Good toys for baby's first Christmas?

ainawgsd

My MIL asked us about what we wanted for our son for Christmas. It's a hard question right now because he's only 3 months old and not quite ready to play with toys yet. His wants and needs are still pretty simple right now, although he is enjoying his time in the swing more and spending more time looking at his mobile. He already has some rattles, teething rings, a few bath toys, and stuffed animals but not much else. Any parents have suggestions for good toys for a 3-12 month old? I figure we might as well ask for some slightly older toys as well, we can always store them in the closet until he's old enough to play with them.

Answer
Exercauser
Bouncer
Jumperoo
Push toy
Soft blocks
Stacking rings
Bath toys
Anything labeled 0 - 12 months!

Most toys are labelled what age they are appropriate for. Many of the 18+ month toys are also great for kids 12 months old, since they advance at different levels.

By 12 months your baby will almost certainly be crawling, but may be walking and speaking their first word and signing perhaps another 5 (if you start teaching baby sign language at 7 months). So that covers a very wide toy range, from infant to toddler.

Perhaps a good way to go is to focus on crawler toys. Things used before the toddler stage, but that may encourage walking.

What are the best toys for a 6 month old?

Possibly something to help with learning to crawl.

Answer
In fact if youâre Christmas shopping with a infant in mind, you may find thereâs a boggling number of choices.

In the very early years safety is of special concern. A person wants to select well constructed toys, that are free of any sort of small parts that might potentially detach. Children at this age certainly will put toys in their mouths. Another reason one might also be concerned about the country of origin given the recent spate of tainted toys originating in China.

Toys for the the under one set are often aimed at emerging skills, such as fine and gross motor skills, tactile stimulation, etc.

Babies at 6 months are gaining the ability to sit up. And so toys that they can manipulate on the floor in front of them are attractive.

Babies between 6 and 12 moths of age will also begin to move (creep, crawl, take first steps) so there are many toys aimed at supporting this development too.

A few favorite suggestions:

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden First Vehicles Set
www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Wooden-Vehicles/dp/B000GKY2CQ

Sturdy first vehicles for small children. The size and weight are appropriate for very young children to grasp and carry. I find that many young children will spend endless amount of time pushing a small rolling toy around. These are toys that they are likely to play with for a good long while. I do not know what the country of origin is, Melissa & Doug is a favorite brand - some of their things are made in China, others in other Asian nations such as Vietnam.

Blocks
http://fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/haba/fantasy_blocks.cfm
(Also available for sale thru various sellers on Amazon.com)

Blocks are also another great âgrow with me toyâ. Even very young children will enjoy a small set of colorful blocks which they can simply pick up and explore. These can be added to as the child grows into more sophisticated pretend and build play. Haba makes some beautifully whimsical blocks that are manufactured in Germany.

Sorters
www.amazon.com

Sorters come in, well, all âsortsâ of sizes, colors, and configurations for young kids. And are often treasured toys for kids between 6 mos and a year and a half or so. They love to place objects inside of something and dump them out again and again. Melissa and Doug make some toys they label as âfill and spillâ with cute themes (bugs in a jug, fishbowl, picnic baskets etc.). Thereâs also the old fashion âshape sortersâ and these come in many âthemesâ these days too. For examples, just try searching for âshape sorterâ or âfill and spillâ on Amazon.com.

If you are concerned about the nation of origin - I will note that FatBrainToys.com is one toy website that allows customers to conduct product searches that include not only age, gender, price, but also the country of origin (and it allows you to exclude China if you so wish).

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Good toys for baby's first Christmas?

ainawgsd

My MIL asked us about what we wanted for our son for Christmas. It's a hard question right now because he's only 3 months old and not quite ready to play with toys yet. His wants and needs are still pretty simple right now, although he is enjoying his time in the swing more and spending more time looking at his mobile. He already has some rattles, teething rings, a few bath toys, and stuffed animals but not much else. Any parents have suggestions for good toys for a 3-12 month old? I figure we might as well ask for some slightly older toys as well, we can always store them in the closet until he's old enough to play with them.

Answer
Exercauser
Bouncer
Jumperoo
Push toy
Soft blocks
Stacking rings
Bath toys
Anything labeled 0 - 12 months!

Most toys are labelled what age they are appropriate for. Many of the 18+ month toys are also great for kids 12 months old, since they advance at different levels.

By 12 months your baby will almost certainly be crawling, but may be walking and speaking their first word and signing perhaps another 5 (if you start teaching baby sign language at 7 months). So that covers a very wide toy range, from infant to toddler.

Perhaps a good way to go is to focus on crawler toys. Things used before the toddler stage, but that may encourage walking.

What are the best toys for a 6 month old?

Possibly something to help with learning to crawl.

Answer
In fact if youâre Christmas shopping with a infant in mind, you may find thereâs a boggling number of choices.

In the very early years safety is of special concern. A person wants to select well constructed toys, that are free of any sort of small parts that might potentially detach. Children at this age certainly will put toys in their mouths. Another reason one might also be concerned about the country of origin given the recent spate of tainted toys originating in China.

Toys for the the under one set are often aimed at emerging skills, such as fine and gross motor skills, tactile stimulation, etc.

Babies at 6 months are gaining the ability to sit up. And so toys that they can manipulate on the floor in front of them are attractive.

Babies between 6 and 12 moths of age will also begin to move (creep, crawl, take first steps) so there are many toys aimed at supporting this development too.

A few favorite suggestions:

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden First Vehicles Set
www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Wooden-Vehicles/dp/B000GKY2CQ

Sturdy first vehicles for small children. The size and weight are appropriate for very young children to grasp and carry. I find that many young children will spend endless amount of time pushing a small rolling toy around. These are toys that they are likely to play with for a good long while. I do not know what the country of origin is, Melissa & Doug is a favorite brand - some of their things are made in China, others in other Asian nations such as Vietnam.

Blocks
http://fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/haba/fantasy_blocks.cfm
(Also available for sale thru various sellers on Amazon.com)

Blocks are also another great âgrow with me toyâ. Even very young children will enjoy a small set of colorful blocks which they can simply pick up and explore. These can be added to as the child grows into more sophisticated pretend and build play. Haba makes some beautifully whimsical blocks that are manufactured in Germany.

Sorters
www.amazon.com

Sorters come in, well, all âsortsâ of sizes, colors, and configurations for young kids. And are often treasured toys for kids between 6 mos and a year and a half or so. They love to place objects inside of something and dump them out again and again. Melissa and Doug make some toys they label as âfill and spillâ with cute themes (bugs in a jug, fishbowl, picnic baskets etc.). Thereâs also the old fashion âshape sortersâ and these come in many âthemesâ these days too. For examples, just try searching for âshape sorterâ or âfill and spillâ on Amazon.com.

If you are concerned about the nation of origin - I will note that FatBrainToys.com is one toy website that allows customers to conduct product searches that include not only age, gender, price, but also the country of origin (and it allows you to exclude China if you so wish).

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what are some thinga/toys your baby had between the age if 6-12 months?

blush

my baby is 7 months and he has a few things, like a play mat with hanging animals that makes noises and sings, los of toys, a walker..
what type of things did you havee for your baby to help him/her start to crawl or pull himself up or just for fun that they loved?
thanx!

Answer
Hi

Toys that make music or any form of noise are favorites of babies. Toys with contrasting colors are really interestng to babies and help to stimulate the development of their vision. As they grow, infants use toys to explore object permanence and cause and effect relationships. They also need objects such as blocks to help them build motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Have a look at the links in my source box which may give you some ideas

Take care

Paul

Mothers of older infants 10-12 months, where do you put your baby when you have to shower?

cLaU

My daughter's 11 1/2 months.

She crawls everywhere, and is beginning to do some steps.

Sometimes I have to shower and I usually put her in her walker, she can't get out of it.

But she cries and cries she hates being there, and I can't shower comfortably. My husband works so i have no one to take care of her while i shower.
YES, I ALSO SHOWER ONCE MY HUSBAND GETS HOME.

BUT WE ARE GOING OUT IN A BIT AND HE'S COMING HOME FROM WORK, SO I WANT TO BE READY BY THE TIME HE GETS HERE.

Answer
I usually shower at night or when my son is napping in his crib. I leave the bathroom door open so that if he wakes up I will hear him. He is a pretty good napper so I know I have at least an hour. If he does wake up he is safe in his crib with a couple toys and it won't kill him to cry for a minute while I towel off. When that doesn't work I take him in the shower with me and he crawls around and has a great time playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain (and getting water everywhere)

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When will my infant start playing with toys?

Jadahs mom

I was wondering when will my baby Jadah start sitting up on her own and playing with her toys? She is 3 months old and Ive tried to introduce rattles to her and little bears. Also could she be teething ?...
She always has her hands in her mouth and slobbing She also like to chew on her clothes to where the front of her shirt in soaking wet.
thanx everyone!

Answer
My son noticed his toys at about 10 weeks...and started batting & slapping at them (on his activity mat) at about 11-12 weeks. He hasn't yet been able to sit up on his own, nor is he able to hold onto a toy and play with it yet...but I suspect it will be soon.

Get some teething keys or gumming toys...your child might like those, since she is chewing on everything right now. BTW, this behavior is completely normal!

concerned mommy..infant nightmares?

Beautiful

So my one year old has a tendency to whine in her sleep sometimes she wakes up from the whining when it turns to crying, i can't understand why she does this or even better how to figure out what the cause is so it can be fixed. She's not wet when i check her,she's not cold or hot (to touch), i try to hold her and sometimes that works and she'll go back to sleep but for the most part she just whimpers in her sleep around the same time every night and begins to toss and turn could it be nightmares?...Someone please shed some insight on what this may be or if you've dealt with a similar situation, what ended up happening, does it still happen? Oh yeah she just started doing the whimper-whine a few weeks ago a month at th most...Thanx.

Concerned mommy.

Answer
Hello, I have worked with 0-2 year olds in daycare centres for the past few years. It is not uncommon for children around the age of 12-18 months to experience these 'nightmares'.
These 'nightmares' have been related to feelings of seperation anxiety (particularly in children who attend daycare) and events in a child's day which may seem small to us, but mean a lot to them, such as misplacing a toy, becoming upset about something.
To settle your child it is important not to wake them up because often they are still somewhat asleep even if they are quite distressed. Waking them will only add to this. They should settle quite easily with some gentle patting and verbal reassurance/songs.
I hope this helps.

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what toys are good for 6 to 12 month old babies?

sandysneak

My 1st grandchild will be 5 months old at Christmas time. What toys are good or best for her at that age? I'd like personal comments, not manufacturers boasts.
I appreciate your sincere answers but would really like to know which specific toys are suitable. It's been many, many years since my girls were babies and I know there has been a lot more developmental toys since then. I've looked online but can't find more than 1 or 2 reviews on the toys. Please help me choose specific toys so that I don't waste money on duds. Thank you. (Knives, as a previously submitted answer will get reported to abuse as I've already done. Must have been Charles Manson or a wannabe).

Answer
my babies are 7 months now and they like those little keys that have buttons to play with music. Anything that plays music, they like those rolling balls, and chew toys. Also, books, its good to read books to infants. its bonding time when they get books read to them.

When will my infant start playing with toys?

Jadahs mom

I was wondering when will my baby Jadah start sitting up on her own and playing with her toys? She is 3 months old and Ive tried to introduce rattles to her and little bears. Also could she be teething ?...
She always has her hands in her mouth and slobbing She also like to chew on her clothes to where the front of her shirt in soaking wet.
thanx everyone!

Answer
My son noticed his toys at about 10 weeks...and started batting & slapping at them (on his activity mat) at about 11-12 weeks. He hasn't yet been able to sit up on his own, nor is he able to hold onto a toy and play with it yet...but I suspect it will be soon.

Get some teething keys or gumming toys...your child might like those, since she is chewing on everything right now. BTW, this behavior is completely normal!

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When will my infant start playing with toys?

best infant toys 12 months image

Q. I was wondering when will my baby Jadah start sitting up on her own and playing with her toys? She is 3 months old and Ive tried to introduce rattles to her and little bears. Also could she be teething ?...
She always has her hands in her mouth and slobbing She also like to chew on her clothes to where the front of her shirt in soaking wet.
thanx everyone!

Answer
My son noticed his toys at about 10 weeks...and started batting & slapping at them (on his activity mat) at about 11-12 weeks. He hasn't yet been able to sit up on his own, nor is he able to hold onto a toy and play with it yet...but I suspect it will be soon.

Get some teething keys or gumming toys...your child might like those, since she is chewing on everything right now. BTW, this behavior is completely normal!

Why is my 7 month old baby so emotionless and mean?

Q. She is 7 months old. She doens't like to be with me. She won't hug me or give kisses. She get frustrated VERY easily and hits her toys. She won't let me hug her. It's as if she were indifferent around me, or anyone else for that matter. Is this normal behavior for an infant?

Answer
baby is not suppose to be emotionless babies for a very strong bond with the person who takes care of them most, an emotionless baby is def. a sign of autism

Among the early signs and symptoms that parents and Pediatricians look for to alert them that a child needs further evaluation for autism include:

•not smiling by six months of age
•not babbling, pointing or using other gestures by 12 months
•not using single words by age 16 months
•not using two word phrases by 24 months
•having a regression in development, with any loss of language or social skills
Infants with autism might also avoid eye contact, and as they get older, act as if they are unaware of when people come and go around them

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Is it better to buy black and white or colorful infant toys?

best infant toys 12 months image

SmileBabyG

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and want to do a penguin theme if I can find enough items. My dads girlfriend interjected and said that with penguins being black and white (even though I explained to her that most penguin things vary in color) are not stimulating for a baby. I was just wondering what some other opinions were? And maybe where I could find some penguin themed baby things, like some websites, stores or anything? Thanks!

Answer
Baby won't use their nursery for 2-6 months.

Black and white is great for new borns! Red is the next color they see .

What are some activity lesson plans for infants?

Lucille

what are some ideas for activity lesson plans for infants up to 12 months that would cover the cognitive development?

Answer
oh yes...lesson plans for infants...this is a current trend in Early Head Start Program.

this is fairly simple it is activities that are developmentallyappropriate for their age and stage...it is based on observations..

for example you might observe a young infant beginning to track object with their eyes...so your lesson plan would be tracking objects and you may set up a mobil....or hold a small toy..you are writing different method to promote tracking

it is a little too much in infant land...but in some cases the children are not getting any stimulation at home and need these enriching opportunities.

good luck

relax and vote for a best answer

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What is the best car seat toy for a forward facing carseat?

best infant toys 12 months image

julie.cipr

I am going to be getting my son a new car seat because he no longer fits in his old one. The new one is forward facing. In the old car seat, we have a bar that has rattles and a light up musical frog that my son loves to play with. Anyone have any ideas for an awesome car seat toy? I'm looking for the best one out there, one that I haven't seen on my google searches. Thank you!!

Answer
When deciding on any toy to be allowed in the car, think about what's going to happen in an accident and it goes flying. This will sound silly, but its a simple test to decide whether it should be allowed as a toy in the car: smack yourself upside the head with it. did it hurt? If not, go for it, if it hurt you, think about how much more it will hurt a baby, whose skull is softer, and when in an accident it will hit with a lot more force. Ican't at all remember who made them, but check your local kids resale shop (like Once Upon a Child) since they seem to have them often: soft toy steering wheels so child can play-drive while in the car.

However, a bigger issue here, would be how old is your child and what size? Sounds like he's outgrowing an infant carrier car seat? Kids do not go from infant carrier seat straight to forward facing seat. The next step is a rear facing convertible car seat. Most state laws require kids to be rear facing until at least 20lbs and 1 year, but more importantly, the laws of physics say kids should stay rear facing as long as they possibly can. Its THAT much safer. The old 20lbs/1 year rule is just that. OLD. It came about in the 1980's when our seats were only capable of rear facing to 20lbs and we didn't know any better. Now we definitely know better and all current convertible seats rear face to at least 30lbs, but its hard getting people to realize this.
Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!
1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.
2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.
3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.
4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. And most kids actually prefer to be rear facing b/c they can rest their feet on the vehicle seat back. When they are forward facing, their legs don't receive enough support and will frequently fall asleep.
WHY REAR FACING:
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf
In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg

Here's another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view&current=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv

The story of a child who suffered severe injuries from being forward facing when he could've been rear facing:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59783

How do you decorate a baby's room if you are co-sleeping? How long can she sleep in a cradle?

mewie'smom

I have a happy 5 month old daughter. My husband and I are dedicated to attachment parenting. She sleeps in a cradle next to our bed half the night and then joins us in our bed for her night feed at 2AM. Sometimes she wakes up with us. Sometimes she wakes up in her cradle.

Answer
I attachment parent and did co-sleeping with an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper with my son as an infant... when my son reached the weight limit (at 7 months) we got him a crib and put it in his own room along with his toys and books and pictures on the wall -- nothing fancy, just a place to start putting all of his stuff, and a place to play.

We never "forced" him to sleep there. At first, we would let him take a nap in his new crib... We let him play in his room during the day... (meanwhile, he was sleeping nights in our bed since he was too big for the Co-Sleeper)... after a couple weeks, he understood that he had his own room, and would even crawl over, push the door open and go inside to play with his toys. He started building up positive associations with his room (rather than associations of it being like a prison). We let him initiate most of the time he spent in his room (instead of us sticking him in there).

Once he started napping in his crib with no problems, we started putting him down at night (this was at 12 months old)... if he cried, one of us would immediately go in, pick him up and rock him etc and then put him back down... we NEVER let him "cry it out"... we never wanted to make him think that going in the crib = being alone.

For a couple weeks, this was tedious (we would put baby to bed 25 times before he would go to sleep)... but eventually he trusted the situation (because we go in IMMEDIATELY if he cries) enough that we put him down now (at 15 months) and he smiles at us, hugs his teddy bear and goes to sleep. He wakes extra early (5 am) for a diaper change and to cuddle in mom&dad's bed for an hour or two until breakfast... so we are still in transition...

I think the main thing with attachment parenting is to let the child choose independence, instead of forcing it. Take it slow... eventually the child is going to want/need their own room, so set one up where they have fun (toys etc) read books to her in there etc... and once she enjoys spending time there she will naturally want to sleep there as well.

There are no rules, other than let your child lead you... children know what they want/need, so as long as you pay attention to her signals of readiness, you will know what/when to do her own room.

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At what age would it be appropriate for an infant to play with the following toys?

best infant toys 12 months image

Chloe21

I need to know at what age (from birth to 12 months) would it be appropriate for an infant to play with bead mazes (those toys you see at dental/doctor offices which beads on winding plastic wires). Also what age would it be appropriate for them to play with shape sorters?
Thanks in advance :)

Answer
I love the bead mazes.... i wouldnt allow my babies (now all toddlers) to play with the bead mazes in the dr because of germs. when they were tiny...as soon as they could lift their body up and keep their head steady....the bead mazes were no problem for me. i want to say 4 months maybe. they loved them. the shape sorters....i got them a really cute one when they were 6 months. everything went fine

Is it better to buy black and white or colorful infant toys?

SmileBabyG

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and want to do a penguin theme if I can find enough items. My dads girlfriend interjected and said that with penguins being black and white (even though I explained to her that most penguin things vary in color) are not stimulating for a baby. I was just wondering what some other opinions were? And maybe where I could find some penguin themed baby things, like some websites, stores or anything? Thanks!

Answer
Baby won't use their nursery for 2-6 months.

Black and white is great for new borns! Red is the next color they see .

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What are some good craft projects for infants?

best infant toys 12 months image

bblover81

I am a infant teacher at a daycare and I do different art projects with them weekly, but I am running out of ideas. Does anyone have any ideas? There from age 6 weeks to 12 months, but my oldest is 10 months.

Answer
Are you serious? This is a real title and you went to school to learn this?

Babies should not be doing anything but playing with baby certified toys.

At what age would it be appropriate for an infant to play with the following toys?

Chloe21

I need to know at what age (from birth to 12 months) would it be appropriate for an infant to play with bead mazes (those toys you see at dental/doctor offices which beads on winding plastic wires). Also what age would it be appropriate for them to play with shape sorters?
Thanks in advance :)

Answer
I love the bead mazes.... i wouldnt allow my babies (now all toddlers) to play with the bead mazes in the dr because of germs. when they were tiny...as soon as they could lift their body up and keep their head steady....the bead mazes were no problem for me. i want to say 4 months maybe. they loved them. the shape sorters....i got them a really cute one when they were 6 months. everything went fine

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How do you decorate a baby's room if you are co-sleeping? How long can she sleep in a cradle?

best infant toys 12 months image

mewie'smom

I have a happy 5 month old daughter. My husband and I are dedicated to attachment parenting. She sleeps in a cradle next to our bed half the night and then joins us in our bed for her night feed at 2AM. Sometimes she wakes up with us. Sometimes she wakes up in her cradle.

Answer
I attachment parent and did co-sleeping with an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper with my son as an infant... when my son reached the weight limit (at 7 months) we got him a crib and put it in his own room along with his toys and books and pictures on the wall -- nothing fancy, just a place to start putting all of his stuff, and a place to play.

We never "forced" him to sleep there. At first, we would let him take a nap in his new crib... We let him play in his room during the day... (meanwhile, he was sleeping nights in our bed since he was too big for the Co-Sleeper)... after a couple weeks, he understood that he had his own room, and would even crawl over, push the door open and go inside to play with his toys. He started building up positive associations with his room (rather than associations of it being like a prison). We let him initiate most of the time he spent in his room (instead of us sticking him in there).

Once he started napping in his crib with no problems, we started putting him down at night (this was at 12 months old)... if he cried, one of us would immediately go in, pick him up and rock him etc and then put him back down... we NEVER let him "cry it out"... we never wanted to make him think that going in the crib = being alone.

For a couple weeks, this was tedious (we would put baby to bed 25 times before he would go to sleep)... but eventually he trusted the situation (because we go in IMMEDIATELY if he cries) enough that we put him down now (at 15 months) and he smiles at us, hugs his teddy bear and goes to sleep. He wakes extra early (5 am) for a diaper change and to cuddle in mom&dad's bed for an hour or two until breakfast... so we are still in transition...

I think the main thing with attachment parenting is to let the child choose independence, instead of forcing it. Take it slow... eventually the child is going to want/need their own room, so set one up where they have fun (toys etc) read books to her in there etc... and once she enjoys spending time there she will naturally want to sleep there as well.

There are no rules, other than let your child lead you... children know what they want/need, so as long as you pay attention to her signals of readiness, you will know what/when to do her own room.

When will my infant start playing with toys?

Jadahs mom

I was wondering when will my baby Jadah start sitting up on her own and playing with her toys? She is 3 months old and Ive tried to introduce rattles to her and little bears. Also could she be teething ?...
She always has her hands in her mouth and slobbing She also like to chew on her clothes to where the front of her shirt in soaking wet.
thanx everyone!

Answer
My son noticed his toys at about 10 weeks...and started batting & slapping at them (on his activity mat) at about 11-12 weeks. He hasn't yet been able to sit up on his own, nor is he able to hold onto a toy and play with it yet...but I suspect it will be soon.

Get some teething keys or gumming toys...your child might like those, since she is chewing on everything right now. BTW, this behavior is completely normal!

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What is the best car seat toy for a forward facing carseat?

best infant toys 12 months image

julie.cipr

I am going to be getting my son a new car seat because he no longer fits in his old one. The new one is forward facing. In the old car seat, we have a bar that has rattles and a light up musical frog that my son loves to play with. Anyone have any ideas for an awesome car seat toy? I'm looking for the best one out there, one that I haven't seen on my google searches. Thank you!!

Answer
When deciding on any toy to be allowed in the car, think about what's going to happen in an accident and it goes flying. This will sound silly, but its a simple test to decide whether it should be allowed as a toy in the car: smack yourself upside the head with it. did it hurt? If not, go for it, if it hurt you, think about how much more it will hurt a baby, whose skull is softer, and when in an accident it will hit with a lot more force. Ican't at all remember who made them, but check your local kids resale shop (like Once Upon a Child) since they seem to have them often: soft toy steering wheels so child can play-drive while in the car.

However, a bigger issue here, would be how old is your child and what size? Sounds like he's outgrowing an infant carrier car seat? Kids do not go from infant carrier seat straight to forward facing seat. The next step is a rear facing convertible car seat. Most state laws require kids to be rear facing until at least 20lbs and 1 year, but more importantly, the laws of physics say kids should stay rear facing as long as they possibly can. Its THAT much safer. The old 20lbs/1 year rule is just that. OLD. It came about in the 1980's when our seats were only capable of rear facing to 20lbs and we didn't know any better. Now we definitely know better and all current convertible seats rear face to at least 30lbs, but its hard getting people to realize this.
Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!
1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.
2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.
3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.
4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. And most kids actually prefer to be rear facing b/c they can rest their feet on the vehicle seat back. When they are forward facing, their legs don't receive enough support and will frequently fall asleep.
WHY REAR FACING:
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf
In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg

Here's another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view&current=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv

The story of a child who suffered severe injuries from being forward facing when he could've been rear facing:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59783

How do you decorate a baby's room if you are co-sleeping? How long can she sleep in a cradle?

mewie'smom

I have a happy 5 month old daughter. My husband and I are dedicated to attachment parenting. She sleeps in a cradle next to our bed half the night and then joins us in our bed for her night feed at 2AM. Sometimes she wakes up with us. Sometimes she wakes up in her cradle.

Answer
I attachment parent and did co-sleeping with an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper with my son as an infant... when my son reached the weight limit (at 7 months) we got him a crib and put it in his own room along with his toys and books and pictures on the wall -- nothing fancy, just a place to start putting all of his stuff, and a place to play.

We never "forced" him to sleep there. At first, we would let him take a nap in his new crib... We let him play in his room during the day... (meanwhile, he was sleeping nights in our bed since he was too big for the Co-Sleeper)... after a couple weeks, he understood that he had his own room, and would even crawl over, push the door open and go inside to play with his toys. He started building up positive associations with his room (rather than associations of it being like a prison). We let him initiate most of the time he spent in his room (instead of us sticking him in there).

Once he started napping in his crib with no problems, we started putting him down at night (this was at 12 months old)... if he cried, one of us would immediately go in, pick him up and rock him etc and then put him back down... we NEVER let him "cry it out"... we never wanted to make him think that going in the crib = being alone.

For a couple weeks, this was tedious (we would put baby to bed 25 times before he would go to sleep)... but eventually he trusted the situation (because we go in IMMEDIATELY if he cries) enough that we put him down now (at 15 months) and he smiles at us, hugs his teddy bear and goes to sleep. He wakes extra early (5 am) for a diaper change and to cuddle in mom&dad's bed for an hour or two until breakfast... so we are still in transition...

I think the main thing with attachment parenting is to let the child choose independence, instead of forcing it. Take it slow... eventually the child is going to want/need their own room, so set one up where they have fun (toys etc) read books to her in there etc... and once she enjoys spending time there she will naturally want to sleep there as well.

There are no rules, other than let your child lead you... children know what they want/need, so as long as you pay attention to her signals of readiness, you will know what/when to do her own room.

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When will my infant start playing with toys?

best infant toys 12 months image

Jadahs mom

I was wondering when will my baby Jadah start sitting up on her own and playing with her toys? She is 3 months old and Ive tried to introduce rattles to her and little bears. Also could she be teething ?...
She always has her hands in her mouth and slobbing She also like to chew on her clothes to where the front of her shirt in soaking wet.
thanx everyone!

Answer
My son noticed his toys at about 10 weeks...and started batting & slapping at them (on his activity mat) at about 11-12 weeks. He hasn't yet been able to sit up on his own, nor is he able to hold onto a toy and play with it yet...but I suspect it will be soon.

Get some teething keys or gumming toys...your child might like those, since she is chewing on everything right now. BTW, this behavior is completely normal!

Why is my 7 month old baby so emotionless and mean?

Mari+Bela

She is 7 months old. She doens't like to be with me. She won't hug me or give kisses. She get frustrated VERY easily and hits her toys. She won't let me hug her. It's as if she were indifferent around me, or anyone else for that matter. Is this normal behavior for an infant?

Answer
baby is not suppose to be emotionless babies for a very strong bond with the person who takes care of them most, an emotionless baby is def. a sign of autism

Among the early signs and symptoms that parents and Pediatricians look for to alert them that a child needs further evaluation for autism include:

â¢not smiling by six months of age
â¢not babbling, pointing or using other gestures by 12 months
â¢not using single words by age 16 months
â¢not using two word phrases by 24 months
â¢having a regression in development, with any loss of language or social skills
Infants with autism might also avoid eye contact, and as they get older, act as if they are unaware of when people come and go around them

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Is it better to buy black and white or colorful infant toys?

Q. I'm 12 weeks pregnant and want to do a penguin theme if I can find enough items. My dads girlfriend interjected and said that with penguins being black and white (even though I explained to her that most penguin things vary in color) are not stimulating for a baby. I was just wondering what some other opinions were? And maybe where I could find some penguin themed baby things, like some websites, stores or anything? Thanks!

A. Baby won't use their nursery for 2-6 months.

Black and white is great for new borns! Red is the next color they see .

Original Question

What are some activity lesson plans for infants?

Q. what are some ideas for activity lesson plans for infants up to 12 months that would cover the cognitive development?

A. oh yes...lesson plans for infants...this is a current trend in Early Head Start Program.

this is fairly simple it is activities that are developmentallyappropriate for their age and stage...it is based on observations..

for example you might observe a young infant beginning to track object with their eyes...so your lesson plan would be tracking objects and you may set up a mobil....or hold a small toy..you are writing different method to promote tracking

it is a little too much in infant land...but in some cases the children are not getting any stimulation at home and need these enriching opportunities.

good luck

relax and vote for a best answer

Original Question

What is the best car seat toy for a forward facing carseat?

Q. I am going to be getting my son a new car seat because he no longer fits in his old one. The new one is forward facing. In the old car seat, we have a bar that has rattles and a light up musical frog that my son loves to play with. Anyone have any ideas for an awesome car seat toy? I'm looking for the best one out there, one that I haven't seen on my google searches. Thank you!!

A. When deciding on any toy to be allowed in the car, think about what's going to happen in an accident and it goes flying. This will sound silly, but its a simple test to decide whether it should be allowed as a toy in the car: smack yourself upside the head with it. did it hurt? If not, go for it, if it hurt you, think about how much more it will hurt a baby, whose skull is softer, and when in an accident it will hit with a lot more force. Ican't at all remember who made them, but check your local kids resale shop (like Once Upon a Child) since they seem to have them often: soft toy steering wheels so child can play-drive while in the car.

However, a bigger issue here, would be how old is your child and what size? Sounds like he's outgrowing an infant carrier car seat? Kids do not go from infant carrier seat straight to forward facing seat. The next step is a rear facing convertible car seat. Most state laws require kids to be rear facing until at least 20lbs and 1 year, but more importantly, the laws of physics say kids should stay rear facing as long as they possibly can. Its THAT much safer. The old 20lbs/1 year rule is just that. OLD. It came about in the 1980's when our seats were only capable of rear facing to 20lbs and we didn't know any better. Now we definitely know better and all current convertible seats rear face to at least 30lbs, but its hard getting people to realize this.
Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!
1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.
2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.
3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.
4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. And most kids actually prefer to be rear facing b/c they can rest their feet on the vehicle seat back. When they are forward facing, their legs don't receive enough support and will frequently fall asleep.
WHY REAR FACING:
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf
In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg

Here's another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view&current=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv

The story of a child who suffered severe injuries from being forward facing when he could've been rear facing:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59783

Original Question

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