Before we buy toys, we need to understand the developmental characteristics of the baby. In the future, no matter what toys you buy, just follow this principle will not go wrong. The following table is the physical development characteristics of babies under one year old. Help parents find the right toys for their babies.
For 0-3 mos babies.
First and foremost, "safety" is the most important criterion for choosing toys for children. Refer to the AAP American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations for safe toy selection.
- choose the right toy according to the child's age and ability.
- the rattle is perhaps the child's first toy, it must be at least 4cm wide.
- all toys must be made of sturdy materials that will not be damaged even if thrown or knocked by the child.
- check which squeeze sound toys to ensure that the squeaky part does not fall off.
- Before giving a plush toy or doll to a child to play with, be sure to check whether the eyes or nose of the toy are sturdy and fixed.
- It is very dangerous for children to swallow or suck on small parts of toys, and toys for children under the age of 3 are required to have no small parts that can be swallowed or sucked.
- For children, toys containing small magnets are particularly dangerous.
- Do not give your child toys that need to be plugged in.
- Check carefully the springs, gears, hinges and other metal parts of toys.
- To avoid cuts, check if the toy contains sharp edges or pieces before you buy it.
The above are the most basic guidelines, please check the above safety guidelines when you buy any toys.
Next I'll talk about my child's choice of toys, in addition to the basic requirements of "safety", there are several principles.
Excellent toys are especially in line with the child's cognitive development of toys, choose toys before you go to understand the baby this stage of gross motor, fine motor, cognitive development characteristics before making a choice.
It’s better to buy quality than quantity. When buying toys, choose the most reliable well-known brands. The toys of well-known brands are not only safe in material, but also designed to be tested in the market through repeated experiments.
Some daily necessities are more fun than toys. DIY toys with children with daily necessities fun than now buy toys.
Toys are not as important as your company. Toys are not as fun as a parent who can play with them.
Based on the above toy safety principles of the U.S. Children's 100, descriptions of gross motor, fine motor, and cognitive development of babies of different ages, and my own observations of my son's cognitive ability level, I will recommend classic toys for different ages.
1 Cognitive development
First of all, in terms of cognitive development, 0-2 year-old can refer to Piaget's sensorymotor stages of development process to have an understanding of the child's cognitive level at different months of age.
2 Gross motor development
Each month will be explained in detail by month in a later article.
3 Fine motor development
4 The first stage characteristics (0-3 months)
0-1mo: raising head slightly. Waving arms and legs.
1-2mos: turns head to track objects. Head can be lifted briefly. Feet become strong.
2-3 mos: holding head up for longer periods of time. Begins to interact somewhat with people.
At 3 months of age get skills.
Recognize different faces and sounds.
Smile when seeing people or hearing sounds.
Interested in more complex objects.
Respond to unfamiliar faces.
Better mastery of head movements.
Motor coordination improves.
Reach out and grasp objects.
Precautions.
From birth onwards, you can let your baby lie down for a while every day. From 5 minutes each time once a day, slowly extend to 15 minutes each time. Two or three times a day. Some babies are not happy to lie down, lying down with cry, parents do not want to let the baby lie down, so that the child's cervical spine, arms have been exercised not in place, limiting the baby's motor development.
At this stage, there are several classic toys that must be introduced.
5 Recommended toys for 0-3 months
Piano keys gym mat. I do not need to say more, right? Basically, it is also a classic toy for moms. When I was pregnant, I received one from a friend. Then I moved and bought another identical one in my local city. This shows how popular this gym mat to Ethan.
The exercise blanket was the most popular toy for Ethan from 0-6 months. Whenever he is awake, I put him on the mat. In his 0-3 mos, he could play on the blanket by himself for half an hour without being disturbed. By lying on it, he was giggling with joy. The two little feet are kicking and stirring fast, having fun and "discharging" a lot, which is also very important for the baby's sleep quality.
The biggest feature of this bedbell is that all the critters can be removed individually as a teether. Use on cribs, play yards, carriers, strollers, bassinets and more. 4 pendant can be taken off as small rattle toys.This also greatly extends the use cycle of this product.
In addition to that, this baby mobile has 2 mode of projection: Star lights and Image. Also have soft and glowing night light. Music box include 150 lullabies, 6 songs, 5 nature sounds and 10 musical organ. Can adjustable volume, bring comfortable environment for baby sleep.The music box have 20/40/60 minutes timer function, it will be closed automatically by the time you set.
There are three versions of this set of books. Jungle, Ocean and Farm. Babies can touch and feel textures to stimulate sensory skills, fine motor skills and a rich imagination.
Each book has nine animals. Built-in small organs that can be flipped up for fun. Retractable monkey tails, movable bird tails and sticky little insects, elephant ears and crocodile mouth corners crinkled with "bibi" sounds.
The hand puppets are designed for adults to role-play with young children and invite them to talk. Millions of stories are waiting in that fun bag for creativity and expression, allowing your child to participate in bedtime stories.
This one has a total of 5 kinds of small animals to choose from. It has more features than the Fisher Price Little Seahorse, in addition to the regular lullabies and lights. Also has a timer off function. As well as having straps to hang anywhere you want to hang it, such as a stroller or car, for easy travel use.
Light music can simulate the forest/sea waves/field ...... The sound of the natural environment and lullabies, and can adjust the volume. Create a comfortable sleep environment and let your baby sleep peacefully. The light is a three-color gradient color design. The light is soft and will not harm the baby's eyesight. And with 10, 20 and 40 minutes of automatic power-off timer. Short hair material, feel very soft and comfortable.
In the next article, I will recommend toys for babies from 4 to 6 months, so stay tuned!
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