Wake Window Activities for Your Baby: Birth & Beyond

This blog post was written by the Infant Insights team of baby experts. The team consists of an OT, SLP/CLC, and sleep consultants excited to help you understand your baby and enjoy this stage!

Welcoming your baby into the world is the greatest joy, and so many exciting things happen between birth, the first year, and beyond. As a parent, we want to help you meet your baby's needs and support them in the best way possible. One way you can do that, as a parent, is by encouraging development during wake window activities. These activities not only help our babies develop in areas of social, motor, emotional, and language skills, but also encourage good baby sleep and regulation.

Here’s a quick guide to age-appropriate wake window activities for babies 0 to 18 months, so you know how to keep your baby engaged and happy all while supporting each developmental stage.

Newborns (0-2 months)

Wake Window: ~45 to 75 minutes

At this stage, your baby is still adjusting to life outside the womb. Keep activities simple and soothing.

Suggested Activities:

• Skin-to-Skin Time: Promotes bonding and regulates your baby’s body temperature. Plus is great for maternal mental health and breastfeeding outcomes as well. 
• Tummy Time: Modified on your chest, your legs, or on an elevated pillow or wedge on the floor is great to play motor foundations and prevent common infant diagnoses like flat head, milestones delays, and more. Tummy time is also great for developing strength in the jaw and neck strength and respiratory control; crucial for developing feeding skills and forming speech sounds later on.
• Face-to-Face Time: Let your baby gaze at your face—they love it! Eye contact is a foundational skill for so many areas of learning and development.
• Black and White Visuals: High-contrast images are easiest for newborns to see. Hold these cards close and watch your baby begin to track as they grow older day by day.

For demonstrations, toy recommendations and more, join Bloom by Infant Insights.

2-4 Months

Wake Window: ~75 to 90 minutes

Your baby is becoming more alert and curious about the world at this age! They may begin to smile at you and become much more interactive socially.

Suggested Activities:

• Tummy Time: Strengthens neck and core muscles. You may modify this at the beginning of this stage on a pillow or wedge, but sooner your baby will tolerate tummy time directly on the floor.
• Talking and Singing: Narrate your day or sing nursery rhymes. This is how your baby begins to develop language foundations. Development begins at day 1 and all the activities we do matter. This technique is called parallel talk, and involves parents talking about what they are doing in simple sentence structure. 
• Offer Simple Toys: Soft rattles or textured fabrics will allow your baby to explore with the sensory systems.
• Mirror Play: Babies love looking at themselves in the mirror and this is a great activity to complete in tummy time.

For demonstrations, toy recommendations and more, join Bloom by Infant Insights.

4-6 Months

Wake Window: ~1.5 to 2 hours

At this age, babies are gaining better control of their bodies and senses. They start solids around this age and are so excited about their big world!

Suggested Activities:

• Rolling Practice: Encourage your baby to roll by placing toys just out of reach. You can see a visual here!
• Exploring Textures: Offer a variety of safe, textured toys for a rich sensory experience for your baby.
• Reading: Simple board books with bright pictures, or lift-and-look are so fun for you baby.
• Music Time: Play different types of music and observe their reactions. Sing simple songs like Wheels on the Bus, Happy and You Know It, and more to teach foundations social, emotional, and language skills.

For demonstrations, toy recommendations and more, join Bloom by Infant Insights.

6-8 Months

Wake Window: ~2 to 3.5 hours 

Your baby is likely sitting independently and may start showing some signs of crawling. Buckle up for a mobile baby!

Suggested Activities:

• Sensory Play: Use water mats, sensory bins, or safe household items to allow sensory exploration for your baby. Sensory explorations encourage emotional regulation and more.
• Peek-a-Boo: Your baby loves this game, but will likely not imitate at this age. Don't worry this will come with time!
• Stacking Toys: Introduce stacking cups or rings. Your baby will love removing the rings, but won't quite stack the items just yet!
• Outdoor Time: A walk in the stroller or sitting on a blanket in the grass is a wonderful activity for you and your baby!

For demonstrations, toy recommendations and more, join Bloom by Infant Insights.

8-12 Months

Wake Window: ~2.5 to 4 hours

Babies at this stage are often crawling, pulling to stand, and maybe even taking their first steps. This is such a fun age!

Suggested Activities:

• Cause and Effect Toys: Toys with buttons, levers, or flaps are perfect for your baby!
• Support Crawling and Walking: Help your baby crawl and walk by placing things slightly out of their reach and encourage them to propel forward on hands and knees or in standing.
• Mystery Box: Place random things in a box with a large hole and let your baby take the items out. Label items, use the items properly, or make the animals noises as your baby pulls the items out.
• Singing songs with gestures: Your baby is able to control their movements more and more in this stage and will love watching you do silly gestures to songs like Wheels On The Bus or Happy And You Know It; they may even try to copy you (a huge leap toward using first words!)

For demonstrations, toy recommendations and more, join Bloom by Infant Insights.

12-18 Months

Wake Window: ~5-6 hours if on a 1 nap schedule with keeping ~4.5 hours before bed

Your baby is becoming a toddler at this age, and watching them develop in areas of language, cognition, and social skills at this age is fascinating.

Suggested Activities:

• Pretend Play: Simple scenarios like talking on a toy phone, or pretending to eat toy food is so fun for your baby.
• Art Exploration: Scribbling with crayons is a great pre-writing activity at this age
• Building Blocks: Encourage stacking and knocking them down. Don't worry if your baby can't stack just yet! That comes with time and practice.
• Outdoor Adventures: Visit the park and allow your baby to swing, slide, and practice simple climbing once they are walking.

For demonstrations, toy recommendations and more, join Bloom by Infant Insights.

Tips for Maximizing Wake Windows

• Watch for Sleep Cues: Yawning, rubbing eyes, or fussiness signal it's time to wind down. This is your baby's way of saving "I'm sleepy" non-verbally.
• Balance Active and Calm Play: Keep a mix of energetic and soothing activities to regulate your baby's sensory system. Choose soothing activities close to the end of their wake window to support their sleep.
• Follow Baby’s Lead: Every baby is different. Be sure to observe what engages and excites your little one most. They will tell you with their body language well before they can say a word.
• Routine Matters: Consistent wake windows help regulate sleep patterns and support developmental growth. Watch for sleepy cues, and keep track of when your baby woke and fed last to try to get your baby on a consistent routine. 

Every stage is important and knowing what wake window activities are best for your baby's age and stage not only encourages development, but also builds bonds and supports good baby sleep. Soak in these moments, mama. They really are the best.