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Creating a Baby Play Space

baby play area ideas

Part of my intention with our recent playroom declutter and re-organise was to create a baby play space for AJ. She is now six months old and has started moving around through a combination of rolling, pushing herself backwards and an awkward commando crawl forwards. My aim was to create an inviting nook just right for the playful needs of a small baby, keeping in mind many of the principles from my previous post, Space to Play [and Learn]: 10 Tips for Creating Great Play Spaces.

baby play area

I started with a soft floor rug and everything down low so that it is easily accessible.

baby play ideas

I attached a long mirror on one wall as baby’s love to look at faces. Please choose your mirror carefully (a safety mirror is best) and make sure that it is securely attached to the wall.

games for babies

Some babies may even try to kiss themselves 🙂

baby play

I chose low sided baskets and lightweight tubs to keep toys in,

baby play space

With a set of stable, low shelves to display a small selection of playful items.

baby play space ideasThere is a cosy corner with a basket of cloth and board books and a puppet, perfect for some quiet time with her sister or other family members.

infant play area

And finally, something to look up at. I made some rainbow mobiles from vellum using the instructions found here.

Looking for baby play ideas? Zero to Two: The Book of Play is packed with great ideas.

Related Posts

  • Enjoying Musical Playtime with your Baby
  • Make Your Own Cloth Baby Book
  • One activity, four ways: Mirrors
  • 10 Baby Play Ideas

Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

Filed Under: Baby Play, Organising Kids, Our Play Space

Previous post: Our Play Space: A Tour of Immy’s Cubby House
Next post: STEM Stocking Stuffers for Kids Who Like Tinkering & Building

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky says

    November 19, 2012 at 6:48 PM

    Gorgeous! So much to love about this space, it's giving me some ideas for bub #2. I love seeing babies and mirrors - adorable.
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:08 PM

      Thanks, Kylie :)
  2. Lauren says

    November 19, 2012 at 6:50 PM

    wow, she's growing up fast!! love her chubby legs :) great space! Lauren
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:15 PM

      Thanks, Lauren, she is growing up way too fast!
  3. judyperry says

    November 19, 2012 at 6:52 PM

    Hi Christie Burnett!! INCREDIBLE THINKING!! you did really make sense about baby play space. I think your advice will help a baby mental growth. My baby girl play space is same like this but here is no mirror which I want to set up as you mentioned.
  4. Jackie@My Little Bookcase says

    November 19, 2012 at 6:56 PM

    I just love the photo of AJ kissing herself in the mirror. Awwww!
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:17 PM

      It was so sweet, Jackie :)
  5. Sarah C says

    November 19, 2012 at 7:02 PM

    Delightful! I adore the rug. Although we are well past the infant stage (5 years old +) there are many ideas here that can be adapted to suit my kids play space.
  6. kassandra says

    November 19, 2012 at 9:20 PM

    I love the rug as well! Do you mind asking where you got it? Ive been looking for a big stripy rug that doesnt break the bank. Again, adorable room:)
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:09 PM

      Hi Kassandra, I am not sure where you are located but I bought the rug on sale from Spotlight :)
  7. Kate - An Everyday Story says

    November 20, 2012 at 9:33 AM

    You know I am loving that mobile. Can't believe how easy it is. I was thinking about making one with circles but not sure if I could be bothered cutting them all out. Maybe I'll just go for the the strips too. It's beautiful.
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:10 PM

      How did you go with the mobile, Kate?
  8. Cynthia says

    November 20, 2012 at 9:37 AM

    What a lovely playspace!
  9. Sam Stone says

    November 20, 2012 at 12:25 PM

    Gorgeous! I love this space. I will be setting this up for our new bubs in about 6 months.
  10. Maytey says

    November 20, 2012 at 4:29 PM

    That's so sweet! I wish I'd had the room to do something like this for my boys when they were bubs.
  11. RCMom says

    November 21, 2012 at 4:12 AM

    Love this room! I particularly love the mirror and the hanging rainbow! Great space!!
  12. Megan @ Writing Out Loud says

    November 22, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    Looks great! Lots of fun and stimulation for your gorgeous girl.
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:15 PM

      Thanks, Megan :)
  13. Becky says

    November 22, 2012 at 3:46 PM

    What a fun idea! My baby boy is just now getting to the age where he could start playing in a space like this.
  14. Amanda says

    November 24, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    Gorgeous! Anybody have any thoughts on where to get a "safety mirror"?
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:11 PM

      Not sure where you are based but Ikea have them, Amanda, or else many of the education suppliers would stock them too.
  15. Penny says

    November 24, 2012 at 6:36 PM

    A beautiful play space. I think even my two year old would love this space. The photos are just stunning too!
  16. Tamsyn says

    November 25, 2012 at 4:45 AM

    Such a gorgeous space! I'll definitely be adding a mirror to Lincoln's play space when he gets bigger, thanks for the great idea :)
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:16 PM

      Thanks for saying so, Tamsyn. Hope you are well :)
  17. Elizabeth says

    November 25, 2012 at 6:02 PM

    When my kids were that age we put up a mirror with a rail my husband made above it and another mirror above that, kind of a modified ballet style. Mine loved it and would pull themselves up then and "dance". I made a mat to go on the floor by it. Missing the days when my youngest was small. :) One of her first words were "you" since she thought that was the name of her friend in the mirror!
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:12 PM

      I love the idea of the rail, Elizabeth, thank you for sharing :)
  18. Kim says

    December 22, 2012 at 1:57 PM

    Hi Christie, I know this is a late comment, but your post has been sitting in my Inbox as a reminder to contact you and ask you about the fabulous rug show in the photos of the play space. I notice that a couple of other commenters above have also enquired about the rug. Are you able to tell us or just keep us guessing???
    • Christie Burnett says

      December 22, 2012 at 9:08 PM

      Hi Kim, I am not sure where you are located but I bought the rug on sale from Spotlight :)
  19. Sarah says

    October 29, 2013 at 9:07 AM

    Wow, I particularly love the mirror and wish that I had thought of that when my 19-m old daughter was younger. I will keep this in case I have any more kids, and certainly share it with friends!
  20. Paulette Smith says

    March 25, 2014 at 8:31 PM

    Your ideas are inspirational Im going to give this a try for my special needs child with some modificatiions for safety and use some additional equipment like a railing for pulling up. Love the baskets and pillows my daughter has CP and would explore all day!!
  21. maria_roomroombebe says

    April 9, 2014 at 11:25 PM

    I love it! I would like to share it on our web... Is it possible? We are from Barcelona, in Spain. As an architect and mum of twins, Childhood101 is a good place to learn a lot of things! Congratulations!
  22. Meghan says

    May 28, 2014 at 8:34 AM

    I have been looking for low shelves like that forever. Where did you get it?
    • Christie Burnett says

      July 2, 2014 at 10:30 AM

      It is from Ikea, Meghan :)
  23. Leslie says

    April 4, 2016 at 2:35 AM

    Just stumbled across this post on pinterest! We used an acrylic mirror (best price we found was home depot) and framed it with moulding attached directly to the wall. I love seeing how our baby will kiss his reflection XD
  24. Alana Chernecki says

    November 2, 2017 at 10:33 AM

    I'm a little late to the party, but just wanted to say how much I LOVED this feature, and how wonderful it is to honour even the TINIEST humans as capable, strong, full of potential - this play space totally reflects those values! Well done!

Trackbacks

  1. Learning Through Play PlannerNurtureStore says:
    November 25, 2012 at 9:35 PM
    [...] exploring their own special play space (great ideas over at Childhood 101) [...]
  2. A New Year and a New Playroom | An Everyday Story says:
    January 3, 2013 at 7:00 PM
    [...] just cut into strips and then sew one after another down the middle. Easy. I got the idea from Christie who originally got the idea from here (there’s a simple tutorial too). I love it and it [...]
  3. baby space | Bear and Ted says:
    August 30, 2013 at 4:09 AM
    [...] If you are interested in creating your own play space for a baby, have a look at these as well. The Imagination Tree as always (I covet their sheepskin), or Childhood 101. [...]
  4. Ultimate Guide to Baby Play Spaces, Nurseries, and More - Lemon Lime Adventures says:
    May 17, 2014 at 8:18 PM
    […] Play Space for 6-18 months ~ Imagination Tree Creating a Baby Play Space ~ Childhood […]
  5. Babyzimmer. | babamilie says:
    May 30, 2014 at 7:26 PM
    […] Bilder childhood101.com […]
  6. 50+ Ways for Babies to Play - Kids Activities Blog says:
    January 14, 2015 at 12:19 AM
    […] a Play Space.  Use mirrors and other brightly colored toys for your child to roll to and […]
  7. 7 Nursery Design Ideas for a Perfect Childhood says:
    February 17, 2015 at 6:31 PM
    […] This one is for parents of younger kids – the babies can’t yet walk around and fetch the toys they want, so you need to create for them a space where they can crawl freely, experiment and grow, be exposed to various colors, shapes and textures – and of course, everything has to be low to fit their perspective! Here’s a great design to draw inspiration from by Childhood 101. […]
  8. Cadeautjes voor de eerste verjaardag - Eenkadovoor.nl says:
    February 18, 2015 at 3:00 PM
    […] bron header […]
  9. 片づけてはすぐに散らかる子供部屋!ママもキッズも楽しく過ごせるアイデア7選! – Bon Zakka says:
    April 2, 2017 at 1:23 PM
    […] 出典: childhood101.com […]
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