It has been widely accepted from early human history that music plays a pivotal role in the development of our intellect. For Plato, music was the foundation of all education. For today's parents there is an enormous range of musical toys often leading to confusion as to what is important at each stage of development. This article will match each stage of infant development with the appropriate musical resources to make the selection and purchase of toys and instruments that much easier.
The first 3 months of life are the most vulnerable and dependent stage. The newborn depends on all nurture and sustenance being provided by his parents. Interaction with parents and caregivers is paramount during this phase. Your face and your emotional response are a primary focus for the baby. Baby has not learnt to grasp or hold and so you are the provider of most stimulation. Choices parents make at this point are important and need to match the development of the child. Babies have a number of primitive reflexes. The Moro (or startle) reflex is one we are all familiar with. In practise this means that sudden loud noises will not be appreciated. For this first 3 month stage it is better to choose quieter sounds, for example Baby Maracas from the Halilit range are ideal, such as the Three Sound Set, or the Halilit Sea Sound Mini Drum and Mini Rainmaker. Toys by Tolo such as the Gripper Rattle and Shake Rattle Roll, are also a very good option with other shakers and rattles that are bright and colourful and yet gentle in sound. Any maracas, drums, castanets, bells, tambourines are fine at this stage as YOU are the producer of the sound source and can modify the loudness according to the response of the child. Newborns are very responsive to stark black and white contrasts so while bright colours are great for young children, at the newborn stage black and white are also very important. The Amazing Baby Sound Balls contain a ball with that black and white contrast and are a great multi-sensory toy for little ones.
Once babies reach the stage of being able to grasp objects at approximately four months of age then consideration needs to be given to the fact that everything will go in the mouth. The weight of any toy is also important. There are a number of washable lightweight shakers such as those produced by Halilit. There are also some mini wooden maracas which are light enough to hold that can be wiped clean. Mini Rainbow Shakers are also a good option as are Halilit's Musical Shapes and Animal shapes with different sounds and colours. All musical instruments with bells need to be carefully selected as for this age group they are a choking hazard. Kindermusik produce a totally safe bell where the jingles are enclosed in cloth. If you are going to use bells then this must be completely under adult supervision at all times. There are some beautiful bells available. Five bell jingles are a plain D shaped bell available in many colours, Kingdom Bells or Clown Bells are the D shaped bell with a decorative character on the handle. Tummy time is so important at this stage and musical toys are ideal to hold the attention and provide amusement while on the tummy for developing muscle tone and core strength. Sheer scarves provide opportunities for peek-a-boo games and that developing sense of humour and anticipation.
Babies move on to a huge development in their movement capabilities at around five months of age. Having developed muscle tone and core strength from lots of tummy time they will first learn to roll over and when placed on the floor can pivot and change direction very easily. This is a good opportunity to encourage movement and any toy that moves such as the Vtech Roll and Wiggle Caterpillar or Magic Moves Baby Ball are ideal musical toys that will urge baby to move in pursuit. These toys are great for the baby moving on to the creeping, crawling phase.
Babies move from crawling and creeping to the stage of being able to pull themselves up and cruise around furniture. Toys that are interactive are important at this stage. The Vtech range with My First Music Maker, Sing with Me Piano, and the more sophisticated Sing & Discover Piano are ideal. Story books and nursery rhymes should be everyday at this stage. Read to your baby. There is no better way than with an interactive book that provides not only the visual but the sung rhymes and opportunities for interaction. The Peek-A-Boo- Book by Vtech provides these essential opportunities.
Once baby has reached that stage of walking then more sophisticated musical instruments can be introduced. Barred instruments that can be hit by a mallet or beater can provide lots of fun. The Halilit Baby's First Xylophone is a good choice here as is the Voila Smiley Xylophone if you are looking for something wooden.
This article has provided just some examples from the range of toys available for the first 12 months. There are many musical instruments that are suitable for later stages of development. For example any instrument or toy that has to be blown is not suitable for the first twelve months as babies have no breath control or ability to blow as required. All recorder, trumpet instruments or the like, whether mini sized or full size are best left to later stages of development and shall be dealt with in future articles.
Choose your musical and educational toys for babies with care. Look online to the specialist music stores that cater specifically for this age group. Make sure you choose those retailers with practical experience in the music education of babies and young children rather than general toy retailers.
You can see a wide range of musical instruments and musical toys at reasonable prices for babies and young children at Christine's store at http://www.kidsmusictoys.com.au Christine also runs music and movement programs in Tasmania as a Kindermusik educator and a Gymbaroo franchisee.
Christine has years of experience in teaching music to babies and young children and has worked with with Professor Margaret Barrett University of Queensland, on a longitudinal study of young children's musical identity. The project was funded by the Australian Research Council.
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