Top Educational Toys and Games for 0-3 Month Old Babies

You are your child’s first and best teacher. Here are some ideas to help their little brains start developing and learning right from the start…

Face Time.

New babies like human faces more than anything else. Remember that new babies see best within a range of 12-15 inches. Everything else is fuzzy for the first few months. So set baby in your lap and lean down so that he or she can see your face within that range. Stare. Blink. Stick out your tongue. Make silly faces. Sing! Babies like human faces, so you’ve got hours of entertainment right there. Also, children learn through repetition, so don’t be afraid to do the same things over and over (and over and over and over…). Try touching each of your noses in turn and saying ” ‘s nose, Mommy’s nose” as you touch each one. I did this multiple times nearly every day, and sure enough, “nose” was one of my son’s first words. Once he understood that his nose had a label, it was an easy transition to show him that all his other body parts had names too.

Tummy Time.

The safest way for babies to sleep is on their backs, because it helps prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But when babies spend all their time on their backs, they fail to develop strong neck and arm muscles. So doctors now recommend that babies spend at least 30 minutes a day on their tummies (while they’re awake) to exercise their upper body muscles. “Pushing up” while on their tummies gives them a chance to use their arms and neck. Stay on the floor with your baby and encourage him or her to look up at you and move his or her head back and forth. Hold up a brightly colored toy for them to focus on and try to follow. Consider a Tummy-Time Boppy (available at www.boppy.com). It’s a smaller version of the Boppy pillow, with Sassy brand toys attached to the outside. It give the baby something to focus on pushing up and reaching for.

Wrist Rattles.

Babies can start learning about cause and effect, and seeing their own influence on their environment, right away. Baby wrist rattles will help them do that. Made by companies such as Sassy, Lamaze and Fisher-Price, you should be able to find them at your local store, as well as online. Small cloth (and washable!) shapes strap onto the child’s wrist with hook/loop tape. Inside each one is a noisemaker that rattles when the child moves the wrist it’s attached to. (You can also put them on the baby’s ankles.) Encourage baby to wiggle and notice that he or she is making the sound happen. Developmental toys such as this will help the baby’s brain make new neural connections.

And continue to take your baby out and exposed him or her to new situations and people. Every new experience helps their brain improve itself!

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Reference:

• Consider a Tummy-Time Boppy (available at www.boppy.com). It’s a smaller version of the Boppy pillow, with Sassy brand toys attached to the outside.