Baby Play (Gymboree)

I think this is a great reference guide for people who are new to parenting. I had never really been around a baby before I had my own, so I was clueless on how to play with her outside of peekaboo and rocking her. The pictures are nice and it's an incredibly easy guide to follow. Also, as a new parent looking to pick this up, don't get your hopes up. Yes, there are alot of activities to do with your little one, but don't expect your baby to be interested enough to participate in some of them. My daughter wouldn't have been interested in at least HALF of what is offered (especially if it has to do with any tummy time), but that's because at the end of the day, she's gonna do what she wants to do. It's just a great tool to keep playing with your baby fresh and interesting. As the parent of two now (that are less than two years apart), I have to find activities that will entertain both of them, so while I liked giving the book a look through, I wouldn't buy it. If you have the ability to give your baby some good one on one time, this book is for you.

My daughter is only 14 mos, so I have to admit, this review is based on the first part of the book. The best thing about this book is that I learned some new songs and accompanying singing activities that my daughter seems to really enjoy. The regular activities are pretty basic and you are probably already doing a lot of them. For instance, stacking, looking in the mirror and pointing out body parts, and playing with bubbles! I'm glad I bought it used :)

If you are someone who has not worked with children or been around children for an extended period of time this book would be very helpful. It has creative and fun ideas for playtime with the ones under 6 months that my husband found very useful. I recommend it for husbands, grandparents and new moms.

I love this book! It is filled with great ideas, and organized by age range. The pictures are large and very helpful along with the descriptions of the activities. Even if you think you may have thought of some of these ideas on your own, it's hard to know when to introduce each activity and what specific skills it is building. This book is a great resource.

i found the activities in this book uninspiring. i was already implementing 99% of them just in my everyday interactions with my infant. i was hoping for something that would further enhance the development of my child, but it turns out the things that naturally occur to a parent are just fine. my baby is only 3 months, so perhaps the activites for older babies will be more interesting. the play for newborns was a disappointment.