Choosing a Mobile
A mobile is a staple for ever baby’s room during the first year. But how do you go about choosing a mobile? The obvious – but not accurate – assumption would be to choose something to go with the décor of the room, which is often focused around pink shades for girls and blue tones for boys. A mobile can have one of two purposes – stimulation or to quiet a baby. Most mobiles generally don’t do both, and, with giving a child a leg up in learning, stimulation mobiles are typically the way to go.
In terms of a pastel pink or blue décor, a stimulation mobile may appear gaudy and out of place. Not to worry, though, as a mobile isn’t supposed to be used past the first year. A stimulation mobile serves as visual and aural stimulation for, usually, the time from three to six months, or whenever the baby learns to sit up and touch or grab things. Typically, a stimulation mobile is designed in black, white, and red, as, with an infant’s developing vision, the bolder colors are better. Aside from the sharply contrasting colors, these mobiles may involve patterns incorporating these three colors. In addition, a stimulation mobile is, essentially, an educational toy to help a baby start developing sight and hearing and the objects hanging from the mobile can be changed for variety for the baby and additional stimulation. While a typical mobile has small stuffed animals hanging from it, a mobile with interchangeable shapes uses sets of cards with black and white figures, patterns, or pictures of babies.
The second type of baby mobile is a calming mobile for quieting a baby. If you’re worried about the mobile matching the rest of your décor, this mobile type is often in softer colors with stuffed animals hanging. In addition, both this and the stimulation mobile may play music in combination with the stuffed animals or pictures.
About Musical Toys
Musical toys always seem to be around for the first five years. What purpose does music have in play, other than for hearing stimulation purposes? Although over a decade ago a study came out with results that listening to classical music like Mozart and Beethoven can increase a child’s IQ, not all musical toys choose to incorporate classical music into their functions. The music, in many cases, is simply sounds that come out of the toy, and this can range from classical music to a nursery rhyme to an educational song. Toys for babies have sounds for touch a response purposes: The baby touches the toy and it makes a squeak or a jingling sound. This carries into toddler and preschool toys, as well, but in a much more advanced manner.
The first group of musical toys is basic toys that make sounds. These toys look like ordinary baby and toddler toys, including stuffed animals, stacking rings, and play cubes only, when touched, they make music of some sort. For example, a <a href=http://www.geniusbabies.com/mozmuscub.html>musical cube</a> found on website Genius Babies plays musical instrument sounds from a different instrument on each side. In addition to touch and response stimulation, the baby or toddler gets to learn about different sounds associated with instruments of the orchestra.
The other category of musical toys for children is toys shaped like instruments that are played somewhat like instruments. For example, some toys for toddlers and even babies include toys shaped like drums or xylophones that, when touched similarly to playing the actual instrument, make a sound. A drum for a baby involves simply hitting it, while playing with a toy xylophone includes holding a stick and touching the different keys, all of which are of different lengths and pitches. For older children, the toys can look like small versions of adult size instruments, with small pianos, complete with a bench, guitars, and saxophone options for introducing a child to the basics of musical instruments and the sounds they make.
Going Green with Your Baby
Going green is a hot topic at the moment, with various industries offering green options. Going green can be using organics over the standard brand, using a fuel-efficient vehicle, and finding ways to use solar power instead of coal or nuclear energy. While many of these may not apply to raising a baby, you can still go green – or continue to go green – with your baby. On the most basic level, supermarkets now offer organic baby foods and even organic diapers can be found if you prefer to use disposable instead of cloth diapers. But, more options exist for going green with your baby and, aside from food and diapers, this includes the mattresses, sheets, and clothing the baby will be using.
Although we posted a few weeks ago in regards to organic mattresses, we didn’t cover organic baby sheets. Organic mattresses, a variety of which can be seen on online organic retailer Natural Baby Network, come in two types: organic cotton and rubber. Both types are designed to eliminate the chemicals released into the baby’s environment by using all organic materials. Aside from mattresses, Natural Baby Network has a variety of organic sheets in various colors, also made out of 100-percent organic cotton or organic bamboo. If you think that using organics means settling for grays and off-white colors, baby sheets can be found in various bright colors, all dyed with natural dyes from plants, herbs, and fruits.
Going green can be incorporated into what your baby wears. As with 100-percent organic cotton sheets, baby clothes can be made from organic cotton and natural dyes, and other options include organic wool and bamboo. Organic clothing is becoming more affordable and, for clothing for the first year, many basics like onesies, hats, shirts, and footies can be found made from organic cloth.
Designing a Baby’s Room
What goes into designing a baby’s room? A baby’s room is now part of your home and you, as a mother, will be spending time in the room. The baby itself will be spending time in there, as a baby typically sleeps 70 percent of the time during its first year. One option many choose for the baby’s room is to decorate it and put furniture in it that will last long past the first year. While some pieces of furniture like a bassinet and crib won’t last longer than two years, the décor of the room and other pieces, such as a chair or table, may be able to last through childhood.
As a child’s tastes inevitably change, and will probably change nearly every year up until adolescence, starting off with a neutral color is one step to making sure that at least the paint color lasts the next ten years. In terms of décor, however, you want something that can change easily, and one solution is wall art. Whether it’s customized name plates, pictures, or Wall Candy – art that sticks to and can be peeled off walls – all can give character to the space and be removed, or moved around, when the child turns two and his or her tastes change. With many wall art options for boys and girls, finding one to match the color of the walls should be simple.
Baby furniture and sheets are usually the most important and lasting part of a baby’s room. For a room, you’ll always need a crib and a changing table. Other items can include a bassinet or a cradle and furniture that the child can use once he or she learns to walk, such as a toy box, a table and chairs, or stepping stool. Many of these come in basic designs but, if you’re looking for something unique and that can be passed down or used with each child for multiple children, hand painted baby furniture is available through high-end baby product retailers. In addition, baby sheets come in various options, with standard cotton and organic cotton options, as well as a myriad of patterns, available for the design of the room.
Picking Out a First Birthday Gift
A child – yours or one you know – is turning one. As this occasion is the child’s first birthday, the day is going to be special for both the parents and the child. But, what kind of gifts do you give a child for his or her first birthday? A first birthday isn’t a baby shower and, at this point, the parents have all they need for the child. This day is essentially the child’s and, in terms of a gift, you’ll end up picking out a toy or a piece of clothing? But, what kind of gift do you give when a child is turning one? Educational website Genius Babies has some ideas in terms of gifts to give for a first birthday.
The toy that you pick out should be able to be of use for at least the next six months. Need some ideas? Popular gifts for a baby’s first birthday include:
· Rocking toys. Rocking horses aren’t the only rocking toys available, and, for a one year old, these toys are smaller and with a softer surface than traditional rocking horses. If you want a unique rocking toy, dogs, cats, and even insects are some rocking toy shapes.
· Push-pull toys. As a one year old now knows how to use his or her hands and maybe even walk a bit, he or she may be ready for a toy that can be pulled across a yard or pushed.
· Play sets. Play sets are some of the earliest make believe toys. Play sets have multiple soft components that are often coordinated together. Get a special birthday one – some have soft cake shaped toys accompanied by soft plates and cups – for the first birthday or choose from any number of themed play sets.
· Musical toys. Many toys at this stage are musical and, instead of making a jingling sound, these toys can play nursery rhymes or other children’s songs, Mozart melodies, or other familiar sounds like animals.
· Blocks. Blocks develop hand and eye coordination and are a basic stacking toy one step up from using rings on a stick. For added educational value, choose alphabet blocks.
If you still can’t decide, other options include birthday themed gifts. For a one year old, one popular gift is a first birthday t-shirt or a first birthday photo album.
Educational Toys: the First Year
What kinds of skills need to be built during the first year? The fact is, math isn’t the only thing that starts basic and keeps adding more advanced concepts. In the process of stimulation, the more certain senses and skills are developed, the more complex the toys for stimulation become. In the case of toys designed for children under one year, these toys are mostly visual, with sounds and touched incorporated as soon as a baby learns to grasp things better. By the first year, a child has a better sense of touch, and both sight and hearing are developed even more, and, as a result, toys are more tactile and involved than baby mirrors, mobiles, and soft toys that make a sound.
Stimulation toys geared toward children around one year are still soft, with the exception of small blocks. In terms of toys to develop certain senses, these toys are all geared toward sight, touch, and hearing. The changes for toys at this stage are that, for sight development, the toys may be brightly colored or patterned but they’re not in contrasting black and white with red mixed in. Musical toys still make sounds when touched or pressed but the music coming out is more complex. Rather than just jingling or crinkling, these toys may play a bit of Mozart, nursery rhymes, or make familiar animal noises. As toys are larger, touching them also allows a one-year-old child to experience various textures and shapes, from rounded to angular shapes to rougher or smooth textures.
Common types of toys for one year olds include play sets made of soft materials; rocking and push toys; musical toys like musical cubes and stuffed animals that play music when touched; and wooden blocks. Out of these, many of the toys are still made with softer materials, with the exception of the blocks. If you’re looking to teach your child a basic academic skill at this age, many block sets have letters and numbers printed on them. For social skills, many play sets have a theme coordinating all parts together for a child to use and play make believe games.