Baby is either sleeping, or feeding. You’re also totally in love with this tiny little being, and life is centred around your bed, basically. Life is pretty good right about now, it sure beats being heavily pregnant. And then it hits you. Two weeks after the birth of baby, this sleeping little wonder wakes up. And the whirlwind begins.

What do I DO with my baby, when she is looking at me so expectantly with those big, gorgeous, shiny eyes of hers?

We have some ideas for you:

• Sing! Now is your chance to sing to your heart’s content for an appreciative audience, no matter the level of your singing talent. Spice it up for yourself and venture further than classic nursery rhymes – hits of the eighties and nineties will be fun for you and baby. Slam it to the left, if you’re having a good time! Shake it to the right, if you know that you feel fine! Chicas to the front, Hi Ci Ya, HOLD TIGHT!

• Take your baby with you wherever you go in the house! He loves being close to you, hearing chatter in the house, feeling a part of the family. Don’t leave him alone in his cot in the bedroom if you are not there with him. Best thing to do, get a rocker you can carry everywhere and put him right next to you. On the floor in the kitchen while you’re doing the dishes or making dinner. Next to the couch when you’re reading or watching a series. Fisher-Price has this awesome Rainforest Friends Infant-to-Toddler rocker available that is pure magic. It is easy to carry around, baby is comfortable and content in it, it rocks (literally and figuratively), and it has a toy bar to keep baby occupied when you just need some quiet time with a cup of tea.

• Finger-dancing. What a treat to have Mom’s hands crawl closer and closer, having a life of their own, and pouncing on Baby’s tummy like a kitty cat or have a jolly old skip across baby’s scalp. Pure enjoyment for babies and mums, and it adds to that very important bonding time.

• Babies love looking at things, EVERYTHING is new to them, and they find movement and colour especially interesting. But being a newborn, the range of their sight is only a few centimetres. A brilliant toy to get a newborn is the Fisher Price Newborn to Toddler playgym. It’s a convertible activity play gym with lights, sounds and music. It’s really cute, because it has over 12 activities and toys to discover, adorable animal toys, and three “grow-with me” stages of play for newborns up until your baby is a toddler.

All of these activities not only keeps your little newborn busy, but most importantly, it helps you bond, and it is the beginning of a long and adventurous journey in which a new mommy introduces a new baby to this strange new thing, called the world. - Jana Cloete