The Low Down on Toys

With everything I’ve walked through these last few weeks (no pun intended), I think it’s time for a more, “news-you-can-use” post, and toys fit right into that. If you're looking to follow some of the suggestions I've laid out, there are toys you shouldn't buy for your baby and great options for things you should consider.

As you've gathered, the basic philosophy is: Don’t introduce something that your baby isn’t naturally developmentally ready for. 

“Bad” Toys 

1. Pushers: I consider these anything with wheels that allow baby to place his or her weight on the toy and push forward. The issue with these toys is that if baby is not already able to walk by himself, he’s not learning the correct way to balance or carry his weight.
   
   

   

   Example of a "pusher" toy that should be avoided
   until baby can walk on his or her own.

   Marianne Hermsen-Van Wanrooy discusses muscle imbalances constantly, and this is a great example of something that could lead to that if used too frequently.
   
   Dr. Husband also says these cause baby's weight to be forward, which can overload his back, hurting his spine.
2. Exercisers: I believe I’ve written about these before, but they have to be on this list. Basically, anything that is placing your baby in a standing position before he can stand on his own is a no-no.
   

   

   So fun and convenient, but not ideal for a
   baby who cannot walk on his own.

   
   
   
   
     “The baby hasn’t developed proper stability in order to support the spine in an upright position," Dr. Husband says. "The way we know that a baby can support the spine properly is when it can sit on its own. Before the baby actually can stand on their feet, these also stimulate the primitive supporting reflex—we want to inhibit primitive reflexes, not stimulate them.” 

“Good” Toys 
To me, there are two keys to what I consider “good” toys—sensory and simple. I try to avoid lights and sounds because for the most part these can be overstimulating, at least until the baby is older.

If you recall, for tiny infants Hermsen-Van Wanrooy at one point suggests something as simple as a sock because this is light weight, soften and (if clean) fine for the baby to chew on.

Remember, a new born or infant up to three months really doesn’t need much of anything. Your face and voice are plenty. Come at her from the sides vs. overhead. You also don’t really want them to grasp much, so don’t hand her toys to play with.

As she grows and is seeking out something to do, a great place to start is with things you already have around your house. I would create treasurer baskets every week or two filled with random knick knacks. Sensory bottles were also a hit with my son because he could shake them. He also loved baggies filled with aloe, stickers or glitter. I'd tape these to a window to reflect light. Just search any of these things on Pinterest for a host of ideas.

If you’re looking for actual products, one I loved was Sophie the Giraffe. She’s lightweight, BPA and phthalate-free and has lots of spots to chew on. We also liked the Baby Einstein book, “Water, Water Everywhere”—and I still read it to my son tonight!

Are there any suggestions you have? If so, leave them in the comments!

Infant Development: Crawling & Sitting

We’ve moved pretty quickly through some of the main stages of development from newborn to nine months, but now it’s time to slow things down a bit.

Remember, the key to your baby developing awesome movement patterns is to not skip stages. This isn’t to say that some babies won’t develop faster than others, because some will. They may move through the stages and be “ahead” while others may take a bit more time and be “behind.” It’s really all relative. The important point is that your baby is going through each stage, not the speed at which she does it.

In ideal development, baby crawls after being able to sit, which from my experience isn’t something people realize. In fact, according to Marianne Hermsen-Van Wanrooy, baby will learn to sit in several ways before or during learning to crawl (p. 64).

Once she can crawl, she will move into a high kneeling position in preparation to stand. It’s important to not have objects that are too high for her to grab and pull herself up with because this high pulling with her arms can put extra pressure on her back. Instead, have something like a low ottoman available. You can assist this development by placing a toy of some sort on the ottoman to motivate her. Also, avoid holding your baby’s hands to help pull her up. This also isn’t good for her back. (Source: Dr. Husband.)

Finally, I need to mention shoes. As cute as they are, it is best for baby to be bare foot as much as possible. If she needs shoes, the thinner the soles the better. Our son wore Robeez brand, which are basically leather socks.

As Dr. Husband said, “Dressing a baby in soft shoes is like putting hockey gloves on someone’s hands while he or she learns to type.” Meaning, your baby needs her feet to be able to feel and grip the ground. Shoes with thick, soft soles take away this ability.

Just the Basics: Baby Gear 0 to 6 Months

Ah yes, the gear. Like many of you mommies out there, I for one can attest to the fact that the baby gear industry is booming. I’m constantly bombarded by toys and products that will make my life simpler and my baby’s life far more entertaining (or so they claim). Hopefully, some of my thoughts here will help you cut through the clutter and understand what your baby really needs—or at least what is best for his developing movement patterns.

As much as I want to say that all the cute and convenient creations out there are great for your developing infant, the fact of the matter is that many of them are not. In reality, many of the things we consider basics these days actually encourage the very muscle imbalances I’ve talked avoiding.

Really an infant zero to six months only needs a few, very simple, things:

• Firm flat surface
• Light weight “toys”
• Encouraging voices
• Happy faces 

This being said, following are some of the items you should look to avoid. Disclaimer: I know it’s impossible to avoid all of these 100 percent of the time! All I’m saying is to limit their use if possible. For our son, the less we used them the more content he was with the simple things above.

• Swings and bouncy chairs. Many of these put your baby at an incline, which is not ideal. I’ve quoted Hermsen-Van Wanrooy on this before, but I’ll do it again—“A slightly tilted surface, like a bouncinette…changes the force or direction of gravity. This will inhibit the development of good muscle balance because he cannot learn to lift his legs up in this position” (p. 28).
• Jumpers and exersaucers. I’ve repeatedly stated that we don’t want to encourage positions that are beyond baby’s developmental level—basically we don’t want to put him in any positions he can’t get to himself. Jumpers and exersaucers put baby in a standing position, which at six months he’s obviously not ready for. This can encourage muscle imbalances.
• Front and back packs. Front packs “put a lot of pressure on his spine and the young developing discs between his vertebrae.” Back packs encourage sitting, which baby isn’t ready for until 10 months or so (p. 78). 

Here are some options Dr. Husband was OK enough with that we got them for our son (and will use for our daughter). Again—the more limited use the better.

• Moby wrap. Unlike a front or back pack, when worn correctly, the Moby aligns baby’s spine and puts his hips in a normal, resting angle. Warning: My son loved being in the Moby SO much because it was the only time we let him “sit up.” This meant he would get mad until he got it; hence my suggestion to avoid these things unless necessary.
• My Little Snugabunny. We have both the swing and the bouncy chair. We chose these because they were the flattest we could find. If you find something flatter and/or firmer, please post it in the comments! 

Grr—I was hoping I wouldn’t feel like such a downer when I got to the end of this post, but I do. It’s so fun to shop for new babies, especially if it’s your first, so I don’t want to burst any bubbles. I guess I just encourage you to be thoughtful about your purchases in hopes of creating ideal movement patterns for your little one. Happy shopping, mama!