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Dad Play
Choosing Toys for Your New Baby
By Lisa A. Goldstein
The key concept is fun. "Parents sometimes overlook that in the perennial search for 'learning toys,'" says O'Brien. She admits that it's true that play is more than simply having fun. "For babies and toddlers, play is how they learn about the world around them and practice important new skills. That's why babies love to repeat the same action over and over."
The First Years' Peek-A-Boo Surprise demonstrates this feature. This toy is a worm that giggles when squeezed. The child watches the two worms in sequence and learns which one comes out when. This anticipation turns into the baby's own giggling and Dad's joy at watching his child figure out how it works. At the end, the child can push down on a bird that pops up and says "peek-a-boo" and start all over again.
As O'Brien further describes this toy, she says "the child is learning simple things (sequences) and practicing fine motor (grasping) skills in the context of having fun with Dad and being in charge of the toy. Contrast this with electronic toys that 'do everything for the baby,' and all Baby has to do is sit there and watch."
O'Brien advises looking for "non-overstimulating" features in toys that reward such accomplishments. Dads can see their babies move through the stages of accidental to intentional play, which is a building block for toddler play where imitation is so much fun. "Dads can look for toys that encourage imitation, reward discovery, build on short-term memory (one o two steps like matching colors) and have grow-with-me features such as multiple play modes (so neither Parent nor Child become bored)," she says.
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