10 Baby Registry Must Haves
Getting ready for all the baby scrunches, squeaks and snuggles?
Here is a list of 10 baby registry must haves and why we love them so much!
1. Boppy: Boppys are widely used as a nursing/feeding tool to ease positioning and comfort for both the baby and the caregiver. They can also be used as a tummy time facilitator (with supervision) to provide support and comfort while the baby develops strength in their neck, shoulders and core muscles. Boppys can be used as they grow and act as a lounger pillow for reading books!
2. Contrast Cards: When babies are born, their vision is limited and is still developing. Providing high contrast stimulation (especially black and white images) can help your child foster important visual skills such as focus, visual tracking and visual discrimination as they begin to become aware of differences in shapes and patterns. Using these cards during tummy time is a great way to address two important developmental skills at the same time!
3. GOOtensils: GOOtensils are our go to tool when we start working on self-feeding skills. The handles are perfectly sized for little hands and offer a raised silicone grip to help your little one hold on. The beauty of these utensils is that there is no wrong way to hold them. Your child will have quick success with bringing food to their mouth and they offer stages of utensils as your child progresses in their skills. They can also double as a feeding teether to help expose your child to a variety of textures to get their mouth ready for solids!
4. Playmats and Play Gyms: These are very common on baby registries and definitely OT approved! We love these for infants and babies because they provide a dedicated safe and comfortable space to practice multiple developmental skills. Many play mats offer a variety of textures and interactive items that encourage sensory play and visual exploration and development. Having items hanging overhead promotes reaching and grasping skills that lay the groundwork for many important fine motor and visual motor skills they will need in the future. Playmats also offer a perfect space to practice tummy time which helps develop important core, neck and shoulder muscles that will be necessary for more advanced motor and coordination skills such as rolling and crawling later on.
5. Textured Sensory Balls: We personally have this set for our girls. They come in a variety of colors, sizes and textures that help little ones grab and hold. They are a perfect gift to encourage sensory and tactile play. They are also easy to clean after they inevitably end up in little mouths (which we strongly encourage)!
6. Rattles: Old faithful! Rattles have been around for ages and for good reason! These popular infant toys promote both sensory and motor development. The noise a rattle makes will grab a baby's attention and foster the development of auditory processing and localizing sounds. When a baby reaches and grasps a rattle they are working on hand-eye coordination and fine motor development. These toys also teach cause and effect skills as the baby learns that they can create a sound when they shake the rattle, which supports early cognitive growth.
7. Cause and Effect Toys: These toys help little ones develop a variety of important skills. They have a cause and effect component which is important for cognitive development. Cause and effect is basically the understanding and knowledge that performing a certain action will result in a specific outcome. This is crucial for infants because it helps them understand that they can influence their environment. This skill is imperative for future problem-solving, decision making and sequencing.
8. Object Permanence (Ball in the hole toys) : This toy is another great one to help develop early cognitive skills. Object permanence is the awareness that things still exist even when they are out of sight. This is also a great tool for fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills. This toy will encourage attention and focus, which will be an important skill for use in many other skill development areas.
9. Stacking Toy: This item is a great gift for new additions to help them practice their organization and motor skills. These types of toys are a great way to practice fine motor control and hand-eye coordination. Stacking toys also help introduce important concepts such as size, shape and order. These concepts are important for early problem-solving and cognitive development. Stacking (and knocking down) also addresses cause and effect and motor skills in little ones.
10. Chew Tubes: These are great for little hands. They are easy to hold and help with the woes of teething. They also provide wonderful oral input with a variety of textures that provide sensory input important for preparing for solid foods. These are a great alternative when your little one tries to suck their thumb, grind their teeth or chew on unsafe objects.
