Three months old upwards skills to develop
* Recognising the link between baby's own hand movement and a toy's reaction, for example a toy might make a noise if shaken
* Improving memory - begins to anticipate what will happen when a toy is touched or explored in a certain way
Tiny Love (above) is a range of soft developmental toys from Mothercare.
Tiny Love Fruit - a.k.a. Anna Banana, Ozzie Orange and Andy Apple - are designed to help develop sensory and motor skills. Each of the fruits can be peeled and separated to reveal hidden 'jitter toys', bracelets that rattle, soft teethers and crinkly areas. The fruits have springy arms and legs and a flexible ring for attaching to playpens, cots, buggies or anywhere else in the nursery. Priced 8 each.
Telephone 08453 304030.
www.mothercare.com
The Discovery Ball (below) is part of Dr Miriam Stoppard's Baby Skills range from Tomy and is intended to aid the development of a child's hand/eye co-ordination and manipulation skills. The ball has a transparent ring with coloured beads inside fitted on to it and this detaches so that the ball can be split in half. One half of the ball is covered in different textured materials and the other half contains a mirror. Mirrors are especially useful as a developmental tool, because children at this stage enjoy exploring the broad range of facial expressions demonstrated by themselves and others. The Discovery Ball is priced 7.99.
Telephone 023 8066 2600
www.tomy.co.uk
Babies at this stage are becoming more attentive to distinctive sounds and their listening skills are gradually improving. Vtech claims its new Soft Fun Play Book is the first interactive book that has been specifically developed for very young babies. The book features a real human voice, female with an English accent, rather than the usual computerised version, to help children to focus and stay stimulated. Made from soft fabric, the book comes with a strap to attach it to cots, buggies and chairs, and five pages with solid buttons to help develop tactile stimulation and elicit different sounds, lights and talking. The Soft Fun Play Book can also be used with slightly older children to introduce them to shapes, first words, numbers, colours and animal names. Priced 9.99. (Requires two AAA batteries.) Vtech has also added a new Pop-Up Surprise Ball to its three months-plus range. This multi-coloured ball features a puppy that pops up when the light-up star button is pressed on the top of the ball. The puppy will disappear when the button is pressed down - a feature that is designed to encourage exploration of 'appear and disappear'. There is also a selection of large, easy to press animal character buttons around the ball's surface to help develop fine motor skills, as well as flashing lights, music and the human voice feature mentioned above. The Pop-Up Surprise Ball requires two AA batteries and is priced 8.99.
Telephone 01235 555545
www.vtechuk.com
Six months old upwards skills to develop
* Holding a toy in each hand without dropping it
* Recognising self in a mirror or photograph
* Comparing objects through intense examination
New from Fisher Price is the Incredi-Cube, priced 49.95, a discovery centre measuring 70cm cubed that comes with ten small blocks, each with their own music. When a block is placed on the central area of the cube, a word description, followed by the appropriate animal sound effect, is produced. This is followed up with related music - 'Old MacDonald' follows 'cow' and 'moo', for example, with a lights and music accompaniment. The cube also features five sides of logical activities like 'drop-through'
movement and 'bat-at' and it will hold more than 35 blocks. Additional blocks can be purchased in sets of six with different themes including circus, ocean, food and farmyard, priced 7 per set.
Telephone 01628 500 000
The Put 'n' Take encourages babies to pick up and release a trio of balls in order to produce a reaction. When the balls are dropped down the chimney hole, a selection of 12 tunes is played and flashing lights come on in the side panels. The Put 'n' Take is priced 9.99 from Babies 'R' Us.
Telephone 0845 786 9778
www.babiesrus.co.uk
Tomy's Activity Spiral (below) has a sucker base to secure it to hard surfaces and prevent it from being knocked over. The central element of the toy spins up and down the middle column when the baby swipes at it, encouraging him to associate his action with a reaction. The three 'satellites' on the spiral all perform different functions: one makes a ratchet sound, one contains a holographic flower that spins when the satellite is 'batted', and one is fabric-covered with different textures that squeak when squeezed. Priced Pounds 5.99.
Telephone as before.
The Step by Step range at Mothercare is specifically geared to developmental stages and is divided into three sections - six months plus, 12 months plus and 18 months plus. The toys in each section include a selection of contemporary activity toys and also some that are more traditional but have been given a modern twist. In the six months section there is a light and sound phone, a light and sound ball, an activity ball, a light and sound carousel, a rainmaker and a set of stacking rings. The moulded plastic rings in six bright colours fit on to a 'roly-poly' base that contains a chime bell. This toy is intended to aid hand/eye co-ordination and encourage colour recognition. Priced Pounds 5.
Telephone as before.
12 months old upwards skills to develop
* Attempting to put pieces of a basic inset board or puzzle in place
* Curiosity over objects that produce sounds and reactions
* Understanding of language/action connection, for example, 'wave bye-bye'
The 5 Sorter from Holz contains 15 pieces that have a varying number of holes and colours. The aim is to match the right piece to the right pegs on the board in order to complete the 'game'. The peg pieces are movable to allow for different sequencing in the tray. Made from renewable sourced wood and measuring 32cm in length, the sorter is priced 16.50.
Telephone 0845 130 8697
www.holz-toys.co.uk
Galt's Skills Fastening Cube incorporates six different methods of fastening: zips; laces; press studs; buttons; Velcro; and buckles to encourage children to develop their fine motor skills and help them to build on their belief in their own abilities. The Cube has a washable PVC cover and a foam interior. Measurements are 25cm, priced 47.95.
Telephone 08451 203005 www.galt-educational.co.uk
Continuing with the sorting theme, Multiforms consists of 36 'soft feel'
plastic geometric shapes in bright red or blue that fit on to a large yellow sorting stand. The pieces can be used without the stand because the smaller pieces fit within the larger ones. The stand measures 33.5 x 22.5cm; large shapes measure 9cm in diameter and small shapes are 4.5cm in diameter. The set comes with an instruction leaflet, priced 40.95 from Asco.
Telephone 0113 2707070
