Raising Children - The Right Toys

Raising Children	Fostering Independance	Discipline
The Right Toys	Emotionally Healthy Kids	Music

It is always great fun for parents to buy toys for their babies. But there are certain things that they must keep in mind before buying toys for babies. Now what they need to keep in mind are:

• Make sure what you buy for your little one does not have sharp corners or edges that may cause him hurt.
• Another thing to keep in mind before buying toys is that they should not have parts that the baby might swallow and choke himself.
• Also the toys that you buy should be of a good quality material that may not loose color if the child puts them into his/her mouth.
• Always buy toys that suit the age of the baby, like if he is a new born rattlers are ideal for him. If he has started showing signs of teething good quality teethers are ideal for him.
• And for a toddler ideal toys are those that are big enough for him to hold as in this age the children learn to hold and play with things.
• As soon as your baby begins to observe things closely make sure you give him toys that can teach him something.
• Toys should always be in bright colors that may attract the child's attention and curiosity.
• The material that is used to make the toys should be of a good quality and not toxic.
• Avoid giving a furry toy with hair to an infant, which he might put into his mouth and feel irritated.

Keep all these things in mind and what you will buy for your babies will be ideal and perfect for your baby.

Play is about interaction and does not require "toys"; children respond well to games.

Play is work for a child; it develops their fine motor, thinking and social skills.

Watch "age appropriate" labels in toys and books.

It is important for your child to learn to play solo; give them the tools to do that by giving them props that invite them to play alone.

Use games and make up your own; show your kids how to try new things by modeling this behavior and encouraging curiosity.

"Smart Toys" can be limiting and not age appropriate; babies learn by interacting with a toy and don't need to be taught ABCs and 1,2,3's in the early years.

Be careful about placing "gender roles" on toys (i.e. pink bike for a girl) and instead try and keep toys neutral (i.e. a red bike for a boy or a girl).

Books are wonderful tools for building language and creativity; again, watch for age appropriateness.

Videos are not recommended until after age 2 because they replace more fundamental activities and encourages passiveness. Babies learn through interaction. If you must play a video, make one of you and the baby playing patti-cake!

Hi-tech toys can be one dimensional; try to keep them open-ended.

What should I be spending my money on?

Open ended toys that can change each day, examples include:

1. Neutral dishes/pots & pans that don't make sounds
2. Crayons
3. Legos™/blocks/Duplos™
4. Dolls that don't talk or do a specific action
5. Train sets that aren't glued down
6. Balls