Enjoying Your Baby, from Day One to Year One

During this time, I found that I could predict more accurately when Noah would be hungry or need a diaper change. As a result, I took fewer supplies on excursions and became a little more spontaneous. Some doctors call this the "golden age" of babyhood because your child is friendly and predictable, yet still immobile. The possibilities for fun really begin to open up now.

• Introduce board books with flaps that your baby can touch, such as Eric Hill's Where's Spot? or Karen Katz's Where Is Baby's Mommy?
  
  
• Rotate your baby's toys every couple of days to see what she prefers; then search for more like them. I found that Tupperware and plastic ladles were just as good as $10 trinkets.
  
  
• Experiment with different ways for your baby to make noise: a crinkly paper bag, a wooden block, a metal mixing bowl.
  
  
• Stack a pile of clothes with different textures and let your baby plow through them.
  
  
• Sit your baby in front of an aquarium at a restaurant, where her eyes will track the fish back and forth, back and forth.