With the advent of the baby in the house, many parents become experts in those areas that were completely ignored. Of course, the skill of warming up milk in small bottles or swaddling a baby will not be needed in the near future. However, there are things that you will need to understand, at least until the kid completes the middle school. One of these topics is toys.
How do you choose what to play for your child? Does he himself show the thing necessary to him or do you reserve the right to buy independently what is more suitable for him? Do you know what dangers for the psyche and health of children can be concealed by modern toys? As they say, who is forewarned is armed. Be on the alert to provide the baby with a harmonious development.
"Right" toys
As you know, playing for a long time is the main activity of the child. And the main task of parents is to choose toys that are appropriate to his age and promote his development. In this question, one should turn to age psychology:
- from 10 days of age the child begins to fix the object moving in front of him, and by the month he has already listened to the sounds and looks at everything that moves smoothly before him. The first toys at this age are various rattles and musical objects, which should be fixed at a level of 50 cm from the eyes;
- at 4 months the child begins to grab by hand everything that interests him. In this period, perfect rattles with a long handle, for which the child will hold, and shift the toy from one hand to another;
- from 6 months of the child are interested not only in the bright colors of toys, but also what they "taste". Any object interested in the child immediately comes to his mouth. Therefore it is important to use rattles from food plastic, with a smooth surface;
- from 8 months the child begins to actively extract sounds from objects and follow the laws of physics - knocking, opening, pulling, rolling, dropping. For these purposes, the baby is perfectly suited to various boxes, nesting dolls, hammers, etc .;
- In 1 year the child begins meaningful actions with objects. For example, to drag a spoon into your mouth, drive a typewriter, roll a ball, show on separate parts of the face and know how they are called. At this age books with bright pictures, balls and dice are good;
- in 2 years with the child it is important to consolidate the concepts and colors, forms and properties of objects. For this, cubes, balls in a multi-colored strip and various details of a wooden constructor for kids will do;
- in 2,5 years the child already independently can choose subjects from 4 basic colors. Perfect fit at this age sets of dishes for dolls. Also at this age it is possible to purchase a lacing toy so that the child can learn to put on shoes and fasten buttons;
- in 3 years children prefer role-playing games. It can be a soldier, a doctor, a hairdresser, etc. For such games, special children's sets are sold;
- closer to six years old kids are interested in dolls, transportation, numerous dogs, hares, cubs and other creatures that can be used in role-playing games. Also, do not forget about health and pay attention to balls, hoops, skipping ropes, etc. The main factor in your choice should not be a picture and a lot of bright colors, but the match of the toy to the baby's age and its safety for the child's psyche.
By the way, about the psyche
Have you ever wondered how the blue-colored hare (which does not exist in nature), or a pink bear (such a color as such in nature, is not present) turns up on the perception of the world to the baby? And this is not to mention the numerous products from China, which even adults are able to bring to a heart attack. So, let's figure out what dangers are hidden in the toys, so as not to fall for the bait of manufacturers of consumer goods.
In the 20th century, psychologists singled out two groups of toys.
1. Good toys that have the following parameters:
- correspond to the age and development of the child;
- are good assistants in the knowledge of the surrounding world;
- are the prototype of a real object or object that exists in nature;
- in the best case - made by the hands of the baby.
2. Toys that have a negative impact on the child's psyche:
- dead (various items that perform too many functions and settings);
- boring and empty (ugly copies of living things, figurines, etc.);
- immoral and immoral (military toys, as well as those that promote violence, war and destruction).
A few words about the quality of toys
In addition to appearance, it is worth considering the material from which the toy is made. When buying imported rattles, do not forget that your baby will bite and lick them. Although sometimes it's just enough to hold such toys in your hands to make your health worse. Behind a layer of bright colors are cheap synthetic materials with a high content of toxic substances. Of all the variegated variety in children's fun stores, at least 15% is not in accordance with the norm. They contain chemicals such as plastisol, phenol, formaldehyde and even mercury. In order not to make a mistake with the choice, it is important to remember the brands of toys with a "bad reputation": "Onsimi", "Animal", "Baby Set" and "Just Foko Baby". Also worth paying attention to rattles for children under one year and garlands for baby cots produced by the companies "Musical Mobile", "Happy Toys", "Nfants Toys".
Unfortunately, nobody watches the indicators of sanitary and hygienic norms of toys. Yes, and psychologists continue to sound the alarm - more and more often the toys cause a mental disorder in children. They make children aggressive and evil. Those impressions that the child received at the age of 2.5 to 5 years, for a long time remain in memory and influence his future life. Imagine how a child will grow up, who played with soldiers from terrible metal designs or with monsters from popular foreign cartoons with grimaces on their faces. And electronic toys that do not give the child the opportunity to fantasize and speak for them, can lead to a development gap.
Once again, going to a children's store, remember the simple truth - a toy should carry not only an entertaining function, but also something to teach the child. If you are worried that your child might ask to buy a monster for him, do not show him cartoons where he can see this monster.
And in conclusion, before complaining about negligent producers, look at yourself. Most modern parents are so busy that they give their children to the TV and bright soulless subjects that are not worthy of being called toys. Few people will be pleased to hear that he killed the child's psyche with his own hands. However, if you think about what and how the baby plays, the truth turns out to be worse than it seems. Remember - the future of your child is in your hands. And let them be a good and useful toy for a baby.