know, giving giving them the ability to lay on or the opportunities to lay on both sides. Um, and then I also do a lot of figure eight walking with parents um and babies because walking in a figure eight, in it's called the infinity walk, is really important for movement and for vision. Um, it's really important for babies to lay on their bellies because they get their heads up and start looking around. And it's not about the toys that you get, it's about the activities that you do. So, like even just being face-to-face with your baby and holding, holding the baby, you know, where they can see you, and you know, you can start moving your head side to side so that that baby can start following you with their eyes. And that interaction and that face-to-face is so much more important than any toy you could ever give them. And newborn babies, and even up through a few months, only see eight to twelve inches. Um, and so they're not seeing, you know, dad walk in the house, you know, across the room, or they're not seeing the dog run by. So, you know, it's really important to be face to face with your baby.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

I feel like tummy time is hard, it can be hard because a lot of babies don't want to be on their tummy, you know, it's just or some babies do, but most don't. So I love how you gave multiple ideas. And but then kind of leaning leaning into that more, like uh ways that parents could engage with their baby while they are on doing tummy time on the floor where you're just doing those short little stretches, or even thinking about little things that just quick versions of tummy time where I know obviously things need to be you need to be right there observing them, but people will just put their baby on their tummy right after they change their diaper and be right there with them and talking to them. So you're grabbing that like one or two minutes of tummy time where they're you know, they're not gonna get upset because it's just happening quick. Or other times, like maybe when you get out of the bath, they're on their tummy while you're loasing them up, or other like just stealing those quick moments of tummy time so you're not getting into the those times where it feels overwhelming where you're like an hour and a half of tummy time, like you have to lay here for 20 minutes on your tummy because we haven't gotten that much time, and that can feel so overwhelming. So, if other ideas that you might have of those quick moments that they can steal of tummy time that just become part of their daily routine, do you have any specific things you would suggest for them when maybe they are just physically laying on the floor, on a mat and doing tummy time for those beginning stages of like the zero to three?

SPEAKER_00 9:59

Yeah, so I love mirrors. So, like the you know, the car mirrors, the baby mirrors, anything that the baby can, again, close up because they can't see far away, but anything that the baby can see themselves in. Books, cardboard books are great for little black and white objects, um, are really great for kids to look at. And honestly, if you're having a baby lay on their tummy, the parent should be right here with them too, you know, face to face or in the mirror, you know, next to them so they can see themselves in the mirror too. And again, even just you know, you're moving your head side to side, making silly faces, again, we want their their head to be turning too. We want their eyes to be moving so that your eyes are a muscle and and they're getting stronger, just like the rest of your body is. And so, you know, books as as newborns in in up to like three to four months, we want babies to be able to be starting to look at things. Again, your parents' faces, because you are the most important thing in their life. And so we want, you know, books, mirrors, I love mirrors, um, any kind of bubbles, or again, use your animals, use your family members to get down in front of them to interact and again make silly faces and uh even like a musical instrument, um, or even just banging on the floor, making some, you know, some noise or singing a song. I really try and encourage parents just to interact more with their babies. Uh, we don't need a ton of toys, and like I said, it's just it's more that face-to-face.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Just a mirror in your face.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

Yes, yes, and some books. I mean, books, music, those kind of things are like my I I mean, that's so simple. And obviously, the toys are marketed to everybody because it's a it that's life, but it's you don't need all that. It's yeah, in terms of to get your baby to grow socially, cognitively, emotionally. Like they just need that feeling that they're safe in their own in their space.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

Love that. Thank you for expanding on that part. If you want to move forward into like the three to six now, kind of that's when they're really starting to develop movements.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

So this is where I do start to incorporate some toys, but again, a mere things that they can hold on to. Like I love the playmats with the things that hang down because at this age, kids are starting to reach up over their head, they're starting to grab for things. Again, they're starting to look around more. This is the time, you know, that three to six months. By six months, they're watching the dog run by, or they're starting to blow raspberries and start to babble a little bit more, and you're starting to get a lot more of um, you know, you're starting to give them food and they're starting to sit up by themselves. Uh, you know, it's by nine months, they're starting to roll and crawl. And uh, you know, maybe some kids are pulling up to stand on the couch. And again, this is where you want to um a make sure that all those things are picked up off the floor and the baby's safe in your environment. You know, you have the plugs covered and things that the little things that they can get into are picked up off the bottom shelves. But again, it's it's just it's more where you're sitting on the floor with the baby and and bobby pillows to hold them up. And, you know, but uh going back to the three-month bobby pillows are great for tummy time. Put your baby over a bobby pillow. Um, and and that gives them, or even like a rolled up towel under their armpits so that they can give a little bit of chest support so that they can start to lift their heads up. Anything that they can hold in two hands is again back to the six to nine months or three, you know, four to six months, anything that they can hold in their hands, they're gonna start putting things on their mouths, so like teethers, and now they have these cool silicone straws that are textured, and those are great for kids that are starting to tee to for teething.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

So I would say kind of leading into that support of helping with movement development beyond just like their their neck, their eyes, their head. And what are your thoughts around you know, support like kind of showing them like this is what it feels like to roll, or like kind of when they're doing tummy time, rolling them like side to side so they kind of start to get that sense of like oh my body can do this? Or are there other things like for you, like kind of helping them like shift their body into certain movement positions that you because I know you talked about like crossbody movements and all of that. Are there other things that you would suggest or that you feel are helpful for parents to do engaging just kind of promoting those, like the integration of those reflexes that you were talking about and just kind of helping the baby become aware like wow, my body can do this.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Yep, yeah. So we do I do a lot of swinging with babies or or little ones in even in a blanket or even in your hands where you're moving side to side like this. So head to toe directional and side to side rocking, and you can do it in a big it, you know, if you have a bigger baby, you can do it in a blanket where you're just moving the blanket side to side. Um, I really teach parents that if your baby is starting to roll, we're gonna start from the hips and and help them move from their hips to roll over. We really want to get a lot of trunk rotation in their movements. Um, so even when they're sitting, I'll put things on one side. So they have to put both hands to one side or the other. Um, or you're putting uh, you know, toys or, you know, yourself on your positioning yourself on one side or the other so that that baby has to move and again, weight shift side to side and back and forth. And that is really helping to build their core strength. And it is also, I know we I I talked about primitive reflexes. Again, those are things that we're all born with, and babies um are supposed to grow out of them between, you know, be before 12 months for most of them. And we're finding kind of over time that babies are not growing out of those reflexes. So doing a lot of these activities, again, those basic movement things are um are gonna help your baby to integrate those reflexes faster, which is gonna help with movement patterns as they get older and you know, as they go into school, it's gonna help with their academics and learning and being able to sit in a chair. Um, and I know again, that's like the farthest thing from new moms' minds right now, but it it's it's so basic, like that we have if if we start early enough, like I am all for the earlier the better. You know, the earlier you start working with your babies on these movement patterns, that it will help them in the long run. Um, you know, even getting up onto their knees. So if they're laying on their belly, you can push their knees up and they will start to push up on their hands and then, you know, get their get their face up too.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

Yeah, I love that. I am curious. I feel like in OT world, we talk a lot about like the just right challenge for kids. And so a lot of parents might not be very familiar like with how to, you know, move a specific toy or do a specific activity that's gonna be just a little bit challenging to like help progress their development. So I'm curious if you have any like recommendations on how parents can kind of be observing like when an activity is maybe too easy for their kid now, and maybe they need to place that toy just a little bit further. Or, you know, like you were saying, place it on the same side so they're having to vote, you know, like roll to that side or something. So I'm curious if you have any like recommendations on kind of how to look out for when they maybe are ready for something further for development.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Yeah, and that's a hard one because every child is unique, obviously. Um, but giving, you know, if they're doing something and they're playing with something and they're doing it over and over again and it's just easy for them, then you want to take it up a notch. And again, it's hard to, as OTs, we are really skilled at breaking down an activity like step by step, but you know, giving them like this um asking them to pick up a toy or or a certain you know shape if you're doing like a puzzle with a baby, uh with an older, you know, older baby. If they are, you know, not really reaching up to grab something, or if they are reaching up to grab something, we can make it like hold it down a little bit so it's easier for them, or put it further away so they have to roll or reach higher to get it. Um, you know, there's little we want to increment that in baby steps so that it's it's not too hard for them because we don't want them to get frustrated, but we also want, you know, them to be successful.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

Yeah, definitely. And I think that kind of comes back around to how you were talking about earlier about like constantly just changing the position of things and the way they're doing it, like not always doing the, you know, whether it's tummy time or playing with them the exact same way. Because kind of that diversity of movements and activities is really supportive for development.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

Yeah. Well, and I think it's really important to be purposeful about what you're giving them and intentional about what you're giving them. You you don't want them to be overstimulated, but yet you don't want them to be not challenged at all. So, you know, looking at what again, there's tons of information online about like what is the next step for my baby? What should my baby be doing at this level? Um, and giving them things that I try and go like a month or two up so that they can work towards a goal of doing, you know, of doing that next, that next step.

SPEAKER_03 19:27

Definitely. If a new like mom or dad or parent is listening to this and is really just like in that overwhelm stage of like there's so much information out there, um, is there like what like simple kind of thing would you tell them or like one simple thing to prioritize so that they can kind of help manage, you know, all the opinions and information out there about toys and activities and all of that?

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Parents being overwhelmed is especially as new moms and dads are that's that's normal, that's very typical to be overwhelmed. But again, take it for look at your child, and every child is unique. And if your child is not able to do something, don't compare. Like comparison is a thing. Like that will that will crush you as a parent if you're looking at your friend's kids and they're doing something that your kid is not. Like most kids get there in time. So everybody develop develops at different, you know, at different stages. And again, that's that's why you know, if you need help, that's why we're here. Um, you know, to help you through those challenges.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

Um That's so good that you said that because even if you look at us as you know, as we age, like children in elementary school or middle school, high school adults, some kids pick up math really, really well and they just do amazing at it. Other kids are so good with reading, other kids are good with art, other you know, we all have different things that we're good at, and this starts at a very small age. So your child might be excelling in one place, and a friend of yours is excelling in another place. So really, truly not comparing and just supporting their development through play and the things that we've talked about today, and knowing that they will develop faster in some areas than they will other areas because that's just how they're built.

SPEAKER_03 21:22

I wanted to thank our guest speaker, Sarah, for joining us today and sharing her experience and knowledge all about development and what activities you can do at home to help aid in your child's development. I know it can feel very overwhelming to know how to play with your baby, what toys you should get, what activities you should be doing. But I hope this helped reassure you that the most important thing is you interacting with your baby in a face to face manner and really just being there to optimize their development. In the description to this episode, I will attach the link to our blog post. Which will have even more recommendations, information, and Sarah's contact information and website. We thank you all so much for joining us today, and we can't wait to talk with you again next time.

SPEAKER_02 22:17

I hope today's conversation gave you something practical to take into your day or simply remind you that what you're experiencing is normal. Returning to daily life after birth is a process, and support matters.

SPEAKER_03 22:28

However, your day continues from here, be gentle with yourself. You're doing important work. Thanks for listening. We'll meet you back here next time.