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She is interested in people and recognizes those who are familiar to her.
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She squirms with excitement, squeals and laughs.
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She watches her hands.
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Her hands are now usually open and she clasps her hand around objects that she
touches.
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Coordinating looking and reaching is difficult, but she can manage if she gets
a lot of help from you.
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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| At this stage, babies are beginning to use their hands
purposefully—touching, feeling and grabbing are all ways for babies to
explore and discover now. That's why it's a good time for toys that nurture
these early discoveries with lots of different textures and things to grab.
Take-along toys offer the added benefit of giving babies a lot to look at and
do wherever they go, even though they're not independently mobile yet. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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Find different ways to take the toy along with baby. Many take-along toys are
designed to attach to various things or are already attached to a portable
swing or a stroller. If yours is a stand-alone toy, try putting it on baby's
crib rail, for example, or attaching it to her play gym, bouncer seat or
stroller.
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Move the toy up and down in front of your child, then a little to the left and
a little to the right. Watch to see if your baby is able to track it with her
eyes; then encourage her to reach out and grab it—"Ooh, look … you
got it!"
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Play a little game of hide-and-seek with the toy. If small enough, hide it
under a blanket; if it plays sounds or rattles, activate the sounds. Let part
of the toy stick out from under the blanket and ask your baby, "Where did it
go?" Make it peek out and say, "Oh! There it is!" Toward the end of 6 months,
she may realize that the bump under the blanket is really her toy.
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Your baby is never too young to be entertained when you make silly noises and
faces. Just try making a few animal noises. After you hear those first
delightful giggles from your baby, you'll forget how silly you feel and have
lots of fun trying to coax even more laughs!
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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| Bright colors and lights are easiest for baby to see right now.
When you introduce sights, sounds and textures to your baby, you help stimulate
the senses and prepare a memory bank of experiences that feed imaginative
thinking. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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Set the stage for the pretend play that's to come in the months ahead. Before
you start playing point out the different features of the toy to your baby.
Have fun by activating the different lights and sounds for baby.
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Encourage your child to vocalize to the music, and sing along with baby as you
go.
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When baby seems to need attention while you're busy nearby, start the music and
lights to keep him entertained.
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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| The unique design of a face is one of the first things infants
recognize and respond to. As they develop the ability to focus, the familiarity
of a face offers positive reinforcement, enhancing the development of visual
skills while providing comfort. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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Help baby understand the ideas of identifying an object and identifying faces
by pointing out the toy's facial features, then your own and your baby's.
Gently touch her face as you name each part.
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Move the activities and teethers so baby takes notice of them. Gradually, she
will reach for them and grab on and probably put the teethers in her mouth
since that's how she explores everything at this stage.
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Encourage your baby to explore all the features by going through them together,
helping her feel the different textures. Describe what she's feeling and you'll
be helping your baby link what she's experiencing with her senses to their
sources.
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| Why your baby will enjoy this toy now: |
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| Around this time, babies start grasping objects within reach. And
they start to learn that they can make things happen! Shake a rattle, get a
noise. Try it again … and start to understand the magic of
cause-and-effect. |
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| What you can do to help your baby learn more: |
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When first introducing a rattle, help your baby focus on it by holding it in
front of her, bringing it to mid-line of baby's range of vision, and then
slowly moving it to the left and right. Put it within reach so baby can grasp
it, or hold it sideways so it's easier to bat at.
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To encourage your baby to reach and grasp, gently shake the rings in front of
her. Gradually she will reach for them, grab on and put the teethers into her
mouth to explore.
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About the time when baby's really able to hold the rattle deliberately, she'll
start to transfer it from hand to hand. You can help by repositioning it in her
hand, if necessary, so she'll be able to do it successfully.
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Help baby identify this rattle as a source of sound and understand the idea of
action/reaction by talking about things as baby makes then happen: "Oh! Listen
to the sound when you give it a shake!"
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All children develop at their own pace, and reach milestones at different times. The highlights
mentioned in this web site are meant as approximate guidelines only. If you have any
questions about your child's development, consult your healthcare provider. |
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