Furnishing your baby with the right kind of toy to play with is very good for accelerating the growth of his body and his perception. For infants, the playground is the school ground and it is during their playtime that their mental and physical faculties are enhanced.
For developing muscles and bones, toys are indispensable tools
The first things that nature attends to building up during infancy are the internal organs, the muscular tissue and the skeletal framework of the baby's body. For this purpose, the infant needs to have all the nutrients that those organs require for growth. To accelerate the process, giving baby the tools (toys) for gaining full control of his use of muscles and bones will be necessary.
The mental faculties of infants are not yet capable of inventing ways for them to willfully stimulate their growth. Instead of that, they are endowed with intensely inquisitive natures which lead them to touch, smell and manipulate everything they see and can reach. It is this 'meddling' nature of babies that we have to use to teach them the skills they need to learn.
The right shape to look for
Obviously, the toys that we give to infants should be without surfaces that can physically harm the infant. The two main things to avoid in toys are pointed shapes and sharp edges on the toys themselves. The overall contour of the toy should not be elongated either. The best ones to get will be rounded.
Balls and rounded hoops are perfectly safe for the baby to handle and play with. For the first year and a half, do not give the baby box-type toys, particularly if the corners of the box are pointed.
Safety considerations about coloring substances
The substances with which toys were colored can also make them harmful. First of all, infants often put their toys into their mouths in an effort to bite and eat them. If the coloring substance contains harmful chemicals, the baby will become ill. Secondly, some paints are inflammable. Not that anyone should be leaving lit candles in baby's bedroom but accidents do happen. And you wouldn't want to increase the chance of an accident harming the baby.
Before purchasing any toy, you need to know from the vendor what sort of paint was used on the toy. Do not purchase if your vendor does not know. Look for something somewhere else or another person in the same store who knows. Choose toys painted with water-based dyes as these are the ones which are not poisonous and non-flammable.
Latex paint or mild paint are organic and non-toxic coloring substances.
About latex paints
Latex paints use latex (which is a kind of tree sap) as the substance that binds the pigment to the painted surface. Being a natural derivative, latex is not dangerous within its range of normal application. It neither poisons nor does it catch flame. However, some people are allergic to it.
What are milk paints?
An even safer option for toy paint is milk paint. Milk is actually part of the mixture that constitutes the binder for this type of paint. The other ingredients are lime and clay. The pigments used for milk paint are 'green' ones.
As always, you should be sure the baby is not allergic to either latex or milk.
For developing muscles and bones, toys are indispensable tools
The first things that nature attends to building up during infancy are the internal organs, the muscular tissue and the skeletal framework of the baby's body. For this purpose, the infant needs to have all the nutrients that those organs require for growth. To accelerate the process, giving baby the tools (toys) for gaining full control of his use of muscles and bones will be necessary.
The mental faculties of infants are not yet capable of inventing ways for them to willfully stimulate their growth. Instead of that, they are endowed with intensely inquisitive natures which lead them to touch, smell and manipulate everything they see and can reach. It is this 'meddling' nature of babies that we have to use to teach them the skills they need to learn.
The right shape to look for
Obviously, the toys that we give to infants should be without surfaces that can physically harm the infant. The two main things to avoid in toys are pointed shapes and sharp edges on the toys themselves. The overall contour of the toy should not be elongated either. The best ones to get will be rounded.
Balls and rounded hoops are perfectly safe for the baby to handle and play with. For the first year and a half, do not give the baby box-type toys, particularly if the corners of the box are pointed.
Safety considerations about coloring substances
The substances with which toys were colored can also make them harmful. First of all, infants often put their toys into their mouths in an effort to bite and eat them. If the coloring substance contains harmful chemicals, the baby will become ill. Secondly, some paints are inflammable. Not that anyone should be leaving lit candles in baby's bedroom but accidents do happen. And you wouldn't want to increase the chance of an accident harming the baby.
Before purchasing any toy, you need to know from the vendor what sort of paint was used on the toy. Do not purchase if your vendor does not know. Look for something somewhere else or another person in the same store who knows. Choose toys painted with water-based dyes as these are the ones which are not poisonous and non-flammable.
Latex paint or mild paint are organic and non-toxic coloring substances.
About latex paints
Latex paints use latex (which is a kind of tree sap) as the substance that binds the pigment to the painted surface. Being a natural derivative, latex is not dangerous within its range of normal application. It neither poisons nor does it catch flame. However, some people are allergic to it.
What are milk paints?
An even safer option for toy paint is milk paint. Milk is actually part of the mixture that constitutes the binder for this type of paint. The other ingredients are lime and clay. The pigments used for milk paint are 'green' ones.
As always, you should be sure the baby is not allergic to either latex or milk.
