Everyone has to go to the grocery store or market. Use this as an opportunity to talk to your baby!
We want to hurry up and get our chores done, but walking through a market or grocery store is a great opportunity to build your baby’s visual skills, language skills, and overall sensory processing. There is a lot of stimulation at a grocery store and it is a great experience for your baby to take that all in and process it! All of his senses will be activated; vision, hearing, balance and equilibrium, touch, smell, and maybe even taste. Try to resist the urge to keep him quiet by showing him a video on your phone.
Try these tips:
- Try carrying your baby in a vertical carrier or sling so she is close to you and can hear you talk while seeing her world from a vertical position.
- If you use a cart, strap him right in the cart instead of the carseat propped on top. This will challenge his trunk muscles to support him while you shop, building important core strength.
- Point out colors, shapes, numbers, and letters around you.
- Allow her to hold a small box of pasta or something else that makes noise when she shakes it.
- Narrate what you are doing, items you are buying, and talk about what you see.
- Point to things near and far and see if her gaze follows your finger.