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Toys For Infants
Infants after 4 months show growing interest in touching, holding, batting turning, shaking, kicking, mouthing and tasting objects. Infants like to see: • bright primary colors. • high contrast. • simple designs. • clear lines and features. • human face features (esp eyes). • bull's eye pattern. Infants enjoy watching hanging objects or mobiles that move by wind, wind-up action, or infant's own activity. Toys for watching should be suspended only 8-14 inches from the infant's eyes and angled toward his/her eyes, then moved up out of reach when he/she can touch them. Toys for watching are more appealing if they move and make noise (but movement should be slow and noise not too loud or sudden). Infants enjoy variety. Infants enjoy producing effects on toys by their own activity. Toys for holding should be light and easy to grasp. Mouthable toys should have all safety features recommended for infants: • no sharp points or edges. • no small parts to be lodged in throat, ears, nose. • no electrical pans. • nontoxic materials. • no glass or brittle plastic. • no pans to entrap fingers, toes, hands. • no long strings.
• clutch, texture, soft squeeze balls, simple rattles. • teethers. • light, sturdy cloth toys. • squeeze toys. • toys suspended above or to the side of infant for batting and grasping. • disks, keys on ring. • interlocking plastic rings. • small hand-held manipulables. • toys on suction cups. • crib gyms (children who can push up on hands and knees can strangle on crib gyms - be sure to remove crib gym from crib or playpen at this time). Dolls and Stuffed Toys • soft baby dolts, soft-bodied dolls, or rag dolts-all with molded (not loose) hair. • small plush animals. • music box animals (operated and monitored for safety by adults). • grab-on soft toys. Audio-Visual Equipment (Adult Operated) • records tapes or CDs (gentle regular rhythms lullabies). • music boxes.
Choosing Toys for Children Under 3 Years Old So when choosing toys for your child, don't feel guilty if you can't afford new, trendy and expensive toys that claim to boost your child's development or intelligence. Instead, choose toys that you can afford and which are developmentally appropriate for your child, help promote learning and growth, and which encourage your children to use their imagination. And remember that toys should never be substitutes for the attention of devoted caregivers. And of course, you should choose toys that are safe. Toy Safety Shopping Tips • Children fewer than 3 years old tend to put everything in their mouths. Avoid buying toys intended for older children which may have small parts that pose a choking danger. • Never let children of any age play with uninflated or broken balloons because of the choking danger. • Avoid marbles, balls, and games with too small balls. These products also pose a choking hazard to young children. • Children at this age pull, prod and twist toys. Look for toys that are well-made with tightly secured eyes, noses and other parts. • Avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.
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