Toys that teach - Sew News Archives

From SEW NEWS January '94 Issue

Recent research has shown that newborn to 3-month-old babies develop faster and acquire muscle coordination sooner when introduced to sensory stimulation. Based on this research, these toys were developed to introduce your newborn to the sensory world and stimulate visual, auditory and tactile senses.

While exploring the geometric world of the play mat,baby's attention span and memory also will be developing. Because babies prefer high-contrast colors, we've fabricated our toys in red, white and black. The tactile ball will help baby get a grip on different textures -- with a surprise jingle. And the sensory snake is lightly stuffed and fun to touch with color variety, texture and sound all in one toy. These projects are simple to make and will be an important part of baby's early development and learning.

tiny tidbits

Prewash all fabrics with a mild soap that contains no perfumes or other ingredients that may irritate baby's skin.

Select colorfast fabrics.

It's easy to make your own rattles and noisemakers for your baby's toys.

Keep in mind the project size and the desired sound, and remember the sound will be softer when placed inside a stuffed toy. Large jingle bells are sufficient to place in a toy on their own, but smaller bells can sound muffled.

Make your own noise-makers by placing dried beans or rice into a single bottle cap or thimble. Place another bottle cap or thimble over the top and glue the edges closed. Or place beans, rice or jingle bells inside of a plastic pill bottle; replace the lid and glue around the edge to prevent opening.

Insert the noise-maker when stuffing the toy, making sure it's in the filling center.

Play Mat | Ball | Snake
picture of toys

SOURCES This information was current when published in the January 1994 issue of Sew News. No guarantee is made regarding availability. Stay up-to-date with current sources by subscribing today!
Golden Fun Kits, Dept. SN, Box 10697, Golden, CO 80401 (catalog, $1), offers squeakers in four sizes.
Newark Dressmaker Supply, Dept. SN1O, Box 20730, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002 (free catalog), offers several types of noisemakers, including four pushbutton electronic noisemakers with lifelike duck, cow, cat and baby sounds.


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