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Sleeping

Sensory Activities to Enhance a Baby's Sleep

Article By
Anna
Published On
13 May, 2025
Read Time
5 minutes

From the moment your baby is born, they begin to learn through their senses.  

Sensory play (any activity that engages sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, or movement) helps build nerve connections in the brain, supports language development, and lays the groundwork for skills like problem-solving, balance, and coordination. 

What is sensory play? 

Sensory play is any activity that stimulates your baby’s senses – touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing, balance, and movement. 

It’s how babies explore the world around them before they can fully use language or move around on their own two feet. From feeling different textures to hearing new sounds, sensory play helps build neural connections in their brain that support learning, memory, and growth. 

This kind of play can help lay the foundation for important life skills like problem-solving, coordination, and even social development. 

Whether it’s the squish of playdough, the sparkle of a foil blanket, or the sound of a rattle, sensory experiences support cognitive growth, emotional confidence, and physical strength.  

The different types of sensory play explained 

Visual sensory play 

From high-contrast black and white patterns in the early weeks to bright, bold colours as their vision develops, visual play helps your baby make sense of the world around them. Babies are naturally drawn to movement, light and colour. Simple activities like watching bubbles float, gazing at fairy lights, or exploring picture books help sharpen focus and visual tracking. Mobiles, stacking cups, and light-up toys are all great ways to capture your baby’s attention and encourage healthy eye development. Even a walk outside, watching leaves move or light filter through trees, can be a rich visual experience. 

Auditory sensory play 

Babies start to tune into the sounds of surroundings long before they learn to speak. Auditory play helps develop listening skills, language foundations, self-expression and emotional awareness. Rattles, musical toys, and gentle singing are soothing and can also help your baby notice differences in pitch, rhythm and volume. Try simple games like copying each other’s sounds, or letting your baby explore the noise different household items make – crinkling up paper, tapping spoons or shaking grains of rice in a container.  

Tactile sensory play 

Touch is one of the first ways babies explore and learn, and tactile play lets them get hands-on with the world – feeling, squeezing, squishing and discovering different textures with their tiny hands and feet. Sensory bins filled with safe objects, squishy playdough, or even water play in the bath can all support your baby’s developing fine motor skills and coordination.  

Olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) sensory play 

Smell can trigger emotional responses and comfort, while taste exploration helps babies learn about food, texture, and their own preferences. Weaning from six months is a time that’s full of sensory opportunities. Different temperatures, flavours, and textures all help babies build positive food relationships, just make sure everything is age-appropriate and safe to explore.  

Why sensory play matters

  1. Cognitive development: Enhancing problem-solving skills and creativity.
  2. Emotional development: Building self-confidence and emotional resilience.
  3. Physical development: Improving fine and gross motor skills.
  4. Social development: Encouraging interaction and communication skills.

Sensory toys for babies

You don’t necessarily need specially-designed sensory toys for newborns. Many of the most effective sensory play ideas start with simple, everyday objects you probably already have at home – like a muslin cloth for peekaboo, a wooden spoon for tapping, or a mirror for face-watching. These kinds of experiences are often just as enriching as toys, because they’re familiar, safe, and easy to adapt as your baby grows. 

That said, baby products that’re designed to support sleep can offer gentle, calm, and controlled sensory stimulation. Sleep aids that combine soft lighting with soothing sounds do more than just help your baby drift off. They introduce rhythmic patterns and comforting sensory cues that support emotional regulation, auditory awareness, and even visual tracking. 

Explore the Range

Baby Sleep Aids

Tommee Tippee baby sleep aids use soft glowing lights, white noise and heartbeat-mimicking sounds to create a womb-like environment, helping babies feel safe while subtly stimulating the senses. 

Do sensory lights help babies sleep?

Yes, sensory lights can help babies sleep when used in the right way. Soft, gentle lighting with a warm glow and a slow-fading effect can help create a calm, predictable bedtime environment.  

Using a nightlight can give your baby a visual cue that it’s time to wind down, without overstimulating them. For some babies, the presence of a dim light can also help reduce separation anxiety or night waking, especially if it’s paired with soothing sounds like white noise or a familiar lullaby. 

A sensory room for babies is a calm, thoughtfully designed space that gently stimulates their developing senses. It might include soft lighting, soothing sounds, gentle textures, and safe objects to explore, and can help build a baby’s brain connections and motor skills. Whether at home, in a nursery or a healthcare setting, a sensory room can offer a safe, comforting environment where babies can learn through play and parents can tune into their child’s needs. 

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