Both
sides of this debate have valid points. A baby does indeed
learn from the things she plays with, and the more things
she has access to, the more she can learn. With this in mind,
many parents spend a fortune buying toys; however, many toys
hold a child’s attention for three or four days, only
to be relegated to the bottom of the toybox or back of a shelf.
Babies
learn about their world by using all five of their senses:
sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Toys engage and refine
these senses by:
- Helping
your baby learn how to control his movements and body
parts
-
Helping your baby figure out how things work
-
Showing your baby how he can control things in his world
-
Teaching your baby new ideas
- Building your baby’s muscle control, coordination,
and strength
-
Teaching your baby how to use his imagination
-
Showing your baby how to solve simple problems
-
Helping your baby learn how to play by himself
-
Setting the foundation for learning how to share and cooperate
with others
Experts
agree that babies need a variety of toys to enrich their lives
and encourage learning. While your baby can learn from expensive
store-bought toys, she can also learn from a crumpled piece
of paper, a set of measuring spoons, an empty box, or a leaf.
Everything is new and interesting to a baby, and if you open
your eyes to the many wonders in our world, you’ll see
that you don’t have to spend a fortune to keep your
baby happy, interested, and learning.
What
“home-grown” toys are best?
As you view the whole world as a bottomless toybox, here are
some tips to consider:
- Search
for items of different weights, materials, textures, flexibility,
sizes, shapes, colors, and smells. (Most store-bought
baby toys are primary-colored plastic; that’s why
your metal keys on a leather key ring are so very appealing
- they’re different!)
- Babies
are generalists. Your little one will apply what he learns
from one object to any other that is similar. Therefore,
don’t give him an old book or magazine to scribble
in unless you want all of your books to be potential notepads.
A sealed bottle may look fun, but your baby may then think
he can play with your pill bottles.
- Take
a closer look at the things you consider “trash.”
Some may be valuable toys! Empty boxes, egg cartons, and
tin containers are just a few examples of everyday castoffs
that, once cleaned, can provide endless hours of play.
PARENT
TIP
“I made a great set of blocks for my daughter by collecting
an assortment of empty boxes from regular household products
and covering them with contact paper. They are colorful,
light weight and man interesting shapes and sizes.”
Yu-ting, mother of Shu-Lin (3 years old)
-
Your
kitchen is overflowing with baby toys! Once your little
one begins to crawl, it’s time to rearrange the
kitchen. Put all your baby-safe items, such as plastic
containers, pots and pans, potholders and canned goods,
in your lower cabinets and let your baby know where his
“toys” are. You’ll have to relax your
housekeeping standards and deal with disorganized cabinets
for a while, but the play potential is so fantastic that
it’s worth it!
-
Young
children love water play, and a bowl or pan of water along
with spoons and cups of various sizes make a fabulous
source of fun. You can put your baby in his high chair,
sit him on the floor on a beach towel, or take him outside
in a shady spot if the weather’s warm. I guarantee
he’ll be soaked when he’s done, but that will
be after a very long and happy play session.
-
Containers
to fill and empty are lots of fun for a baby. You can
safely fulfill your older baby’s desire to manipulate
small things by filling a large bowl with a variety of
colorful children’s cereals (nothing hard or ball-shaped)
and supplying spoons, measuring cups, and other containers.
Since you’re using cereal pieces, it’s okay
if some end up in his mouth. Don’t try this with
beads, seeds, macaroni, or other items that pose a choking
hazard.
What
store-bought toys are best?
A while ago, I went to the toy store to buy my youngest child,
Coleton, a toy that my older three adored when they were babies.
It was a simple pop-up toy for toddlers with various buttons,
levers, and dials. I found a bewildering variety of this kind
of toy, but to my dismay, every single one was electronic.
They made sounds, they made music, they had blinking lights
- they just about played by themselves! I finally had to order
the prized toy from a specialty catalog that carries “back
to basics” toys. Sure, electronic toys can be exciting
- for a while - but they can also stunt your baby’s
developing ability to imagine and manipulate (and let’s
face it: those repetitive electronic sounds can get annoying).
If a toy does everything by itself, it loses its potential
as a tool for developing creativity. Also, if your little
one gets used to these toys, then simple pleasures like wooden
blocks seem boring by comparison because he expects the blocks
to play for him. And those simple toys are among the very
best for baby playtime.
Look
for these qualities as you shop for your baby:
- Long-term play value: Will this hold your little one’s
attention for more than a few weeks?
-
Durability: Will it hold up when sat on, thrown, jumped
on, mouthed, or banged?
- Solid simplicity: Babies don’t need complicated
toys.
-
Challenge: Look for toys that teach but do not frustrate.
- Appropriateness. Does it match your baby’s thinking,
language, and motor skills?
-
Interest: Will it encourage your baby to think?
-
Stimulation: How does this toy foster creativity and imagination?
-
Interactiveness: Does it engage your child or just entertain
him as he watches passively?
-
Versatility: Can your baby play with this in more than
one way?
-
Washability: Well-loved toys tend to get very dirty!
- Fit with your family value system: Does this toy reflect
your family’s particular values? For example, is
the toy friendly to the environment? Does it promote diversity?
Are you comfortable with what the toy represents?
- Novelty: Is this toy different from others your baby already
has? You don’t want a toy box filled with 30 different
kinds of rattles!
-
Fun appeal: Is it something that you will enjoy playing
with, too? Toys that encourage you to play along with
your baby are ideal.
Best
toys for young babies:
Board
books
Foot or hand puppets
Musical toys
Rattles
Small, lightweight, easy-to-grasp toys
Squeaky toys
Teething rings
Toys with high-contrast graphics, bright colors, or black-and-white
patterns
Best
toys for older babies:
Activity
boxes (levers/buttons/dials/hinges)
Balls
Beginning puzzles (two or three large pieces; knobs are helpful)
Blocks
Cars and trucks
Chunky small people and accessories
Dolls and stuffed animals
Hammering toys
Large interlocking beads
Modeling dough
Musical toys
Nesting cups
Peg boards
Picture books
Plastic animals
Pop-up toys
Push or pull toys
Shape sorters
Stacking rings
Toy versions of everyday items (telephones, cooking utensils,
doctor kits)
Toys you still remember from your childhood (The classics
endure and are always a good bet!)
Washable crayons or markers and blank paper
Playtime
As
you give you baby new things to play with, keep in mind that
there is no right way to play with toys. For example, a puzzle
is not always for “puzzling.” The pieces make
great manipulative characters, can be sorted or put in boxes,
and make interesting noises when banged together or against
an empty pot. Children learn through play, so any toy they
enjoy playing with is, by definition, educational.
Safety
for all toys
-
Always consider well the safety aspects of anything your
baby is going to play with. Here are a few ways to keep
playtime safe:
- Discard
any plastic wrapping, plastic bags, packaging, or tags
before giving a toy to a baby.
Always watch for choking hazards. Anything small enough
to fit in your baby’s mouth has the potential for
danger. Watch for pieces that may become loose from a
larger object, too. Make sure that no small parts can
be pulled off or chewed off the toy.
- Check
the paint or finish on the toy to make sure it is non-toxic,
since babies put everything in their mouths.
- Check
toys for sharp points, rough edges, rust, and broken parts.
- Always
abide by the age rating on the package. No matter how
smart your child is or how wonderful the toy, don't second-guess
the manufacturer, since age rankings often are given due
to safety issues. If you choose to purchase a toy with
an older age recommendation, make certain that the toy
is used only when you are playing with your baby, and
that it is stored where your baby can’t get to it
without your supervision.
- Remove
rattles, squeeze toys, teethers, stuffed animals, and
other small toys from the crib or bed when your baby goes
to sleep for naps or bedtime. The exception here is a
specialty made-for-baby toy that has been carefully created
to be a safe sleeping lovey.
- Avoid
pull toys with long cords that could wind around your
baby’s neck. Pull toys for babies should have either
very short strings or rigid handles.
- Make
sure toys are properly assembled, with no loose parts.
- Beware
of excessively loud toys. Babies tend to hold things close
to their faces, and you want to protect your baby’s
sensitive ears.
- Buy
mobiles or crib toys from reputable manufacturers, and
make sure that they attach to the crib without dangling
strings. Remove mobiles and other crib toys once your
baby can sit up.
- Make
sure that toys are never left on stairs, in doorways,
or in walkways.
- Your
baby’s toybox should have a special safety lid (or
no lid at all) to prevent it from slamming on your baby's
head or hands, or trapping your baby inside. There shouldn’t
be any hinges that could pinch little fingers.
- Never
give a baby a balloon, Styrofoam, or plastic wrap as a
toy; these present a serious choking hazard, since they
cannot be expelled using the Heimlich maneuver.
- If
a toy is second-hand (whether purchased from a second-hand
store or garage sale, or given to you by a friend or relative),
give all of the above rules extra consideration. If you
have any doubts, always err on the side of safety and
discard the toy. Don’t let your baby play with a
paint-finished toy that appears to be older than a few
years - the paint may be lead-based, which poses serious
hazards to a baby who touches or mouths it.
- Keep
toys (and parts of toys) designed for older children out
of the hands of babies. Your baby may like to play
with toys belonging to an older sibling or friend, but these
are geared, safety-wise, to older kids and are not safe
for little ones to use without very close supervision.
This article is an excerpt from Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth
Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)
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