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The importance of play

Babies learn and develop through play. Playtime should stimulate your baby’s sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste.

Simple games

Your baby doesn’t know how much a toy has cost, she only knows she’s enjoying herself. A really simple game that helps your baby to develop good motor skills is simply rolling a large soft ball towards her, then encouraging her to push it back to you.

One of the most exciting games for a baby is also one of the oldest – peek-a-boo. Simply hide your face and then peek out from around it, saying “peek-a-boo!” It’s a game that can continue for quite a long time!

Rhymes and songs

Your baby will love the sound of your voice, regardless of whether you sing in tune! Even just ordinary speech is stimulating to your baby, although the rhythmic sounds of songs are easier for your baby to listen to. Listening to your voice regularly will also help to encourage early speech.

‘Toys’ you can find around the house

You don’t need to spend lots of money on toys for your baby. All you need are a few wooden spoons and some saucepan lids. Your baby can then have a whale of a time just making lots of noise.

Other stimulating household items include ice cube trays, egg cartons, sieves, and large plastic bottles. Stimulating textures for little fingers include bean bags and pieces of felt.

Physical activities

Bounce, swing and rock

Your baby has good head control now, so she can benefit from gentle rocking, swinging and bouncing. These activities are great for improving your baby’s awareness of her body, and also to improve her balance, walking, crawling and general co-ordination.

Toys on wheels

From about ten months your baby will happily push or pull around sturdy toy trains or cars. This sort of toy will also help encourage your baby to walk.

Hands and fingers

You can stimulate your baby’s ability to pick up small things by putting finger foods on a tray for her. Freshly prepared pieces of vegetables are ideal for this as she’ll be keen to pick them up, and it’s safe for her to put the rewards of her efforts into her mouth!

Crawling

Encourage crawling by placing toys, or yourself, just beyond your baby’s reach. Create an obstacle course using pillows, boxes, and sofa cushions for her to negotiate, all the time praising her abilities. This activity will help her confidence, speed, and agility. Remember to never leave her alone.

Stacking up and knocking over

A great game for this age group is making a great pile of things then joyfully knocking them over again. Your baby finds this process really good fun and will want to do it again and again. So consider toys that are created exactly for this purpose and that can be rebuilt and knocked over again easily and safely.

Buying toys

When you’re shopping for toys good general guidelines are:

• Make sure the toys you choose are soft and squeezable if possible.
• Choose toys in bright primary colours and interesting shapes.
• Give the object a name, as it will help your baby to learn new words.
• Toys should be washable, colourfast and safe to chew, as virtually everything will end up in your baby’s mouth.

Toy safety

When you’re choosing toys have safety uppermost in your mind. A good overall guide is to check for the European mark of quality on any toys you buy. This lets you know they’ve been checked to the very highest standards.

Babies will put most toys in their mouths, so check for any small parts that could be dangerous and avoid toys with small holes where fingers could get trapped. Any rattles you buy should be very lightweight as it’s very possible your baby will accidentally hit herself on the head with it!

Check that all toys are made of flame retardant materials and that the dyes in soft toys are colourfast to prevent your baby from sucking on them and becoming sick.

Sound

It’s good to think about stimulating as many of your child’s senses as you can when you’re buying toys. Ringing, rattling, squeaking or musical toys are all great fun for your baby.

Tactile objects

From around ten months your baby will have the ability in her fingers to be able to pick up small objects, so be careful not to leave anything too small around she could swallow.

Tactile toys with holes and handles become great fun at this age. They stimulate the sense of touch and provide a great deal of fascination for your baby. Something as simple as a rubber ball can create hours of fun if it feels interesting.

Watching exciting movements

Mobiles above your baby’s cot are an age-old way of stimulating a baby’s senses. Make sure it’s got lots of different elements to look at, including colour and mirrored surfaces. Musical mobiles are even more fun. Do make sure it’s suspended out of her reach as the small parts could be dangerous if torn off and swallowed.

Colour and mirrors

A really simple toy is a large, specially designed baby mirror. Place it next to your baby’s cot to allow her to investigate her own reflection. Primary colours are also key, so choose toys in a really bright mixture of colours and contrast for visual stimulation.

Books

Children of any age love books, and as she gets older you can introduce versions that also include opportunities for sound and touch. Choose books that are surprising and unusual, with brightly coloured pictures and amusing text.

Activity centres provide all round stimulation

Activity centres provide an opportunity for your baby to be stimulated in many ways and to understand the link between cause and effect. The innovative varieties on the market provide enough stimulation to keep a baby interested for many months, and often become favoured toys. You can also buy great activity centres designed to be used in the bath.

Freedom to explore new ideas

One of the greatest gifts you can give your baby is the freedom to explore new ideas. She needs the chance to play on her own and explore her own ideas. When you come back and join in her play again, she will have the satisfaction of being able to proudly show you what she has created, and receiving your praise.