Everyone with a child knows how important baby rattles are.
One great feature is that they help the development of fine motor skills.
When you shake a rattle for a baby, he will look for it and later on as the baby gets a little older, he will reach for it and eventually grasp the toy. He has just reached a very important milestone in his development at this point.
Some toys are too frustrating for babies, but the rattle is a perfect toy for them. After they are finally able to clasp the rattle, they will try to recreate the sounds that were made with it. It may take the baby a little while, and they may bonk themselves a few times. The baby may not be able to shake it quite as fast as it was being shaken when they originally heard it, but the sound interests the baby so they will keep trying.
Baby rattles are a great mind and body stimulation for babies. They come in many different sizes, shapes, materials and colors. You can get rattles that the baby shakes himself. You can also buy rattles that you attach to the wrist or leg.
Babies like noise and they like to believe that they are the ones creating it. All different aspects of the rattle are important. For instance, smaller babies benefit from smaller-sized rattles. The rattle should fit in their hand like a stick. It should not be too big for the baby to grasp on to until they are a year or two.
Wrist rattles are perfect for newborns due to the fact that even though they are born with a grasp reflex, they do not have control over it. The wrist rattle allows the child to be visually stimulated and are always made out of a fabric material. When the child is several months older, they are able to control that grasp reflex and therefore can move on to a different, more advanced rattle that will also help with their hand eye coordination and their attention span.
As they get even older, rattles with bells and beads can be more fun for them, but they should always be made from a bit of a softer material due to the habit babies have of trying to stick everything in their mouths as well as the help to stimulate the babies sense of touch.
That’s not to say however that harder rattles are not sometimes better. You can also get wooden rattles, and sterling silver rattles (that are often kept as keepsakes and passed down generation to generation due to their unbreakable surface and the expense they usually carry). Sterling silver rattles are sometimes more sought after due to their comfortableness for a teething baby. The sterling silver keeps a cooler temperature making the teething process a little less painful when baby bites on them at all. As the teeth start coming in more, the sterling silver rattle also will not become damaged as they have an unbreakable surface. Many people also do not realize that sterling silver was used in ancient times as a healing agent due to its antibiotic healing properties.
Wooden rattles are also more highly sought after for some individuals as well. Wood is a regenerative source…it smells good, and it has its own temperature as well as bacteria cannot reproduce on wooden surfaces. Wood of course can also always be fixed and the fact that when you are finished with it, you can recycle it appeals very much to some individuals. Of course you never have to worry that a wooden rattle or teething ring is going to splinter or come apart either due to the fact that any wooden toys now a days are finished with a natural oil mix (not a varnish) that helps to keep the toy in tact as well as safe for the baby to chew on or play with however he feels he wants to. Another reason wooden rattles are a good choice is that no matter what material is used on the inside to make the rattling sound, it always has a nice tone to it when shaken inside the wood. It has more of a sound for highly sensitive ears (which makes them perfect for newborns) whereas a silver rattle will have a bit of a higher, harsher tone to it.
Though wooden, silver and fabric rattles are all very durable; the plastic rattle is another one that is thought of to be good for baby as well. Where fabric rattles are more for the younger, newborn babies and may be boring for older ones, the silver and wooden ones may be a little too heavy for the baby as well. The plastic rattles are usually perfect in between rattles. They are always made of indestructible plastic material, they come in many shapes, colors, weights, and forms (which is great for keeping a baby entertained), and they often use different kinds of rattle material on the inside so the sounds they make can differ greatly. As well as the weight aspect of the plastic rattles, another big seller for a lot of parents is the cost. Silver and wooden rattles can often become quite expensive due to the materials needed to make them but plastic rattles usually always run quite cheap.
No matter what your preference is, there are many different types of rattles out there for you to choose from. The best thing to do is to take in to account your baby’s age, strength and preference so they will not grow bored and tired of them. Some babies prefer the color, some prefer the sound and some prefer both. Another good idea is to have more than one type of rattle around for your baby to choose from. Maybe one day he feels like playing with the colorful plastic rattle and maybe the next he wants to play with the wooden rattle with the soothing sound. Maybe he just likes to play with them all and see and hear the difference between them all. Either way, rattles are important for your baby’s development and make a great baby shower gift. You can never have too many baby rattles!
