Tag-Archive for » Babies? «

Finding Safe and Non-Toxic Toys for Babies

06 Oct 2010 by admin

It is the general consensus of baby experts that babies should be given toys to play with. The first reason for this is that for them, playtime is also learning time and the tasks that infants need to learn are best learned by playing with toys.

Toys are necessary for learning muscular and skeletal control

During infancy, much of the growth is focused on the muscles and the bones. That is why the rate of growth during those years is much faster than at a later age. It is necessary that babies have all the nutrients that their muscles and bones will need to develop normally. But it is equally as important that they have the means and the tools to train those muscles and bones to perform tasks such as keeping their balance and handling objects.

At their age, babies do not yet have the mental abilities to device practice exercises for themselves. To compensate for that, they have been given an intense curiosity about everything they see around them. Babies will want to touch, feel and handle objects. That is part of getting accustomed to the environment as well as getting to know how to cope with the environment.

The safety factor in toy shape

Obviously, the toys that we give to infants should be without surfaces that can physically harm the infant. The two main things to avoid in toys are pointed shapes and sharp edges on the toys themselves. The overall contour of the toy should not be elongated either. The best ones to get will be rounded.

Balls and rounded hoops are perfectly safe for the baby to handle and play with. For the first year and a half, do not give the baby box-type toys, particularly if the corners of the box are pointed.

Safety considerations about coloring substances

The substances with which toys were colored can also make them harmful. First of all, infants often put their toys into their mouths in an effort to bite and eat them. If the coloring substance contains harmful chemicals, the baby will become ill. Secondly, some paints are inflammable. Not that anyone should be leaving lit candles in baby’s bedroom but accidents do happen. And you wouldn’t want to increase the chance of an accident harming the baby.

Therefore, carefully inquire about what type of coloring substance was used for your baby’s toy. The substance needs to be water rather than oil-based. It is the oil-based dyes that are fire hazards and many oil-based dyes contain chemicals that are also toxic when inhaled or ingested.

So get toys that have been colored with water-based paints, like latex or milk paint.

Latex paints

Latex paints use latex (a type of plant sap) as the binder for their pigment. The binder is the ingredient that holds the pigment fast to the painted surface. It is therefore, strictly organic (unless of course the pigment used is not). Being organic, it does not contain actively harmful ingredients.

Milk paints

Milk paints are even safer than latex for use on babies’ toys. This type of dye has been used for hundreds of years and has begun to enjoy increasing popularity today. Specifically you expect to find milk protein, clay, lime and organic pigments in milk protein.

As always, you should be sure the baby is not allergic to either latex or milk.

Doc No:BE-825-ULT5-ty87

BE-825-ULT

Bennetta Elliott is a writer for Personalized Gift Express, which offers baptism favors and personalized baptism gifts

Category: Toys Articles  Tags: , ,  Comments off

Developmental Toys For Babies and Toddlers

31 Jul 2010 by admin

Some of the best developmental toys for babies and toddlers are the simplest. For example, the Sesame Street Learn to Dress Elmo doll is a great learning toy for kids from 18 months to six years. This darling Elmo doll comes fully dressed in blue jeans, zip-up jacket, t-shirt and lace up shoes – perfect for teaching little hands to complete dressing tasks. Elmo asks your youngster to help him get ready by listing three different activities to do. When your child completes the activities, Elmo sings a happy song!

In keeping with the Sesame Street theme, an Oscar the Grouch hand puppet will teach any youngster from around three years to use her imagination and create her own little skits and scenes with Oscar the Grouch as the star of the show.

Fantastic developmental toys for babies include Baby Einstein toys. Babies love Baby Einstein and there is such a huge variety of colorful learning toys for babies and toddlers alike. Try the Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym. This is a wonderful toy for your littlest tyke. It has a plush octopus and fish that “swim” above your baby’s head, a large mirror (baby safe, of course) and a crib toy that can attach to the gym or the crib that lights up and plays six different classical songs.

The Baby Einstein Animal Exploration Tunnel is a crawling tunnel with mesh windows along both sides, so that you can see in, and your baby can see out. There are lots of textures to feel and noises to make, and the tunnel also has flaps that can be lifted and looked under. Other features of this awesome baby developmental toy include toys that can hang from loops inside the tunnel – these are a rattle with a sunny smile, a ring rattle, a teether that is water-filled, a bird that makes chirping noises and flash cards.

The LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table is a great learning toy for little ones from 18 months and up. The activities allow for experience with motor skills such as spinning, sliding, rolling and tapping with the hands and fingers. Over 40 songs and happy tunes in a variety of styles can be played – great for helping babies and toddlers learn about music and develop movement skills when they get in the groove and dance. Basic numbers and shapes are introduced as is counting in both English and Spanish languages.

If you want to find the top developmental toys for toddlers, look no further than brands and traditions you already know. All kids love Sesame Street, and this decades-old learning show has provided us with some great characters to learn from. And both Baby Einstein and LeapFrog are well known for making toys that help little ones learn while they are having a blast!

Visit http://www.PlanYourChristmas.com for more FREE holiday planning tips and ideas!

Category: Toys Articles  Tags: , ,  Comments off

The Most Beneficial Toys For Babies Will Be Those Designed For Their Age

25 Jul 2010 by admin

We must always keep in mind that always for babies have to meet stringent developmental and safety requirements.. Certainly giving a three month old a toy meant for a four year old simply will not work. The baby will simply chew on it and stare at it.. A child that young likes to have rattles and soft things to place in his mouth.. They discover with not only their fingers and eyes, but with their mouths as well. Due to this fact, if a baby is given a toy meant for an older child, they will very likely choke on a small piece that wasn’t meant to be put in the mouth.

When it comes to toys for babies you should follow the manufacturer guides lines. The manufacturer will know if you will find small pieces that could choke a young child. They also will have developed the toy precisely for an age group. A toy developed for a toddler likely has numerous moving parts and elements that can be manipulated. Again, they should be chunky in size with nothing small that could be a choking hazard. Toddlers as well put just about everything in their mouths. It may not be for discovery at this age. It might be due purely to teething or even to carry the object to clear up the hands for many toys.

The quantity of toys which are obtainable for young kids really is amazing. This makes it really easy to choose age suitable toys for babies. When selecting baby toys there will typically be age levels on them. These are usually 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months and so forth. Small kids will often continue enjoying a toy meant for an infant, nevertheless they are going to be interested in more sophisticated toys as well, such as board books and stuffed animals. Small kids also enjoy toys that teach them to tie, button and snap. They are really curious and want to learn.

People must live up to their responsibilities as parents to choose the most appropriate age specific toy for their child.. If you receive a toy for a gift for your child and it is not age appropriate then simply put it away until they are old enough.. Age appropriate toys are always the best choice for toys for babies.. Pushing a bad toy on a child is not a good idea because it simply could end up with a bad situation.. A baby will learn the most from an age appropriate toy.

Do you need to find out more information about choosing toys for babies? Go to this site http://www.toysforbabies.org/ now to find out why understanding is a great idea.

Category: Toys Articles  Tags: , ,  Comments off

Baby Toys – Entertain And Educate Your Babies

27 Jun 2010 by admin

Baby toys are not only best pals of babies, but also their best teachers. The game keeps the little ones busy and amused owing to their funny shapes and attractive colors. These playthings help babies develop their knowledge of the world and their hand-eye coordination, motor skills etc. Plaything makes cute gifts that you can present to a pregnant women during her pregnancy or after the infant is born. You can choose various dolls, teddy bears, games from either for your own baby or as gifts. Here are a few popular types.

Types Of Baby Toys

The toys are recommended for babies based on their age group. However, they can be broadly categorized into following categories:

The first category comprises of traditional fun playthings. These funny things include wooden, musical objects, teddy bears, dolls, play mats and so on. Such things are intended simply to keep the babies entertained. Though they lack the educational content, their importance for babies should never be undermined. Plaything can be dangled in a car or cot to keep the infant engrossed also come in this category.

Then there are musical objects like cot mobiles that can be categorized as stimulating toys. It is an established fact that music both stimulates and calms the child’s mind. These objects with stimulating music can be placed in the baby’s cot or even in the car near the infant. Some musical CDs meant specifically for babies are also available.

Skill development models are also becoming increasingly popular. These toys are aimed at amusement as well as developing motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Multicolored and textured models are also widely available that help improve infant’s sense of textures and colors. However, skill development models are manufactured keeping in view the age group of the little one. It would be no use buying those toys for 3 months old tot that are prescribed for a 9 months old baby.

How To Choose?

You can take help of salespersons at various stores to select the kind of toy you wish to buy. They also provide catalogues and leaflets containing the relevant details. However, the best way of locating the dolls, teddy bears is using the Internet. There are numerous sites dedicated to baby toys. These sites provide complete details viz. brands and types of funny characters, teddy bears, musical objects are available for different age groups. Before visiting a store physically to get them, you can make up your mind regarding the kind of games, dolls or teddy bears to buy.

There are many popular brands for you to choose from- Fisher-Price, Lamaze, Disney, Mamas and Papas, Early Learning Center and many more. You should not just go to a mart or store and pick up any toy(s). A little bit of homework or study in the matter can help you choose baby toys that both entertain and educate the child.

Buying the right baby toys can be a wee-bit difficult at times with so many various baby toys lined up at stores. The most popular baby toys are toys with stimulating music and textured baby toys that you can gift the mother during pregnancy or a few months after it.

Category: Toys Articles  Tags: , ,  Comments off

What Are Appropriate Toys For Babies?

26 Jun 2010 by admin

When you’re shopping for toys for your baby, keep in mind there are toys which are appropriate for children at this age and toys which are definitely not suitable for infants. This is the reason that toy manufacturers list recommended ages for their products. In some cases, a toy may not be safe for a child younger than the age range suggested by the manufacturer to play with.

Toys may also be more or less suitable for children of different ages depending on the stage of development typical of children that age. Play, after all, is one of the ways that we begin to mature physically, mentally and even emotionally. Baby toys also help in the development of an infant’s cognitive skills.

Toys and play involving the parent and baby are important to their growing language skills (for instance, singing and reading to your child and naming toys as you play). Parents often choose baby toys based on their educational potential, even at this very early stage. Parents are faced with an enormous number of choices when it comes to baby toys and many new parents especially find themselves at something of a loss as to which toys are age appropriate for their child.

Babies are especially receptive to bright colors and toys which produce sound, especially soothing music. Parents should keep in mind that their baby’s vision is not fully developed in their first few months of life and their ability to see objects which are far away is very limited. If you’re shopping for a newborn, than mobiles, soft rattles and unbreakable plastic mirrors are all excellent choices.

Safety becomes even more of a concern for babies between the ages of three and six months; this is when they will begin to explore things by putting them in their mouth. Any baby toys you choose must be safe for your baby to chew. At this age, babies are especially drawn to activity centers and other toys which often them opportunities to develop their motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Rattles and teething toys are also appropriate for babies in this stage of growth.

After six months,  babies become much more active, beginning to sit and crawl. Their playtime becomes more vigorous and they enjoy banging two toys together and making noise. It is important to have toys which allow children of this age to enhance their dexterity.  Babies are becoming aware that toys still exist even though they may not be in front of them. 

Parents can start playing games with their babies such as hide and seek at this point.  It is also very important to look for toys that enhance both fine and gross motor skills.These include blocks, shape sorting toys and larger puzzles. Parents should take care to follow age recommendations on toys to ensure the safety and help promote the development of your child’s physical and cognitive skills.

Want to learn more on what the proper choices for toys for babies should be? Go to this site now and investigate the characteristics of exceptional toys for babies now.

Category: Toys Articles  Tags: ,  Comments off