Top 5 activities to do with your baby on a warm day

It can be a challenge to keep babies entertained on a warm day, especially with those little active mobile explorers.

Play activities don’t have to cost a lot of money or be complicated to set up, though. You also don’t have to go too far from home to have fun with your baby when it’s warm.

So, grab the hats, sunscreen, some snacks, and head to the local park or your own backyard and have some fun with these simple boredom busters that will keep your bub cool. 

1. Painting Fun

Either buy some baby-safe finger paints or make your own using a few ingredients from your kitchen. One easy way to make edible finger paints is to simply mix natural yogurt with a couple of drops of food colouring, or get creative with making your own dyes from fruits and vegetables. Alternatively, you could use cornflour and water to make a smooth paste. Making paint from natural ingredients means you can relax if your bub puts most of it in their mouth! 

2. Ice Play

Keep your baby cool on a hot day with a bucket of icy water. Give them scoops, or wooden spoons to stir it. You could make the ice colourful with a couple of drops of food dye, or freeze big ice blocks in empty yoghurt pots, perhaps with baby plastic toys inside them. They’ll enjoy watching the ice melt to reveal the toys for some added interest. 

3. Nature Play

Head to your local park, and collect some sticks, leaves, and rocks for your baby to touch. Let them explore their natural surroundings, by rolling or crawling on the grass, mud, or in the dirt. Let them get dirty (here are just some of the many benefits of messy play)! You can then give your baby a bath when you get home, which itself is another fun activity. 

4. Water Play

Of course water play is a no-brainer on a hot day, but it’s also such a versatile and simple activity. Fill up a little paddling pool to splash in, or fill up buckets and add some bubbles and toys to wash. Water the garden together, or fill up a tub, grab some cloths and give the pram a scrub, or the deck or the windows – anything that they feel like they’re helping with they’ll love. 

5. Picnic Blanket Time

Go out for a walk and find a nice shaded spot under a tree. Set up the picnic blanket, and anything that your baby usually loves to do at home can be taken outdoors. Read books, stack blocks, blow bubbles, do puzzles, shape sorting, or roll a ball. Have a picnic lunch, or just lie down and cuddle, chat and gaze up at the leaves blowing in the breeze. If you can get your baby to nap in the pram or in your arms while you relax outdoors (away from home and all the neverending domestic chores), even better!