Nurturing Child Development Through Play: Exploring Developmental Toys at Equinalia Gifts
Corinna StanleyShare
At Equinalia Gifts, we believe in the power of play to enhance child development! Our carefully curated collection of baby and toddler toys is designed to delight children. However, these toys also support your little one's growth by aiding a range of different areas of development both emotional and physical.
We will look at how our range of soft toys including:
can contribute to your child's journey of discovery.
Cuddly Companions: The Magic of Soft Toy Animals
Suitable from birth our super-soft bunny rabbits, highland cows and other animal-themed plush toys are sure to become cuddly best friends, but they're valuable tools for many areas of child development too.
Emotional Development:
These plush companions provide a sense of security and comfort, helping babies navigate new experiences and emotions. They can become transitional objects, easing anxiety and promoting self-soothing. Cuddling a soft toy can also stimulate the production of oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress and encourages bonding.
Sensory Development:
The varied textures of our soft toys stimulate tactile senses and their super soft plush fabric makes them perfect for snuggles.
Fine Motor Skills:
Grasping and manipulating these toys helps develop hand-eye coordination as your baby loses its grasp reflex and begins to learn how to hold and let go of objects. The mini soft toys, comforters and rattles are the perfect size for tiny hands. Thereby helping your baby to master these early skills.
Social and Emotional Skills:
Children often engage in pretend play with soft animals, practicing nurturing behaviours, empathy, and social interaction. They might role-play feeding, comforting, or talking to their toy animals, which lays the foundation for real-world relationships.
Imagination and Creativity:
Toy animals spark imaginative play, allowing children to create their own stories, scenarios, and even imaginary worlds.
Sensory Exploration: The Joy of Rattles
Our charming animal soft rattles are perfect for stimulating your baby's senses from an early age, making them perfect toys for newborns.
Sensory Stimulation:
The gentle sounds and varied textures engage auditory and tactile senses.
Gross Motor Skills:
Reaching for and shaking a rattle helps develop arm movement.
Fine Motor Skills:
Grasping and manipulating a rattle enhances hand-eye coordination.
Cognitive Development:
Learning that shaking the rattle creates a sound is an early lesson in cause and effect.
Encouraging Movement: Pull-Along Adventures
As your little one starts to explore the world on the move, our pull-along animal toys become fantastic companions. Suitable for babies from 6 months onwards, they are designed by Little Bird Told Me with removeable wheels. This means they can be used as an active toy by day and a snuggly companion at night.
Gross Motor Skills:
Pulling these toys encourages crawling, walking, balance, and coordination, building strength in those large muscle groups.
Cognitive Development:
Navigating with a pull-along toy helps your child understand cause and effect and develop spatial awareness.
Sensory Stimulation:
The adorable range of Little Bird told me pull along toys are all designed with different textures such as crinkly ears or rattly tails. These help to develop the sense of touch and provide auditory stimulation helping to keep your baby engaged and curious about their surroundings.
Supporting Early Mobility: The Benefits of Push-Along Baby Walkers
From 12 months onwards, as babies develop strength and coordination and begin to pull themselves up to stand, push-along baby walkers can provide support and encourage those first independent steps. Push-along walkers allow babies to move at their own pace. As a result, this allows your toddler to develop a more natural walking motion.
Gross Motor Skills:
Push-along walkers help babies to build strength in their legs and core muscles while standing and pushing the toy forward. Therefore, helping to develop the strength needed to take those first steps by themselves.
Balance and Coordination:
These walkers provide stability, allowing babies to practice their balance and coordination as they take steps.
Confidence Building:
Successfully manoeuvering a push-along walker can boost a baby's confidence in their ability to move independently.
Exploration:
They encourage babies to explore their environment from a standing perspective. The push along walkers can also be used as a ride on toy being gently pushed by their carer.
Adventures on Wheels: The Benefits of Ride-On Toys
For toddlers from the age of 12 months onwards, who are ready to explore with more independence, our ride-on toys offer exciting opportunities for child development.
Gross Motor Skills:
Pushing, scooting, or pedaling ride-on toys strengthens leg and core muscles, improving balance and coordination.
Balance and Coordination:
Manoeuvring ride-on toys is excellent for developing these essential skills.
Cognitive Development:
Navigating their surroundings on a ride-on toy enhances spatial awareness and problem-solving skills as they learn to steer and avoid obstacles.
Independence and Confidence:
Successfully operating a ride-on toy fosters a sense of independence and boosts self-confidence.
As babies grow into toddlers, they may use their soft toys in imaginary play helping them to understand social dynamics and to develop social skills such as kindness or empathy through role playing.
In summary, soft toys can aid many areas of your child's development as they progress from newborn to toddler. Soft toys can also help children to navigate change, from learning to sleep through the night, to those first days at nursery school, as they grow in confidence, with their cuddly animal friend by their side.
At Equinalia Gifts, we're passionate about providing toys that are beautiful, fun, and above all, benefit for your child's development. Our range of toys are carefully selected from UK companies to ensure both safety and quality. Explore our Baby & Toddler collection today and discover the perfect playtime companions for each step of your little one's journey of growth and discovery!
Sources: https://metercube.com/blog/importance-of-soft-toys-in-early-childhood-development/