30+ Amazing Sensory Activities for Babies That Enhance Development
The first few months and years of a baby’s life are crucial for their overall development. As an occupational therapist specializing in pediatric care, I understand the significance of sensory experiences in shaping a child’s cognitive, emotional, and motor skills.
Sensory activities for babies play a pivotal role in stimulating a baby’s senses, fostering neural connections, and promoting healthy development. All babies benefit from sensory activities to foster the development of their sensory systems and sensory processing skills.
This post was created by Marra Robert, OTD, OTRL, and contains affiliate links.
Hi! My name is Marra, and I’m a mama and a pediatric occupational therapist who has years of experience working with children with different developmental needs and helping their parents navigate the ups and downs of child development.
I loved being a support person for parents learning about child development, sensory processing, and their child’s individual needs. I would often recommend different sensory activities to help improve their child’s sensory processing and developmental skills. I’d like to share the most common recommendations with you.
This blog post is all about the best 30+ sensory activities for babies that not only bring joy and excitement but also contribute to their overall development and well-being. These activities are designed to engage various senses,, creating a rich and diverse sensory environment for your little one.
What is Sensory Processing
Before we dive into the list of 30+ amazing sensory activities for babies, it’s important to first understand what sensory processing is in order to understand why sensory activities are so important for a baby’s development.
Sensory processing is our ability to take in information from our environment through our 8 sensory systems, filter out what is important, understand it, and then choose an appropriate response to that information.
Yes, that is correct. We do have 8 senses. We have the five senses more commonly known including what we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch.
We have 3 additional senses that are less familiar to people: our vestibular, proprioceptive, and interoceptive sensory systems.
Our vestibular sense is our sense of balance and our body’s response to gravity. Our proprioceptive sense is our sense of deep pressure and body awareness. Interoception is our sense of how our bodies are feeling.
If you would like to learn more about sensory processing and our 8 amazing sensory systems, check out the post linked below.
There is a lot of information that comes in through our 8 senses that our brains need to process. We do this constantly, even when we are sleeping. That’s a lot of work for our babies’ brains.
Children do not fully develop their sensory processing abilities until they are around 7 years old. Babies benefit so much from participating in sensory activities, even when they are little.
Every baby is unique and has unique sensory needs. Remember to respect their comfort level and limits when exploring new sensory experiences with them. Listen to your baby. They’ll tell you what they need.
Ok, let’s dive into these 30+ amazing sensory activities for babies that will enhance their development and play skills.
30+ AMAZING SENSORY ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES
SKIN TO SKIN TIME
Skin to skin time is by far the most beneficial sensory activities for babies. It is really important for newborns but benefits babies and toddlers as well. I did skin to skin time with my daughter when she was a one year old.
This is the best sensory activity for babies 0-4 months because it gives them powerful tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory input. They also sense your smell and the familiar sound of your voice, promoting caregiver and infant bonding.
BABY MASSAGE
Baby massages are great sensory activities for babies 0-6 months. They provide them with excellent tactile and deep pressure sensory input. It also promotes body awareness for gross motor skills and caregiver infant bonding.
TUMMY TIME
Encourage your baby to engage in tummy time on a textured mat. This not only helps in developing neck and upper body strength but also introduces different tactile sensations.
Tummy time play are great sensory activities for babies 0-6 month old. They get a new visual perspective of the word and use their eyes and neck muscles in different ways.
It is never too soon to start tummy time. A great way to do it with newborns is by laying their tummy down on your chest, and they get skin to skin too. Double bonus!
High Contrast Visual Input
Babies are drawn to high-contrast patterns. Provide them with black and white toys or images to stimulate their developing visual system. Looking at pictures and books with high-contrast patterns are great sensory activities for babies.
Airplane Rides
As soon as your baby has head and neck control, time for airplane rides! Start slow and add more movement input based on your babies enjoyment level. Follow the giggles!.
Airplane rides are great sensory activities for babies because they are an excellent source of vestibular sensory input and can challenge their balance.
Crinkly Fabric Books
These books are so fun to play with and great sensory activities for babies 0-6 months. They can move them around their fingers and cause different noises and even explore them with their mouth. Plus getting babies interested in books early is an added bonus.
Textured books
This book linked down below was one of my daughter’s favorite books when she was a baby, and she still loves it today. There are so many great new textures in here for the baby to explore.
There are other great sensory books that are similar that are worth checking out. Each offers a new sensory experience.
Sensory Balls
Soft, textured balls can provide tactile stimulation and improve your baby’s grasp reflex. Roll the balls gently over their hands and feet during supervised play.
When they get older, you can engage in social sensory activities for baby. by rolling the ball back and forth with them.
Musical mobile
Hang a musical mobile above your baby’s crib to engage their auditory senses are southing sensory activities for babies 0-6 months.. The gentle melodies can have a calming effect and encourage auditory tracking.
Playing with food
Food before one is just for fun! Explore safe-to-eat textures with sensory activities for babies, like letting your baby play with mashed fruits, cooked pasta, or soft cereal.
Always monitor closely to prevent choking, and remember to wait until they are able to sit independently before introducing them. foods. Babies are more likely to try and taste new foods if they enjoy touching and playing with it with their fingers. Time to get messy!
Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder
These munchkin fresh food feeders offer great options for sensory activities for babies. This is a safe way for babies to explore new taste sensations of different foods by putting them in one of these pouches.
You can even throw it into the freezer to have for a teething baby or to simply have your baby explore different temperature sensations. When my daughter was a baby, she did not like anything cold. Every baby has unique sensory preferences.
Water Play
Fill a shallow basin with lukewarm water and let your baby experience the sensation of water on their hands and feet. Always supervise closely during water play.
Water play activities with cups and bowls are great sensory activities for babies 12-18 months old. My daughter loves water play!
MIRROR EXPLORATION
Place a baby-safe mirror in front of your little one during playtime. This not only encourages visual tracking but also introduces the concept of self-recognition. Activities with the mirror are great sensory activities for babies during tummy time.
Textured Tickling
Gently tickle your baby with a soft feather. This activity not only provides tactile stimulation but also enhances their awareness of different sensations. This sensory activity for babies will have them giggling.
Carrying Baby
Ok, I know what you are thinking…How is carrying my baby a sensory activity? Well, it is. When you carry your baby, you are giving them the 3 most important foundational sensory inputs: tactile, movement, and deep pressure.
They learn about movement by being carried around and get to see and experience the world in new ways that they can’t from the floor. Plus there are so many different ways to carry your baby that each provide them with different sensory input. These are great sensory activities for babies.
Wearing Baby
This is similar to carrying your baby, but wearing them in a wrap is a great sensory activity for babies. The first wrap I linked is for younger infants, and the second one is for older ones.
When they have trunk control, you can turn them to face outward giving, providing them with new visual and movement sensory input.
Sensory Bottles
Create sensory bottles filled with various materials like rice, water beads, or glitter. Securely seal the bottles and let your baby explore the different visual and auditory effects.
I’ve linked ones you can buy down below but you can also make your own at home using a water bottler. These sensory toys are so much fun!
baby safe paint play
Explore the world of colors with baby-safe finger paints. Let your little one express themselves through finger painting on a large sheet of paper.
Painting activities are great sensory activities for 12-18 month olds. The paints linked below are washable and toxic-free. Safe for baby!
Sensory Bags
Fill a sealable plastic bag with soft fabrics of varying textures like slime or gel. Seal it tightly and let your baby squish and feel the different textures without making a mess.
This is also great for introducing new textures to babies and toddlers who might be a little sensitive to new textures. Remember to always respect your baby’s comfort level.
Music Toys
Music toys are great sensory activities for babies. This auditory feedback can be both entertaining and soothing for your baby.. These nesting music blocks are so much fun. My daughter loved these.
Nature Walks
Take your baby for short strolls in nature. Allow them to feel different textures like grass, sand, or fallen leaves with your guidance. Spending time outside are some of the best sensory activities for babies.
SENSORY boards
Create a sensory board with soft fabrics of varying textures attached securely. Your baby can explore the different textures using their hands and fingers.
If you are a very busy mom like me and do not have time to create activities at home, I’ve linked a great option below. These sensory books are great for the car when your baby enters toddlerhood.
Moving to music
Engage your baby in gentle movement activities accompanied by soft music. This enhances their body awareness and coordination. Singing songs to them also promotes language development.
Sensory Basket
Fill baskets with objects of varying textures, shapes, and sizes. Allow your baby to reach in and explore the contents, fostering a sense of curiosity.
You can create different baskets to have in different locations around the house or you can have one basket that you switch up every week.
New sensory activities for baby are important because a novel sensory experience challenges their nervous system in a new way, promoting the development of their sensory processing skills.
Balloon Play
Balloon play activities are excellent sensory activities for babies. Playing with balloons provides babies with new visual input and can strengthen their hand eye coordination
Warm Bath with Bath toys
Wrap up your sensory activities for babies with a warm bath using gentle baby-friendly soap. Add bath toys and maybe some bubbles to enhance the tactile and water play experience.
Water Mat for Tummy Time
My daughter loved playing with this water mat during tummy time when she was a baby. It offers tactile sensory input that is engaging for infants and may extend their tummy time play.
The fishes in the water move to so it is a great way for babies to work on visual sensory processing and strengthen their hand eye coordination.
Tunnels
Tunnels are great sensory activities from babies. By engaging in activities within the sensory tunnel, babies can develop an improved sense of spatial awareness and gain a better understanding of their body in relation to the surrounding space.
Tunnels provide movement and deep pressure input, promoting sensory integration and sensory processing skills. As babies crawl, roll, or maneuver through the tunnel, they receive deep pressure input, which helps them develop a stronger sense of where their body is in space.
Arm and foot Rattles
These arm and foot rattles are great sensory toys for babies 0-6 months. They rattle when baby moves so that they can look for their arms and legs by following the noise increasing their body awareness.
Innybin
I love FatBrain toys and they are so great at promoting sensory development. This InnyBin is great for in out play and the shapes are textured providing baby with a nice tactile sensory input. They even have a little brain. My nerdy heart loves it!
Teething toy
Teething toys are great sensory toys for babies. Therwe are so many options to choose from it can be a little overwhelming. I really like the one below because it offers different textures for babies to explore with both their hands and their mouths.
Incorporating sensory activities into your baby’s daily routine not only provides them with enriching experiences but also lays the foundation for healthy development. As an occupational therapist, I recommend tailoring these activities to your baby’s individual preferences and developmental milestones.
Always prioritize safety during sensory play, closely supervising your baby to prevent any potential hazards. Additionally, consider consulting with a pediatric occupational therapist to ensure that the activities align with your baby’s specific needs and developmental goals.
Remember, each baby is unique, and these sensory activities are meant to be enjoyable and supportive of their developmental journey. Embrace the joy of discovery and play, and cherish the precious moments of growth and exploration with your little one.