Zero to Three and other good ideas about your baby and play

A friend of mine, who is a fantastic middle school teacher recently became a dad for the first time. He emailed me looking for ideas and recommendations about play for infants and toddlers -an age group he is a little less familiar with, but learning about everyday! It’s a great question, and one that all new parents should be thinking about. After all, play is how infants and toddlers learn about the world and begin to build happy and healthy relationships.

The first resource that comes to mind is the Zero to Three website. As the site describes, ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that informs, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. For parents, they are an invaluable resource. They have downloadable guides for parents – even slide shows you can watch. The advice is excellent. Here is the link to their section on play http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=key_play Many companies have their own websites to “guide” new parents, but their aim is to sell their multitude of baby products, many of which you don’t actually need. Be warned, and steer clear.

Basically, the simpler the toy, the better it is. Toys that do all the work (through batteries, micro chips, etc) are no good – unsatisfying after the first few dazzling and dizzying moments. Babies, toddlers and kids are best off with toys they can act upon and be in charge of. For babies, think of nesting/stacking cups. They are a GREAT toy. Babies hold them, mouth them and bang them. Older babies love to knock over a tower you build. Over weeks and months, through trial and error they learn how to manipulate the cups to build their own tower. Toddlers and preschoolers fill the cups with water and pour – experimenting in their own way and following their natural curiosities. My sons are five years old and still use their stacking cups at the beach to make different size sand castles. So, look for simple toys with lots of potential that can grow with your daughter.

And you, as a primary caregiver, are also a delightful first toy. Sing to your baby, talk to your baby and tickle your baby. Watch what she likes and notice how she reacts. And, remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time before two years old. And those claims you’ve heard from Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby that their videos are good for your baby were debunked in 2007 when researchers reported finding infants who watched actually had LESS language than babies who didn’t. Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood even filed a complaint to the FCC about the false claims these companies were making. Find out more about the study here: http://commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/babylanguagestudy.htm and read CCFC’s complaint to the FCC here http://commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/babyvideoftccomplaint.htm

I know that TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) is currently working on an infant and toddler play guide. It promises to be another valuable resource for parents and teachers working to promote healthy play development in our youngest generation. I’ll post an update as soon as the new guide is ready!