Most new babies are surrounded by toys from the moment they first touch down in their hospital cots. Teddies, teethers, rattles - even wooden bricks and racing cars - all emerge from the parcels donated by fond relatives and friends. But until a baby is three or four months old, most of these delightful items are just so much window dressing. The child will take an interest in them eventually, but for the moment, they are really there to create a heart-warming backdrop for the new dramas of family life.
In their first few weeks, babies can only interact with their surroundings in a very limited way. They have no control over their hands or feet, and though they will grasp a finger or an object, this is a reflex action and not a true attempt to get to grips with the world. A bright, moving toy will attract a very young baby's attention, but only if it is brought very close to her eyes. Babies under three months old can't fix their eyes on anything that is more than about 30cm away. They find static objects pretty boring. What really fascinates them is the human face and voice, particularly the face and voice belonging to their main carer.
Within the first few days, they will respond with eye contact and changes of facial expression, and at five or six weeks old, they'll begin to coo back appreciatively when you talk to them.
When a doting carer is not available, the best toy for very small babies is probably a mobile hung fairly low over the cot, pram or baby seat. This could be the shop-bought sort that turns automatically and plays soft music, or, if the baby is having a nap outdoors, it could be just a couple of colourful balloons tied to the branch of a tree.
By three months, a baby will hold a rattle if you put it into her hands, but she'll find it impossible to hold on to it and look at it at the same time. She'll probably move it towards her face and bash herself on the chin with it before dropping it. By six months, however, she'll be able to reach out for things and grab them - in fact, she'll be reaching and grabbing whenever she can.
Children of this age have begun to take a real interest in the world around them. They can sit up with help from carer or bouncing chair, and their eyes are everywhere. Now they are hungry for sensory experience, and demand to be supplied constantly with new things to look at, feel and - very important, this -explore with their mouths. Toys should be safe and easy to hold, but they should also offer a variety of shapes, colours, weights and textures. Plastic toys may be the easiest to keep clean, and this is an important consideration, especially in the nursery; but babies need to experience other materials too.
Even when regularly recycled, the contents of the average toy box are not enough to satisfy the keen six-month-old. All the usual soft toys, rattles, teething rings and squeaky things will be given the once-over and discarded, and you'll have to move on to safe household objects such as plastic cups, plates, tea strainers and funnels, a nail brush, paper that the child can crumple and tear at will, an empty sticky tape roll or a toilet paper tube, cotton reels, wooden spoons, heavy fruit - a grapefruit perhaps. The list of possibilities is endless.
Children of this age are also beginning to enjoy the feeling that their actions can make things happen, so they like objects that make a sound, move or change appearance under their influence. They can't manipulate things much as yet, so rattles are an obvious choice, as are balls that roll and toys that squash easily into a different shape (especially if they squeak as well). Mirrors are fascinating - there's a face, and, oh! the face moves when I move! Wow! This is also the age when composite toys such as baby gyms and activity centres come into their own. A well-designed activity centre with mirror panels and things to twirl, ping and move along will occupy the baby for quite a while - five minutes at least! NW
SAFETY TIPS
Safety is paramount when choosing toys for babies. To be safe, toys should be:
* strong and well-made - broken toys are dangerous * free from PVC, which can release dangerous chemicals when put in the mouth
* not painted, if toys are made of plastic - paint can often be scratched off
* smooth and solid, if made of wood, and wooden joints should be dovetailed, not pinned * not decorated with stickers, as sticker decoration tends to peel off * free from small parts that could come off and choke the child * if furry, short-haired - long fur on toys will get up the baby's nose and can come loose in the mouth.
* fixed with tightly-fastened, counter-sunk screws (so the head is below the surface) * easy to wash or clean, with no crevices that trap dirt.
