Having fun with your baby doesn’t require a trip to the toy store, fancy baby equipment or a special membership to a baby gym.
Greg Bishop, author and founder of Boot Camp for New Dads, a nonprofit orientation program for fathers-to-be, offers these 12 budget-friendly activities to do with baby.
1. Take a tour of your own house with baby in a front carrier, letting him/her grab things within reach.
2. Sing songs together.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a lullaby or rock ‘n’ roll as long as it’s repetitive and sung with enthusiasm.
3. Give him/her "airplane" rides through the house or yard.
4. Create some tall buildings with blocks then let him/her knock them down.
5. Put baby in a carrier and go on short hiking adventures.
6. Build an indoor obstacle course with pillows and sheets for tunnels that baby will enjoy crawling through.
7. Start a kitchen band with pots and pans and spoons and really make some noise.
8. Play “hide and seek” with toys to teach him/her how to find his/her hidden treasures.
9. Encourage your little artist with crayons or non-toxic finger paint.  Spread newspaper on the kitchen floor and cover with drawing paper.
10. Bring the bath and beach toys into the tub along with a colander and let baby have a blast sinking ships and making “rain.”
11. Make funny faces together while looking in a mirror.  Use shaving cream to give baby a mirror beard and moustache.
12. Make junior an instant sports fan.  Watch your favorite team together on TV and practice doing the wave.
According to Bishop, “Research has shown that babies benefit from time spent with dad, doing what comes naturally to dads, such as roughhousing, playing and simply showing him/her the world. Best of all, these activities don’t cost a thing.”