A developmental approach to playing with your baby (0–6 months) – without feeling you have to entertain them all day.

“What am I supposed to do with my baby all day?”

It is a question I hear surprisingly often from new parents. In my work with babies and parents in Zurich, I hear different versions of it again and again.

You have fed your baby. Changed them. Cuddled them. Maybe gone for a walk.

And now?

Should you be doing tummy time? Showing them toys? Practising rolling? Singing? Doing exercises? And how do you know whether what you are doing is actually helping their development?

Here is something I often tell parents:

You don't need to entertain your baby all day.

Your baby is already busy developing.

Your role is not to constantly create activities. It is to learn to notice what your baby is trying to discover – and sometimes to create just the right conditions for them to discover a little more.

Start by watching

Put your baby somewhere comfortable and safe and give yourself a moment before doing anything.

What are they looking at?

Where are their hands?

Are they moving both sides of their body?

Are they trying to reach something?

What happens when they don't immediately succeed?

This last question is particularly interesting.

Recently, I was working with a baby lying on his tummy. One arm was caught underneath his body.

The natural adult reaction is often to help: Let me pull your arm out.

Instead, we waited.

He moved. Tried. Changed the position of his body. Almost found the solution himself.

Nothing spectacular happened.

And yet, developmentally, a lot was happening.

He was experiencing his own weight, discovering how shifting his body changed the pressure on his arm and beginning to find his own solution.

Sometimes the most useful thing we can do is not to solve the problem too quickly.

Tummy time doesn't have to be an exercise

Many parents have heard that tummy time is important.

It is. But that doesn't mean your baby needs to lie on a mat while you watch the clock.

Tummy time can happen on your chest, across your legs, over a small support or in different playful positions.

What matters is what your baby experiences there.

Can they begin to take weight through their arms? Can they lift and turn their head? Can they shift their weight? Can they discover that changing one part of their body affects another?

These simple everyday experiences can play an important role in your baby's motor development. They gradually become part of much bigger skills later on – reaching, rolling, sitting, crawling and moving through space.

Once parents understand why something matters, tummy time stops being an exercise to complete.

It becomes something they can explore with their baby.

The floor is already a wonderful playground

You don't need a room full of developmental toys.

Your face is fascinating. Your voice is fascinating. Your hands are fascinating.

And so are your baby's own hands and feet.

Depending on your baby's age, you might lie beside them and talk, let them follow your face with their eyes, offer an object slightly to one side, help them discover their feet, play in side-lying, sing while gently changing position, or simply give them time to move freely on the floor.

A toy doesn't always need to be placed directly into your baby's hand.

Put it somewhere interesting and see what happens.

Do they notice it?

Turn towards it?

Try to reach?

Change their body to get closer?

The interesting part is often not whether they get the toy.

It is everything they organise in their body while trying.

Your baby doesn't need to “perform”

Development isn't a checklist that needs to be completed as quickly as possible.

Babies develop through enormous variation.

One baby may be fascinated by reaching. Another may want to move constantly. Another needs more time to become comfortable in a new position.

That is why I am much more interested in how a baby moves than in simply asking whether they can already perform a particular milestone.

And I am interested in the parents too.

What do you do when your baby struggles?

Do you immediately help?

Do you wait?

Do you keep offering something when your baby has already turned away?

There is no need to get every interaction “right”.

But becoming aware of these little moments can completely change how you spend time together.

So what should you actually do all day?

Feed your baby. Carry them. Talk to them. Go outside. Let them watch you.

• Put them on the floor.
• Sing.
• Offer different positions.
• Give them something interesting to look at or reach for.
• Let them discover their own hands and feet.
• And sometimes – do less and watch more.

You don't need a list of twenty developmental exercises.

What is much more useful is learning to recognise:

What is my baby working on right now?

What could I offer that makes this a little more interesting?

When should I help – and when can I wait?

That knowledge stays with you as your baby changes.

When you would like someone to look together with you

Sometimes parents don't need another video or another list of exercises.

They want someone to look at their baby with them.

That is what I do in my Baby & Parent Development Compass sessions in Zurich.

For 75 minutes, we observe and play with your baby together. I explain what I see, why certain experiences may be useful at this particular stage and how you can incorporate them naturally into everyday life.

Afterwards, you receive a few personalised ideas to continue at home.

The goal isn't to give you more things you should be doing.

It is to help you understand your baby well enough that everyday moments become opportunities for development, connection and play.

Because once you understand why something helps, you stop needing a list – and start seeing what your own baby needs.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to entertain my baby all day?

No. Babies also need time to observe, move freely and discover their own bodies and surroundings. You don't need to constantly provide activities.

How much should I play with my baby?

There is no fixed amount. Short moments of interaction throughout everyday life can be enough. Follow your baby's interest and signals rather than the clock.

What activities are good for a 0–6 month old baby?

Talking face-to-face, floor time, tummy time in different positions, side-lying, reaching, discovering hands and feet, songs, carrying and simply watching everyday life can all offer valuable developmental experiences.

What if I'm unsure about my baby's development?

If something worries you, discuss it with your paediatrician or another qualified healthcare professional. If you're mainly wondering how to play with and support your individual baby, a developmental session can give you practical ideas.

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