Often parents and caregivers wonder what is the best way to create a safe and stimulating environment for their baby. 

Things that should be considered before you start:

• Safe and secure positioning - is the area set aside safe?  Ensure that this area is not too close to doorways or stairs or main traffic thoroughfares (especially if you have older children).  Is your baby away from the family pet?
• Warm or cold - checking the temperature?  Ensure that there are no cold drafts coming from under doors or through windows or glass.  You should also watch out for sun coming through the glass, making sure your baby is not getting sun burnt!
• Make sure you clean the area regularly and disinfect any toys or matting your child has used daily.
• Ensure any small pieces are removed from this play space to avoid injury or choking. Check regularly for broken toys or sharp objects and throw away anything that is damaged.
• Supervise older children when baby is playing on the floor.  Toddlers especially love to pull, cuddle, kiss and generally shower babies with affection.

Setting Up Your Space

Setting up a play space for your baby need not be an expensive exercise.  Look around your house for resources you can use.  Examples of things to include could be: 

• Clean, colourful blankets and mats
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• Old coloured stockings filled with scrunched paper (to make tactile 'snakes').
• Clean plastic water bottles filled with coloured water, dry pasta or rice.
• Wind chimes hanging from a nearby doorway or hanging from the ceiling for a musical touch.
• CD player with children's music (your music choice can vary depending upon the mood you are trying to create - lively music to stimulate play and creativity or quiet music for winding down or getting ready for bed).
• Make a wrist band rattle using Velcro from the craft store and some coloured ribbons and bells.
• Coloured or black and white ribbons hanging from the ceiling or doorway.
• A variety of balls, soft toys and rattles (make sure any toys are age appropriate).
• Activity gym - these can be purchased from your toy shop (the best time to buy these and other toys are during department store sales - keep your eyes open!). Alternatively you can make your own by hanging colourful objects just within reach of baby, such as bells, ribbons or coloured toys.
• Mirrors - make sure that any mirror that you are placing in your baby play space is made from plastic.
• Age appropriate books with a few cushions or a child sized couch nearby for snuggling up together.  You can begin reading to your baby from birth.
• Pop up and pull along toys.
• A baby rocker or bouncer for your child to experience the world from a different view (also very good if you have older children). Rockers or Bouncers allow your child to be elevated, which is especially good if your baby has trouble keeping their food down.
  
• Felt board - you can make your own. Buy a felt piece from your local craft shop and place over a wooden board using craft glue. Take various other felt pieces and cut out animals, shapes, characters from stories and either tell a tale yourself or simply allow your baby to explore the pieces. Make sure they are not too small.
  
• Photo board - older babies enjoy looking at photos of people they know. Talk to your baby about who they can see and what is going on in the picture.
  
• Messy play area - texture through tactile experiences help babies to explore their world. Find a space in your house where a little mess is acceptable and give your baby play dough, cooked pasta or rice, cake mix or other sensory materials to experience. Watch them squeeze, squish, roll, splat and smudge.
  
• Puppets - keep a few hand puppets around to use to help calm upset or tired babies.
  
• Stacking blocks or cups.
  
• Texture blocks - provide your baby with different surfaces to feel: smooth; rough; bumpy; soft; hard; etc.
  
• Posting box - babies delight in posting paddle-pop sticks through holes in the top of a shoe box. Make your shoe box colourful by covering it in coloured contact or wrapping paper.
• Large Cardboard Boxes - cut off the flaps on one side to give your baby a 'tunnel' to crawl through, or simply place a few toys inside and watch baby snuggle in and play.
  
• Nesting blocks or cups.

Outside Time

Babies need outside time to explore, experiment and test their environment. Creating an outdoor space can be easy to do. Lay out a suitable outdoor blanket and transfer some of babies favourite toys outside. Don't forget to start putting sunscreen and a hat on your baby to help them become used to wearing them when they go outside.

If you do not have a safe outdoor space for your baby, go to the park regularly with a blanket, sun umbrella (or find a shady area) and some toys. Let your baby lay on the mat and watch the world go by. Talk about the birds, the feel of the grass, the colour of the sky or how the leaves move in the trees. Let your baby roll around and crawl to get a feel for outdoor spaces.