More tips from the Baby Doll Boutique

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Games to play with your new baby!

Prolog:

Darling baby is home…now what? Baby now seems to be more alert, sleeping less and just wants to be held! Now’s the chance to interact one on one, while your baby stays put where you set him!
Yes, babies can get bored, irritated, startled, amazed, angry, happy ECT. These little beings have emerging feelings, not as we adults, but as each baby grows their environment and experiences help them develop responses to their world.

For example, at first babies have no idea when they cry, their immediate needs are met, fed when hungry, changed when uncomfortable ECT. It sure doesn’t take them long to use these cues to communicate with their caregivers! Some babies figure out the faster, harder they cry, the faster the response, some, give subtle cues, become fidgety, whimper a bit, grimace, before they begin the shrieking.

We all wish we could communicate to our infants, wishing they could tell us exactly what they need, so we wouldn’t have to guess. Then before long we discover, through this subtle cue exchange, and through trial and error, we begin to figure out what baby needs by the expressions, sounds and different levels of crying

So, now we see our wonderful baby is able to respond to us, not through words but by reacting to our responses and stimuli. Nature has her own way of making sure our precious helpless bundles are taken care of. The faster we respond to baby’s needs the easier on our ears! And as parents we want our children to feel cared for and happy, no matter the age!

Newborns are like natural sponges, as are older children, but newborns have their own way of learning and developing and each one is unique. Sure, so called ‘milestones’ may be met when ‘expected’, some may not, then we, as parents begin to worry, our baby may not be ‘normal’!
Some newborns accept stimuli readily, others may respond with anxiety and become ‘over stimulated’ in a short time. Each infant absorbs that stimuli and learns from it, perhaps not the way we ‘think’ they should, and we come to find the best ways of learning for each individual infant.

Perhaps baby only seems comfortable after feeding and diapering, and then is able to accept forms of stimulation; some babies feel their best right after waking as stimulation may tire them quickly. Other seem to explode with anticipation once they learn that some forms of stimulation are fun and exciting, they lose their anxiety after repeated exposure to the stimulation. They show their excitement by wide eyes, heavy breathing, waving of their arms and legs and perhaps communicating verbally, however primitive it may be. We, as parents read these cues and tend to repeat the same actions each time we see a positive response. As does baby, they soon learn as positive response can bring back a pleasant sensation or action.

This brings us to the topic of this article, all parents want to be able to entertain, teach and react with their newborns. And some parents find it difficult to know what to do once baby reaches the stage of longer alert periods of time and begins to explore with their hands and mouths.
Of course baby is always learning about their environment on their own, in many different ways, by hearing the sounds, smelling the odors, feeling the air, seeing different sights, learning to recognize repeated events and so forth. We, as parents can augment the learning experiences with many different types of stimulation, via experiences and games of sort.

Playing Baby games:

Peek-a-boo/over and under;

Simple forms of stimulation may seem a bit boring to us, but to an infant they can be surprisingly exciting! Such as the game of peek-a-boo, by just placing your hands over your face and reappearing, or just by opening and closing your eyes, may tend to be shocking to a newborn a first, some may not even respond, outwardly that is. Even to a non physically responsive baby, having a caregiver’s facial features distorted or absent, for however the shortest of time, can be puzzling, interesting or not effectual at all.

Some newborns may take longer than others to use facial features to get their cues from. Especially those they have not learned to recognize yet. You may find your own baby may show he is puzzled, by the look on his face, sending you the cue he needs more information to work out the problem of recognition, that you are still you, behind the hands.

This game also helps reinforce an infant’s trust, that you may disappear, but then you come back, most helpful for those older infants that tend to have separation issues. Fun games of peek-a-boo that involve the parent disappearing around a corner, only to reappear again, help enhance the trust response.

As baby becomes more comfortable with this game enhancing it in different ways helps keep the baby interested. Such as using the baby’s teddy or blankie to hide behind for example, being sure that your baby is secure with you disappearing and isn’t startled upon you swift return, if the game becomes unenjoyable, then perhaps go back to a simpler form.

As the baby gets older they can join in on this all time favorite game, even allowing a small blanket to be positioned on his head, allowing him to pull it off, and helping learn a sense of self awareness.

Placing a toy under a small box or washcloth, then bringing out on top, or turning over a box and have a small bear hide inside then popping out to sit on top helps baby solve the problem of ‘where did it go, will it be back’….they soon realize the bear is still there and enjoy hiding the toy themselves!

Drop it:

Anyone that has been around young children will have had some sort of experience with this game. Though seemingly ‘accidental’ at first, on the baby’s part, when the result is, the item gets returned, thus the ‘drop it game is born’!

Young newborns work on the clenching and unclenching of their hand almost continually, watch as baby opens and closes the hand, sometimes watching intently as if to say “How did I do that?”

The baby is still learning about the sense of self and does not realize, at first, that they, themselves have control over their body. Placing a light weight rattle in baby’s open hand encourage them to grasp the rattle, first for a short time, then as they grow the grasp becomes firmer and lasts longer. Baby then realizes they can move the rattle causing a pleasing sound and is able to bring the rattle to their mouth for extra sensory experiences. Then as baby drops the rattle, a caregiver picking it up and handing back to them, soon encourages the baby to intentionally open the hand to allow the rattle to fall once again.

How funny mommy or daddy is when they laugh and coo at the baby while returning the dropped rattle, only to repeat the activity over and over! As the baby grows they learn this game with other items, dropping things from the highchair, car seat and stroller certainly makes the patents scramble…how fun! Cause and effect is a wonderful learning tool, however simple it seems to us adults!

In and out/up and down;

Once baby is more alert for a short time even young babies can enjoy watching items such as hand sized toys, get placed into things such as boxes or bowls. Learning hand eye coordination is a skill that takes time to acquire and even just watching as a caregiver places the item in and takes the item out, helps the young baby become aware of space and aids in problem solving. Yes even newborns can solve problems, well, what may seem to be a problem to a young baby seems silly and simple to us, learning about body control and becoming aware of surroundings and how to relate your own body to it, is a lifelong skill!

As the baby grows using many items for this game helps learn spacial awareness, how many balls can fit in the small box, how many in the large ect…..beginning math!

The baby is learning to use their hand to pick a toy up and bring it over to place inside a box, knowing how high to lift their hand and when to let go is quite a sequence for a young baby.

Watching as the caregiver lifts favorite teddy up and places it down, helps baby learn control, first they may be haphazard, flopping the bear up and down, then becoming more purposeful lifting teddy up with a laugh and setting it down beside them. Babies are so smart!

I’m gonna get you/chase me;

Even small babies who aren’t actually crawling enjoy the game of “I gonna get you”, of course the more gentler version of light tickling, a raspberry on the belly, the quite ‘roaring’ noise of the funny animal mom or dad pretends to be.

Even using teddy to come in close and tickle baby’s belly, then going away, back and forth, helps the baby again, interact with his environment and objects.

Baby seems to enjoy this for awhile but learn their cues of when to stop, the turning away, the grimacing, arching the back ect. This game can be easily over stimulating.

Along with “I’m gonna eat your toes/fingers” the game of ‘get you’ as well as the game of ‘chase me’, for older babies, can be quite fun. Though best when not before bed or after a full meal, even babies in walkers soon learn to scoot around to chase or escape from mom and dad!

Catch;

Yes, even babies can play catch! Using a soft ball, block or even balled up cloth, propping baby up and gently placing the ball on their belly will invoke the reflex of clutching quite quickly. Baby will use both arms to hug the toy and soon learns to open them to let the toy go. Sometimes closing the arms just as the toy is placed on their tummy, seemingly ‘catching’ the toy. However accidental, the concept quickly grows into the baby waiting with outstretched arms for a gently tossed toy and quickly scooping the toy in, therefore, playing catch!

Along with catch the baby will learn the throwing concept by watching the caregiver hold the toy and push it forward, letting go of the toy at some point.

It is quite fascinating to watch a baby problem solve this process, again body and spacial awareness comes into play, knowing how to hold the toy and purposely use the arm to project the toy by motion and opening the hand, and realizing where the toy will end up is a bit of a task to master.

Copy me;

Truly a favorite of many parents and caregivers! The first time a newborn seemingly mimics a facial expression brings such excitement to everyone around!

Baby soon learns to enjoy this attention and begins to mimic on cue! Even as some behaviors and expressions are results from reflexes at first, for example, stroking a newborns cheek induces the rooting reflex and the baby may even smile, the baby learns body control and watches the caregivers face so intently. From fluttering eyes, to sticking out the tongue.

Having the young baby about a foot away helps them keep focus and the baby will begin to experiment with expression. Some may even look so serious, and will even try to illicit a response from the caregiver, by attempting to coo, moving around, waving the arms or grimacing. Just try keeping a stoic face while looking at a newborn who is trying to communicate, just see if you don’t break into a big smile!

As baby grows the game of ‘copy me’ becomes broader, from facial expressions, to clapping hands to pronouncing single and double syllables, ‘ba, ga ‘mama and dada’ over and over, and waving. All simple tasks for us, but for baby quite an achievement, so much so we celebrate and write such milestones down in the baby books!

Many interactions we adults have with newborns come from our own experiences as we were growing up. Some we learned from our parents and grandparents, many we learned just from watching how others interacted with babies. Perhaps we babysat for young children as children ourselves. Knowing some fun games to share with your young baby can help establish that trusting bond that encourages growth, not only for the young baby but even as a caregiver. Watching a young life brighten and flourish even in the smallest of ways will be a long lasting memory, for everyone!

Author Bio
This article was written by Robin Gilbert of the Baby Doll Boutique. The information and statements are purely from her own life experiences having worked with young children for several years. As well as knowledge gained through Eductational courses and experiences with educators of young children. And the raising of her own son.

Please visit the http://www.babydollboutique.net and www.TheBabyDollBoutique.net for great selections of young baby clothing and accessories!

Use of this article is encouraged along with the author bio and without manipulation of the wording

Just how many toys does a baby need?

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Another tip from the Baby Doll Boutique:
Just how many toys does a baby need?
Well, your great grandma would tell you back in her day, babies were happy with a doll made from a sock or corn husks, or a teddy made from burlap and stuffed with straw!

Through the progressive years toy producers, albeit factory or small toy shops, st rived to come up with safest, the brightest and the most educational toy to be had!

Now many toys are rated by age, and developmental uses, such as puzzles. These have improved from the shape edged, hard board jigsaw shaped puzzles, to the simple smooth shaped with large knobs designed for the youngest of puzzle fans!

All parents want the best or most appropriate toys for their new baby. Martha Mae down the street has wonderfully hand crafted shelves adorning her princess’s nursery. Each shelf is carefully organized with specialty toys shipped from the ‘best’ toys producers around the word. From exquisite hand embroidered plush blocks, to silver plated rattle.

As we all may have witnessed, toss an empty box to an older baby and watch the fun ensue!
Having the most expensive, the best name brand infant toys do not make a baby any smarter than those given the simpler forms of toys. Sure, the Moms in the baby play group may be envious and the nursery probably looks spectacular, but…..is it really necessary?

Nowadays, emphasis is on the safety and sterilizing factors of baby toys. Especially in group care facilities, many licensing guidelines insist that toys are able to go through a sterilizing process. Thus, limiting the kinds of baby toys used in the groups. Water proof, hard plastic toys with no metal or leaking seams are most likely to be purchased.
In a home setting, many parents are satisfied with surface washable toys, and those that can soak in the sink with a bit of bleach.

So often babies are inundated with stuffed plush animals that cannot be machine washed and can collect dust, and all the germs that are around a baby. Some are able to be a bit sterilized by tossing in a dryer, using the heat process to help stave off any parasites. I myself have vacuumed a plush collection of furry friends, even setting them in the sun for several hours!

The topic of this article is just how many toys a baby really needs. Some are under the impression that the more a baby has the smarter they will become and even the faster they will learn.

A new baby’s brain starts rapidly developing with each stimulus it receives, but…there is only so much we parents can control. Too much stimulation can shut down even the most gifted baby’s brain, just to get a break!
Many newborns give us the clues to over stimulation. From the earliest form, of a baby merely averting his gaze away from the stimulation, the baby’s way of resting his brain. Some will become fussy, and try to move away. Others just simply nod off!

Many of us have experienced this with even the toddler stage, we may be engaged in what we, adults perceive as a fun activity, only to have the child just fall apart, perhaps in a tantrum, or the child runs off to mommy. We may believe the child to be ungrateful, spoiled or suffering from those dreaded ‘terrible twos’, but……..we should consider there is only so much these youngsters can deal with, adults can curb the urge for frustration, but at certain stages of everyone’s life those urges are difficult to suppress.

So, is the answer to supply so many toys the child never gets bored and can easily transfer from one toy to another when frustrated? Or perhaps is it better to set out fewer choices, or exchange some toys for those that were put away, thus allowing less frustration and brand new experiences, even with toys used prior.

The youngest of newborns definitely benefit from simple forms of stimulations. Gazing at a caregiver’s face, learning to recognize every facial feature. Learning that pleasurable experiences come from the smallest of interactions. See how Mommy reacts when her baby seemingly attempts the first coo! Both baby and mommy are learning through one on one interaction…no toys even involved!

So, you say, hey, we parents can’t just sit and entertain our babies with one on one constantly! Hey, even your baby needs a break from..you, too!

So, which toys are best for baby’s development and entertainment? As in every baby has its own personality, each has different reactions to different toys. Some a frightened by the soft smiling teddy Grandma insists gets propped in the crib. Some babies light up by the same rattley, over washed lovey doll. Many babies enjoy handling ‘just the right size’ toys, those they can hold without being too heavy, those that can be mouthed and are easily accessible.

In my personal experience with my own newborn’s favorite activity (of course I deemed it his favorite) was to lay him on his secure changing area, with colored links draped above. Some links allowed rattly toys to be batted about. Other links encouraged reaching and hand eye coordination. He would get so excited and pleased with himself when he achieved a new goal, perhaps to chew on the link itself or to make a great clanking noise by kicking his feet on the table!
I would stand back from view and allow him to have the experience himself. It was wonderful watching this young newborn learn about how his own body worked and with only a few plastic links and rattles.
I continued that activity as long as he could maintain himself. I did engage with him at times, but for the most part he became so excited just at the glimpse of the activity area. I would even exchange the links for mobiles or a few safe plush friends.

Of course newborn toys are somewhat limited in their use, as are the newborns themselves. Many parents can recall the first time their newborn was able to hold onto a rattle, even if just for a few seconds. Each time getting longer until that precious smart baby could reach out and take the toy themselves! Such a big smile on mom and dad’s face it would bring!

Though all newborns go through many of the same phases of development, each and every newborn reaches those milestones in their own way. Some take a bit longer, only meeting the goal when they themselves are secure enough. Others breeze right through, almost missing the opportunity for full development of a skill.

Studies have shown that newborns are able to developmentally as well as physically grow from having some form of stimulation. This isn’t meant to suggest that if you have only a few sorted toys, and have to work full time, compared to stay at home Martha Mae down the street, or have to send your child to a child care center that your baby will be lacking compared to your neighbors.

The studies are meant to show that every living being has the ability to go forth through experiences, trials and tribulations, different forms of education and most of all love!
So piling hundreds of toys on your smallest family member is not necessary to show a form of love. Cuddling, playing back and forth games, reading, taking trips to the park, even just walking around your 25th floor apartment building hallways together, can give your child much needed interaction and brain stimulus that helps form a lasting bond. And, also helps the yearning for life branch out from infancy to a well rounded member of society!

Below I have included a compiled list of appropriate infant and toddler toys, as well as some at home substitutes, I found useful myself! Please keep in mind safety in baby toys comes from secure, well made items, tested for ages and above all else, supervision!
Purchased items:

For newborns to about twelve months (a good rule of thumb for mouth able toys, if it fits inside a toilet paper card board roll…it is too small for your baby!) Rattles, teethers and musical toys (should be made of light weight, mouth able material, that can be washed, no metal, small parts (like winders) or sharp edges, beware of long pull cords, all painted surfaces should meet federal guidelines, all mobiles should be taken down once baby is standing!) Interlocking plastic links/rings (be sure baby’s hands/feet cannot get caught in rings and that links are not too small or open to allow getting stuck inside the mouth) Unbreakable (washable) mirrors (secured to a crib side or large enough not to chew on the reflective material) Soft squeeze toys and balls (large enough not to fit in the mouth, yet small enough and light enough to hold in one hand. Beware of the squeaker piece that may dislodge! Also be sure painted surfaces are deemed safe)) Soft baby books (made of vinyl or cloth for washing, if using cardboard ones beware of chewed edges, some vinyl have sharp edges! Again, be sure any painted surfaces are safe.) Floor gyms/play mats (be sure all hanging items are age appropriate, secured and the hanging device is not used once the baby is mobile! Also beware of worn connectors on mats, toys may come loose) Stackable toys (for infants that can sit up, look out for sharp edges and be sure painted surfaces are deemed safe) Bath toys (beware of painted surfaces, that they meet federal guidelines, the toy should be appropriate sized and watch for dislodged squirters/squeakers! Bath toys also should be sterilized between uses then thoroughly dried and drained of standing water!) Push and pull toys (use age appropriate toys with painted surfaces that are safe, again, look for sharp edges, be aware of wooden toys that splinter, look for loose wheels, and pull cords that are too long!)
Items from home that are great fun too! (Please note, use of any items mentioned here is at the caregivers own risk, supervision should be give as necessary!) Sturdy laundry baskets (make great safe, baby holders, keeps toys within reach for baby as well (look for sharp edges, or weak sides that may have thin sharp plastic latticing. Be sure baby cannot flop over, Place basket against and on a firm surface) A flat secure surface, belted changing table, large lipped porta crib for dangling items for baby’s viewing and reaching Homemade mobiles (use plastic coat hangers and purchased rings, or items can be tied with string, yarn ect.) secured shiny spoons, pictures of the family (tape on the back of colored wooden spoons),secured large colorful beads, large colored hair bows, shiny colorful Christmas ribbons/bows (be sure mobiles are out of babies reach) Colorful plastic cups (drinking or measuring, look for sharp chewed edges) Colorful small plastic bowls and plates (beware of painted surfaces, chewed or chipped areas Old remote controls (remove batteries, look for loose button, and wipe down after use) Clear small soda bottle filled with a few marbles/colorful beads (be sure cap is secure and not sharp and with no ink, please supervise!) Clear small soda bottle with water and glitter, or colored water and a bit of soap (Again be sure cap is tight, not sharp, has no ink, supervise use at all times!)
Cloth crinkle ball use a new sturdy adult sock, fill with beans, beads crumpled wrapping paper ECT and tie a large knot (watch for wetness if chewed) Sound roller coffee or hot cocoa tin with added beans, beads, marbles ect, hot glue or super the lid on, even cover with cloth, (always supervise when using, be sure the sound is not too loud, a cardboard container is best until the baby is older) Stacking toys use empty tissue boxes of all sizes (can be covered with sewn cloth, stuffed with cloth to make sturdy, remove any plastic, look for sharp edges, supervise baby to prevent chewing)

These are just a few ideas, you may see others online just please use caution if using foam or contact paper, shrink plastic or packing tape ect. Beware of letting your baby chew on cell phones, active or inactive! They contain unsafe material! Chewing on these items can be harmful! Even if making foam baby blocks covered in cloth, be sure they are washable! If you would like more ideas for playing with your baby and toys, please feel free to email me at: dol4rob@babydollboutique.net







If you would like to visit my website, please visit http://www.babydollboutique.net/  as well as a newer site www.TheBabyDollBoutique.net I have a huge assortment of baby items, from feeding, to clothing to toys, mostly geared for ages preemie to about three months. I hope to meet you there!

This article was written by Robin Gilbert