The Best Holiday Gift for Babies
Still wondering what kind of gift you should give the baby of
your life this holiday season ? Should you give picture books ?
Toys ? Clothing ? Shoes ?
Wonder no more ! Choosing a gift for a baby should be simple.
Just ask yourself what delights a baby.
There are many things which delight a baby. But toys are
undoubtedly at the top of the list. Children, even at a very
young age, have already been delighted with good toys. Playing
with toys is baby's work. And if you shop wisely, not only the
baby will get fun toys which you feel good about giving. She
will get the educational ones too.
So why not give a nice baby educational toy this holiday season
to the baby of your life ?
Choosing an infant toy which is fun, safe and educational sounds
simple, but in reality it is not that simple. Go to any toy
store and you will know what I mean. Today's market seems to be
saturated with baby toys, all marketed as baby educational toys.
Deciding which toy to buy is becoming an art that not everybody
are skilled in doing.
Here are few tips to make your shopping for baby educational
toys easier:
First, the toy has to meet safety standard. This means
that you have to adhere to manufacturer's recommended age. Don't
buy toys which are intended for older children, even if you
think the baby is genius. For safety reason, don't buy any toy
which has these followings : sharp parts, small parts which can
easily be put into the mouth and swallowed, and long string.
Second, buy toys which are durable and have a good play
value. Aim for a toy which can be played in many different ways
and at the same time can grow with the child. Get the good
quality version of toys of this nature because they are worth
it.
Third, if you plan to buy more than one toy, try to get
toys which address as many as key developmental area as
possible. What are the key development areas we talk about here
? - Gross motor skill. Toys which encourage gross motor
skill development including kicking and throwing are good to
buy. The examples of such toys are play gym and small balls.
- Hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Toys to be
manipulated, including toys for poking, grabbing and turning are
good for babies older than 3 months. Examples of such toys are
play gym, and toys with an activity center.
- Spatial
awarenes. Toys which are good for this purpose includes baby
building blocks, stacking rings and nesting cups.
- Senses:
touch, sound, vision and possibly smell. In order to stimulate
senses, get infant toys with these following features: bright
contrasting colors, lots of different textures, different sound
and possibly different smell.
And finally, I can hear you saying: "Yes, stacking rings are
good. But surely I can't get those five dollars plastic stacking
rings at the discount store for a holiday gift". I know what you
mean. You want the gift to be special.
If you want a unique toy , special stacking rings for instance,
you have a better chance of getting them by going to specialized
online toy stores. They usually have one-of-a-kind-toys. In the
case of stacking rings, I find that some stores carry special
stacking rings made from fabrics. One of the adorable stacking
rings I found is the stacking rings which form an animal figure.
So the top ring has ears and eyes, the middle one has hands, and
the bottom one has legs.
So don't waste your hard-earned dollars buying 'ordinary toys'.
Get baby educational toys for your baby.
Happy shopping !