| | Baby CenterBaby Toys
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| Toys For Babies
By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of Gentle Baby Care
You
may not be sure what kind of toys, or how many, you baby should have.
It’s likely that you hear conflicting advice that runs from one extreme
to another! It’s either: “Don’t give your baby toys ¾ he’ll be
spoiled,” to “Give your baby lots of toys ¾ they develop his brain.”
So…which is it?
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.
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