According to most development charts, babies 0-3 months are exploring their world through their visual and tactile senses. They also quickly learn how to manipulate their environment through social responses such as crying or smiling. Behind the scenes, some of the first motor movements called primitive reflexes are being integrated as isolated and purposeful movement become increasingly visible.
Babies are amazing little creatures that are learning to explore their world through all of their senses as development progresses.
Floor Play Mat
At this age, in occupational therapy we look at all of the above, but two things that stand out from a gross motor standpoint are cervical (head and neck) control and the baby’s tolerance for tummy time. Tummy time is a precursor for more advanced gross motor skills such as transitioning from sitting to quadruped (hands and knees “all fours” position), creeping (rocking back and forth in quadruped), and eventually crawling.
For this reason, one of the best gift ideas for an infant this age is a quality floor mat. When searching for a floor mat, a firm mat is best to give full support for babies with developing cervical strength. Firm mats come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials but ultimately what you’re looking for is comfort and good padding.
Baby Play Gym
Another developmentally beneficial item for young infants is a baby play gym. As mentioned above, your baby is developing a curiosity for the world around him through his visual and tactile feedback. With a variety of toys dangling and surrounding him, he is motivated to follow items from side to side and top to bottom (and vice versa) with visual tracking. Since most of the toys will create some kind of positive experience for him (mirrors, noise-makers, tactile sensory stimuli, etc), he will learn how to manipulate his environment initially by uncoordinated movements “bumping” his hands/ feet/ body into the toys.
The baby gyms with mirrors facilitate cognitive processing through social responses, eye contact, and cause-and-effect toys. The variety of sizes of toys included in a baby play gym help him to improve voluntary and functional grasping, while facilitating integration of his palmar reflex (an involuntary grasp pattern observed in young infants when something pressure is applied to his palm).
Last, but not least, baby play gyms allow for play in a variety of positions: lying on his back, tummy time, and side-lying. Play in each of these positions strengthens of all the large muscle groups necessary to independently transition from one position to the next himself, and also attain more advanced gross motor skills.
Sit and See Floor Mirror
These large portable mirror toys are great for young infants learning to tolerate increased tummy time. Tummy time is hard work as babies are learning to stabilize their upper body weight through their forearms, control their head and neck, and simultaneously interpret visual feedback in this new position. A mirror can be a wonderful distraction from all this hard work to motivate her to stay a little longer on her tummy.
Rattle and Rainmaker Toy
I love this one. Because of the large diameter, this toy encourages infants closer to three months of age to use both hands for one single task, also known as bimanual tasks. The music and rainmaker sounds encourage self-regulation, calming, and self-soothing skills. Additionally the motion of the balls encourages vertical and horizontal visual tracking, depending on the position of the toy.
Yoee Baby Newborn Toy
Yoee has designed this multi-sensory toy to engage visual, hearing, and tactile senses, as well as a variety of grasp patterns. Additionally, the soft handle makes it easy for caregivers to play and interact with their baby. This toy includes five components in one: a stuffed animal, rattle, teether, sensory (tactile), and crinkle (tactile and auditory).
Because of the multi-sensory components, this toy can facilitate soothing, calming, and self-regulatory skills.
High Contrast Experience Box
At birth, babies are accustomed to a dark and muted environment (The Academy of Pediatrics). The visual field for babies until about 3-6 months is 12-15 inches in front of them, with high contrast items (ie: black and white) being easier to interpret. For this reason, it is recommended to use high contrast colored toys and decor in the baby’s environment. Baby Einstein has a plethora of high contrast items for babies, but this high contrast box is a reasonable price and includes several activities and toys for the baby to explore.
Night Light Projector Ocean Wave
There is good reason many doctors’ offices include a fish tank in waiting rooms. They are found to be a calming, soothing presence in the midst of a possibly anxiety-inducing situation. For this reason, this night light with glowing reviews, can be a calming presence in the nursery. Additionally, this night light includes soothing noises to accompany the simulated projected ocean waves.
Contraindicated for children with neurological impairments, specifically seizure disorders.
All babies are designed with their own unique personalities, qualms, and preferences. What one baby finds soothing, another could find to be a noxious stimulus. However, in the right context, each of these has the potential to promote development and growth in young babies.
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What could you add to this list?