How can you use a baby bouncer to promote your baby’s development?
Put your baby safely and securely in their bouncer, hop into the shower, done! This is one of the most common functions of a baby bouncer in everyday life. Especially in the beginning, when your baby is small and prefers to be snuggled and close to parents and loved ones.
Did you know that you can use your Ergobaby 3-in-1 Evolve Bouncer to play with your baby and encourage their development? We have some cool ideas for you on how a baby bouncer can help you support your child through their developmental stages.
Baby bouncer in everyday life: suggestions for play and movement.
When your baby is born, they can only see 20-25 centimetres from your face and react mainly to high-contrast objects – mainly black and white. As the weeks and months go by you get more and more opportunities to actively interact with your baby. For example, you can play games and do movement exercises while your little one is sitting in their bouncer. At the same time, the rocking motion has a calming effect on your baby as it is reminiscent of rocking in the womb. Your baby will love it!
Remember, a baby bouncer is not a permanent resting place, but a short-term aid in everyday life. Encourage a healthy mixture of carrying, cuddling, nursing, eating and time on the floor, preferably in the tummy time position as this is very important for your child’s development.
Baby bouncer from birth: 0 to 3 months.
Are you looking for a safe and comfortable place for baby when they are not in your arms? A baby bouncer can give you the “freedom knowing they are safe and with you” that sometimes you need in everyday life, otherwise how else can you take a shower? Our Evolve 3 in 1 bouncer comes with a removeable newborn insert, so your baby’s sensitive head is optimally supported from day one. As babies can only turn their head to the side to 45 degrees in the first few months, and only with a slight hyperextension of the cervical spine, the back of the head should always have enough room to turn. Our newborn insert is designed in such a way that your child’s head is not forced into a tilted position, or the chin is pressed onto the chest. It can breathe freely, and avoid a flat back of the head, the so-called flat head syndrome. Read more about what makes our bouncer so ergonomic here.
Try the following ‘games’ as part of your little one’s development:
# Eye contact: use your bouncer to practise eye contact by placing your baby in their bouncer and approaching their face from their feet – about 20 centimetres. Your baby will begin to return your gaze and enjoy eye contact. Talk or sing to your baby while you do this.
# Hand-to-mouth coordination: encourage your baby’s hand-to-mouth coordination and sucking skills by bringing their hand to their mouth to let them suck away.
# Draw a face: whilst your baby is relaxing in their bouncer, outline your baby’s face using your finger. Draw the outline of their eyebrows, run your fingers over their nose and around their mouth. Your baby will be amazed.
# Sensory Play: take different textures such as a silk cloth, a feather etc and gently stroke your baby’s skin with it.
Using a baby bouncer from 4 to 6 months.
Your baby’s motor skills improve rapidly from around 4 months, meaning they are showing more interests in toys. With our removeable Ergobaby Evolve Ocean Wonders toy bar you can make baby’s time in the baby bouncer even more interesting by exploring sensory skills.
The following additional games can bring variety into your child’s daily routine too:
# Texture: encourage your little one to explore different textures and sounds like ringing a bell, shaking a rattle or grabbing a crinkle toy.
# Reach out: to strengthen grasping and hand-eye coordination, you can place or hang a rattle or teething ring from the side of their bouncer. If your baby does not yet reach for a toy, you can encourage your baby to do so by stroking the back of their hand with the toy.
# Criss-cross: when your baby is sitting in their bouncer, take their hand in yours and stroke the opposite knee. This is a playful way to encourage grasping through the middle of the body.
# Flirting: the older your baby gets, the better they can grasp thinner objects. Look for baby toys with little ribbons and tags. It will now become more and more interesting to grasp and examine more delicate objects.
Using a baby bouncer from 6 months+.
At this stage babies become mobile and react more to their surroundings. Your baby can now perceive more details. They begin to explore materials, pass objects from hand to hand or put them in their mouth to feel and taste them. This is also the right time to baby-proof your home environment if needed.
# Exploratory urges: give your baby wooden animals, a ball with pimples or a Montessori ball to play with in their bouncer. They will be able to occupy themselves with these for a while. Since most toys end up in their mouth, make sure that there are no small parts that could come off and that the material of the toy is not dangerous (e.g., the dye colours used). Every toy should be tested for harmful substances and approved for babies.
# Show me your feet: little feet are a great way to interact in the bouncer. Take your baby’s feet in both hands and massage the soles of their feet length and width ways. This helps to develop the arches of the feet. You can also bring the outer edges of your baby’s feet together. They will then look at the soles of their feet like an open book. They may start to play with their feet or clap the soles of their feet. This so-called supination position is important for the correct positioning of the feet in further development.
# Discover and look: use your bouncer as a seat to read books together. A baby bouncer is a great ergonomic chair, especially if your baby is not yet able to sit upright on their own for a longer time.
Growing baby bouncer and its advantages.
Would you like to know more about the developmental steps of your child? Sign up to our Ergobaby Baby Steps newsletter. You’ll learn all about the most important milestones and get lots of useful tips – from packing your hospital bag to tips about our Evolve 3-in-1baby bouncer. Ergobaby accompanies you, your baby and family throughout your baby’s first year.
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Meta-Title: Baby bouncer, supporting developmental milestones.
Meta-Description: The Ergobaby Evolve Bouncer is more than a baby bouncer. You can encourage your child’s development with simple games and exercises.
