By Melissa Perlee
The holiday season is upon us! If you’re a parent in need of gift ideas for your little one, read on because we’ve got you covered. The toy and product suggestions listed below have been carefully selected for their ability to target important developmental skills. When used effectively, and in partnership with your occupational therapist, these toys can be a great way to help your child meet their developmental milestones.
Infants
- Linking Rings– We love linking rings because they make it easy to hang toys and teethers from the stroller, car seat, and the activity center so your baby can work on swatting, visual tracking, and early grasping no matter where they are. For older babies, these links can be hung from a freezer drawer handle to develop dynamic sitting balance, or from the edge of a crib (with supervision) to encourage pulling to stand.
- Wrist Rattle Socks– Wrist rattle socks are a wonderful tool for developing body awareness, reaching and grasping skills, and core strength in babies. Encourage your baby to bring her hands to her feet to interact with the sock puppets and to cross midline to touch the puppets on her opposite hand.
- Sophie the Giraffe– Although this teether has been around for decades, it is still a favorite amongst seasoned parents as well as with our team of clinicians. Here’s why: Sophie’s soft, bendy legs are easy to grasp and insert into the mouth. Chewing on them capitalizes on your baby’s bite reflex to strengthen his jaw muscles. As your baby places Sophie’s legs on his gums, his tongue also learns to move to the left and right sides of the mouth in preparation for manipulating real food. And Sophie’s long legs help to desensitize his very-sensitive gag reflex in preparation for transitioning to solids.
Older Babies & Young Toddlers
- Ball Drop– This classic toy is a great way to work on volitional release of objects, hand eye coordination, and motor accuracy. It also works on important cognitive skills like object permanence and understanding of cause and effect.
- Taco Fill & Spill– Watch your little one develop problem solving skills as he tries to figure out how to remove the “fillings” from the “taco.” As he pulls the toys out, he’ll also be working on his dexterity and bilateral coordination skills, while getting a rich tactile sensory experience.
- Rachel Surprise Learning Box– We love learning boxes because they work on object permanence and grasping skills while providing babies with a fun sensory experience. Hold your baby’s interest in this toy by changing out the items that you hide inside so it’s always a surprise.
Older Toddlers
- Reusable sticker book– Featuring a variety of open-ended scenes and stickers, this reusable sticker book develops fine motor skills such as dexterity and bilateral coordination, while encouraging creativity and flexibility (who says ducks can’t ride on tractors?!). These stickers can also be adhered to glass patio and refrigerator doors, which means you can have your toddler stand on a couch cushion while placing stickers to simultaneously work on their dynamic balance.
- Chunky puzzle– Puzzles are a wonderful way to develop cognitive, visual perception, and fine motor skills. These large-knobbed puzzles make grasping and rotating pieces easier for little hands. Large, high contrast pictures help toddlers with early matching skills.
- LEGO DUPLO Set– Challenging your toddler to align the knobs on these DUPLOS is a great way to develop motor accuracy and bilateral coordination skills. This animal train set also encourages multi-step, open-ended pretend play. Take the animals on a ride to “school” or to the “safari.”
- Melissa & Doug Wooden Latches Busy Board– Busy boards are excellent for developing problem solving and fine motor skills. The latches on this puzzle hook, snap, click, and slide to reveal a surprise behind each door.
- Peg Garden– This stacking peg garden is a great way to develop bilateral coordination because it requires both hands to properly complete in the task. Inserting each piece with precision also helps to develop your tot’s motor accuracy.
- Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pet Grooming Truck– This scrubber and marker set encourages your toddler to use her first three fingers in a skilled manner. These are the same fingers that will eventually be involved in holding a pencil or marker with a mature grasp. This toy also works on bilateral coordination and open-ended pretend play skills.
For suggestions on creative ways to use these toys with your baby or toddler, consult with your pediatric occupational therapist or reach out to us to see how we can help.
