How easy can it be to give your baby a great start in life? Buying educational toys is a great way to give the baby’s brain a head start, a healthy developed brain is key in helping your child reach their maximum potential. With so many toys on the shelves in toy departments across the world, how do you as a parent find what is really going to help you baby and what is just a waste of your hard earned money? I’ll guide you through some basics to make your decision a wise investment in your child’s future.
A baby needs stimulation and nerve optimization,when these two things are present the brain develops and the child begins to learn, thus creating a smarter baby. The nerve connections that need to become optimized are five things that even us as adult can relate to as the basics in life. The abilities to hear, see, taste, smell, and touch. These senses can be great influenced in a baby through educational toys and a caregiver willing to observe and interact with the child. Here are ways that educational toys will develop each sense.
1. Sight- we all know that a baby’s eyes are not fully functional at birth. The newborn can only focus their eyes on contrasting colors, black and white is their favorite combination. By age 3 to 4 months of age they enjoy the brightness of primary colors. Good developers of educational toys know that babies need contrasting color and bright primary colors for them to look at to help build their sense of sight.
2. Texture- Touch is an all important sense for children even into the preschool years. Touching things is something that all children enjoy. This is obvious anytime you see a child in a new place, they will touch everything they possibly can. So a varying degree of textures to a baby will help to stimulate the touch sense. Look for baby educational toys that have different textures enforcing the need to touch and explore.
3. Sound- A baby’s hearing is immature however they actually respond to sounds. A music selection that is played for a baby can help soothe the baby during uneasy times. Research has also found baby’s being exposed to classical music can help brain development, this is known as the Mozart Effect. Some educational baby toys have classical music that has been incorporated into the toys.
An educational baby toy should have the following features:
It should have bright primary colors for easy viewing by the baby. I should have different textures for baby to touch and experience. There should be different sounds that the baby can hear. Not all baby toys are designed to stimulate baby’s senses and you should find reviews on the toys you are interested in purchasing.
Ways to tell your baby is ready for the next step in educational toys is fairly simple if you are an observant caregiver. The child will begin to lose interest in the toy and prefer other brighter, louder sounding, toys that encourage more interaction from baby. Your baby’s actions and reactions are the best tool in determining when they are ready for a more advanced toy.
Not all toys are created alike, use your best judgment and make certain to follow the tips above to make a wise decision about choosing an educational toy that’s just right for your baby.