Baby Toys?

[FloridaBorn]

My daughter is almost 6 weeks old. I don't have a mobile or any toys at all other than some gadgets on a string that lay across her bassinet. She just seemed too young for toys. Now I'm afraid I've messed her up developmentally because she doesn't have a mobile.

I sing to her, talk to her, work from home with her sitting on my lap, etc. Somehow I instinctually feel that her proximity to me is enough developmental stimulation.

What kinds of toys do you use at what age?

[ErinYay]

Mobiles were originally to give bored crib babies something to look at- they're *really* not meant to be developmental.

At 6 weeks, you're the only toy she needs- your instincts (not surprisingly!) are right!

I'd also suggest reading "Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn-- And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less," and "Nurtureshock." I wish I had read those when I was pregnant or when V was tiny. The first one especially will help you shake off the media-based anxiety that we need to be inundating babies with fancy stimulating toys and "educational" stuff. Simple toys that lend to open-ended play, like blocks and dolls (for older kids), and people and mirrors (for wee ones) etc, are ideal.

[carmel23]

I totally agree. Baby needs you to talk and sing to her. Board books are nice to read to baby, but you could really read anything to a 6 month old.

Blocks are great! My baby loves to play with blocks. take them out of the box, stack them, bang them, put them back. Repeat. :

And a soft cloth dolly he loves to chew.

But now being able to move freely is really all your baby needs (besides you).

[tzs]

at 6 weeks old you have to worry more about OVER-stimulating them than understimulating them. remember....everything probably looks crazy to their new little eyes and brain so it's best to keep it calm for them.

i recommend "Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three." it has great methods to enable your kiddo while keeping things simple and basic. the only two things i remember they recommend for newborns is a very simple mobile. it was a very specific type in the book but basically it was just spheres of different sizes, i think later on of different colors....but very simple. and the other thing which i so wish i had done when my babe was tiny was a mirror mounted on the wall by the bed so they can see themselves which helps them both entertain and soothe to sleep.

[Tway]

If I remember right, at 6 weeks I'd place DD on her play mat with a few things dangling above her (a set of rings, a stuffed animal, etc.). I'd put her down for a few minutes each day, and just sit and watch while she, well... lay there and watched. I remember thinking "What the heck am I supposed to DO with her all day????"--especially since she was awake a lot and the days were long.

Well... every day, every week, she did a little more. She'd swing her arm. Kick her foot. One day she touched one of the dangling toys. Another day she showed particular interest in one toy. At about 2 months, a friend bought DD a rattle and I attempted to give it to DD--and she held it!

It's a slow, steady process, but now at 10 months DD is all over the house, chewing on DVDs, trying to pull out the alarm wire on the patio door, ripping magazines to shreds, and loving every toy that comes her way. It just happened, despite all my worrying about what I was supposed to do to entertain her and how she was suppose to progress.

People told me then, so I'll tell you now: just enjoy! It really does go fast, and you're doing a great job even if all you do is sit and stare at each other all day. She'll grow and thrive, you'll see!

[FloridaBorn]

Thank you all for your tried and true suggestions!!

[Nicole730]

DD's favorite toys are the ceiling fan (or a mylar balloon bouncing around) for gazing at. And my hands and her hands and her feet. Watching her brother play. Looking at a colorful quilt. She does have other toy options, but these are her favorites.

[Snapdragon]

I remember wondering the same thing at 6 weeks. I think they don't really need much in the way of toys at this point, in my opinion. At some point my baby started to want to look at moving things- like a mobile. But I think for me I didn't get one until maybe 10 weeks ( I can't remember!)
then he started to want to hold things, then now to hold and mouth things. Etc. It progressed naturally and I could see what kinds of things he needed as they came up. Like right now at 5 months he is all about the teething toys. He used to be all about lying on a mat and looking at his mobile. but at 6 wks I think he was still mostly interested in sleeping and nursing and bonding.

[P.J.]

My boy is 12 weeks and we have offered various rattles, loveys, etc...but he is just in the last week or two starting to show some vague interest. He mostly loves to lay on the floor and roll onto his tummy and stare at the patterns on the quilt!! To me what was developmentally helpful was to just put him on the floor and either observe him or interact with him. That gave him the space to learn to roll over and now the beginnings of crawling. No toys needed for that!

I did put up a mobile over the changing table with black+ white designs and he loves it! We also got a few little books with black+white designs and he loves that too, especially the ones with faces. But they certainly weren't necessary for his development as far as I can tell, it was just fun.

I also agree that the first three months it's more about not overstimulating them. Just looking around and taking it all in is sometimes even more than enough stimulation. Also, our culture is obsessed with more and better and faster and sooner, and that is all projected onto babies. So many people think that without their intervention a baby will not develop and hit those milestones. Of course, all babies need lots of love and touch and interaction, but other than that I believe they develop naturally without needing loads and loads of toys or "teaching". Not to worry!

[daddysmymommy]

Human beings have been on Earth for roughly 200,000 years. And for 199,950 of those, we didn't have no stinkin' crib mobiles.

I think you'll be just fine.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by daddysmymommy

Human beings have been on Earth for roughly 200,000 years. And for 199,950 of those, we didn't have no stinkin' crib mobiles.

I think you'll be just fine.

I agree... and your kiddo will let you know she's ready for toys all of a sudden when she starts taking your stuff.

[november]

Oh yeah, definitely too soon for toys. We had a mobile in my DD's crib but she slept in our room for the first 6 months and she was pulling stand by the time we moved her to the crib so she never even really got to see the mobile, lol.

She was not REALLY interested in toys until she was probably 4-5ish months? She still has more fun with her non-toys than real toys it seems.