Early Learning Newborn Goals

Since we moved when I was 37 weeks pregnant (crazy market where we live, not exactly ideal timing), I had to spend most of my third pregnancy packing instead of nesting.  Now that we have been in the new house for a week (and baby is scheduled to come in a week, if he doesn't show up before), I have finally been able to nest!

His nursery is set up (although he won't be sleeping there for a while, the board books are unpacked and his bassinet is next to my bed.  My amazing husband to take a break from unpacking to build me a crawling track for the baby.  I am so excited for Baby Boy to have a safe environment for tummy time, especially with two dogs that are not always all that self aware.

I printed and laminated infant stimulation cards from Doman Mom to line the sides.  We also have a baby mirror and pre-made infant stimulation cards we'll use for tummy time.

Newborn Goals:
Newborns are a ton of work and each one is different, so I am not going to delude myself into thinking I can perfectly plan out all our early learning activities ahead of time.  However, I can set some goals.

• Face to Face interaction - with two parents and a doting big brother, as well as lots of extended family, this one should be easy.  He'll have no shortage of people wanting to talk to him and read to him.
• Tummy Time - On family members' chests, in the crawling track and on the floor.  I'm going to try my best to avoid baby holding devices and get him on the ground whenever possible.  Doesn't mean I'll be good at it or that he will cooperate.
• Very LOOSE Infant Stimulation Program (as outlined in How Smart Is Your Baby) -  the full program is much too rigorous for me to commit to.  However, I will try to stimulate some of his reflexes and provide the movement experience.
• Visual Stimulation - baby can't learn to read until he can see really well, so I want to make sure he has visual stimulation to look at, hence the cards and mirrors.