I had an interesting conversation with my partner the other day, and wanted some opinions on it. i am 29 weeks pregnant with my first and was looking for some newborn toys for baby to play with. All have some sort of "educational" value to them, whether it be crinkly, crunchy ears, or a certian texture etc. When I pointed this out to partner, his comment was "why do babies always need something "educational" and are constantly being pushed. whay can't they be allowed to just be babies and have fun." He says children are pressured from the word go by pushy parents and that there should be a balance between the two. i hadn't really thought about it before. Do u agree or disagree?
2007-03-12 03:25:00 · 6 answers · asked by Serry's mum 5 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Other - Pregnancy & Parenting
Actually, ALL toys are educational.
I believe it has been proven that a crinkled up pack of cigarettes has as much educational benefit as an einstein rattle. (lol...it isn't as SAFE, though).
My point is: It is proven that anything can provide tactile stimulation. If a baby throws a block of coal, it teaches the same thing as throwing a $15 toy: Things fly through the air.
We have baby einstein toys, old hand-me-down toys, and laugh our heads off when she spends an hour walking around with our remote control, or my husband's work boot, like they are the best thing in the world!
One thing that is very educational, AND entertaining for babies of any age, are board books. You can never have enough of those. If she doesn't like the pictures, she can always chew on it.
Our daughter likes me to read the instruction on the side of her baby bottle, then read the numbers for the ounces that run up the bottle.
Goes to show: EVERYTHING is educational. Just keep on exposing your baby to it all. They WANT to learn about their world.
2007-03-12 05:57:25 · answer #1 · answered by gg 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am pretty sure that when babies play with toys they are having fun and exploring that new toy out. First, they put it in their mouth to see what it tastes like, whether its hot or cold, big or small, etc. Babies need environments that highlight different senses because this is one way babies learn. They crawl on sand and feel the crumbly tiny pebbles under them. They roll around on ultra-soft blankets and soft toys. They should also be allowed to crawl on hardfloor, tile, and cold, hard surfaces to take in information there as well.
Even though these toys advertise educational expertise, in essence the babies whole environment is a learning haven. Often times parents buy these toys to give their child something to play with while also persuading them to figure out the meaning of the object. The balance is letting your child explore their surroundings, smiling, and recognizing their particular brilliant characteristics while remembering they will learn according to their natural development.
2007-03-12 14:52:03 · answer #2 · answered by falfalmgal 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a mother of two I definitely have to say that the push for all of the educational toys and things to stimulate "growth and development" are playing on the fears of new mothers.
Einstien, Carver, Von Braun...I don't think crinkly little bunnies and smart cubes were available to them when they were infants.
A child will develop higher than "average" intelligence with the parents just spending lots of time with them and reading lots and lots of books.
The push for developmental toys is just a marketing ploy. I don't see that they would hurt, but I don't think they're necessarily mandatory for a child to get ahead in the world.
If you've seen the prices of these toys they're outrageous!! I would take the high dollar costs of these toys and put in it a college fund so your child will benefit from it more when they need it...don't waste it on toys that they'll grow out of in a month or so anyway.
2007-03-12 10:37:20 · answer #3 · answered by Chick-A- Deedle 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well its an interesting question,however personally I think that babies love things that make sounds or feel different. All their senses are new to them and they want to explore them. There is a difference between something that is educational in a pushy way and something that is fun but also gives new experiences or teaches new concepts. For a baby everything is educational because everything is something new! I do think there are a lot of pushy parents around but I think that applies more when kids are a bit older.
2007-03-12 10:37:13 · answer #4 · answered by jo h 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think there IS a balance between the two. weren't the toys you were looking at entertaining for a baby? the beauty of it all is when you can give a baby an "educational" toy, and they're too busy having fun with it to realize they're learning something from it! plus, when a baby is very small, the whole world is "educational".... they learn from everything! i see it as my responsibility to provide toys that will entertain and educate at the same time. but sometimes it's ok to buy a toy just because it's fun.
2007-03-12 10:34:19 · answer #5 · answered by Emily H 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
In the first three years of a child's life it's important that they have a lot of stimulation of different kinds. Take away the word "educational" - replace it with "stimulating". Children's mental and physical development is strongly linked to the amount of stimulus they receive. They are like a sponge in the first three years.
2007-03-12 10:40:00 · answer #6 · answered by J F 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋