4. Put on a show.
While you don’t have to entertain kids nonstop, engaging them in some parent-child musical theatre can be fun—and beneficial. Says Sparrow, “The idea is [to focus on] activities that involve this relationship with another human being as the source of the stimulation.” Your voice can be more interesting to your baby than, say, the robotic tones of a mobile. “Babies’ hearing is set up so they attend preferentially to sounds within the human range,” says Sparrow. Plus, the visual of your improv acting just may cause them to join in. Think of your yourself as the best mobile toy ever—you can be funny, soothing, fast, slow, loud, quiet, depending on what your child’s face and body language is telling you.

5. Take your time.
Even following these ideas isn’t going to make your kid into a “super kid”. Every child will develop at an individual rate, as long as she’s not severely neglected. “The goal is not to move the kid to the next developmental stage,” says Sparrow. “For sensory or motor development, don’t be in a rush.” (That’s not to say kids can’t have difficulties: Johnson says signs of possible problems include an infant’s failure to track objects with his eyes by the time he’s four months old, a reluctance to be cuddled, or a lack of response to your voice or to loud noises. In cases like these, see your pediatrician right away.)

6. Allow TV once in a while.
If you need some time to yourself, you won’t be guilty of neglecting your child or doing any long-term harm if you sit them in front of the boob tube for half an hour. “I think it’s important for parents to know that it’s okay if they get a break to take care of themselves,” says Sparrow. But he also urges moderation: the more time your child spends in front of Big Bird, the less time she’s spending interacting with you and the rest of the world.

7. Don’t overdo it.
When helping your child explore the environment, whether through walks, conversation, or the occasional toy, you’ll want to avoid overwhelming him (you’ll be able to tell if you are by his reactions). In order to avoid one-sided sensory overload or overstimulation, focus on natural interaction and simple toys like wooden blocks, says Johnson. “I would not waste money on a mobile. The truth is that most infant rooms are probably visually over-stimulating. We cram our homes with so much visual clutter that babies have a hard time picking out a place to focus.”

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