Toys that are not suitable for babies are meaningless, no matter how good they are.
Release time:
2024-12-11
Looking at the child's room, there are already so many toys. At this time, handling the child's requests—accompanied by advertising and peer pressure—can be quite tricky.
Looking at the child's room, there are already so many toys. How to handle the child's requests—accompanied by advertising and peer pressure—can be quite tricky. However, the most beautiful toys are not necessarily the best; they can inspire more imagination in children. So how do we choose good toys for children? Let's take a look at the following.
Toys and Games
Toys can help children start playing and aid in their growth. However, your child may not need as many toys as you think. The best toys should be "open-ended." These toys should encourage your child to use their imagination, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Open-ended toys include:
1. Building blocks – One day your child might use them to build a tower, and the next day they might hold the blocks to their ear pretending it's a listening device.
2. Balls – They can bounce, roll, lift, and throw.
3. Cardboard boxes – They can represent many things, including store counters, ovens, cars, boats, and dollhouses.
4. Doll clothes – With some old clothes and fabrics, your child can become anything or anyone they like.
5. Scrap paper and bits – Colored paper, stickers, crayons, and washable markers can help your child start creating their masterpiece.
Choosing Toys
Many toys have age restrictions on their packaging. This is useful, but when it comes to play, it's just a guideline. Your child's interests and developmental stage may be more significant in guiding your toy choices. Of course, age information is important for the safe use of toys—such as when a toy has small protrusions that could be swallowed. In such cases, it is wise to refer to safety age information.
For your baby, the best "toys" and companions are you, the babysitter, or other close family members. Your baby will love looking at your face, hearing your voice, and being with you. They will also enjoy looking at a brightly colored phone, listening to a wind-up music toy, or learning to reach for a rattle. When your child can sit up, they will also enjoy things they can bang on—they will find that hitting a pot with a wooden spoon is just as much fun as a special toy.
Children love to play with boxes and often find that packaging gifts is more fun than the gifts themselves. Other good options include building toys and clothes for dress-up games. Older children often enjoy solving problems and using their imagination. Puzzles or games that allow your child to play with others are also good choices.
Uncomfortable Toys
Some toys may not align with your family's values. For example, some parents may feel uncomfortable with toys like guns, while others may not like dolls that resemble human bodies or their clothing.
Toy Weapons
Toy weapons often involve aggression and violence. When children play with an aggressive attitude, it may negatively impact their confidence and mental health. However, toy weapons can also be played with in a positive way. It mainly depends on how your child plays and whether they understand what they are doing. For example, your child might use toys as props in a pretend game of cops and robbers. That might be okay. But if your child treats other children in an aggressive manner, they may need your guidance. The gun is not the key issue.
Children often treat guns as everyday items, such as sticks, celery, toast, or LEGO. This may not be what you want to see, but the energy of a toy gun may not be as impactful as a real gun. A toy gun is a symbolic object and is unlikely to scare others.
Sexualized Dolls
Playing with dolls is fun, but some dolls have adult-like, sexualized appearances—such as some girl dolls that may have mini skirts, fishnet stockings, and high heels. This may seem fun and innocent, but it can create a female image that you may not like for your baby to play with—or imitate. In fact, a 2009 study by a British human rights organization found that the sexual characteristics of toys directly influence children's understanding, attitudes, and behaviors regarding sex. It is important to observe how your child plays with dolls. If you are concerned about this issue, you can provide more child-appropriate dolls so that your child can be exposed to various styles and body shapes.
Discussing Toys
You are the one in the family who decides what kind of toys your child will play with. If you have strong feelings about certain toys, you can discuss them with your child, especially as she grows older. You can talk to them about family values. For example, "Guns can intimidate and harm many people, and we don't have any guns in our home."
Scolding your child or banning them from playing with certain toys is not an effective method. This will make your child want to play with more toys you dislike. Instead, you can use this opportunity to teach your child your own values about weapons, war, and violence.
Children sometimes confuse information about toys. For example, if children are allowed to watch violent TV shows or play violent video games, they may wonder if their parents are prohibiting them from playing violent games. If you don't want other adults to give your child a certain toy as a gift, you need a brief, calm explanation to clarify. Finally, remember that this is your decision.
The Power of Advertising
Many toys have advertisements that directly target your child. When "everyone has it," it is hard for your child to resist a toy. You may prefer to learn how to prevent your child from being easily swayed. Advertisements often promote a specific way to play with toys because they usually appear in a TV show or movie. This does not make them bad toys; it just limits the way they can be played with. This situation can limit your child's imagination if they mimic or replicate performances from TV shows.
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