Hey if I'm going crazy hippy with cloth diapers I might as well continue it into my baby's play right? But I do have research to back this up! I'm not just pulling this out of left field and deciding my baby shouldn't have toys made from plastic because I'm mean.
Basically we want to structure any play she has in a form that will help her developmentally grow. One way is in what she plays with. The first two years of life should really be focused on reaching out and learning the world around her. Her first year is really learning those motor movements like grasping things and eventually crawling and walking. If we give Teagan all these toys that take batteries and make songs and sounds and already DO something, then how is she supported to learn anything besides just pushing buttons? Here is a nice link to a little chart with the basic milestones of a baby from birth to 3 years. For instance by six months Teagan should be able to sit up, with some assistance or propped up and be able to interact with some toys. The next month is when she'll probably start getting mobile and moving around her environment, however if up to this point she's been put in front of a toy that just lights up and makes noise how is that supposed to encourage her to explore her surroundings?
The second year should really focus on the cognitive development of understanding the world she has been exploring. For example learning to talk and then put simple sentences together, and following along in the books I've been reading her, matching colors or shapes, putting small objects in things (like those shape puzzles where you insert a square into a square hole), and even starting to learn the art of coloring. Once again, putting a baby in front of a toy or item that just keeps them there pushing the same button over and over again for noise isn't going to add to her development. All the research I've done show that toys that don't already to something encourage what are goal is: Imaginative play. It makes her think for herself and encourages her to interact with others and explore her surroundings.
Now I'm not saying we are going to completely cut plastic toys and toys that take batteries (that pretty much is ALL the toys that make noise with buttons and such) out of her life. We just prefer more simplistic toys such as wooden. With toys like these, they are longer lasting, usually better quality (yes there is a price connected but totally worth it), and the neutral colors encourage baby's imagination. We are also trying to avoid toys that encourage gender stereotyping. If she wants to have one of those hammer mallets and pound shapes into a hole, the majority of the plastic ones are geared towards boys with tool belts and "boy colors" whereas a wooden mallet one will have multiple colors and will work for either gender. (it also goes back to our core beliefs from the first post about longevity through multiple kids!)
Another reason we really want to try to avoid as much plastic is "they don't make em like they used to." In general we want Items that will stand the test of time. In the the time since I was a baby to now it just seems that manufacturing has taken the approach of making items cheaply, both in cost to the manufacture and in quality. They don't need flashy plastic toys to accomplish this! Instead of a flashy plastic baby push walker that can dry rot and crack or break with one good chomp from my pup, my hubby can put his woodworking skills to use and make one! (If not him, I have a super talented father that can do the same thing.) Here are some examples:
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| See! 1: made of plastic 2: one way baby just SITS there (common we all know they do) 3: look how bulky the thing is! and only for a short period of time! |
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| Here are a BUNCH of different kinds, some bigger then others, but its easy to see how they can be utilized still after the baby learns to walk. |
Plus we find that plastic toys are just becoming super flimsy as the years go on. The example I use (not really with toys) is, if the manufacturers of baby car seats don't recommend using car seats over 3 years because the plastic base and structure of the car seat in general can be compromised from use. What's to say that the WAY smaller item that WASN'T made purely for safety could have the same problem?
So we are going to try a lot of DIY type of stuff for making Teagan the big stuff. It can be really fun too to make all the DIY toys and interactive play things! (You all know how much I like to do a good DIY!) Here are some examples of items that I plan on making with the hubby:
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| play tent |
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| play tent and mat (my mat will be more colorful) |
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| Even a natural teething ring! |
I'd also like to make the point again that this is for the focus of the first TWO years of Teagans developmental life. I'm not saying she won't one day have a leap pad (or whatever the equivalent is) or access to a computer. We do understand the importance for a child to be able to function in normal society. But we also strongly believe that babies should be babies and not forced into this technologically advanced world if it isn't going to developmentally help them at the stage in life they are at. Even after she's two I'm probably going to follow the same philosophy of does she really need the technology version, will it really help her as much as the original version would? If I were to use leap pad for an example: they read the kid the story (yes I know the kid can read along with it or do activities) but really how is it helping if the kid is just there putting the pen cursor on each of the words and letting the machine do the sounding out for her? Wouldn't it be better if me as her mom, had the SAME book (no machine) and read it WITH her? All the while encouraging her to sound out the words and ensuring she's actually following along with the story? That way I know she's engaged AND she's interacting with a PERSON not a machine. So she gets to read, interact with others and me as a mom knows where she's at in her struggles and strengths and then can in turn work with her on the parts she needs improvement on... Leap pad doesn't tell parents how the kid playing on the device is doing and what to work on.. just food for thought. (plus I never had one and I got a full scholarship to college and got a masters on my own!)
Another example I like to use is all the game apps on phones and tablets. From my rant on the previous post you know my thoughts on babies with them, but even older kids have proven to me they don't help developmentally! I love puzzles (so does the hubby), I have like 25 right now in my game closet most 750 pieces and above. I know there are puzzle apps on devices and I know kids who do really well on those devices with the puzzles... BUT you give them a puzzle in real life and they struggle! For instance I had a kid in grade school (not even a toddler) when I was interning and while assessing an 11 year old with frustration issues, I had them put together a 45 piece puzzle (for ages 4 and up). An HOUR later, the child was frustrated because they didn't even have half the puzzle done. Now don't think I ignored the child for an hour, letting them struggle. I would try to step in and suggest doing the boarder first, and this kid didn't know what this concept meant, or I'd say something like, "look at the picture for clues, if this puzzle piece is blue with some green on it, do you think it will be a piece that goes with the sky and trees or towards the bottom with the orange ball and yellow blanket?" Then there was the whole concept of turning pieces around to fit... apparently on the puzzle games this child played (and excelled at) on the phone, all the pieces were the right way, and when you would move the piece close to where it went it would lock into place and not move. So this child never learned the skill of ACTUALLY putting puzzles together! THIS is the kind of thing that really frustrates me, companies out there talk about how all these games on devices are good educational items, but if the kid never learns the real tactile way first, what's the point?
Wow, off my rants on older kids.. but that just shows how a strong FOUNDATION started from birth can effect a kid as they get older and are in grade school. Like I said earlier in the post, if it isn't broke, why fix it? My parents are highly intelligent (I like to think I am too) and we never had all these devices growing up, so I will defiantly think twice before I expose my daughter.
Here is a really great site that focuses on items for kids that really encourage imaginative play from young babies to toddlers. If you want to check them out its a great resource!
Until next time!
Bre and Teagan (The Bump)
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