pleasant and soothing: give him mild, soothing baths; carry him close; snuggle with him, rock him; sing to him; wrap him in soft, warm blankets; and gently talk and whisper to him.
Studies have proved that breast-feeding brings the mother and her baby closer. In addition to the practical function of providing nutrition and immunities, breastfeeding provides tactile stimulation. Regardless of feeding method—breast or bottle—feeding time is a perfect period for heightened communication between mother and child.
Dr. Toy’s Toy Suggestions for Baby’s First Six Weeks
| 1. Bath Toys (use one to three) | A |
| gives tactile stimulation | |
| focuses attention span | |
| works as a distracter so you can bathe him | |
| 2. Mobile | E |
| promotes eye focus; | |
| builds attention span | |
| 3. Music Box and Player | A |
| for auditory stimulation and soothing when fussy, and relaxes you, too | |
| 4. Rattle | A |
| improves sound awareness and attention span; | |
| provides tactile stimulation | |
| 5. Stuffed Plush Toys | A C |
| helps tactile refinement |
| A ctive | promotes eye-hand coordination, muscle tone, strength |
| C reative | encourages spontaneity, self-expression |
| E ducational | challenges thinking, mental growth |
Many psychologists, pediatricians and others strongly endorse touch as essential emotional support. Babies that are not touched do not do well mentally or in other ways that are essential for healthy growth.
And so the baby first learns about love and about trust from the primitive responses of her senses. She next sifts these responses into meaning: She does not merely see, she observes; she does not merely hear noise, she differentiates sounds. The first month the infant will be sleeping and eating most of the time. She turns to light and sound sources, but abrupt or loud sounds frighten the baby and should be avoided.
Because the newborn is exceptionally sensitive to sound, if a loud, sharp noise like a door slamming does not startle him, consult a pediatrician about the possibility of a hearing impairment.
The baby has come from a prolonged period in a protected, dark, quiet place into a bright and noisy world. Because her eyes are not able to focus the first few weeks, it is difficult for her to follow moving objects precisely. At first she only detects shades of gray and white. Soon she begins to separate colors and they hold absolute fascination.
Gradually your little one learns to focus his eyes on the designs of the ceiling and walls. As he approaches four and five weeks old, he is more aware of his surroundings; his eyes focus and the objects in his crib become more important.
A colorful mobile, with or without a music box, will attract baby now. She responds to a rattle, to your smiles, and she turns towards sounds. She laughs and makes gurgling sounds. Music will fascinate her (although her attention span is still very short).
By six weeks your infant will stare happily at an object that moves slowly in the wind. He perks up when he hears people, telephones, and doorbells. He looks into mother’s and father’s eyes, and smiles. The baby will move his arms and legs, but cannot grasp or hold on to objects for very long. His eyes are moving, beginning to coordinate, and he can follow a toy moving slowly in front of him.
Your newborn’s favorite position when in bed is lying on her back, with legs drawn up and head turned to the side. During the early months, newborns can best focus on objects about eight to twelve inches from their eyes.
You might introduce pictures to your infant, containing interesting objects such as a face or a flower. A very young baby is most attracted to pictures of simple shapes that contrast sharply against the background. Baby tends to look at the outlines of the shape rather than at the center.
As he grows, he will look more at the center of the picture and notice detail. He will begin to look at very simple pictures for shorter periods of time and concentrate longer on more complex pictures. Talk to him as he looks at each picture, and let your voice and body action, together with your words, tell baby more about the picture.
Attention span is very short in the early months so make these sessions brief—only a few minutes. Your conversations are the most important part of the time together.
1. Bath Toys
Bath time should be a happy, relaxed time and can be more so with the addition of a few simple bath toys. Water play adds a new dimension to tactile experiences. Bath toys—soft, pliable rubber and plastic shapes, like a rubber ducky—are fun. Floating turtles and fish will delight your baby when you squeeze them and surprise her with a blurpy, squirty sound. She’ll love splashing and reaching out to grasp squishy playthings bobbing in the water.
You might use a colorful clean sponge or bath mitt to wash baby, then let her have it to squeeze and play with. The mitt can easily become a little puppet for a few minutes and will make baby laugh if you talk as a puppet character. My daughter used to giggle a lot when I did this and she delighted in the improvised bath mate.
Bath toys also work well when you and baby play on a warm day with water in the backyard. Keep baby in your arms at all times, even in small play pools, and if any water is directed at him, it must only be a very soft splash or extremely gentle spray.
Good bath toys and all of the types of toys presented are made by a variety of companies. Prices range for every type of product.
See Dr. Toy’s Guide www.drtoy.com for specific product suggestions. Also, visit the website for resources to find toys and more information.
2. Mobile
The mobile is a series of objects held together by two crossbars and extended cords that move slowly in the air currents. It provides visual focus for baby during his first months, when the mobile is attached firmly to the crib rail so that he can look up at it. Move it from one side of the crib to the other to offer variety. In the first two months raise the apparatus as baby grows—always keeping it out of reach.
A mobile design in black and white with emphasis on movement and a few simple shapes is appropriate for the first eight weeks, as babies do not see colors clearly but do notice simple structures. You may want to try a variety of mobiles, and alternate them or hang them in separate places around the room.
Baby watches the hanging objects intently at about a foot distance from her (figures of animals, fairy story characters, flowers, small balls, even abstractions). She strengthens her eye focus and learns to concentrate as she follows the movements of the shapes above her.
After two months, look for a mobile with sharp color contrasts. It should still have simple figures that are easy for the baby to watch. It might have a musical attachment. More expensive varieties feature a music box that winds up and plays as the objects move. In this way, baby’s sense of hearing is also augmented. He begins to associate cadence of sound with physical movement—a precursor to a sense of rhythm.
Consider a tape recorder placed on a nearby shelf. As the baby adjusts to sleep, quiet music and the slowly moving mobile will nurture gentle rest. And, when baby awakens, there is something interesting to watch that is calming.
When baby is two months old, give or take, put the mobile at the foot of the crib so she can see it easily but where it is out of harm’s way. For variety, you might trade mobiles with other parents.
Be sure to remove hanging objects from the infant’s grasp when he can sit up and extend his reach because he will pull down a delicate mobile. Instead, you might move it to another part of the room as a decoration. Always check and adjust the mobile’s distance from the baby as he grows, especially when he can turn, reach out, and stand.
3. Music Box and Player
Music is important to the sounds