Eductional toys for babies

Far from being helpless and non-communicative, babies – even young babies, love to explore the world around them and can be very demonstrative with their emotions.  They cry when they need something, whether they’re hungry, wet, tired or simply need a cuddle; and jiggle their arms and legs up and down when excited.

And nothing is more likely to make a baby excited than a well-designed, colourful toy which will encourage them to explore sounds, colours and textures.

Chunky blocks and rattles which will no doubt be explored with the fingers, closely followed by the mouth are always great favourites.  However, baby gyms and mobiles can either invigorate or calm a baby respectively.

A playgym should be designed with safety in mind, unable to topple over and hurt the child lying underneath it, with secure parts which cannot be ripped off by enthusiastic sucking or inquisitive fingers. 

Most suitable for babies who are not yet able to sit up, the most appropriate position is to lie the baby on a rug, mat or prop them up on a beanbag.  From here they should be able to both see and lightly touch the components of the gym, without being able to tug them sharply or push the whole object over.

This Heimess baby gym has all sorts of objects and characters which will both amuse and delight the young child.  The rings and bells are ideal for stimulating the hearing and touch senses – just watch baby smile and jiggle with excitement!

Available from http://kiddyriffic.com/productdetails.cfm?id=416 for £39.99

Traditional toys can be educational too!

A report in The Sun newspaper recently indicated that many parents were delighted that their children were choosing to abandon their X box and Wii, returning instead to actually playing with more traditional toys.

The toy used as a focus in this particular instance, however, was a pea shooter.

Now of course boys (and girls) for generations have loved playing with pea shooters and generally getting up to mischief.  I myself saw a local child only a few days ago, using his pea shooter to aim a missile at a neighbour’s parked car.

My personal opinion is that whilst it’s annoying for us adults, it is relatively harmless, provided the missile in question is indeed something small and not particularly sharp.  Aiming large stones at any human, animal or expensive object is an absolute no-no in my book, and should be equally so with any parent who has an ounce of common sense. 

What worried me was the opinion of the retailing spokespeople within the article, who indicated that parents felt the country’s Health and Safety legislation had gone too far, and that it was refreshing to allow kids to enjoy the more old-fashioned toys.

My point is, do we have to rely pea shooters, cross bows and cap guns to provide our children with entertainment?  Yes, boys in particular will naturally be drawn to such toys, but can’t we provide equally entertaining, yet educational toys sometimes?

You could always involve your child in gardening, explaining how plants grow and allow them to take responsibility for cultivating and nurturing something, rather than destroying it.  A sandpit will allow them to be creative and as mucky as they like, as they make mud pies to their heart’s content.  And what about a bike or a scooter, to ensure they’re getting fresh air and exercise, without worrying about the possibility of them smashing a neighbour’s window?

The typical “pocket money” toys certainly have their place and will continue to be an attraction for children, but don’t forget that as a parent, you need to also provide a more creative outlet for your child.