Baby Play: Sensory Toys for 0 – 3 Months

“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” -George Dorsey

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Babies love to play

From the moment they are born

They love to interact and explore the world around them

At the beginning

For very very short bursts of time

Slowly very slowly developing concentration and focus

A baby learns through play

Through their interactions with the things and people around them

Babies develop all their senses

As they gain understanding of the world around them

As they come to terms with themselves

What and how they are

What is part of them

And what belongs to another person, place or thing

Every opportunity is a learning opportunity

Every opportunity is a chance to play

Most ways to play with a new baby require no toys

You can give your baby rich sensory experiences with your own voice and touch

You can provide sensory stimulus using many of the things you already have in your own home

But along with far too many clothes

We also love to buy our babies toys

Here are some suggestions and recommendations

For a sensory play toy box

Or basket

For babies from birth to 3 months

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Shake Rattle and Roll
Babies love music

It can be anything from nursery rhymes to 80s pop

Singing with your baby is a wonderful way to play

And can help their auditory processing

Dance with your baby in your arms to your favourite songs

Clap your baby’s hands to old childhood classics

Try the actions to traditional rhymes

The sense of hearing can also be developed

With the use of rattles

Squeaky toys

Chimes and bells

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One of our favourites is the Brio Bell Rattle

It makes a gentle tinkly sound when shaken or rolled

We also love the Heimess Touch Ring Elastic Rainbow Ball

This is a multi purpose toy

Acting as a bell rattle

A teether

A grasping and clutching toy

It is easy for baby to grab and manipulate

And safe for them to mouth

This again makes a gentle bell sound

For baby to respond to

We also have a Grimms Star Rattle

From One Hundred Toys

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That again can be used in a variety of ways

As a rattle

A grab, grasp, clutch toy

And a teether

These traditional wooden toys

Are so pretty and they last so well

They are also nice and easy to keep clean

Another toy in this category is

Edie’s Skwish!

Designed by Nasa

And created by Manhattan Toys

We bought ours from Amazon

The award winning Colour Burst Skwish

Is a one of a kind wood rattle and teether toy

It Skwishes and returns to its original shape

With beads that slide and rattle

The Skwish Colour Burst is made from renewable rubberwood

And we love it!

Would be a brilliant gift for a new baby

Black and White
Visual stimulation is important for babies

They need to develop their sense of sight

But also stimulate their brain

… if you provide continuous visual input into baby’s eyes, the retina thrives, the optic nerve grows, and the visual part of baby’s brain thrives and develops by leaps and bounds

Babies sight is the least developed of their senses

When they are born

To help this sense develop

Parents can and should provide interesting things for infants to look at

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Babies like black and white images

Bold patterns and stripes

They respond to contrast

Edie loves that in our house

The children and I all wear a lot of stripes

She also loves to focus on her

Art Cards for Baby

From Wee Gallery

We have the woodland collection

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The simple artistic images

Capture and hold Edie’s attention

We use them during nappy changes

For tummy time

On her play mat

Under her gym

And in her pram

(As a change of scenery from the airbag safety warning!)

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Other black and white toys we have

Are these Clip and Discover Shapes

From Manhattan Toys

Via Amazon

This 3 piece set provides all the auditory, visual and tactile development

A baby would ever need on the go

They are designed to be travel toys

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This multi-sensory set includes rattles, squeakers, teethers and a hidden mirror

Each shape easily clips to a bag, pram, high chair or play pen

The triangular piece features a ‘jiggle’ sound when pulled

Teaching cause and effect and promoting clutching skills

These are fab, fun toys for sensory development and play

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Props and Supports
To aid tummy time

And to help Edie Mae

See the world from different angles

We use a range of props and supports

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Mostly the little bear cushion

That comes with the Camping Cubs Tipi Activity Gym

From Skip Hop UK

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And the Nanuk Bear cushion

That all of my children adore

And is used daily for rest as well as for play

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The bear is also promoted as a feeding cushion

I think it would be great for bottle feeding

But is too deep for breastfeeding

Sense-sations
Tickle your baby with feathers

Massage them with oil

Lay them on the grass

Gaze up at the clouds

Splash with them in a bubble bath

Watch bubbles float above

Let a chiffon scarf

Brush against their skin

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Let them see different colours

Feel different textures

Facilitate rich sensory experiences for your little one

And you experience them too

See the world through your baby’s eyes

Mirror Play
Edie loves gazing at faces

She loves to stare and smile at her siblings

Recently we have introduced mirrors to her play

Mirrors of different shapes and sizes

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You can lay a mirror flat on the ground and let your baby look while they lie on their tummy

Propping the mirror up in front of Edie encourages her to lift her head to look at her reflection

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For older babies, sit in front of a mirror with them and make faces

Stick out your tongue, coo or smile and encourage your baby to smile back

Touch your baby’s ears, eyes or nose as you name each body part

Say your baby’s name and point to them in the mirror

This will help them begin to recognise themselves

And associate the sound of their name

Edie loves to smile at herself in the mirror

Or in my phone camera

I bought some toys with mirrored parts

And also some large hairdresser mirrors from Amazon

Which the older children love to play with too

Balls
I have bought Edie a set of sensory balls

From Infantino

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These are great for Edie to grab hold of

To have a chomp on when she is teething

They can be used inside and outside

The different shapes, colours and textures

Are great for her to explore

While developing her sense of touch

Bea loves fiddling with these too

And as Edie becomes stronger

They will enjoy playing with these together

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So here in words and in pictures

Are some of the toys we use with Edie

When embarking on sensory play

Play of all kinds is so important for babies

For children of all ages

Play is vital for children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth

Play is how babies learn about themselves and the world

“Play is the highest form of research.” – Albert Einstein

Babies use all of their senses

To experience the world around them

And to learn through play

For more ideas and toy suggestions

Please watch this Baby Play video

From my You Tube channel

And do subscribe if you enjoy this film

As there are lots more play ideas for babies and toddlers to come

baby play

I hope you have fun playing with your baby today

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw

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