How to keep your baby smiling

A smile costs nothing. And to prove it, we’ve come up with 35 fab ways to keep you sane and your baby smiling  – without paying a penny 

‘What are we doing today mummy?’ How many times have you heard that one! Children love to be amused from morning till night and it can take serious time, imagination, patience and cash on your part. But there are plenty of ways you can both have fun without spending any money. So put your purse away and check out these great ideas…

1. Raid your wardrobe (and Dad’s) and have a dressing up day. Tots love to pretend so think like they do for a few hours - march up and down the house as soldiers, save the day as superheroes or take to the stage as prima ballerinas. You might have more fun than you’ve had in years! Get The Dressing Up Book by Jane Bull (Dorling Kindersley) from the library for more inspiration. It’s full of easy-to-make costumes using old bits and bobs.

2. Dig out any old bits of make-up or face paints and let your little ones make over mummy. You’ll no doubt look ready to join the circus when they’ve finished but we guarantee you’ll all have a giggle.

3. “I love creating indoor treasure hunts,” says Julie Gunn, mum to Finlay, four and Fraser, two. “I use picture clues for Fraser and simple word clues for Finnlay and each new clue takes them to the next. There’s always a little prize at the end – a chocolate bar, a biscuit or even a new book I might have in the cupboard. I get so much pleasure seeing their delighted faces as they race up and down the house.”

4. Create a kitchen orchestra. Babies love making a noise and nine times out of ten they prefer what’s in your cupboard to what’s in their toy box. Saucepans, wooden spoons, colanders, tin cans – you name it – they’ll bang it.

5. The emergency services often run free open days. Climbing onto a big red fire engine or getting to squirt a huge hose could make your little ones day – and getting to meet some men in uniform might well make yours! Check your local stations for any forthcoming events.

6. “If your baby loves playing with bubbles and water, why not get in the bath together,” says Katharine Gorham, mum to Ava, nine months and Oliver, three. “We pour water over each other, make mixtures, laugh at our bubble beards and come out looking like prunes!”

7. Make the most of the British weather. Catch raindrops when it pours, run around with homemade paper flags when the wind really blows and chase your shadows when the sun actually shines.

8. “We love going to the park to collect all different types of leaves. We put each one under a piece of paper and rub over them with big chunky crayons,” says Jenny Barrett, mum to Joseph, four, Ethan, two and Nicholas, ten months. “All the boys love it and we always make a gallery of our leaf rubbings to show Daddy.”

9. Turn on your favourite CD and take to the dance floor. Twirl your baby around the living room or make up a simple routine with your toddler. You can always crib a few good moves from Boogie Beebies if you’re out of practice!

10. “Visiting the local train station is a real treat for my little boy!” says Katie Campbell, mum to Cameron, two. “We pack his Spiderman bag with sandwiches, a drink and his toy camera, then check out the arrival boards to see when the big trains are coming. We wave at people on board, guess who might be on the trains (usually Granddad and the Fat Controller!) and when the whistle blows, we countdown and shout ready steady go. We collect leaflets and timetables, eat our pack up and go home!”

11. Pinch a pair of Dad’s old socks (clean of course) and make a sock puppet. Stick on buttons for eyes and use paper to make a mouth.  Create names for your characters, sit behind the sofa and put on a puppet show together – which even the youngest family members will enjoy.

12. Create your own garden gallery with ‘pavement art’ on your patio. Even younger children will love to make their mark with some chunky chalks. Try self-portraits, drawing a road for their toy cars or turn scribbles into modern art! And wait for the next Great British downpour to wash it all away.

13. What is it with cardboard boxes? Babies and toddlers can’t get enough of them. And they have 101 uses too (well almost!). Cut out windows to make a house, add portholes to sail the seas or make a steering wheel to race the Grand Prix. Chances are you’ll still be creating a masterpiece while your tot goes off and does something else instead!

14. There are some fantastic museums countrywide that offer a jam-packed day out for absolutely free. Go back to prehistoric times at The Natural History Museum in London, venture inside a huge body at Eureka! in xxxxx, Yorkshire, or find out about where you live at your local museum. Museums and Galleries Month takes place throughout May, offering lots of family events throughout the country, many of which are free. Visit www.mgm.org.uk for more details.

15. “An old baby bath is great for water play. I fill lots of plastic squash and milk bottles with water and add some food colouring to each,” says Carolyn Kimpton, mum to Jasper, three and Max, one. “The children then pour them into the bath to make some weird and wonderful colours.”

16. Make a book about ‘me’ for your little one. Include photos of their holidays, friends and family. Babies will love to sit and look at the pictures with you, while your toddler can help you cut, stick and choose pictures of their favourite things from old magazines.

17. Anything with six legs will fascinate the younger generation. So arm yourselves with jam jars and go hunting bugs – even if you only get as far as your own back yard. Pierce holes in the lid of your jar, fill with leaves and let your tot keep his bug as a pet for the afternoon. See how much they eat and let them back in the garden just before tea.

18. Enjoy some guilt-free shopping. Save up empty food boxes and glue down the flaps to create a grocery store fit for a king. Tinned food, bags of pasta, clothes, shoes, and toys can all be used to fill the shelves. And if you donate an old purse with some of mummy’s ‘real’ money, your tot will be in retail heaven. Happy shopping!

19. “An obstacle course can turn a rainy day into an adventure,” says Debbie Steeles, mum to Naomi Patricia-Joyce Davis, 17 months. “Use whatever you can find - a bench to walk the plank, cushion stepping stones across shark infested seas, through a cardboard box tunnel, up a chair mountain or through a blanket cave. The wilder your imagination the more the child will love it.”

20. You’ll be surprised how much fun your kitchen cupboards have in store! By simply mixing water and corn flour, you can make an amazing sticky mixture. Use a big bowl or water play table and all get stuck in.

21. Throw out some stale bread and see how many birds you can spot. Draw simple bird shapes for your children to colour or look on the Internet together to find out which of our feathered friends you’ve seen. The RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk - is full of games and activity sheets from how to make a recycled bird feeder to playing wildflower bingo, as well as details of many free events nationwide.

22. “Both my children love going out after it’s been raining,” says Rachel Osbourne, mum to Sam, two and Lucy, 11 months. “Lucy loves watching what's going on from her pushchair and Sam loves jumping in muddy puddles like Peppa Pig. We have competitions to see who can make the biggest splashes and Lucy finds it hilarious.”

23. Encourage high flyers from an early age! Try tying a piece of string around the handles of an old carrier bag and you have a simple kite that even little ones can run around the garden with. Just keep a close eye on them and never leave a baby alone with a plastic bag.

24. It’s amazing what pleasure you can have with a balloon. Blow it up, let it go and watch your baby squeal (be prepared to do this again and again!), see how long you can keep it off the ground or get utterly messy with some paper mache (flour, water and old newspapers).

25. “I used to a go to a weekly music morning but it was getting expensive so now a group of us mums take turns to host one. We often make shakers (old plastic bottles filled with rice or pasta), sing simple nursery rhymes and always include plenty of action songs. And the babies, toddlers and mums love it.” Allison Boden, mum to Annie, one.

26. Enjoy what’s on your doorstep. Visit your local woods and look for flowers, listen for birds, search for seven-spot ladybirds and four leaf clovers. Collect things together to make collages when you get home. The Forestry Commission looks after our woodlands and has a free programme of family events, which include nature trails – visit www.forestry.gov.uk to find out what’s on near you.

27. Children of all ages love playdough and together you can make your own with a few simple ingredients you’re bound to have at home. Mix one cup of flour, ½ cup of salt and two tblsp of cream of tartar with one cup of water. Add some food colouring and two tblsp of oil and cook on a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the dough leaves the sides of the pan in a ball. Leave to cool and hey you’re ready to play. What’s more you’ve got two activities for the price of one!

28. A couple of chairs, a few blankets and a torch might not mean much to you but it’s the makings of an awesome den for your toddler. Get in on the adventure, grab some vital snacks from the kitchen and help set up camp.

29. Try turning your bedroom into a hair salon for the afternoon – my girls love it,” says Zoe Calloway, mum to Ellie, four and Lucie, two and a half. “I wash their hair, give it a blow dry and style it for them. Sometimes they want plaits, or lots of ponytails but most of all they like having buns to look like princesses. And when I’ve finished, they pretend to pay me!”

30. Let off steam together and see just how many parks you can visit in one day. Count how many swings, slides, seesaws and roundabouts you can all ride on and arrive home happy, exhausted and somewhat dizzy!

31. Children are more easily pleased than you might think. Clean out some old washing up bottles, fill with water, open the back door and let the water fight begin!

32. “You can’t go wrong with plain paper and crayons – I draw shapes for the children to colour in, we make our own paper chains, fans and paper aeroplanes and decorate them. I just don’t like it when Molly asks me to judge whose is best!” says Kate Bashford, mum to Molly, three and Frankie, 20 months. A library copy of Pencil and Paper Games for Kids (Hamlyn) will provide you with even more ideas.

33. Cooking is a great way to all have fun together – use what you’ve got in stock but try to be inventive. Make pastry initials, whiz up a smoothie with any left over fruit and let your tots turn their tea into works of art – tomatoes for eyes, carrots for a nose and red pepper for a mouth. It might encourage them to try something new and help them well on their way to ‘five a day’.

34. Playing ‘eye spy something the colour.......’ is a simple game that even very young children can get to grips with. What’s more it can be easily done from the comfort of a big armchair!

35. Check out your local library for free story and rhyme time sessions (usually aimed at pre-schoolers). And while you’re there choose some books together so you can snuggle up for a marathon story afternoon.