9 Things to Do With Your Baby That Promote Slow Living- instead of buying things for Amazon Prime Day

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In the spirit of Prime Day, I want to remind you that you don’t need everything that’s marketed toward you. Never feel inclined to buy things just because someone on the internet said you need it (including someone like me!) You can get things second hand or simply go without!

Slow living practices are free or cheap things you do everyday. It’s the things that may not seem too exciting or “post-able”. I promise once you do slow down and live in these moments, they will mean the world to you (and your babe, even if they don’t know it yet)!! 

Things I do with my babe include:

1. Let your babe the lead day! You don’t always have to have activities and play dates planned for every moment of the day. Just “be” and see where your day takes you. This lowers stress for everyone so there isn’t a “let down” when things don’t go exactly as planned or big emotions come up. Going with the flow is key for my parenting journey. 
2. Go on a walk! We try to go on a walk almost every day. Even if it’s a short one. Whether it’s in the stroller, the carrier, the push trike, or on my hip my babe loves getting outside. If he’s ever fussy no matter what I do, a walk is usually my go to even if we’ve already been on one for the day! He loves looking at the trees, flowers, animals, and cars. I can see so much awe in his eyes as he observes the big world around him. 
3. Take care of your garden together! No matter if it’s a full blown vegetable garden or a couple of potted plants, watering and “checking” on the plants is a wonderful way to slow down and show your babe the joy of seeing your plants grow and flourish. 
4. Observe the nature together in your backyard or out the window. One of our favorite pastimes is watching the rain out the window. It’s so peaceful and I love how fascinating it is to my boy. We also have plenty of animals to watch as well- a family of bunnies, various species of birds, squirrels, and flying insects. 
5. Listen to sweet music together. Some of our favorites come up on Spotify when we are listening to “We Are the Dinosaurs” radio. You’ll soon learn the words and sing along! We’ve also listened to a few children’s series like “Gardenkeeper Gus” which are essentially short episodes minus the screen time! 
6. Read lots of books! Take your time and point on things on the pages. Let your babe turn the pages, even if this means you don’t finish the book and start all over again. Get silly with it! Reading and getting animated will bring out the child in you- and your baby will LOVE it! Utilize your library, thrift stores, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for adding new books in the rotation. 
7. Have them help with household tasks- if appropriate and safe. Things do need to get done around the house so including your babe in the things you need to do helps get it done! It also helps their confidence, making them feel that they can do these things too with practice. This is a great place to exhibit patience and slowing down. Children have a beautiful way of reminding us that not everything needs to be done quickly. 
8. Go on a coffee date together. After story time at the library we will go sit with my coffee, his water bottle, and a little snack for about 15 or 20 minutes. They may not want to sit so we try to sit outside so he can walk around and check out the rocks, plants, and sometimes we even make some friends! 
9. Go to story time at your local library. My babe LOVES story time. There’s singing, books, dancing, and the pull out toys and bubbles at the end. We try to go to the same time every week so we can continue to see our friends that we’ve made. 

So next time that you feel like you don’t have the funds to go to an indoor play area, the zoo, the aquarium, or to buy the new “it” toy – try these simple activities and watch your babe (and you!) thrive. 

Thank you for stopping by! I wish you all the abundance and joy. 

Ally