What Toys Help Stimulate the Brains of Newborns?

If you've ever seen a newborn, it's fairly obvious that they don't play with toys in a traditional sense. They do look at objects, but they can't hold them in their hands without help or even track moving objects very well. To stimulate brain development, toys for newborns should feature contrasting colors and patterns and materials of different shapes and textures for a caregiver to brush against their cheek or hand to feel. Musical toys also work well to provide brain stimulation for newborns.

  1. Colors

    • Because older children prefer brightly colored toys, you might assume that your newborn will too. But babies can't distinguish colors at birth, because the rods and cones in their eyes, which "see" color, haven't fully developed yet. Your baby will be around 4 months old before he can completely distinguish colors, the American Academy of Pediatrics explains. His early color preferences will often include red, possibly because of its brightness. Flash cards you can hold before his face, soft blocks in black, red and white or booties in black and white patterns can all grab your newborn's attention.

    Contrast and Pattern

    • Newborns prefer to look at points that contrast, such as where hair meets skin or where two patterns meet. Black and white next to each other provide the most contrast, so newborns will look longest at them. Checks, stripes, bulls-eyes and simple faces will hold your newborn's attention and stimulate his development. Within the first month, his ability to see contrasts will improve to where he can distinguish between shades of gray that vary by just 5 percent, the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute reports. By 9 weeks, your baby's ability to see contrasts will improve tenfold.

    Texture

    • Introducing your baby to the feel of different textures and shapes can also facilitate brain development. A French study published in the May 2007 issue of "Developmental Science" found that newborns "remembered" certain shapes by look but not by feel when placed into their hands. By brushing different textures across his skin, you encourage his brain to process and learn from the new sensations, as well as to become more open to different types of touch, occupational therapist Jill Mays explains on her website, The Motor Story. Activity mats often contain different types of fabric for tactile stimulation; you can also cut up square of different fabrics, such as velvet, to stroke your baby's arm or cheek.s

    Sounds

    • Newborn hearing hasn't completely developed, according to Dr. Lynne Werner of the University of Washington's Speech and Hearing department. Exposure to toys that make different sounds helps your baby's sound discrimination develop. Toys that play melodic music can help develop your baby's brain, particularly the right hemisphere, an Italian study published in the March 2010 issue of "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America." Babies react differently to tonal music, which was processed in the right auditory cortex of the brain, than to altered forms of music, which were processed in the left inferior frontal cortex and limbic system. Look for toys that play soft, melodic music, which appeal more to babies, rather than toys with harsher, louder tunes; soothing tunes calm babies, a 1996 study published in "Neonatal Network" found.

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