The Best Infant Toys 2013: best infant toys for development

Showing posts with label best infant toys for development. Show all posts

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Babies and Toys?

When do babies usually become interested in toys. My 2 month old only seems to like her dangly toys like from her bouncy seat, swing and crib. I was just wondering if she should be inerested in rattles and other things yet. Also, what are some of the better and more educational toys that they first play with?

Answer
Every year Oppenheim evaluates infant toys and gives awards for the best 'developmental' toys that engage the baby's senses and encourage different skills (eye tracking, eye-hand coordination, understanding of cause and effect, understanding of object permanence, gross- and fine-motor development etc.) You can see the award winning toys here: http://www.toyportfolio.com/Infants/Index.asp.

Tiny Love has several award winning toys. Their website is also very informative about how each of their toys encourages infant development. http://www.tinylove.com
They have several amazing infant activity gyms. (See link below.) The activity gyms tend to be pricey but you can find them for reasonable prices on Craigslist or Ebay.

Lamaze also makes many award winning toys. (See link below.) Their toys tend to be soft and cuddly with many textures, peek-a-boo flaps, patterns, colors, and sounds to explore.

Have fun watching your little one explore and see her developing right before your eyes. :D

What kind of toys work best? Which do you recommend?

Q. Impressive Carriegr...lol
Thanks Salreyjr, I'll have to try your toy.

Answer
Fisher-Price has toys for every stage of growth and development. From infant activity toys, to discovery toys for toddlers, to imagination- and creativity-building toys for preschoolers and early school-age kids, Fisher-Price toys make growing and learning through all stages of development so much fun!

Infant(0-12 months)Toys by Type
Activity Gyms & Tables
Crib Toys
Fisher-Price Classics
High Chair, Stroller, & Car Seat-attaching
music & Movement
Push, Pull, & Roll
Put & Take
Rattles & Teethers
Rolling Vehicles
Stacking & Sorting
Take-Along
Walkers
Popular Brands
Amazing Animals
Brilliant Basics
Go, Baby, Go!â¢
Laugh & Learn
Lil Laugh & Learn
Little Superstar
Miracles & Milestones
Ocean Wonders
Peek-a-Blocks
Rainforestâ¢
Roll-a-Rounds
Sesame Street
Winnie the Pooh
Our Infant Favorites
Toddler(12-36 months)Toys by Type
Cars & Vehicles
Dollhouse (toys by type)
Dolls & Accessories
Electronic Learning Toys
Fisher-Price Classics
Kitchen Sets & Food Play
Musical Toys
Playing Grown-Up
Playsets
Push, Pull, & Roll
Sports & Outdoor Fun
Trikes & Ride-ons
Popular Brands
Blue's Room
Dora the Explorer
Fun 2 Learn
GeoTrax
Knows Your Nameâ¢
Learn Through Music
Little Einstein
Little Mommy Dolls
Little People Toys
Power Wheels
See 'n Say
Sesame Street
Snap 'n Style
The Backyardigansâ¢
Winnie the Pooh
Our Toddler Favorites

Toddler(12-36 months)Toys by Type
Cars & Vehicles
Dollhouse (toys by type)
Dolls & Accessories
Electronic Learning Toys
Fisher-Price Classics
Kitchen Sets & Food Play
Musical Toys
Playing Grown-Up
Playsets
Push, Pull, & Roll
Sports & Outdoor Fun
Trikes & Ride-ons
Popular Brands
Blue's Room
Dora the Explorer
Fun 2 Learn
GeoTrax
Knows Your Nameâ¢
Learn Through Music
Little Einstein
Little Mommy Dolls
Little People Toys
Power Wheels
See 'n Say
Sesame Street
Snap 'n Style
The Backyardigansâ¢
Winnie the Pooh
Our Toddler Favorites

Toys by Type
Action/Adventure Toys
Cars, Vehicles & RC Toys
Creative Activities
Dollhouse (toys by type)
Dolls & Accessories
Electronic Learning Toys
Kitchen Sets & Food Play
Musical Toys
Playing Grown-Up
Preschool Games
Sports & Outdoor Fun
Popular Brands
Car-nivores
Digital Arts & Craftsâ¢
Doodle Pro
Dora the Explorer
Easy Link
Fun 2 Learn
Fusion Crew
Go Diego Goâ¢
I Can Play Guitar
I Can Playâ¢ Piano
Imaginext
Kid Tough Electronics
Knows Your Nameâ¢
Learn Through Music
Light Sketcherâ¢
Little Mommy Dolls
Little People Toys
Loving Family
Pixter
Planet Heroesâ¢
Power Wheels
Rescue Heroes
Sesame Street
Shake ân Go
Smart Cycleâ¢
Snuggle-Kinsâ¢
Spark Art
Star Station
The Backyardigansâ¢
View-Master

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Babies and Toys?

What kind of toys work best? Which do you recommend?

Q. Impressive Carriegr...lol
Thanks Salreyjr, I'll have to try your toy.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

COGNITIVE development game ideas for infants, toddlers & preschoolers?

im not even sure what cognitive development is, but i need to come up with games/toys that contribute to it. (it can be a toy or game from toys r us) thanks in advance!
ps its for an assignment

Answer
Cognitive development is basically memory and problem solving (cause and effect, ect). For infants, mobiles, rattles,teething toys, stacking toys, squeeze toys and picture books.

For 1-3 years, Push-pull and ride-on toys,Small tricycles and wagons, Simple puzzles, shape sorters, peg boards, movement games, Blocks, stacking rings, Picture and coloring books, Crayons, markers, and clay

For 3-5 years, Dress-up with accessories, Puppets, Large bead threading and lace sets, Storybooks
â¢ Simple board games (Candyland ,Whac-A-Mole, or Chutes and Ladders),Puzzles (no more than 24 pieces)

Hope that helps! :)

Babies and Toys?

Sunday, April 27, 2014

What kind of toys work best? Which do you recommend?

Q. Impressive Carriegr...lol
Thanks Salreyjr, I'll have to try your toy.

Worst rated infant toy- poor toy for any newborn baby?

Q. In my Human Development class we have to do a project where we pick one good toy and one poor toy for a newborn baby..I already found a toy with good reviews, but im having trouble finding a toy with bad reviews, or just a poor toy in general..anyone have any ideas?

Answer
A got a few "congratulations" gifts when my son was born. I few he wasn't able to even use for months! it said "from birth" on it but he couldn't use them!

umm, he got given stackable rings
http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-stacking-rings/dp/B001CQNV3O/sr=1-18/qid=1242401175/ref=sr_1_18/279-0637060-8995346?_encoding=UTF8&m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&n=42874041&mcb=core

and this
http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Happy-Safari-musical-TV/dp/B000M4ZHIO/sr=1-156/qid=1242401337/ref=sr_1_156/279-0637060-8995346?_encoding=UTF8&m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&n=42874041&mcb=core

i've not really found a toy that has bad reviews because kids will really play with anything. a plastic bag, a plastic bottle....anything they can get their hands on they love. Really, i ust think that a bad toy for a newborn is anything that states it's for newborn, but they can't use it for ages

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Anyone familiar with TOYS R US?

This is for a class:

1. Is the store divided based on gender, race, age, etc? Are there male and female sections for merchandise? What kind of "sections" are there?

2. For the male and female section, rate the merchandise on a scale of 1-5, 1 being low 5 being high on:
1.cognitive development
2.motor development
3.imagination growth
4. price and durability

3. What are some examples of toys from each category above, and how do they rank on a scale of 1-5 individually?

4.Where in the store are the scientific and discovery toys? (toy laptops, etc)

Answer
1. Ages and then gender specific.

Main Departments: Preschool & Infants Toy, Imaginarium (educational toys), Boys, Girls, Rzone (video games & home electronics),Outdoors & Sports, and Babies R Us.

2. This question needs to be more product specific. Based on the wide variety of products offered in each department.

3. Check out the differently abled toy guide which gives guidelines on different educational values of a wide variety of toys for all ages and genders:

http://www.toysrus.com/graphics/coupon/TRUS_2007-Diff-Abled-Guide2.pdf

4. It varies by individual stores but Imaginarium - is generally in a central location right between ages and genders.

creating a toy for infancy stages of development?

drama kwee

help!! i have to create a toy for my child psychology class and i have no idea what to do. it has to be something original - something that is not already on the market. see the guidelines below.

after taking PSY350 (Child Psychology), you seek employment at a toy manufacturing company. the first project that you are given is to design a toy. in order to complete this assignment, you will have to use what you learned in this course and describe how your toy will stimulate an infantâs sensory, biological, and cognitive abilities.
a. for what age(s), will your toy be designed?
b. describe your toy with as much detail as possible.
c. what sensory, biological, and cognitive abilities will your toy take into account?

any ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Answer
Hmmm ... After thinking for a second I guess you should "create" a fine motor skills toy. I work with kids all day and think about this. First off fine motor skill is working with the fingers... Can this baby put links together? Can they pick the rattle up ? Moving on to Toddlers puzzles and so on even tieing your shoes anything with your fingers and grasping tiny things. I would work on that maybe something with several different items on it which I guess I cant come up with an idea from the top of my head but I hope this helps some what !!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Looking for the best infant toys for development from newborn to 1 year- Any suggestions??

Photogra-m

My baby girl is almost 2 months - i need something to occupy her later on - some kind of activity play center toy - something great with lights and music _ I've been window shopping and dont see much that i like - What do you parents out there recommend -What toys does your baby like??
What about activity mats or something that will promote sitting up and crawling??
And also looking for toys I can attatch to her swing (since her swing does not play music or have lights- a toy with light & music thats attatchble - where can I find one??

Answer
My kids LOVED the peek-a-boo blocks from Fisher Price. It is also good for development for them to learn how to put things in and take things out. They have a shape sorter from peek-a-boo blocks. It has different shapes and each block has something new inside. There are SO many different accessories that you can get with the Peek-a-boo blocks. toysrus.com has a great way to select that type of thing. You select the age, and then you select the type of toys. You want to find cause and effect toys, early development, and sights and sounds. You can look at all those categories there, or just type whatever type of toy into a search engine and it should pull up some options.

infant brain development?

chuck j

my wife and i are expecting our first child in feburary. my question is, what can we do to help develop her brain activity and things like her sences. I'm not a big fan of those education videos or movies but i won't totaly rule them out. does it really help or make a difference when they are so young, like new born to read to them or do whatever we can to help her along?

Answer
Children are not supposed to watch TV before the age of 2. Research shows that it can be detrimental to their development. So trust your instincts. I would read to your child, talk to her, sing to her. Tummy time is very important, it leads to earlier crawling. Make sure that when she starts playing, she has lots of open-ended toys. These are toys that can be used in many ways, like blocks, plastic food, stacking rings, etc. The "interactive" talking toys are overrated. It is better for you to interact with your child. They learn more from you.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

What are some Montessorri activities I can do with my 4 month old?

best infant toys for development
on Classic toys are still the best | Modern Baby Toddler Products - Plioz

best infant toys for development image

Vee

I am looking for some activities that I can do with my 4 month old that are Montessori-inspired. Right now I am working on getting her to roll over, to reach for toys that are dangled in front of her, and to spend more time on her tummy for more head control. Any ideas?

Answer
I don't have a lot of infant ideas, since I teach 3-6 year olds.

I would recommend this book:
http://astore.amazon.com/monteblog-20/detail/0805211128

Really, what I would suggest, thinking about Montessori, is your actual environment. Not so much specific activities, but I would look and see whether the environment is set up for the child. When your daughter is old enough to crawl, is everywhere she crawls safe for her?

Right now, language is playing a huge role in development. Not that she'll start talking, but it is important to make sure you talk to her a lot, sing and play games, and she sees positive communication from you.

At what age should infants be able to sit up on their own?

My son is 6 1/2 months old. He was a 5 week early preemie and had tons of problems keeping him in the hopsital until his due date. His development has been going fine. But he will not sit up on his own. My friends baby starting sitting up just before 6 months. I know better than to compare but I just wanted to get some other opinions. He grabs toys, rolls over, laughs, etc. He just doesn't sit up. Thanks for the advice!

Answer
All babies develop at their own rate, he just may take his sweet time sitting up. Your right about the comparing part, I think that makes every woman worry about their child.
He will eventually get it, if your worried about it speak to his doctor about it.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

What can cause abnormally fast strength and skill development in infants?

best infant toys for development
on ... Products > Toys > Development Toys > Oball: Beebo Infant - BEST BUY

best infant toys for development image

My 10 week old infant has been gaining certain abilities at a very fast rate. He started trying to lift his head the day after he was born. At 3 weeks old he had full control of his head and learned how to roll over from his tummy to his back. At 7.5 weeks he started trying to roll from his back to his stomach. At 8 weeks he started trying to crawl. He can't get his knees under him but he manages to travel across the designated play spot at a very slow pace. He hates tummy time and fights to get out of the position which results in the rolling over and crawling. I try to encourage play with toys because tummy time is good for him but he just screams so he has gotten limited practice. At 10 weeks he can almost sit, has full control of his back, can roll from tummy to back, can almost roll from back to tummy, and is in the process of gaining skills to crawl. He also has a very strong grip and very strong legs. When we are holding him he tries to stand on our laps. If he is laying down and holding our hands, if we try to pull our hands away, instead of him letting go he holds on and his whole body comes up with us.
What causes this abnormal amount of strength and skill development?
How can I get him to have more tummy time without screaming his head off?
Is this considered a birth defect?
This is not me thinking my child is special or trying to brag. Some of the stuff he's doing typically doesn't occur till 5 months or later. I'm asking what can cause this and if it's reason for concern.
Then why did the doctor say he's very strong for his age? He also said it was abnormal for him to have full control of his head. I've also had other parents saying it's weird and how their kids couldn't do this. He can crawl it's just very slow and not up on hands and knees. I read that kids don't roll from tummy to back till 5 months and back to stomach even later and he did it at 3 weeks and gets 3/4 over from back to tummy. So I wanted to know if he can hurt himself or if there is something wrong.

Answer
Your baby is on a normal development track. Being "almost" able to do something is not the same as doing it. He does not have full control of his back if he can not sit unsupported. Babies try to make the motions of crawling often for months before actually being able to do so. Rolling over can easily occur early depending on the muscles he is using to accomplish the task. I am not trying to minimize your son's performance, but from a developmental standpoint he is not so advanced that you have need to worry about something being wrong. Just let him develop at his own pace.

At what age should infants be able to sit up on their own?

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

At what age should infants be able to sit up on their own?

best infant toys for development
on Educational Baby Toys - The Best Educational Toys for Infants

best infant toys for development image

what is Piagetian process or concept. and what is the child’s most likely stage of development in this example?

Andrew J

Example: Fourteen-month-old Henry tries to move the blanket to find the toy that his mother hid beneath it.

Answer
Piaget's 'Four levels of development' are (1) infancy, (2) preschool, (3) childhood, and (4) adolescence. Each stage is characterized by a general cognitive structure that affects all of the child's thinking (a structuralist view influenced by philosopher Immanuel Kant)[citation needed]. Each stage represents the child's understanding of reality during that period, and each but the last is an inadequate approximation of reality. Development from one stage to the next is thus caused by the accumulation of errors in the child's understanding of the environment; this accumulation eventually causes such a degree of cognitive disequilibrium that thought structures require reorganizing.

The four development stages are described in Piaget's theory as:

Sensorimotor stage: from birth to age 2. Children experience the world through movement and senses (use five senses to explore the world). During the sensorimotor stage children are extremely egocentric, meaning they cannot perceive the world from others viewpoints and explore using senses. The sensorimotor stage is divided into six substages: "(1) simple reflexes; (2) first habits and primary circular reactions; (3) secondary circular reactions; (4) coordination of secondary circular reactions; (5) tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity; and (6) internalization of schemes." [4] Simple reflexes is from birth to 1 month old. At this time infants use reflexes such as rooting and sucking. First habits and primary circular reactions is from 1 month to 4 months old. During this time infants learn to coordinate sensation and two types of scheme (habit and circular reactions). A primary circular reaction is when the infant tries to reproduce an event that happened by accident (ex: sucking thumb). The third stage, secondary circular reactions, occurs when the infant is 4 to 8 months old. At this time they become aware of things beyond their own body; they are more object oriented. At this time they might accidentally shake a rattle and continue to do it for sake of satisfaction. Coordination of secondary circular reactions is from 8 months to 12 months old. During this stage they can do things intentionally. They can now combine and recombine schemes and try to reach a goal (ex: use a stick to reach something). They also understand object permanence during this stage. That is, they understand that objects continue to exist even when they can't see them. The fifth stage occurs from 12 months old to 18 months old. During this stage infants explore new possibilities of objects; they try different things to get different results. During the last stage they are 18 to 24 months old. During this stage they shift to symbolic thinking. [4]
Preoperational stage: from ages 2 to 5 (magical thinking predominates. Acquisition of motor skills) Egocentricism begins strongly and then weakens. Children cannot conserve or use logical thinking.
Concrete operational stage: from ages 5 to 11 (children begin to think logically but are very concrete in their thinking) Children can now conserve and think logically but only with practical aids. They are no longer egocentric.
Formal operational stage: after age 11 (development of abstract reasoning). Children develop abstract thought and can easily conserve and think logically in their mind.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Find a picture and a description of an infant toy in your home.Write a very brief description of the toy, tell?

best infant toys for development
on Best Infant Development Toys | ModernMom.com

best infant toys for development image

Q. Find a picture and a description of an infant toy in your home. Write a very brief description of the toy, telling why it would appeal to a very young infant. How would the toy be used by a 2-month-old? How might the same toy be used by a 6-month-old?
Toy manufacturers often try to convince parents that infant toys will still be interesting to toddlers. How might a parent scaffold an infant`s interaction with this toy? How would this relate to the zone of proximal development?

Answer
Books, you know what they look like.
You can read them and show the pictures to babies of any age. As they grow they learn new things from books. Eventually they will be able to read the book even though they can't read because they have memorized it from someone reading to them.

How do you disinfect toys and such with clorox?

Laura M

What's the mixture? How much of clorox and what else?
Do you need to rinse the toys off after the clorox?
I know these may sound like stupid questions for some people, but I honestly don't know. I have just been boiling water and sanitizing that way.

Answer
I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years plus I organize toy cleaning sessions for the nursery, toddler, and preschool rooms at our church. If you are just wanting to keep the toys clean that typically just your child uses at your home then one of the best and easiest ways to do this is to put them on the top shelf of your dishwasher and run them through a cycle. For toys that are not dishwasher safe or too large than you can just keep them washed with warm soapy water and rinsed well afterwards. Disinfection for normal home use really isn't needed, but if your child has been ill (especially with anything stomach related) or has had a playmate over who has put toys in her mouth or showed signs of illness than you may feel better to disinfect them. This is the method I use for my daycare toys and what we do at our church: First, wash hard surfaced items in warm soapy water (we use regular dish soap - Dawn) either in a dishpan or with a cloth. Use a scrub brush for exceptionally dirty items and on toys with crevices. After washing, rinse with lots of clear water to thoroughly remove soap residue. In a large container (I use either a dishpan or a mop bucket), put 1 gallon warm tap water. Add 1 Tablespoon household bleach to the water than add the toys to cover. Allow to sit in the bleach water a few minutes than remove and let air dry at least overnight. Discard the bleach water after use. It is not toxic to drain systems and can be dumped down the sink or toilet. Many people are nervous about leaving the bleach water solution on the toys, but bleach breaks down very quickly and returns to it's original state of salt and water and the chlorine evaporates, leaving no residue. For large toys not able to be immersed, place some of the bleach water in a spray bottle and spray on then let air dry. Most infant chew toys are top rack dishwasher safe and I wash all my infant toys this way as well as bring home the infant toys from church to wash through my dishwasher. We keep an empty dishpan on the shelf in each of the rooms where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers have care and classes. After a child has used a toy or has put one in their mouth, the care givers/teachers place the toy in the dishpan. Someone comes through once a week and either takes them home to run through their dishwasher or we have the instructions and supplies to do cleaning and disinfecting with soap, water, and bleach. ETA: I would just like to add that while bleach does make a good disinfectant, as with everything, you can get too much of a good thing. Excessive use of products such as disinfectants, anti-bacterial products, and hand sanitizers has been strongly linked to the development of bacteria and viruses that are resistant to normal treatment. There are good germs and bad germs. These products do not know the difference and kill both the good and the bad. If you feel you must disinfect, do so with caution and in moderation.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Any suggestions for good toys for young babies?

best infant toys for development image

Q. I'm a first-time mom and my three month old daughter is just starting to swat at toys on her playmat. We didn't stock up on any toys before she was born because we knew we wouldn't need them right away so now I'd like to get some for her. Also, we're planning on getting an exersaucer in the near future when she can hold herself up a little bit better. Any suggestions including name brands? Thanks for your help!

Answer
My baby is 4 months, and he's just now getting big enough for his Rainforest Jumperoo. The activity mat kept him pretty busy for the first couple of months... there's not much they can do except swat things on the activity mat and watch the mobile on the crib at that age. You might buy more toys for the activity mat (I bought the Tiny Love windchimes for my baby to kick, he loves those). Also, board books (like Goodnight Moon) are great. Until they are older, babies really need to interact with their parents, so just pointing things out and talking to her about them is enough entertainment.

By the way, I saw someone suggested the Baby Einstein videos... I would not suggest those. Research has shown that they actually delay language development. http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleid=35898
"Despite marketing claims, parents who want to give their infants a boost in learning language probably should limit the amount of time they expose their children to DVDs and videos such as "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby."

Rather than helping babies, the over-use of such productions actually may slow down infants eight to 16 months of age when it comes to acquiring vocabulary, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute.

The scientists found that for every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants understood an average of six to eight fewer words than infants who did not watch them."

How do you become a nanny?

ZeeLizardG

My teacher for Infant Development was observing me when we took a trip to a preschool. She noticed how I interacted with the children, kept everything neat and orderly, and adhered strictly to the schedule and told me I would make a good nanny, which got me wondering: what exactly does it take to become one?

Answer
Go to care.com and Sittercity.com
Fill out a profile for each site. Be honest and fill it out the best you can in detail.
Then you can search for a family near where you live and families can search for you.

Most families want a person with experience, mature, on time, clean, will help with house work, taking kids to activities, someone that will teach there kids, do crafts, stick with there schedule and rules, take kids to the park, fix the kids there meals,doing activities at home(toys,puzzles,games,outside play), most ive worked for dont want kids in front of the tv all day(i allow 40 min a day and on occasions we have a movie day,just one movie),etc... Pretty much what a mom would do.

Why did I get a thumbs down?

Friday, September 6, 2013

Any suggestions for good toys for young babies?

best infant toys for development image

How do you become a nanny?

ZeeLizardG

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Find a picture and a description of an infant toy in your home.Write a very brief description of the toy, tell?

best infant toys for development image

How do you disinfect toys and such with clorox?

Laura M

Saturday, July 6, 2013

What are some Montessorri activities I can do with my 4 month old?

best infant toys for development
on funny best infant toy best infant toy baby play gym top quality ...

best infant toys for development image

Vee

What can cause abnormally fast strength and skill development in infants?

Sunday, May 19, 2013

How do you disinfect toys and such with clorox?

Q. What's the mixture? How much of clorox and what else?
Do you need to rinse the toys off after the clorox?
I know these may sound like stupid questions for some people, but I honestly don't know. I have just been boiling water and sanitizing that way.

A. I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years plus I organize toy cleaning sessions for the nursery, toddler, and preschool rooms at our church. If you are just wanting to keep the toys clean that typically just your child uses at your home then one of the best and easiest ways to do this is to put them on the top shelf of your dishwasher and run them through a cycle. For toys that are not dishwasher safe or too large than you can just keep them washed with warm soapy water and rinsed well afterwards. Disinfection for normal home use really isn't needed, but if your child has been ill (especially with anything stomach related) or has had a playmate over who has put toys in her mouth or showed signs of illness than you may feel better to disinfect them. This is the method I use for my daycare toys and what we do at our church: First, wash hard surfaced items in warm soapy water (we use regular dish soap - Dawn) either in a dishpan or with a cloth. Use a scrub brush for exceptionally dirty items and on toys with crevices. After washing, rinse with lots of clear water to thoroughly remove soap residue. In a large container (I use either a dishpan or a mop bucket), put 1 gallon warm tap water. Add 1 Tablespoon household bleach to the water than add the toys to cover. Allow to sit in the bleach water a few minutes than remove and let air dry at least overnight. Discard the bleach water after use. It is not toxic to drain systems and can be dumped down the sink or toilet. Many people are nervous about leaving the bleach water solution on the toys, but bleach breaks down very quickly and returns to it's original state of salt and water and the chlorine evaporates, leaving no residue. For large toys not able to be immersed, place some of the bleach water in a spray bottle and spray on then let air dry. Most infant chew toys are top rack dishwasher safe and I wash all my infant toys this way as well as bring home the infant toys from church to wash through my dishwasher. We keep an empty dishpan on the shelf in each of the rooms where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers have care and classes. After a child has used a toy or has put one in their mouth, the care givers/teachers place the toy in the dishpan. Someone comes through once a week and either takes them home to run through their dishwasher or we have the instructions and supplies to do cleaning and disinfecting with soap, water, and bleach. ETA: I would just like to add that while bleach does make a good disinfectant, as with everything, you can get too much of a good thing. Excessive use of products such as disinfectants, anti-bacterial products, and hand sanitizers has been strongly linked to the development of bacteria and viruses that are resistant to normal treatment. There are good germs and bad germs. These products do not know the difference and kill both the good and the bad. If you feel you must disinfect, do so with caution and in moderation.

Original Question

How do you keep your infant from crying while shopping?

Q. I have an 11 month old infant who has a difficult time keeping entertained while I shop. The only way I can doing any shopping is if I know exactly what I want, purchase it, and then leave immediately. Whenever I need some time to browse, my 11 month old begins to fuss and eventually begins to cry. I've always fed and changed her before our outings so those reasons go out the window. Is there anyway that I can keep my daughter entertained better while I'm doing errands? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

A. Hi
I totally feel your pain..... First remember this don't worry about those childless people (or even parents themselves) who'll give you dirty looks if you baby so much as cries while you are trying to shop.. They'll get over it and ig they donn't eventually they'll go somewhere else. Some people seem to think they were perfect angels when they were young (yeah right!)
Babies are going to cry... even if there is nothing wrong.
Babies cry to relieve stress too. Not just when they are hungry or need to be changed or tired.

Alot of time shopping in the morning not too long after the baby has gotten up and been fed. Not too close to nap time though : )

Sometime I bring cheerios and juice. Or I let them bring a toy... Once they get sick of that I give them my keys...
Also I saw another person mention letting them hold things that you put in your basket.... I do that too!

Have you tried those soft books? some of them have teething toys on them and some have different textures... like crinklly paper in them or something squeaky in them

If a pacifier works for you then go for it! I refused to give my kids a pacifier after 6 months old... it can hinder speech development. I see some mom's with 2 and 3 year olds that still have "binkies" and they think it's cute that the kid can talk even with the paci in their mouth.... Little do they know it's training the kid to talk like that... all garbled and such
But if it's the only thing that will work then it's up to you.

The only other thing I can think of is what I did when my daughter (I have 2 kids) was getting into the "difficult" stage
I just refused to take her with me..... If I ran out of milk.. too bad
We'd just have to wait for daddy to get home.. or I would just call him and have him get some on the way home.
Then when I had real grocery shopping to do... not just milk and eggs, I would have my husband take care of her while I shopped.

oh, I just remembered... do you have any musical toys? (what kinda question is that?) Or ones that have lights and stuff?
That always seemed to work for my 19 month old son.
He would be crying and just suddenly stop when he heard his toy. He would completely forget about WHY he was crying : )

Hope this helps!

Original Question

Any suggestions for good toys for young babies?

A. My baby is 4 months, and he's just now getting big enough for his Rainforest Jumperoo. The activity mat kept him pretty busy for the first couple of months... there's not much they can do except swat things on the activity mat and watch the mobile on the crib at that age. You might buy more toys for the activity mat (I bought the Tiny Love windchimes for my baby to kick, he loves those). Also, board books (like Goodnight Moon) are great. Until they are older, babies really need to interact with their parents, so just pointing things out and talking to her about them is enough entertainment.

By the way, I saw someone suggested the Baby Einstein videos... I would not suggest those. Research has shown that they actually delay language development. http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleid=35898
"Despite marketing claims, parents who want to give their infants a boost in learning language probably should limit the amount of time they expose their children to DVDs and videos such as "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby."

Rather than helping babies, the over-use of such productions actually may slow down infants eight to 16 months of age when it comes to acquiring vocabulary, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute.

The scientists found that for every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants understood an average of six to eight fewer words than infants who did not watch them."

Original Question

Thursday, May 16, 2013

What are some Montessorri activities I can do with my 4 month old?

Q. I am looking for some activities that I can do with my 4 month old that are Montessori-inspired. Right now I am working on getting her to roll over, to reach for toys that are dangled in front of her, and to spend more time on her tummy for more head control. Any ideas?

A. I don't have a lot of infant ideas, since I teach 3-6 year olds.

I would recommend this book:
http://astore.amazon.com/monteblog-20/detail/0805211128

Really, what I would suggest, thinking about Montessori, is your actual environment. Not so much specific activities, but I would look and see whether the environment is set up for the child. When your daughter is old enough to crawl, is everywhere she crawls safe for her?

Right now, language is playing a huge role in development. Not that she'll start talking, but it is important to make sure you talk to her a lot, sing and play games, and she sees positive communication from you.

Original Question

What can cause abnormally fast strength and skill development in infants?

Q. My 10 week old infant has been gaining certain abilities at a very fast rate. He started trying to lift his head the day after he was born. At 3 weeks old he had full control of his head and learned how to roll over from his tummy to his back. At 7.5 weeks he started trying to roll from his back to his stomach. At 8 weeks he started trying to crawl. He can't get his knees under him but he manages to travel across the designated play spot at a very slow pace. He hates tummy time and fights to get out of the position which results in the rolling over and crawling. I try to encourage play with toys because tummy time is good for him but he just screams so he has gotten limited practice. At 10 weeks he can almost sit, has full control of his back, can roll from tummy to back, can almost roll from back to tummy, and is in the process of gaining skills to crawl. He also has a very strong grip and very strong legs. When we are holding him he tries to stand on our laps. If he is laying down and holding our hands, if we try to pull our hands away, instead of him letting go he holds on and his whole body comes up with us.
What causes this abnormal amount of strength and skill development?
How can I get him to have more tummy time without screaming his head off?
Is this considered a birth defect?
This is not me thinking my child is special or trying to brag. Some of the stuff he's doing typically doesn't occur till 5 months or later. I'm asking what can cause this and if it's reason for concern.
Then why did the doctor say he's very strong for his age? He also said it was abnormal for him to have full control of his head. I've also had other parents saying it's weird and how their kids couldn't do this. He can crawl it's just very slow and not up on hands and knees. I read that kids don't roll from tummy to back till 5 months and back to stomach even later and he did it at 3 weeks and gets 3/4 over from back to tummy. So I wanted to know if he can hurt himself or if there is something wrong.

A. Your baby is on a normal development track. Being "almost" able to do something is not the same as doing it. He does not have full control of his back if he can not sit unsupported. Babies try to make the motions of crawling often for months before actually being able to do so. Rolling over can easily occur early depending on the muscles he is using to accomplish the task. I am not trying to minimize your son's performance, but from a developmental standpoint he is not so advanced that you have need to worry about something being wrong. Just let him develop at his own pace.

Original Question

At what age should infants be able to sit up on their own?

Q. My son is 6 1/2 months old. He was a 5 week early preemie and had tons of problems keeping him in the hopsital until his due date. His development has been going fine. But he will not sit up on his own. My friends baby starting sitting up just before 6 months. I know better than to compare but I just wanted to get some other opinions. He grabs toys, rolls over, laughs, etc. He just doesn't sit up. Thanks for the advice!

A. All babies develop at their own rate, he just may take his sweet time sitting up. Your right about the comparing part, I think that makes every woman worry about their child.
He will eventually get it, if your worried about it speak to his doctor about it.

Original Question

Popular Posts

About Me

Saturday, June 7, 2014

What kind of toys work best? Which do you recommend?

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

What kind of toys work best? Which do you recommend?

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Babies and Toys?

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Worst rated infant toy- poor toy for any newborn baby?

Sunday, March 23, 2014

creating a toy for infancy stages of development?

Thursday, February 6, 2014

infant brain development?

Saturday, January 25, 2014

At what age should infants be able to sit up on their own?

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

At what age should infants be able to sit up on their own?

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

what is Piagetian process or concept. and what is the child’s most likely stage of development in this example?

Friday, September 13, 2013

How do you disinfect toys and such with clorox?

Sunday, September 8, 2013

How do you become a nanny?

Friday, September 6, 2013

How do you become a nanny?

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

How do you disinfect toys and such with clorox?

Saturday, July 6, 2013

What can cause abnormally fast strength and skill development in infants?

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Search This Blog

Best Toys News

Blog Archive