Give Your Baby A Head Start with Educational Toys
Everywhere you look there are new toys for babies and toddlers that promise to give your child an edge
. Make them smarter than all the other babies and get them ready to read in no time! Okay, obviously a lot of the claims are hype. But do educational toys help your child to grow up smarter?
Consider this fact, when a baby is born their brain is only thirty percent of the size it will ultimately grow to. But, by the time the baby reaches a year old, their brain has doubled in size and is now sixty percent grown. That is a lot of brain development going on in one short year. So obviously a lot of growth and learning can be taking place during that time.
Most of the learning that a baby does in the first year involves all five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. If you watch an older infant play they see the toy, the touch the toy, they shake the toy and then they taste the toy. They follow the same pattern with everything, exploring and learn by using all five senses.
One of the first senses that a baby uses is sight. When babies are first born, they cannot focus on definite objects like we do. They notice contrast in colors and shapes. For that reason, infant toys that have bright and contrasting colors and bold shapes are perfect for newborn infants. Their eyes will first learn to focus on the edges of the shapes and then gradually learn to see the whole picture. You can make simple cards with a bulls eye or a checkerboard pattern. Babies love simple geometric shapes and strong contrast in colors. Set the cards up along the baby's crib and let them gaze at the cards a few times a day.
Sound is another sense that begins to develop as soon as the baby is born. Even small infants will react positively to soothing sounds such as their mother's voice or classical music. Playing classical music when the baby is cranky can have a calming effect as well. As the child grows, they show delight when a toy makes a sound. Crinkly and crunch sounds are very appealing to young infants. Parents can put some tissue or newspaper in a sock and let the baby play with it. Their eyes light up with wonder when they find that they can make noise with it!
Smell is an important sense for young infants. They use their sense of smell to recognize their mother and their source of food. As the sense develops, they will begin to recognize smells that bring them pleasure.
Babies like to put everything in their mouths! They really use their sense of taste for the first year or so. This is just the baby's way of exploring and learning. Make sure that you carefully baby proof your house so the baby will not taste anything that could be harmful.
Our sense of touch can bring us comfort, and it is no different for babies. They thrive with a mother's touch. They also enjoy the softness of a cozy blanket and a dry diaper. As babies start to explore their world, they use their sense of touch to discover different textures and shapes. You can help them experience this by providing them with textured rattles, books, and other toys.
Educational toys do have their place and they are beneficial to children of all ages, but are expensive learning toys really necessary for infants? It is possible to stimulate a baby's brain without all the store bought toys. Just remember, the more stimulation the baby's brain has the better it develops. This can be accomplished with any of the good, educational toys on the market, or simple toys you can make at home.
In the end, the best interaction is a human touch. Play with your baby and explore their world with them. You will both be happier and more content. Bonding with your baby is the best thing you can do for them.
Give Your Baby A Head Start with Educational Toys
By: Paige Mercer
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