12 Sensory Baskets For Baby

Hello Friends!

This week has flown by and I feel like I’m slowly getting myself more and more sorted with my blog/life balance! Lets hope it keeps getting better from here. The kids are always keeping me super busy and some days I must admit I do start feeling like I’m running out of ideas but then I either take to my best friend Pinterest or I think back to activities that we’ve done before with them that were a hit.

One of my favourite things is to put sensory baskets together for Cooper. I didn’t make them as much for Locky but for Cooper I’m right into it. I think it’s a great way to grab their attention and allow them to focus on those few items you choose for them to explore rather than throwing a whole bunch of toys on the floor. By placing the items you want them to explore in a sensory basket they get the opportunity to slowly take them out of the basket one by one and study each item as they please. If your baby is like my first son Locky then they will grab the basket, throw across room, might consider exploring items or may choose to just go somewhere else and destroy the next thing in sight. You never know what your baby will want to do but Cooper my 10 month old loves these and really focuses on each item in the basket which I just LOVE watching! I create different baskets depending on what I feel he will enjoy or on what I notice he is loving at the time. Right now he’s loving balls in all difference sizes so I make a basket full of different balls for him to enjoy. He can spend easily half an hour on that one basket playing with all the different balls. I also like to make up new baskets of items he has either never touched before or rarely gets to explore like nature items or fruits and vegetables.

You can make up whatever you want really, it all comes down to your imagination. I like to try and make the baskets themed. All wood, all plastic, just lids, just balls etc, etc.

We have lots of fun combinations we love but to keep it short and simple here are our favourite 12 Sensory Baskets for Baby.

1. Fruit & Veg Sensory Basket
2. Lids Sensory Basket
3. Nature Sensory Basket- Sticks, large rocks, flowers, leafs. This is for an older baby. At least 6 months and older. Make sure you are right next to your baby when they explore items like these. If you need to do something, remove your baby from the play area. You do not want your baby ingesting these items.
4. Wooden Objects Sensory Basket
5. Plastic Objects Sensory Basket
6. Touch & Feel Books Sensory Basket to read with your baby and explore all the different textures.
7. Kitchen Utensils Sensory Basket (a favourite for both of my boys)
8. Music Sensory & Sound Basket (this one is always a big hit with exploring of sounds and touch)
9. Musical Soft Toys Sensory Basket
10. Assorted Materials Sensory Basket- Grab any left over fabric, ribbon, bags, card, paper and place it all in the basket and let your baby be blown away by all the fascinating items in the basket.
11. Sponges and Brushes Sensory Basket
12. Balls Sensory Basket

And because I somehow managed to count the amount of baskets I photographed wrong there is a thirteenth basket I want to share with you and a perfect one for quiet time. We also love discovery bottles. What better than a basket full of discovery bottles!

If you’ve never tried a sensory basket and have a baby or young toddler I highly recommend them. I usually put them together when the kids are sleeping so it’s ready for them in the morning or after nap. It’s a great way for your baby to touch and feel new elements that they may have never explored before.

Have you made sensory baskets for your baby? What can you add to my list?