Newborn toys: first trimester

"The baby is young." "We haven't given him/her." "What toys are the best?" These are some of the dilemmas parents face when it comes to toys. The answer is simple: The best toy you can give your child is the time you spend playing with him/her.

Newborn toys

  • your face that appears every time he/she is upset
  • addressing him/her in a higher pitch, at moderate volume, with a smiling face
  • touching his/her fist from the little finger towards the thumb with your hands to stimulate fist opening

Towards the end of the first month, adequate toys are:

  • balls, larger cubes, different textures to stimulate eye tracking and fist opening
  • musical toys with rhythmic melodies and soft sound
  • in order for a child to follow a toy with his/her eyes and open his/her fists, you must hold him/her on your lap or in your hands, as if in a nest, because any louder sound, sudden change of position or too many visual stimulations by quick movement of the toy will cause crying and interrupt the game.

Toys for babies up to 3 months

The period of 2nd and 3rd months is characterized by longer waking periods. More and more often, the child brings his/her hands to the mouth, puts them in the mouth and plays with his/her own body and body parts:

  • he/she can intertwine his/her fingers, he/she grasps his/her shirt 
  • he/she turns his/her head freely to one side and the other
  • he/she coos and makes different sounds 
  • he/she grasps toys with his/her hands, but, at the same time, bends his/her legs towards the tummy and "grasps" them with his/her feet

Put  larger toys on the child's chest, so that he/she places open hands on it and draws it to his/her mouth. Hold a toy so that he/she can touch it and grasp it with his/her feet. Put your head on the child's chest so that he/she can grasp your hair, or the father's beard; this provides strong stimulation to open the fists and grasp. 

Put the child on his/her tummy. To ensure stability, you can roll up a towel and place it under the child's chest. Always place his/her elbows in front of the shoulder line, which ensures a stable position on the tummy and allows the child to easily open his/her hands to feel the toys. Move the toy slowly in the child's field of vision. Move the toy closer so that he/she can feel it.

This is also the right time for: rattles, balls, cubes with different textures, making soft sounds, which the child can safely put in his/her mouth.

Play with your child when he/she is active and awake. Through play in this period, you facilitate:

  • stimulation of tracking an object with his/her eye 
  • stimulation of fist opening and beginning to use the hands for grasping objects
  • stimulation of social, emotional and speech development through storytelling and imitation of the sounds made by the child 
  • by playing together, through the child's active participation, you create a good foundation for further learning and brain development.