Here were some of my favorite ideas for infant play:

Place a newborn on their back under the arch using a boppy pillow, this places the baby’s shoulders forward, making it easier for them to see and feel the dangling toys easier.

Place baby on their side with the arch to either their right or left and encourage them to reach out for the bugs. This promotes bringing their hands together to play.  When a baby lies on their back, gravity makes it difficult for them to reach up.  When they play on their side gravity does not provided added resistance, allowing for better accuracy.

Use the tummy time bolster to prop baby up, and encourage them to look at the toys dangling from the arch. Eventually encourage them to reach up and play with the dangling toys on their belly once their head, neck and shoulder strength improves.

The tummy time bolster has places to attach the bugs so they don’t move to far away from your baby’s reach while they feel the different textures and try to explore them with their mouth and fingers.

Use the tummy time bolster and the mirror for play on their belly to improve their neck, trunk and arm/hand strength, while working on their social and language skills by talking and smiling into the mirror.

Pack the mirror separately in your diaper bag for on the go fun, it’s soft and easy to travel with.

After baby has begun to roll, hold their hips and place them in a seated position in front of the arch to work on the trunk strength needed for more independent sitting.

Attach these brightly colored and interactive bugs to links onto your car seat or stroller straps so baby can play with them separately rather than always having them attached to the arch.

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Photos by: Derek Wilmot

In an effort to not become cluttered with baby items I put a lot of careful consideration into my choices.  I did not register for a full size high chair, borrowed a friend’s old travel swing and bought an Infantino playmat that folds up to be stored to save on floor space.

This morning I was thinking of a way to entertain my 2 1/2 month old so that I could get a few household chores done in his presence with the use of my own two hands! So I decided to open up the First Years “Infant to Toddler Feeder Seat.” Don’t let the name fool you, he’s not ready for food for another two months or so, but he’ll get a great deal of use of this item before then, I know it! Love it already and so doesn’t Gavin.

Within two minutes it was hooked up to my dining room chair with two straps. I would suggest a towel underneath it to cover your chair for later on when food is introduced. The seat has three positions, so I reclined it all the way back.  At 2 1/2 months, Gavin is doing well developing his trunk (midesection) strength, but he does not have the ability to sit straight up just yet without my help or side (lateral) support. Being reclined, this helps him to be well positioned so he can use his hands to play.  As his strength improves he’ll progress to a more upright position. I put him in the seat with the tray and put a few of his favorite rattles in front of him.

Voila! The recline of the tray puts the items in a better perspective for him to view them and he entertained himself for a good 20 minutes banging away at the toys.  Not to mention he played so hard and so well he’s napping and you’ve got the benefit of this blog post, too!

Check out the new rattle on the tray he got for the holidays.  Sassy has just revamped their infant rattle line and this is one of the three that I purchased at Babies R Us.  Love it! It has a spinning ball on the inside that lights up when you barely hit it, which is great for teaching simple cause and effect at such a young age.  He can easily spin the ball already if I hold it up for him and the light is great in my diaper bag when looking for smaller items that may have been hidden. My friend’s 6 year old enjoyed it as well over the holidays pretending it was an airplane and a rolling car!

So don’t let the young age of your infant and the name of the tools fool you, just because it is a “Feeder Seat” doesn’t mean it can’t be used for entertainment and fun too!

* The natural resistance provided within Play-Doh is a great way for your child to develop the smaller muscles of the hand while they roll, squeeze, pull, tear and squish

* Incorporating tools such as rolling pins, cookie cutters, tweezers, scissors, garlic presses, and plastic knives encourage the ability to coordinate the use of two hands together

* Using alphabet stamps with Play-Doh can provide another way for children to learn how to sequence the letters of their name in a more hands-on, interactive way

* The ability to develop copying skills, visual memory, and following directions can be enhanced by having your child imitate making shapes, letters and designs that you have demonstrated

* Remember, it’s what they are learning with you in the process, not the finished product, that is the most important

So don’t stress over the mess that can sometimes accompany the fun and creativity that Play-Doh promotes, get a plastic table cloth at the dollar store to cover the table or the carpet and have fun together celebrating National Play-Doh Day!

Lauri Pegboard – Click to watch in HD
Using the Lauri Pegboard works on grasp and release patterns with children over the age of 18 months. These colorful pegs are placed into the foam board. The pegs stack on top of one another to work on building a tall tower, which can promote upper extremity strength, control, and coordination. This pegboard also promotes index finger isolation, which is a skill required to point and ultimately assist children with pointing to different items in the room. Many children enjoy using their index finger to poke the pegs from back to front. Older children can work on patterning, where you create a pattern and they complete it. These pegs are also great for simple math. Some children enjoy it when you fill up the entire pegboard and pretend it’s a birthday cake. Make sure to sing Happy Birthday and blow the candles out! www.toyqueen.com

Small World Toys three piece farm animal puzzle review by Toyqueen. Showing the extra benefits that include grasping techniques and more.
For children 12-18 months, these three piece puzzles from Small World Toys are great way to promote puzzles. Small World Toys makes nice beginner puzzles with only 3 pictures and there is a visual reference underneath. Children will learn the skill by matching the piece to the actual location. For younger smaller hands, they have larger handles to hold onto as it does not take as much skill to rotate the piece into the puzzle. You may need to use hand over hand assistance, where you place your hand over your child’s and teach them to guide the piece into the puzzle. This allows you the opportunity to teach the skill of how to complete a puzzle. It may be helpful if you cover over the pieces they are not working on, so they are not visually distracted and can focus on the piece you provide them. Incorporate language into puzzles by singing songs like Old McDonald Had a Farm, give them the piece, sing the song together, and assist the child with putting in the piece before you sing the next line and move onto the next pieces. This makes the puzzle interactive. Keep extra containers from around the house handy for storage of the pieces. www.toyqueen.com