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Infant Page

The first year of life is a time when babies strengthen their muscles and bones and learn how to use their bodies to
move around and to manipulate their environment. If babies are constantly held and carried during the first year, they
will lose valuable opportunities to gain fine-tune skills. Parents and caregivers should facilitate movement and
growth by giving babies safe environments to play and to explore on their own.

Our Caregivers can lay young infants on a clean blanket on the floor, surround them with clean, safe toys, and allow
them to reach, wiggle, kick, and roll on their own or in play with others. Infants are given many opportunities to lie on
their bellies, in order to help them build arm, back, and neck muscles. As babies mature and their mobility improves,
our teachers will do more to ensure a safe environment for exploration.

Teachers at Discoveryland also facilitate growth by engaging in developmentally-appropriate activities, such as
"peek-a-boo," assisted walking, reaching activities, and other healthy activities that encourage movement. During
playtime in the early months, Teachers hold toys such as stuffed animals or rattles at different locations in the
baby's lines of sight and encourage them to reach toward the object. While playing some fun music or singing a
song, teachers lightly assist babies in a standing position and guide them to move their body with the music. Babies
will also start combining gross and fine motor skills by practicing play such as manipulating, and later stacking,
blocks while sitting up.

Infants can safely and happily play for short durations in our fenced in colorful play area. However, as infants begin
crawling and especially when they begin attempting to cruise and to walk, the play area has teachers assisting
babies explore their surroundings.

For safety our infants have swings and chairs and exer-saucers located outside the play area. Cruisers and walkers
are kept away from our infants. Once again, with a little time, effort, and creativity sense, teachers create a safe
and fun place where infants and toddlers can learn and practice their motor skills. Our older infants thoroughly
enjoy ball pits, tunnels and tents.

Infants and toddlers also have many opportunities to work on speech development. They are always spoken to and
given flash card pictures of animals, daily items and much more. Blowing bubbles and finger songs are more fun
activities that our infants enjoy.

Click here for pictures of our MIddletown Infant Room.