This app is optimized for the iPhone and requires iOS 8. It can also run on an iPad, but is easiest to use on an iPhone.
Playlates is a set of games for you to play with your baby in the first year of life. Based on the principles of Joe Pilates and developed by a teacher with 20 years of experience in Pilates and dance, the Playlates activities help your baby become stronger, happier and more confident while giving you an expansive list of games that are calibrated to fit your infants development during the many stages he or she goes through form 2 months old until walking.
The app is free to download, with a sample of five activities available in the "Introduction" that are suitable for babies from 2-4 months old. Detailed text descriptions and videos accompany each activity. Available for purchase are sets for babies at different developmental stages, from sitting, to standing, to crawling, up to walking. Each set provides 20-30 minutes of challenging, fun and entertaining play for you and your baby.
Because there numerous HD instructional videos embedded in the app, it is ~400mb and will take about 10 minutes to download on wifi. After this delay, however, the videos will play instantly without delay and can be viewed anywhere, even without being online.
Included:
"Introduction" - These are the first safe activities to try with your 8 week-old baby.
"Play all" feature allows the entire set of videos to run together.
"Stages" - a description of the different stages represented in each set, in case "2 months" or "4 months" is not a useful indicator for your baby.
"Blog" - Theres lots of great material on activities with your baby and the value of playing with them directly, updated frequently.
"About" - Contact Nathanael, the creator of Playlates, directly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
For Purchase:
"2 Months" - The first stages of head and spine support, mobilized limbs and strong legs.
"4 Months" - Games to help your baby sit, begin rolling over, and stand with support.
"6 Months" - Activities that prepare a baby to start crawling and cruising.
"8 Months" - Games for a busy crawling and standing baby thats preparing to walk.
The entire set of activities can be purchased for less than the cost of one baby gym class, and they provide a years-worth of stimulating and valuable activities.
Benefits for your baby:
These games are really, really fun for babies
Builds strength and skill in mastering the basics activities of life
Fun, focused play with you, which is easily repeatable
A busy baby is a happy baby, the games provide you both with useful variety
It may help the baby sleep better, it did for ours
Most of the games can be done anywhere, providing instant portable entertainment
Your baby will have even more trust in you
More hugs - the app is based on physical contact between you, leading to more hugs
Benefits for you:
More fun things to do with your new person
Being a part of the little triumphs is delightful and empowering for you
Improves your awareness of your babys abilities and moods
Provides a useful distraction when things get challenging in public
Improves your skill at helping your baby, physically
Improves your confidence in your parenting ability and enjoyment of time spent with your baby
More hugs, see above
Please note - this app does NOT provide any exercise advice to help mothers or fathers with their own fitness.