A Parents' Guide to Selecting Toys for Infants and Toddlers
Play is the business of babies, and toys are the tools of their trade. Every year, billions of dollars are spent purchasing playthings for infants and toddlers. Unfortunately, the infants and toddlers themselves have very little input concerning how those dollars are spent.
Obviously, babies cannot buy toys. More importantly, they cannot even request specific items. A preschooler may see something at a friend's house or on television and say, "Mommy, I want one of those!" An older child may produce an oral or written "wish list" for her birthday or for Christmas. For the most part, though, infants and toddlers have a very limited notion of what is available, and they are not particularly adept at articulating their preferences. Consequently, they are totally at the mercy of their parents when it comes to the selection as well as the purchase of their playthings.
This typically proves to be an extremely difficult task for most mothers and fathers. While they usually can recall the gifts they really appreciated when they were four, seven or ten-years-old, they have no recollection regarding the toys they played with regularly when they were only one of two-years-old. Furthermore, toy companies are not benevolent associations. They are in business to make profits, and the bigger the profits the better - so they will do whatever they can to persuade parents to purchase as many elaborate and expensive playthings as possible.
As a result, mothers and fathers can make many of mistakes, and there is a high probability that whenever an infant or toddler is presented with a toy, she actually will spend less time playing with the item itself than the box, paper and ribbon in which it was wrapped.
Of course, every baby exhibits slightly different inclinations and capabilities, and there is no such thing as a "foolproof" pick. However, by following a few basic guidelines, parents can see to it that their hard-earned money is wisely invested, rather than wasted, and with some reliable knowledge about what infants and toddlers are like at different stages of development, they can ensure that their baby will have an ample supply of appropriate and enjoyable playthings.
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Obviously, babies cannot buy toys. More importantly, they cannot even request specific items. A preschooler may see something at a friend's house or on television and say, "Mommy, I want one of those!" An older child may produce an oral or written "wish list" for her birthday or for Christmas. For the most part, though, infants and toddlers have a very limited notion of what is available, and they are not particularly adept at articulating their preferences. Consequently, they are totally at the mercy of their parents when it comes to the selection as well as the purchase of their playthings.
This typically proves to be an extremely difficult task for most mothers and fathers. While they usually can recall the gifts they really appreciated when they were four, seven or ten-years-old, they have no recollection regarding the toys they played with regularly when they were only one of two-years-old. Furthermore, toy companies are not benevolent associations. They are in business to make profits, and the bigger the profits the better - so they will do whatever they can to persuade parents to purchase as many elaborate and expensive playthings as possible.
As a result, mothers and fathers can make many of mistakes, and there is a high probability that whenever an infant or toddler is presented with a toy, she actually will spend less time playing with the item itself than the box, paper and ribbon in which it was wrapped.
Of course, every baby exhibits slightly different inclinations and capabilities, and there is no such thing as a "foolproof" pick. However, by following a few basic guidelines, parents can see to it that their hard-earned money is wisely invested, rather than wasted, and with some reliable knowledge about what infants and toddlers are like at different stages of development, they can ensure that their baby will have an ample supply of appropriate and enjoyable playthings.
A Parents' Guide to Selecting Toys for Infants and Toddlers
Play is the business of babies, and toys are the tools of their trade. Every year, billions of dollars are spent purchasing playthings for infants and toddlers. Unfortunately, the infants and toddlers themselves have very little input concerning how those dollars are spent.
Obviously, babies cannot buy toys. More importantly, they cannot even request specific items. A preschooler may see something at a friend's house or on television and say, "Mommy, I want one of those!" An older child may produce an oral or written "wish list" for her birthday or for Christmas. For the most part, though, infants and toddlers have a very limited notion of what is available, and they are not particularly adept at articulating their preferences. Consequently, they are totally at the mercy of their parents when it comes to the selection as well as the purchase of their playthings.
This typically proves to be an extremely difficult task for most mothers and fathers. While they usually can recall the gifts they really appreciated when they were four, seven or ten-years-old, they have no recollection regarding the toys they played with regularly when they were only one of two-years-old. Furthermore, toy companies are not benevolent associations. They are in business to make profits, and the bigger the profits the better - so they will do whatever they can to persuade parents to purchase as many elaborate and expensive playthings as possible.
As a result, mothers and fathers can make many of mistakes, and there is a high probability that whenever an infant or toddler is presented with a toy, she actually will spend less time playing with the item itself than the box, paper and ribbon in which it was wrapped.
Of course, every baby exhibits slightly different inclinations and capabilities, and there is no such thing as a "foolproof" pick. However, by following a few basic guidelines, parents can see to it that their hard-earned money is wisely invested, rather than wasted, and with some reliable knowledge about what infants and toddlers are like at different stages of development, they can ensure that their baby will have an ample supply of appropriate and enjoyable playthings.
Obviously, babies cannot buy toys. More importantly, they cannot even request specific items. A preschooler may see something at a friend's house or on television and say, "Mommy, I want one of those!" An older child may produce an oral or written "wish list" for her birthday or for Christmas. For the most part, though, infants and toddlers have a very limited notion of what is available, and they are not particularly adept at articulating their preferences. Consequently, they are totally at the mercy of their parents when it comes to the selection as well as the purchase of their playthings.
This typically proves to be an extremely difficult task for most mothers and fathers. While they usually can recall the gifts they really appreciated when they were four, seven or ten-years-old, they have no recollection regarding the toys they played with regularly when they were only one of two-years-old. Furthermore, toy companies are not benevolent associations. They are in business to make profits, and the bigger the profits the better - so they will do whatever they can to persuade parents to purchase as many elaborate and expensive playthings as possible.
As a result, mothers and fathers can make many of mistakes, and there is a high probability that whenever an infant or toddler is presented with a toy, she actually will spend less time playing with the item itself than the box, paper and ribbon in which it was wrapped.
Of course, every baby exhibits slightly different inclinations and capabilities, and there is no such thing as a "foolproof" pick. However, by following a few basic guidelines, parents can see to it that their hard-earned money is wisely invested, rather than wasted, and with some reliable knowledge about what infants and toddlers are like at different stages of development, they can ensure that their baby will have an ample supply of appropriate and enjoyable playthings.
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A Parents' Guide to Selecting Toys for Infants and Toddlers
A Parents' Guide to Selecting Toys for Infants and Toddlers
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940011821240 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | William Gladden Foundation Press |
| Publication date: | 10/08/2010 |
| Series: | Understanding Early Childhood , #11 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 20 KB |
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