Infant Development Toys

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Doctor David Hill and today we're going to talk about toys to help with your infants development. Now, there are a lot of fancy, expensive, beautifully designed developmental toys out there, but I've got to start by saying you don't have to go buy those things. If you start looking around your house, there are things as simple as empty milk jugs that make great toys for kids, and everybody thinks about pots, and pans, and wooden spoons. Their fantastic! Use those, however you do want to think about the infants development, when you're thinking about what their going to play with. Now, when we think of toys, we think of something that has no practical use, but for infants, the toy has a very practical use. It is the tool that they use to help develop their bodies, and their brains, and, so getting the right toys can be important for helping your infant develop. In the period between zero and three months, infants are not doing a lot in terms of manipulating their environment. So, they're listening to things, they're looking at things. You want to start with pictures, bright shapes, sharp contrasts, simple lines. Early on, they only really see black, white and red, so you may as well start with those colors. The first shapes that infants perceive are bulls eyes, and human faces, so you see a lot of pictures that look like that. The infants vision at this point is best between about eight and fourteen inches, so if you're going to put something there for them to look at, try and get it in that general vicinity. A great idea, is an unbreakable mirror, maybe a plastic or mylar mirror. They can look at themselves, everybody likes to look at themselves, even infants. Also, they're enjoying soothing sounds, so you might have a toy that has a little music to it, or a soothing sound, but nothing too ruckus. Now, between four and seven months of life, some new things are happening, especially manipulating the environment. Babies are grabbing things, they're moving them around, they want to have some action, this is when crib gyms come in handy, but remember not to leave that crib gym there with an unattended baby, because they might choke or do something to harm themselves with it. There are textured things, big balls, soft items, anything that is bright and squishy and crinkly and makes noise, is great at this age group, things they can hold onto. Later on, between eight and twelve months of life, children are not only manipulating their environment, but they are starting to move by crawling or scooting, or even walking across the floor. They might want a push toy, or a pull toy, to help them with that. They might get balls of different sizes, they're also starting to stack one thing on top of another, and there are all sorts of things they can stack from soft blocks, to cups, to cans, to old yogurt containers. But, give them something and they're going to start putting it on top of something else. Now, when you're thinking about infant toys, you want to think about safety, of course. Nothing should be small enough to fit inside the baby's mouth, usually an inch and a half in diameter, not should it be able to cover their face and prevent them from breathing. Obviously, you want to look out for sharp edges, sharp points, and sometimes toys will surprise you. Even top brand toy makers make a mistake every now and then, so you might check the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, CSPS and see what they have, cause they'll surprise you as to what's been recalled. To recap, toys are tools that infants use to develop their brains and bodies. Choosing appropriate toys for their developmental stage will help them do that. But, always look out for your baby's safety and think about checking the Consumer Product Safety Commission website from time to time to make sure you haven't accidentally bought something that has been recalled. For infant development and toys, I am Doctor David Hill."