Expectant parents are likely to enthusiastically rush out and buy a bunch of stuff that they are convinced will amuse and edify their new born.
Before you do that however, consider the following:
- Newborns don’t see very well or beyond a short distance
- They are not able to comprehend a great deal.
- They cannot voluntarily hold anything and anything that they do grip they are likely to drop any time, which may include dropping a rattle on their own face causing injury or startling the baby to say the least.
- Also babies tend to outgrow not only clothes but also their toys[baby toys] fairly quickly, so whatever you do buy, don’t buy too much of it, or you’ll barely have taken it out of the packaging and the baby loses interest!
Some good ideas to buy toys for your baby are these:
- The baby mobile is an excellent toy for a new born who spends only a few hours a day actually awake and cannot do anything by itself except lie on its back and look up. You can hook up a baby mobile to the top of the crib[baby crib] or cot, about 10 inches or so from the baby’s eyes, which the child will be able to discern the movement. The baby will enjoy watching the colors go round and round as well as hearing the soft music that many mobiles come attached with. Later the baby will start to make swipes at the mobile and will continue to enjoy it.
- A teething toy. Many babies start teething early and feel the discomfort of incoming teeth as early as 2 to 3 months. They will be amused and soothed by teething toys. Many are gel filled, which you can place in the freezer and then offer to baby, the cold will soothe the inflamed gums.
- Offer different materials to baby for tactile exploration: a soft cotton covered ball, a book rattle that can travel into the bath with baby, some harder implements for the baby to explore with the hands as well as the mouth (the baby will put everything into the mouth so be careful of what you hand over and how clean it is).
- A bead ball is a fascinating thing for a baby: colorful and interesting to look at, it can occupy a baby for a long time as he or she looks at it and explores it thoroughly.
