What are the best infant toys
All humans connect with our world through our five senses, beginning in infancy and continuing throughout our lives. Your child is using these tools right now to learn everything he can about the world around him. In the beginning, sight, sound, taste, and smell are important. Before long, as your baby begins to grasp and then reach for objects, the sense of touch becomes important. So when you make toys for your baby, gear them to one or more of the five senses. Because taste and smell are well covered at mealtime, concentrate on activities involving sight, sound, and touch. “Does baby have something to see, to hear, or to touch?” is a five senses, be a good question to keep in mind when evaluating your baby’s play situation. If you see your baby looking at four blank sides of a crib or bassinet, hang a mobile overhead or slip a few brightly colored pictures into the side of the crib. Magazine covers are an excellent source of eye-catching designs and large expressive faces. Even a tiny baby is ready for pictures to enjoy. (When your baby is old enough to chew on the pages, however, discontinue their use.)
Finding and Making the best infant toys
A helpful way to encourage your baby to learn about his environment is to alter that environment in an interesting way every so often. Toys play an important role in this effort, but to do their job, they don’t have to be expensive or have a lot of frills, like so many of the toys you buy in stores. You may be surprised by the simple household items that make wonderful baby toys without any modification at all.
The key to choosing and making toys for baby is to be aware that he appreciates variety in his environment. If your baby is in a playpen surrounded by several large plastic toys, you may wish to add a few small, textured items he can play with for a change of pace. You might throw in a net bag from oranges or grapefruits, for example. (Be sure to cut off the large staple at the bottom.) Little fingers will love the texture. Your baby is not likely to try to swallow the netting, but don’t leave your baby alone with it. Other light household items that babies like a lot include
- plastic measuring cups (fun for stacking and nesting)
- high-quality fabric ribbon (such as grosgrain), six inches to a foot in length and knotted at both ends so that it will not unravel (fun to pull and wave)
- fluffy yarn pom-poms (They feel so good!)
- small plastic containers (good for stacking and opening)
- paper (Babies love the satisfying crinkle sound it makes when crumpled.)
The list is almost endless. Open your pantry and cupboards, and go from there. Some household items are fine to use just as they are, and others can be adapted slightly to teach specific learning skills. By using readily available household items and a few basic cut-and-paste materials, you can make all sorts of meaningful toys for infants, toddlers, and young children. For more toys, you can easily pick up additional materials from drugstores and office supply and discount stores.
For parts that you buy and toys that you make, always check the toy carefully to be sure it is something that is safe for your baby. Let’s consider those important safety considerations next.
Safety First!
Before giving your child any toy or beginning any play activity, first put on your “safety glasses” and make sure that whatever you give your baby can’t harm him. Here are some important cautions:
- Be sure that the toy has no small pieces that he could pull off and swallow (such as buttons used as eyes on some stuffed animals or dolls), no sharp edges, and no strings long enough for your baby to wrap around his neck.
- Check for unprotected staples, dyes, and toxic glues.
- Don’t let baby chew on foil, wrapping paper, or magazine paper. Ask yourself it a toy made with any of these materials could be used in such a way that baby might chew it. If so, don’t use it.
- Use clear contact paper or lamination to cover parts to make toys safe, as well as to make them more durable. Photos, which I recommend frequently in this book, can be covered with contact paper (such as Con-Tact brand transparent paper) or laminated so that any chemicals present, such as those found at the bottom of some brands of instant-developing film, cannot be released.
- Use nontoxic markers for all projects.
- Check toys regularly for signs of wear. Each time you give your child a toy to play with, look it over carefully first to see if any part of it is broken or damaged. Has a sharp edge developed? Has the protective laminate covering peeled away? It may be time to replace the toy.
What are the best infant toys
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