As my time in Virginia comes to an end, I have a busy schedule trying to see all my babysitting kiddos! While Colorado will pack a lot of adventures, and I’ll have some new babysitting kids, I will ABSOLUTELY miss all my kiddos.

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to see Noah, an adorable 7 month old baby boy. I’ve been involved with Noah since September 2017 and have done a few overnights with him. Overnight sitting can be a lot of work but is definitely worth it! Noah has an adorable smile, and an energetic dog sister, Moose, who is pretty stinking cute. Honestly, the best part of Noah are his parents- who are incredibly sweet, understanding, pay well, and respect my profession. (Honestly, what more could a nanny/babysitter ask for!)

I’ve gotten a few questions on what I do during overnights with infants, and so I decided to make a blog post detailing one example of an overnight weekend. *

I love every age range, but babies are pure magic! However, it can be difficult not to get bored with infants or remain calm & steady, as they melt down. My number one tip when scheduling an overnight, is to have a plan! In the weeks leading up, I brainstorm about developmentally appropriate and stimulating activities. I try to plan at least two activities to do everyday. This gives me a backup, just in case one activity isn’t possible. My biggest resource is Pinterest, and I usually end up modifying ideas to make them more mine or appropriate.

My time with Noah, spanned 3 days, but two of them were exclusively nights. I wanted to plan activities for Saturday, the day we’d spend together. My work schedule & his feeding/sleep schedule only allowed us an hour together every night. The first two nights I focused more on the care of Noah. I gave him his bottle, and played with him for a little bit and then off to bed he went. Saturday allowed for more time to be spent with him and I was not going to pass it up!

Activity One: Rain Stick Sensory Play

For our first activity, we used a rain stick. Rain sticks are commonly made by the indigenous people of a country. (If your child is a bit older, this is a great education opportunity! You could easily learn about indigenous people and have an activity of making your own rain stick and then creating music with it.) Since Noah is still so young, I had the privilege of making a rain stick for him. Rain sticks are super, duper easy to make and are a great way to use household supplies and encourage creativity.

For our rain stick, I used the cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper. I filled the inside with popcorn kernels, but rice and dried beans work just as well! I sealed the ends with foil paper and a rubber band. From there, I handed the rain stick to Noah and he enjoyed touching it and experiencing the sensation of crunchy foil. He even tried to give foil a taste! Additionally, I turned on some music and together we shook our rain sticks and practiced clapping and exclaiming along to the beat.

Our rainstick was not the prettiest, but Noah doesn’t care! Get creative and decorate the outside of your rain stick- this easily extends the activity into more of a consistent lesson plan for the week.

Activity two: Water Beads Sensory Fun

Our second activity is definitely one of my favorites! This one is pretty easy for any age range, but can pose a choking habit, so supervision is necessary! I posted about Magic Water Beads on my Christmas wishlist blog, and these things are awesome! They can very easily be purchased on Amazon, or sold in stores at Target/Walmart. The beads start off super small, and after being submerged in water, expand. These beads are great in a sensory table for older children, and can be used to fill up dump trucks or pour in/out of containers. (MY LITTLE LOVES THESE.)

I decided to use these beads with Noah, to introduce different textures. I submerged the beads and placed them in a ziplock bag after they enlarged. I was careful to observe Noah during the activity, to make sure none escaped from the bag. Noah had a blast laying on his tummy, and playing with the beads. When he grew weary of that, we sat up and placed our hands in the bag, so he could really feel the texture and squish the beads through his hands. He seemed to enjoy this activity, and squealed with each handful!

Noah loved this activity and is easily something that can grow with him. PLEASE SUPERVISE CHILDREN PLAYING WITH WATER BEADS.

I had such a blast getting to hang out with Noah! He is such an easy going babe, with an adorable smile. Thanks for reading about my weekend with Noah! 🙂

*DISCLAIMER: The above blog post is an example of only one overnight weekend with a child. All activities were age and developmentally appropriate. All activities were done with my complete observation, assuring for the safety of Noah & Moose. Photos are shared with the consent of parents. PLEASE MODIFY ANY/ALL ACTIVITIES TO YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS.