Baby gym: guide to choosing the best one
Parents often get caught up in haste and enthusiasm and risk buying an expensive and not very functional baby gym .
To avoid making this mistake, I thought I would write this article with my advice to ensure you are promoting the best development for your little one.
1. What is the baby gym for?
The first year of life is a time of change and continuous development for the newborn.
Precisely to best support this very important and delicate moment, it is possible to stimulate the little one with various activities both in the supine and prone positions.
Without a doubt, the activity that is the key to the motor development of the newborn is Tummy Time . In fact, this tummy-down exercise allows the child to develop his muscle tone, improve coordination and promotegross motor skills .
In the supine position , thanks also to the play gym, the little one will have free hands and arms and will be able to stimulate hand-eye coordination and other fine motor skills .
Finally, during play with the play gym and Tummy Time, parents can interact with their newborn to encourage language and relational development.
2. Multi-accessory play gym: yes or no?
When we talk about baby gyms, the first image that comes to mind is a super colorful multi-accessory gym with lots of options.
This type is not cheap at all, but are all these features really necessary?
Pro
The multi-accessory play gym certainly offers many stimuli , from visual and tactile ones to auditory ones with little tunes.
However, I have to reveal to you that most of these are completely useless .
Against
The possibility of activating music does not favor the child's language at all because it requires eye contact of lips and face to be effective. In fact, it is much more useful for parents to interact with the child by speaking and singing, rather than the simple sound of music.
Another disadvantage of these gyms is the fact that they are often too colorful . In the first months, the child does not have a developed vision like that of an adult and colors that are too bright can disturb or confuse him.
Finally, it is too small and not suitable for Tummy Time . In fact, the mat that characterizes this type of gym is soft, slippery and not very thick; therefore, it is an obstacle to the prone activity of the newborn.
As you can read in the article “ the play mat for the newborn ”, it is important to make sure that it has the necessary grip to help reach the crawling stage and is solid enough to prevent the little one from sinking.
3. The necessary features for a baby play gym
If the multi-function play gym is not suitable, what are the necessary features that the right play gym must have?
- Stability and safety : it must not be at risk of tipping over and falling on the child;
- Transportable: this way you can take it with you anywhere to allow your little one to have fun and promote their motor development;
- Don't be tied to the mat : I recommend purchasing the play gym and the mat separately;
- Natural materials : the child will touch and put the components of the play gym in his mouth;
- Soft colors : for the child's eyesight which is not fully developed;
- Correct distance of games : they must stimulate hand-eye coordination.
4. The best gym: advice from the osteopath
My advice is to buy a wooden Montessori-style baby gym .
This offers sufficient stimulation to the little one through the hanging toys, but at the same time gives the child the freedom to move freely on the mat.
Furthermore, they are very light as they are characterised by only two arches; therefore, they are easily transportable .
By placing this type of baby gym in the Dr-Silva mat you will be sure that the little one can develop at his best both in the supine and prone positions.
In fact, the characteristics of this carpet guarantee:
- Freedom of movement being wide and spacious;
- Safety and protection thanks to its 1.5cm thickness;
- Visual development with soft colors;
- Convenience in transporting and washing.
That said, here is the play gym I recommend (click the photo to buy it on Amazon):
5. Since when should it be used?
The baby gym can be used from the first month of the baby's life, alternating supine and prone moments.
Initially, it will be necessary to bring the toys about 25cm from the child because his eyesight is reduced. As the days go by, the child will be able to focus even greater distances and will be able to catch the toys by himself.
You can help him in the early stages of playing with the play gym by extending the toys to him, moving them slowly and talking to him.
How long should you use it for?
As with all things, it is important to indulge your child and his development. In fact, you will notice that around the 4th month, interest in the play gym will begin to decrease .
The little one begins to roll over; therefore, it is likely that he prefers to study the space and prefers the supine position to play.
Furthermore, precisely because he starts to move, there is the risk that he will drop the play gym on himself and hurt himself.
6. Conclusions
The play gym and Tummy Time are just two of the activities you can offer your baby to best promote his motor, postural and cognitive development . To do this I recommend 3 of my video courses designed to provide parents with all the information and practices to adopt in the first year of the baby's life:
- From Zero to Hero : as a pediatric osteopath I will explain how to best promote the motor and postural development of your little one;
- Cognitive development from 0 to 2 years : Neuropsychologist Sabrina explains activities and games to accompany the child in his growth path;
- Growing with Play : Educator Federica shows more than 100 games and activities to promote the best development of the child from 0 to 12 months of life.