Invite an infant to join you to play with dolls. Introduce the dolls and give one to the infant to hold and explore. Talk with the infant about his/her actions with the doll. After several moments, introduce the bottle and blanket. Encourage the infant to be the “play leader” and explore the materials in his/her own way.

As the infant interacts with the doll and accessories, watch for opportunities to provide prompts that may extend the infant’s pretend play. Examples:

• “My baby is hungry. I am going to feed my baby a bottle. You are holding the baby bottle. Maybe your baby is hungry too. Do you want to feed your baby?”
• “You put the blanket over your baby. I think your baby is going night night. Let’s say ‘night night’ to your baby.”
• “You are holding and rocking your baby. Maybe your baby is going to sleep. Shhhh… let’s whisper so your baby can sleep.” (This suggestion should be used in a playful manner. The infant is not expected to whisper or to be quiet.)
• “You are touching the baby’s hair. The baby has brown hair. You have brown hair, too! Here is your brown hair. (Touch infant’s hair.) What else do you see on your baby doll?”

Pause at important times during the interactions so the infant has a clear opportunity to contribute.

Be Prepared: The tub should be large enough for two dolls. Place about a half inch of warm water in the tub and add a few drops of tear-free baby shampoo to provide a small amount of bubbles. Arrange the tub and materials on the large towel or mat.

Invite an infant to join you to play with the baby dolls and accessories. Introduce the play materials and place one of the dolls in the tub to take a bath. The infant may imitate your actions with the second baby doll, or he/she may choose to explore the play materials in different ways. Look for opportunities to extend his/her actions with the materials. Examples:

• “You are looking at the bubbles and smiling, Josiah. Would you like to touch the bubbles? I will help you roll up your sleeve. Then you can put your hand in the water!”
• “I am washing my baby. Would you like to wash your baby in the water? Here is a cloth you can use to clean your baby.”
• “Ooh, look at the water dripping from your washcloth! Plip, plop goes the water. You like watching the water drip down.”
• “You are covering the baby with the washcloth. You are washing the baby! Your baby is getting very clean.”
• “My baby is all clean. I am going to dry my baby with a towel. Would you like to use a towel when your baby is done with the bath?”

Conclude the play by describing highlights of the infant’s participation.