During our first ski season D ranged between 8 weeks and 6 months old. So we needed plenty of ideas for snowy day activities for a baby. She was too young to have any interest in playing in the snow. Although she loved getting out and about in the pram and buggy. We went for a walk pretty much every day. But of course there were a few cold and stormy days where staying in was more appealing. Here are some of our favourite indoor activities for those snowy days. I have tried to keep them simple so that you should be able to do them in a hotel room too.
Snowy day activities for a baby: nothing needed
(except yourself and the baby obviously)
- Singing and dancing. Sing and dance around the room with your baby; she’ll think it’s great! Most European ski resorts have a TV channel showing what lifts are open. Which usually has a musical soundtrack you can use for this activity. For more inspiration try these free music activities. I found these really useful as there weren’t any baby classes in our ski resort and I figured these are the sort of activities that would be done in a class!
- Tummy time. Baby D hated tummy time. Although this doesn’t seemed to have slowed her development, despite what you might read. Anyway, snowy days were a good opportunity to get her to spend some time on her tummy. And there a plenty of props you will have to hand in a hotel room to help. You could try propping baby up on a pillow, or using a rolled up towel under the arms. This blog has some great tips and ideas to improve the tummy time experience.
- Bouncing nursery rhymes. By this I mean nursery rhymes such as This is How a Lady Rides and Trot, Trot to London (yes, I had to Google these too). Accompanied by bouncing your baby on your knees.
- Mirror. You are bound to have a mirror wherever you are staying, so get baby up close to enjoy her reflection.
Snowy day activities for a baby: a bit of stuff needed
- Making rattles. Make use of old plastic bottles (perhaps your travel sized toiletries?). Fill with rice, lentils, oats, or the like and have fun making some noise.
- Play gym. A travel gym such as this would be great if you can fit it in your luggage. Baby D spent so much time enjoying her baby play gym that it is definitely worth having one on your travels. Apparently they are good for all sorts of developmental reasons as well as being fun! If you don’t have space to take a play gym with you, I like the look of this simple method of building one. Even in a ski resort you won’t be too far from a hardware store where you could buy some suitable sticks. In St Anton’s case, this would be about 35-40 mins away (by bus/train/car) in Landeck.
- Reading (or rather, looking at pictures). You’re never too young to enjoy a good book. Unfortunately the book store in St Anton has closed, so there you are reliant on books you have brought with you. Or it’s another trip to Landeck to stock up. Although if you are at all arty you could draw a picture book. Particularly for young babies who are fascinated by simple black and white images.
That must have been a bit of a challenging season. Did you take turns skiing and entertaining Baby D? Great ideas! #MondayEscapes
It actually worked really well – I would definitely recommend it as a way of spending your maternity leave! And yes, we took it in turns to ski- we stayed near the ski lifts so it was easy to pop out for a couple of hours and then switch. Obviously we didn’t ski quite as much as we used to, but it was nice to still be able to get out.
What an incredible place to spend your maternity leave! I’m sure your baby will go on to love skiing;) Thanks for linking to #MondayEscapes
Here’s hoping – knowing my luck she won’t like skiing at all!