Fun things for toddlers: 50+ Super Fun Things to do with Toddlers [Easy & Fun Activities]
50+ Super Fun Things to do with Toddlers [Easy & Fun Activities]
There’s no doubt the toddler years are hard but guess what? They are actually some of my favorite years! Your little one is developing a personality and can really start to play. Take advantage of this and make all the memories you can!
Below are some ideas for fun and simple activities to do with toddlers both indoors and out. These ideas are so good that you might just be able to avoid counting down the minutes to nap time every day.
50+ Super Fun Things to do with Toddlers [Easy & Fun Activities]
Indoor Activities for Toddlers
Here are some great indoor activities for those days when you are just hanging out at home with your little one. These also come in handy when you need to make a phone call or complete an online purchase without someone hanging off your body.
1. Bring back a childhood classic! Layout pillows and blankets on the floor and then play the floor is lava.
2. Let your toddler go through the cupboards and pick out some pots and pans to make instruments out of, then form your own band. Creating music is not only fun but great for your toddler’s development!
3. Hunker down in an unexpected place, like as inside the closet or under a table. Throw a sheet over it and you’ve got a makeshift fort.
4. Have fun with play dough. Fear the mess? Keep the play dough in a sealed baggie while your child handles it.
5. Have a real tea party. We love this gender-neutral set which can be used for pretend play or for real since it can be put in the dishwasher to be cleaned.
6. Get your science on and play with magnets. You can stick them on the fridge or cookie sheets.
7. Have your little one help with chores around the house (but make it fun!).
8. Craft something out of one of your leftover cardboard boxes like a fort or car.
9. Tape up a train track on the rug. Choo Choo!
10. Read together, and make sure to really get into character!
11. Get creative with sensory play. One of my favorite ways to do this is by creating a sensory bin.
12. Get silly with finger puppets.
13. Play hopscotch inside.
14. Practice organizing and sorting. We like to do Cheerios or small candies in a muffin tin. This is a great activity to work on your toddler’s fine motor skills!
15. Pour water between containers at the kitchen counter or in the sink. This is a great idea for entertaining toddlers while you cook.
16. Try on all the hats in the house.
17. Remove everything from the bookshelves. Then, put them all back.
18. Stick and unstick stickers! On the paper, on your shirt, on your cheek.
Hooray!
19. Create a ball pit out of your old pack n play.
20. Tear up old magazines or newspapers and make some art.
21. Play hide-n-seek.
22. No-mess finger painting.
23. Have a dance party!
24. Build an obstacle course out of pillows and cushions.
25. Solve puzzles together like this Melissa and Doug Wooden Puzzle.
26. Exercise or yoga time! All my kids loved to exercise with me. They would try all my yoga moves and then sometimes try to do their own “versions” of working out. Be prepared, they do get distracted so have a bucket of cars or toys for them to play with so you can keep your workout going.
For Even More Indoor Activities check out Indoor Things To Do with Toddlers and Favorite Toys for 2-Year-Olds
Outdoor Things To Do with Toddlers
27.
Create a chalk masterpiece.
28. Play hide-and-seek with small toys or fruit from a tree. Give your child a bucket to collect the items you’ve “hidden” at the park or in your yard- Easter Egg Style!
29. Go on a safari in your backyard. Take picture of little insects or grab some binoculars and explore the great outdoors.
30. Play catch. This simple act never gets old. “Let’s go to the park and throw sticks at the bushes!”
31. Go on a bike ride. Put little ones in a bike trailer.
32. Collect rocks into a container. Stack rocks. Line up rocks. I’m surprised they don’t sell rocks at the toy store. I bet someone has tried.
33. Play on a water table. My daughter could play endlessly with her activity table and especially loves pouring water in and out of glasses. Here are our favorite water tables!
34. Start a butterfly garden.
35. Playing fetch with stomp rockets or other “blast-off and chase” toys.
36. Run through the sprinklers or a fun Unicorn Sprinkler! Water play in the backyard is my go-to when we are feeling cooped up.
Outings for Moms with Toddlers
37. Home Depot or other massive hardware stores. Check out the light switches, the doorbells, the orange cones. Basically, everything your kiddo enjoys seeing in the world around him is sold there. Look at all those potties!
38. Head to the public library. Since other people’s toys and books are more fun than your own, this is a place to enjoy them for an hour or two. No pressure to buy anything!
39. Head to your local zoo. Time to think about a membership, mama!
40. Head to the playground.
41. IKEA. If you’re lucky enough to live near one, here’s a list of why it’s awesome for parents.
42. Chase the garbage truck! Some days are easier to get out of the house when you know the garbage routes.
43. Head to the Children’s Museum.
44. Pitch a tent at REI or Bass Pro Shops.
45. Sip pretend coffee at a kid-friendly cafe. (It’s called steamed milk, and they’ll make it not-too-hot if you ask.)
46. Visit a friend’s house, where the toys are fresh and novel.
47. Go anywhere with trains. A train is like magic to a toddler.
48. Push a doll stroller or drag a wagon around the block. Even better, find a friend with a baby in a stroller and let your toddler push her stroller on the World’s Slowest Walk.
49. Have a cultural experience through food! Visit an Ethiopian or sushi restaurant where eating with your hands is worldly.
50. Find an indoor play space with climbing, bouncing, and toys you don’t need to keep at home.
I love heading to Gymboree classes with my little one.
51. Go on a bus ride.
52. Take a class together.
53. Visit a botanical garden with leaves to touch and bugs to chase.
54. Visit a local toy store, but keep your wallet hidden!
Bonus – Tips for Entertaining Toddlers While Out and About!
It is a great idea to get out of the house with your toddler, but sometimes they will need a little extra entertainment. Here are some great things to keep in your purse to entertain your toddler while waiting in lines or running an errand they don’t like.
Bubbles– I always keep bubbles in my purse. It is an instant 15 minutes of distraction
Pull Back Cars– These are great and will keep your child entertained, but make sure those cars don’t go too far.
Toy Characters from a favorite movie – Pulling out a toy version of your toddler’s favorite character will surely buy you some time when you need your kiddo entertained for 10-15 minutes.
How to Appreciate the Toddler Stage
Toddlers possess the amazing ability to simultaneously demonstrate knowledge of how the world works AND cluelessness about their role in it (sorry sweetie, mommy is not going to help you push the stove out of the way so that you can ride your plastic car through that part of the kitchen)!
This means they are no longer satisfied by an activity gym on the floor, they are ready for some more exciting activities. This means you can encourage them to be more independent and experience a whole new world through their eyes. Have fun with it!
While the days may seem long, I promise you the years are short. Take this time for what it is and make the best of it, and if they throw a tantrum in public or say no to you all day long just know I’ve been there too.
Have Questions or Need More Tips – Leave a comment below! Also, check out our Rookie Moms Group where moms ask questions and share advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you do with toddlers?
Build a fort
Play-Doh
Play with magnets on a cookie sheet
Give them an old box to play in
Create a sensory bin
Finger painting
Mommy and Me Yoga
Should a two-year-old know colors?
Your child will start recognizing colors around 18-months-old, but they may not begin to recognize their names until around 3 years old.
Two is a good age to start playing games that involve colors.
Where can I take my two-year-old for fun?
2-year-olds are great little adventurers and can tag along with you just about anywhere. The park, the zoo, the mall, or just out for a drive.
Pin for Later – Fun Things To Do with Toddlers [52 Excellent Activities]
101 fun things to do with toddlers
Looking for some favorite (yet simple) activities to do with toddlers? These entertaining ideas focus on age-appropriate skills and interests, and the best way to enjoy them is by letting the children lead the play while you watch and follow.
Here are 101 fun things to do with toddlers.
1. Make colored rice.
2. Play doctor.
3. Finger paint.
4. Trace with flour.
5. Make homemade maracas to shake as you dance.
6. Jump in a leaf pile.
7. Make a smiley face with cut-up vegetables.
8. Cook dinner together.
9. Play store.
10. Make slime.
11. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk.
12. Put out food for the birds.
13. Play “stepping stones” with pillows.
14. Watch an anthill.
15. Sort laundry.
16. Play toy musical instruments.
17. Play parachute games with a bed sheet.
18. Roll down a hill.
19. Collect rocks.
20. Blow bubbles for toddlers to catch.
21. Make a pretend car wash.
22. Paint with water.
23. Let them lead a grocery shopping trip for that night’s dinner.
24. Prepare pretend meals.
25. Go on a nature walk.
26. Visit grandparents and other relatives.
27. Play “I Spy.”
28. Make a big bowl of soap bubbles to play with.
29. Sign up for a Mommy and Me class (or Daddy and Me class)
30.
Visit a pet store.
31. Do a simple puzzle.
32. Play balloon catch.
33. Make a painted-rock paperweight.
34. Play with puppets.
35. Play hide and seek.
36. Splash in the puddles with rain boots.
37. Let children push blender buttons to make a milkshake.
38. Crawl through a tunnel made of two blanket-covered chairs.
39. Play with flashlights.
40. Have a color scavenger hunt.
41. Explore the house with magnets to see what they stick to.
42. Play with balloons and static electricity.
43. Have the toddler close their eyes and feel a toy or other household item and try to guess what it is.
44. Play a simplified version of Simon Says.
45. Pretend to fly an airplane together.
46. Use food containers as stacking blocks.
47. Make a craft stick frame and decorate it with stickers.
48. Practice somersaults.
49. Use lots of bubble bath at bath time.
50. Play with edible clay.
51. Draw on a dry-erase or a magnetic drawing board.
52. Play post office.
53. Thread shoelaces through homemade lacing cards.
54. String beads on yarn to make jewelry.
55. Finger paint with pudding and whipped cream.
56. Practice filling and dumping with dry cereal.
57. Set up a bowling alley with plastic bottles and a tennis ball.
58. Sort old buttons into different categories.
59. Poke pipe cleaners through a colander.
60. Paint on paper with old sponges.
61. Walk on a masking tape tightrope on the floor.
62. Experiment to see whether common objects float or sink.
63. Build and stack with laundry baskets.
64. Make a construction site with trucks and play dough.
65. Create patterns with blocks.
66. Add food coloring to yogurt and let toddlers “paint” the highchair tray.
67. Play Hot and Cold.
68. Bang sticks on a sturdy tree or metal gatepost.
69. Put on music and have a dance party.
70. Throw a blanket over a table to make a fort.
71. Practice cutting with a plastic knife and banana slices.
72. Sponge paint a placemat for future use.
73. Act like different animals.
74. Run barefoot through the grass.
75. Make and play in sensory bins.
76. Wrap old toys in newspaper, and let kids unwrap them.
77. Count how many blocks you can stack before your tower falls.
78. Challenge toddlers to climb a mountain of pillows.
79. Find circle, square and triangle objects around the house.
80. Sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
”
81. Toss balls into a laundry basket.
82. Make mud pies outside.
83. Play Follow the Leader.
84. Decorate paper masks for toddlers to wear.
85. Play in a kiddie pool.
86. Jump or dance on bubble wrap.
87. Make a foil-covered tag board crown for your little king or queen.
88. Paint with cotton swabs.
89. Dip coffee filters into bowls of colored water.
90. Have a pretend phone conversation.
91. Play dress-up with old clothes.
92. Put a dry bean in a wet paper towel and watch it grow over time.
93. Have a picnic inside on an old sheet.
94. Paint toddler handprints on a pillowcase and give it as a gift.
95. Bathe a doll in the bathtub.
96. Cut play dough with old cookie cutters.
97. Make a house out of a cardboard box and decorate it.
98.
Pour colored sand or glitter onto your child’s glue designs.
99. Go outside and push a small wagon together.
100. Give piggyback rides.
101. Glue cotton balls on paper to make snow people.
Erudite Magazine | Interesting usefulness: unusual things to help the mother of a small child.
There is probably no future mother who, shortly before the birth of a baby, would not type the words “dowry for a newborn” in an Internet search engine. The advice of experienced friends, mothers, mothers-in-law, colleagues also help in compiling a pleasant list of children’s little things. And I must admit that usually this list does not have many variations: diapers, sleepsuits, strollers, cribs, a set of children’s cosmetics. It doesn’t take long for the new mother to go online again or run to the store, but this time she has specific and completely individual needs. One baby sleeps restlessly – you need a baby monitor. Another needs to urgently go to work, but wants to continue breastfeeding – a breast pump comes to the rescue.
In the house of the third, they begin to overhaul the elevator, and lifting a stroller with five sleeping kilograms to the sixth floor is a more difficult task than Sisyphus’s – such a mother thinks about a sling or an ergo backpack. And all these mothers are united by one desire – to make life easier for themselves.
There are a huge number of wonderful and very useful things for parental life that until recently were included in the category of exotic, but now they are already familiar: bottle warmers and sterilizers, radio and video baby monitors, neck circles for bathing, rocking chairs with a motor, hip- sieves, soft puzzle mats. The list of things is almost endless. But progress, meanwhile, does not stand still. The modern industry of children’s goods is very sensitive to the requests of parents and even sometimes anticipates them, and it does it so masterfully that we often understand that we really need this or that thing only after seeing it. Still would! Sometimes, studying the list of new products in children’s online stores, one can only be surprised at the ingenuity of manufacturers.
This article will focus on just such unusual things for the general consumer that can make life easier for mothers of babies of the first two or three years.
Hear every breath
With the birth of a baby, a worrying time comes for parents. Often, several times a night, sacrificing her own sleep, the mother runs up to the crib and bends over the child to listen: “Breathing?” Such unrest has serious grounds. The fact is that in babies under one year old, due to insufficient development of the central nervous system and instability of the respiratory function, repeated interruptions in breathing can occur during sleep (mainly at night). Short-term breath holdings lasting no more than a few seconds will not cause any harm to the health of the baby. However, if the pause in breathing (apnea) lasts more than 15 seconds, then the baby’s brain begins to experience oxygen starvation, which can lead to a tragic ending. To prevent dangerous breath holding, in the vast majority of cases, it is enough to wake the baby up with active shaking.
For mothers of little screamers, this problem is unlikely to be relevant, but happy parents of babies who are sound asleep from birth will have much less worries thanks to breathing and movement monitors.
The main difference from radio and video baby monitors for such devices is the reason for giving an alarm signal – the monitor is triggered if the baby does not move or breathe for a set period, usually 10 or 12 seconds. Some types of devices are programmed for respiratory rate. Typically, respiration monitors consist of one or more control units, which are sensitive touch panels that are mounted on the sides of the crib and / or placed under the mattress. The touchpads are powered by batteries or rechargeable batteries and none of the parts come into contact with the baby. An alarm signal can be sent to the parent unit, which is similar to a walkie-talkie and which you can take with you to any room in the house, or it can be emitted directly by the unit installed on the crib.
Additional functions of monitors can be temperature and humidity sensors, a night light, vibration mode, the ability to play lullabies.
The breath monitor is undoubtedly a useful thing, contributing to the calmness of the mother of a newborn, who has more than enough reasons to worry. But is there a need for all polls to purchase such devices? Perhaps it can be concluded that the device will be especially relevant in cases where there is an increased risk of apnea, which affects premature or weakened babies. In such cases, it is advisable to consult a doctor. But in any case, if your friends and relatives are puzzled over what to give you for the birth of a baby, it is quite possible to give them the idea of such an original and useful gift.
Note to car moms
A newborn has appeared in the family. But the young mother is not going to limit her life to the walls of the nursery and the territory of the nearby park. And now the baby is comfortably packed in a car seat, mom gets behind the wheel of her favorite car and goes to lunch with her friends, to the country house or even to a business meeting.
And here difficulties arise, understandable only to automums.
Needless to say, traffic safety is a priority on the road, but, unfortunately, we must admit that few mothers can refrain from wanting to check if everything is in order with the baby, even while the car is moving.
Most often, we install child seats in the back seat of the car, because it is much safer there than next to the driver. At the same time, car seats designed for babies weighing up to 9 kg are installed with their backs in the direction of the car. This state of affairs often worries mothers at the wheel, because they cannot see the face of the baby. The solution to the problem can be an additional mirror to control the child, which is installed in the car on the back of the rear seats. Thanks to this mirror, the mother, having cast a glance at the central rear-view mirror, will see the reflection of her baby’s face. The mirror usually rotates 360 degrees. When set up and positioned correctly, child supervision should not interfere with the view of the road behind the vehicle.
These mirrors are often sold in branded car dealerships. Universal models can be easily purchased in online stores.
Accurate 36.6
Despite all the progress in public medical equipment, many mothers, having gained some parenting experience, conclude that the most accurate and reliable thermometer, oddly enough, is a conventional mercury thermometer. It is not for nothing that they are used in hospitals and clinics in most cases. This is dictated not only by their low price, but by research conducted around the world.
Nevertheless, the disadvantages of mercury thermometers are obvious. They must be handled with extreme care in order to avoid damage fraught with the ingress of mercury vapor into the air. Although in fairness it should be noted that these fumes are negligible to harm even a newborn. If the thermometer breaks, its fragments pose a great threat.
And, of course, a serious drawback of the classic thermometer is that not every little fidget is able to sit quietly for 3 minutes while the mercury column grows.
In this regard, the question is natural: if you choose an electronic thermometer instead of a classic one, which one is the most accurate? Most doctors and advanced mothers agree that such a thermometer is a nipple thermometer.
This is a wonderful invention: it looks like an ordinary dummy with a slightly more massive outer part, in which a liquid crystal display is installed. Inside the silicone or latex part that the baby sucks, there is a temperature-sensitive sensor that feeds data to the display. Runs on a small, replaceable battery. Usually it is enough for the thermometer to be in the child’s mouth from 30 seconds to a minute to give a result. Of course, such a device is suitable mainly for lovers of pacifiers.
In the matter of measuring temperature, one cannot fail to mention rectal electronic thermometers, which, although not particularly unusual in terms of device or design, are much more accurate than, for example, trendy infrared ear thermometers. Rectal digital thermometers can be used from birth up to three years and made by leading manufacturers of children’s products will not cause discomfort to the baby during insertion.
“The Blue Car Runs and Swings”
The biggest fans of optimizing their mother’s existence are usually traveling mothers. Where else, if not on the road, situations often arise that require a non-standard approach. Just look at the special bags for traveling with a child – these are real masterpieces of ergonomics and space organization! But I would like to dwell on such an interesting thing, the thought of the need for which comes after the very first trip with a baby on a train, like a universal folding side (barrier) for a bed.
It is rare for an adult to sleep soundly on a train. The dream of a mother whose baby is sleeping on the next shelf can turn into torment. Children from a year old often spin in their sleep, and in a berth of a shaking carriage, the risk of falling to the floor for a baby increases significantly. So mom has to control all night so that the train ride does not turn into a flight. Joint sleep in this case is only a relative way out, since not everyone will be able to sleep together on a narrow shelf of a reserved seat or compartment.
An excellent solution would be a safety rail, which, due to its design, can be used on almost any bed: one part of it slips under the mattress, the other, rising at the edge of the bed, protects the child from falling thanks to a dense, but at the same time transparent mesh. Through such a grid, if necessary, the mother can watch the baby, and the baby will feel more comfortable and protected due to the limited space.
The foldable side can take on dimensions from 60 to 160 cm in length, the height is usually 40-50 cm. When folded, it can be easily packed into a suitcase or backpack. In addition, taking such a thing on the road, you do not have to worry that the child’s bed at the destination will not meet safety standards.
By the way, some analogue of a folding side is a children’s playpen in a train, which is stretched between the lower and upper shelves. Such an arena was invented specially for use in domestic trains and is not suitable for ordinary beds. But it has undeniable advantages, which are essential for long trips.
A child under three years old in such an arena can be closed in cases where you need to leave for a short time. In addition, the walls of the arena are often double – one of the layers is made of dense light-tight fabric, which clearly contributes to the baby’s daytime sleep.
Water treatments
The topic of bathing usually causes a lot of emotions in young parents. After all, bathing a newborn is not only a healthy procedure, but also a whole ritual that precedes a good night’s sleep. The modern attributes of bathing babies are limited only by the imagination of the parents, and I want to talk about three of them that are not included in the list of common ones.
The first is a hammock for bathing a newborn. The predecessor of this simple but very comfortable thing is flannel diapers, which our mothers and grandmothers used during the first baths in order to make the baby feel most comfortable in the water. It is comfort and coziness for a child that distinguishes bathing hammocks from plastic slides that are installed on the bottom of a large bathtub.
The hammock is made of materials that are pleasant to the touch and stretched between the sides of a small baby bath.
Of course, this attribute will seem unnecessary for apologists for active swimming in an adult bath, but in cases where a child needs not only to be bathed, but also washed alone, such a hammock is a very convenient thing. With the help of special fasteners, it can also be installed in a large bath.
The bathing jug is a curious thing that can be a convenient alternative to the standard shower at home or in the field, for example in the country. Its design is simple and in many ways resembles an ordinary watering can. But unlike a watering can, water is drawn into such a jug very quickly, and the optimally selected size of the water holes will allow you to water the baby for a long time with soft streams, without the risk of scaring him or causing discontent.
For grown-up fidgets, for whom water procedures turn into an exciting game, the baby bath industry offers a bath seat with a temperature sensor.
It is the presence of a temperature sensor that distinguishes such seats from the usual ones, in which the child is fixed in the bathroom. If the water in the bathroom cools down below the set value, the sensor will give a signal to the mother, who will already decide whether to add warm water or turn off the water activities.
It is possible that while reading the article you have not come across anything new for yourself. Well, you can be congratulated: your inquisitiveness deserves admiration! But someone would certainly be curious to know about something else interesting. For example, about devices for a comfortable nightlife: a soft night light with a motion sensor, a mechanism for rocking a crib, modern hammocks for babies, repeating the designs of old cradles. Or about the many accessories for eating: non-spill plates, more reminiscent of fantastic alien aircraft, or children’s thermal transformer bags. The list can be very long.
But no matter how surprised others are by your unusual and sometimes extravagant acquisitions in an effort to make everyday life with a baby more convenient, let no doubts visit you: as you know, it is the desire to simplify life that is the main engine of human civilization!
13 unnecessary things for a newborn – what not to give for the birth of a child
Author Olga Smirnova For reading 7 min.
Views 590
Updated
What could be better than the birth of a long-awaited baby? Not only young parents, but also all relatives and friends are preparing for his appearance. Long before the appearance of the crumbs, adults begin to run around the shops in search of a suitable gift. I want to buy something that is both beautiful and useful. But often behind the beauty of a gift lies its uselessness, or, even worse, danger. In this review, we will look at 13 absolutely useless things for a newborn, which all young mothers take an honorary page in the “black list of gifts”.
1. Discharge envelope
Of course, discharge from the maternity hospital is an event for which all the closest people gather, and you want the baby to look beautiful on this day. But the envelope is one of those purchases that mother took care of herself and in advance.
In addition, such an envelope will have to be used only once – for discharge, because in the future it is simply impractical to use it, but an envelope for a newborn costs a lot of money.
2. Baby food
If we are talking about the first cereals, then they may simply not be needed. The baby needs supplementary feeding only in case of a shortage of mother’s milk, and the choice of the first milk mixtures is not easy. The first cereals are chosen on the advice of the attending pediatrician and the reaction of the baby’s body to their intake – sometimes even the most expensive mixture in the crumbs may experience colic or bloating.
But feeding a baby starts only from six months, and during this time your gift can simply expire. In addition, parents decide when to start and what exactly to feed their baby as the crumbs grow and according to their views on caring for the child.
3. Soft toys
Perhaps the most common gift and one of the most unnecessary.
Soft toys take up a lot of space and for a long time, instead of the interest of the baby, they attract a huge amount of dust.
By the time the little child is finally interested in your gift, the toy will already turn into a real Klondike of dust and germs. Have pity not only on the baby, but also on the young mother, who will have to rearrange the toys during each cleaning and beat the dust out of them.
4. Playpen
At first glance, a necessary thing, but young parents have a different opinion on this matter: the playpen takes up too much space, which not every apartment can boast of.
In addition, for many mothers, the sight of a child in an arena is associated with a punishment cell, which completely discourages using it.
5. Shoes for newborns
Modern children’s stores are full of a variety of children’s shoes, which is simply impossible to pass by. And if a girl is expected, then tiny shoes with bows beckon to be bought.
But at the same time, we often forget that a child starts walking at the age of 9 months, and the first shoes will definitely not be shoes.
The first children’s shoes should be as practical as possible and certainly orthopedic. And even more so it is impossible to predict at what age exactly what size of the baby’s legs will be. Your seemingly good gift will remain in a beautiful, but unopened box.
6. Clothes for newborns
Believe me, the expectant mother bought all the nice and really necessary undershirts and bodysuits a long time ago. Do not forget that small children grow incredibly fast in the first year of life, and many things remain undressed. In addition, choosing clothes for a newborn baby is a serious task: you need to check whether all these cute bodysuits are made of safe material, what quality the seams have, and be sure to remember that there are no applications and decorations that in the future a small child can tear off and swallow.
All those cute little dresses and suits, for which the hand reaches out in the children’s store, are impractical in daily wear. At most they will be worn once for some thematic photo shoot. In addition, each child has his own complexion and you can simply not guess with the size. It is better to leave the purchase of children’s clothes to the baby’s mother – she knows exactly what is missing in the baby’s wardrobe.
7. Baby monitor
If you already have your own child, then you know that the baby’s cries are simply impossible not to hear in an ordinary apartment.
A baby monitor is only needed if the young couple has a large living space or lives in a private house.
8. Children’s cosmetics
The skin of babies is extremely delicate and sensitive. An incorrectly selected cream can cause an allergic reaction, the consequences of which will have to be dealt with for a long time by busy parents.
The choice of children’s cosmetics is also best left to parents.
9. Breast pump
It is far from certain that it can come in handy. Maybe the baby will be completely bottle-fed or the mother’s milk will be just enough. And such a gift costs a lot of money, which can be spent on things that are more necessary at first.
This also includes teats with pacifiers. The purchased model may not please the baby or the parents may refuse to use the pacifier at all. In addition, an incorrectly chosen nipple can lead to the refusal of the crumbs from breastfeeding or develop an incorrect bite. Nipples and pacifiers are inexpensive items that parents can buy on their own at any time.
10. Bathing herbs
Often we strive to give the most useful gift, but in the case of bathing herbs, the saying “We wanted the best – it turned out as always” applies. Here the principle is the same as with cosmetics: an improperly selected herb can not calm the baby, but, on the contrary, overexcite.
And even if your mother and your mother’s mother used this particular infusion, this does not guarantee the same effect with another baby.
All our organisms are different and we perceive the same things in different ways, and if the grass was suitable for bathing in your childhood, then the skin of another child may be extremely sensitive to this particular plant. And who needs an allergy, and even in the first weeks of a baby’s life?
11. Toys with small parts
Another absolute taboo! At the age of up to one year, children learn the world, trying it “by the tooth” – they gnaw everything that falls into their field of vision and what they can reach. Toys with small or poorly attached parts will instantly end up in the baby’s mouth. Often such trifles become the reason for going to the hospital and the story does not always end with the usual gastric lavage.
The little one is so inquisitive that sometimes she can’t think of anything better than to stuff something up her nose or ear.
Some ENT doctors even have their own collections of such “trophies”. And if the ball in the ear looks harmless, then getting it into the mouth often ends in tragedy. Do not buy toys that can cause trouble!
12. Battery-powered toys
A musical piano, a moving dog, a car with a remote control – at first glance, interesting and very useful gifts for the development of the baby. And everything seems to be true, except for the fact that all these funny things work only on batteries.
When choosing such a toy as a gift, give several sets of batteries at once, otherwise the “maintenance” of such an arsenal will cost young parents a decent amount. In addition, the child’s tears are inevitable when the batteries suddenly run out. If you still decide to donate some kind of moving object, do not be lazy and look for a good mechanical toy that does not require any further investment.
13.
Jumpers and walkers
Very bulky things that in reality may only be needed from 7-8 months. In addition, some parents do not use them at all, and your gift, at best, will go to the balcony to replenish the collection of unnecessary things. By the way, some doctors claim that the use of jumpers and walkers, designed to develop the child faster, can cause the opposite effect – instead of going earlier and learning to balance, the child will always rely on support, which will significantly slow down physical development.
Trying to walk in such devices, the child does not step on the whole leg, but only on the toe, which can cause flat feet and the so-called walking “on tiptoe” in the future. This is how a seemingly good gift can lead to many problems.
When choosing a gift for the birth of a child, do not be shy and ask future parents what they need in the first place. The best and proven gift will be the money that parents will spend on buying really needed things at the right time for them.