Rachel Coley is a fellow Occupational Therapist, the founder of CanDo Kiddo and a great friend of Baby Begin. As a mom, she’s got a passion for creative and fun ways to promote infant development and is working to spread the word about plagiocephaly and torticollis with us. We’re so glad she’s a guest blogger for us this month – she’s got some great tips and tricks for infant development that we wanted to share with all of you! See what she’s got to say in this Q&A with us:

 If you could tell a new parent one thing they probably didn’t know about infant development, what would it be?

 If I could tell a parent one thing they probably didn’t know about infant development, it would be that infants need to move and play just like they need food and sleep. “Play” for a young baby often looks more passive than the play of older infants and toddlers but is no less important for cognitive, motor and sensory development. Young infants are dependent on us as parents to bring new experiences to them in the form of different body positions, movements, sights, smells, sounds, textures to touch and more. Baby play can be super simple and often require nothing more than what you already have in your home.

 What is your absolute favorite toy/activity for a 2 month old baby?

 My favorite toy for a 2 month old baby is definitely a mirror. Babies’ brains and vision are hard-wired to study faces and a mirror capitalizes on this interest. Changing baby’s position frequently is very important for head shape and for overall development. A mirror can be used for baby to visually explore in all sorts of positions – tummy time lying on his side, being held, or lying on his back with head turned. Look for a simple mirror without a lot of distracting decorations or distortion in the reflection. For itty bitty babies, be aware that play mirrors that prop upward at an angle make it hard for babies to see themselves on their backs with head turned, in sidelying and in early tummy time before they can push up through arms and hands.

 Can you give us some ideas of cool things to put in our diaper bag to keep baby’s attention while we are out and about?

 I never leave home without our empty water bottle with shiny party beads in it. This simple homemade toy is great for newborns to watch and listen to while bigger babies love to grab, mouth and shake. Just make sure to twist the top on tightly!

 Lots of new parents may have heard of Chewbeads, but I use ours less as a necklace and more as a toy. Parents can thread it through a rattle or set of plastic keys and dangle it above baby to reach and bat at on the go. Or hang a teether toy from it and tether it to a high chair or stroller for babies who grab and hold (and drop). Since I don’t use an infant car seat carrier, my baby spends lots of time worn in various carriers. I wrap a string of Chewbeads several times around the shoulder strap of my soft-structured carrier or fabric wrap in just the right spot for my baby to mouth while we ran errands. By alternating sides, parents can promote head turning in each direction.

 Once baby can grab and put things in his mouth, another staple in our diaper bag became an Indestructibles book. These compact books look like paper but can’t be ripped apart, chewed up or otherwise destroyed by little hands and mouths.  

 In your opinion, what would be the perfect baby shower gift?

 A nice soft blanket to put on the floor and a good activity gym make the perfect baby shower gifts. (As an OT, I’m picky about baby activity gyms – I have a blog post about choosing one that your readers might enjoy). Many expectant moms receive a dozen thin swaddle blankets and several baby chairs, loungers, swings and other infant positions, but very few gifts that equip them for floortime play with newborns. Daily playtimes unrestricted by baby equipment are critical for healthy infant development and a great gift supports those playtimes.

 Why do you do what you do? What motivates your work?

I have always been a pediatric OT because I’m passionate about helping children reach their full potential. There are trends in the daily lives of babies that are of concern to me as pediatric Occupational Therapist because they are keeping our little ones from reaching their full potential. I started CanDo Kiddo to address those trends both as a child development expert AND as a new, first-time parent. I am motivated by parents who share how much the CanDo Kiddo blog and products have helped them enjoy playing with their tiny babies in ways that promote health and learning. As a child development nerd, I get all geeky-excited when a parent understands something new about how their baby’s brain and body work.

Love this advice from Rachel? We sure do! Learn more on her blog and shop her infant development products on Etsy. Finally, be sure to catch up with her on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.