If you are a veteran parent shall we say, you learned this early on I’m sure, but if you are a new parent and shopping for your baby’s first Christmas you just might be enlighted a bit. Read on.
What most new parents find out, once our babies are old enough to sit up and play, is that they usually love the boxes the toys we bought them came in more than the toys themselves.
Curious, what is it about boxes that just grab and hold babies attention? It may be that they are large, easy to hold and manipulate, as well as being light so if they are dropped they won’t hurt the baby.
If your baby is a box lover, use that knowledge to help and encourage imaginative play rather than be discouraged. Although your baby’s sense of imaginative play won’t actually fully develop until he or she is a bit older that doesn’t mean you can’t begin now to encourage that type of play. Creative play. Or simply help them develop eye hand coordination by helping them learn how to and practice stacking. Small, empty cardboard boxes are perfect and lightweight enough not to hurt if anyone happens to knock over the pile.
Another great option is pretend food used for play kitchens. The items are smaller than normal foods therefore they are easier for your little one to hold. Just be sure there is nothing small enough that could cause a choking hazzard and they are safe for your child to put into their mouths as that’s probably the first thing they will do.
With babies, it seems that simple is best. They really don’t need to have lots of toys that flash and make noises at them. They will likely make toys of their own using boxes or pots and pans as musical intruments as they get older. But for now, let them play with a few good boxes and most of the times they will be just fine.
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