1. Plastic bottles of different shapes, labels, sizes
a. Fill bottles with several different water levels. Let baby see how water swishes inside.
b. Buy 2 different sized (500ml and 1l) bottles with the same label. Let baby compare them.
c. Drink some water from a bottle. Let baby drink water from a bottle.
d. Let baby chew lid if he likes to.
How Jack played with this: Jack spent a lot of time chewing the lid (soothing for teething babies), patting the bottle and examining it, and comparing it to another when I offered him two. When I let him, he happily drank water from the bottle.
2. Cotton towels
a. Use them to cover your face and play peekaboo.
b. Use them to cover a toy while baby is watching and ask baby, "where's the toy?"
How Jack played with this: Jack has enjoyed playing a. since he was a month old and b. since he was 6 months.
3. Boxes of all shapes and sizes
a. Ensure boxes have no sharp edges and colour that can be removed when sucked on.
b. Put a variety of objects in the box and change them regularly. Small toys can include plastic balls, a cardboard phone, plastic rings, and small cloth dolls.
How Jack played with this: Jack was delighted with his Treasure Box and looked forward to opening it and examining the different toys inside.
Technorati: cheap toys, baby toys, motherhood, parenting
