How To Keep A Baby Happy In The Stroller

Keeping a baby happy in the stroller sometimes requires much more than simply putting your baby into the stroller and taking a walk around. A baby who is strapped in a pram with nothing to do while Mummy does the grocery shopping or runs her errands can become extreme fussy and difficult to manage.

One way to keep baby happy in the pram is to provide suitable toys and activities, however, finding the appropriate stroller accessories can sometimes be a challenge.

Here are some tips when shopping for stroller accessories:

1. Attachable

At some stage, all babies enjoy the drop-and-wait-for-Mummy-or-Daddy-to-react game. The last thing you want is for your baby to constantly drop their toy on the floor while you are trying to shop for your nephew's Christmas present. Having stroller accessories that attach to the stroller or baby in some way will help to prevent baby from losing it deliberately.

2. Lights and Sounds

Obviously stroller accessories that emit lights and sounds will be more engaging and interesting to a baby. These generally tend to hold a baby's attention for longer.

3. Action-Reaction

Stroller accessories that require a baby to do something to them will be more engaging than those that do nothing. Babies will easily get bored of a toy if there is nothing interactive about it. Ideally, stroller accessories that have some sort of activity component will provide longer lasting entertainment to a baby. For instance, toys with lots of buttons to press, cloth books or board books with pages to turn.

4. Variety

Depending on how long you think you will be shopping for, it is a good idea to keep a stash of accessories hidden in the baby bag. That way, as soon as baby gets bored with the current toy, you can swap it with a new one. The longer you intend to shop for, the more toys you need to hide in the baby bag.

The following are some engaging stroller accessories and toys that will help to keep baby suitably occupied.

- Stroller steering wheel that attaches onto the pram. These are toys that are usually attachable to the stroller, emit lights and sounds, and offer a variety of activities for baby - for instance, buttons to press and a steering wheel to spin.

- Learning activity toys like the range from Lamaze. Again, these toys are usually attachable to the stroller and they offer a range of textures, sounds, and possibly lights for baby to explore.

- For very young babies, sometimes a musical mobile hanging from the hood of the stroller might be sufficient to entertain them until they fall asleep.

- Toy keys and mobile phones are also pretty attractive to the older babies that are learning the significance of these items in the real world.

Shen-Li is a stay-at-home-mum dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in parenting. She has a formal educational background and former work experience in healthcare. If you enjoyed this article, visit her blog Babylicious and follow her as she learns how to raise a happy, confident and successful person.