歡迎。四位

Toys for 6-9-month olds

Your baby's play is becoming much more vigorous. When she picks up a spoon now she bangs it against pots and pans, and she furiously rattles the bunch of keys she finds. She can now grab two toys at once and slam them together. But her movements are also becoming more precise; thanks to her growing dexterity, she can pick a raisin off the floor.

She is becoming aware that objects still exist even when she can no longer see or feel them. This means she'll miss a favorite stuffed animal if she can't see it, and try to search for it. It also means you can begin playing hide-and-seek games with objects. Hide her teddy bear while she's looking, and she'll find it right away — and be very proud she did.

This is the age at which most babies go mobile. From sitting, it's a short developmental step to scooting around on her stomach, to rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, and then to crawling. By the time she's 8 months old she may be pulling herself up to a standing position and climbing your stairs. The following toys can help her explore her quickly developing senses.

Busy board: Many babies adore these activity boards that can be attached to a crib rail. They come with parts that move and spin, giving your baby a place to practice coordinating her hands with sensory experiences. She's also getting the idea that you can make things happen to objects — so poking, twisting, squeezing, shaking, dropping, and opening things will fascinate her.

Soft dolls or stuffed animals: Babies this age often develop an attachment to a "lovey," or favorite toy or blanket. And pediatricians encourage this connection, saying a familiar object can ease transitions later on. Still, some dolls and stuffed animals make more suitable loveys than others. Avoid ones with ribbons, plastic eyes, yarn, or anything that can be pulled off and put into your child's mouth. And don't get dolls so big they're hard for your baby to pick up and explore.

Balls: Balls are fun for just about any age. Lightweight fabric balls suit this particular crowd well. Roll one back and forth between the two of you on the floor, or when she's older, toss it across the room so can can crawl after it.

Household items: Look no farther than your kitchen cabinet for some of your baby's favorite items. A plastic bowl, some measuring cups, and wooden spoons will entertain your baby for a long time. Open the cupboard while you're preparing a meal and your baby will pull out a few utensils of her own and whip up something alongside you.

Wood or soft blocks: Show your baby how to stack a few blocks, and then knock them down. Pile them into containers for her — and dump them out. She'll get the idea. Stacking blocks and filling and dumping games are wildly popular in this age group.

Moving toys: As your baby begins to crawl and move around, she'll be more interested in toys that do the same. Find some sturdy cars she can push around the rug. Or toys that pop up when your baby pushes just the right spot.

Books: This is the age at which reading becomes more interactive and fun for both of you. (Find out more about reading to your child.) Cloth or board books work well now. After you read the book, you can pass it to her so she can take a turn flipping the pages and "reading" to you. For more ideas, see our recommended books for babies.

Development-boosting games to play with your baby for 7 to 9 months

Your baby's becoming an expert at sitting and may soon be crawling as well. Encourage these physical feats by celebrating each new milestone: "Joshua, you sat up! Amazing baby!" Include a big hand for the little fella.

The ability to transfer objects from hand to hand and the fabled pincer grasp are part of your baby's increasing hand control (which means you'll be forced to carry a container of O-shaped cereal with you at all times for the next year).

Your baby also begins to understand that when an object disappears, it hasn't fallen off the edge of the earth. This discovery makes games like peek-a-boo a favorite.

Touch It, Hold It, Bang It
If your baby has one object, he'll bang it on the table. If he has two objects, he'll bang them together, hold them up to the light, squint at them, bang them separately on the table, hit the table with both at the same time, see if the object sounds different when hit using the left hand rather than the right hand, and on and on.

Help him out by handing over objects that make interesting sounds: hollow containers, metal spoons, bells.

Pay attention to tactile sensations as well: Your baby will be fascinated by a greeting card laced with glitter or the slickness of Mom's enameled jewelry box. A baby with strands of cooked spaghetti to play with wouldn't notice if a bomb went off.

I Can Control the World
Babies love cause and effect at this age, as in: I do this, the light comes on. I do that, the light goes off. Showing your baby how to work light switches, remote controls, cell phones, and more will thrill him — but can make life more difficult for you when he insists on being held up to work the lights yet again.

Instead, you may want to offer a toy phone or remote to satisfy his craving for control, or a jack-in-the-box to provide a thrillingly surprising result. Or, let him manage his environment by filling a low-lying cabinet or drawer with safe objects and letting your baby rummage around. Make sure there are no sharp edges or other dangers (dressers with drawers pulled out can turn over on a child) and then let your baby go to town.

Obstacle Course
If your baby's crawling, scooting, or walking, he may enjoy the challenge of having to move over things. (This is great for developing his motor skills, too.) Pillows, phone books, tired parents, and laundry make good obstacles. Sleeping cats do not make good obstacles.

So Many Variations on Peek-a-boo
The classic: Hold up a towel between your face and your baby's and ask, "Where's Sam? There's Sam!" over and over again. You can vary this game in a million ways. Hide behind a door and make your baby push it open to see you. Hide behind a chair and pop out first from above then from the sides. Go behind a corner with another person and alternate who jumps out and yells "Boo!"

Keep a selection of hats behind the couch and pop up wearing a different one each time. A surefire laugh-getter is to put a hat on your head, hiding your eyes, and let your baby take it off, saying "Oh!" in surprise each time he does it. (This will also guarantee that you'll never wear a hat in peace again.)

Roll Play
Babies are fascinated by balls and how they move. You'll get a big laugh by juggling or tossing balls up in the air and letting them hit the floor while you make a silly sound effect: "Whoops!" Roll a soft ball toward your baby and watch him grab and squeeze it. Eventually, with encouragement, he'll roll the ball back toward you. And someday he'll be able to kick and toss the ball or drop it into a big bowl or bucket. For now, bounce and roll. 

peekaboo

Question: Why is peekaboo such an exciting game for my baby?

Answer: Because it mimics what he is just coming to understand about the world: that objects and people still exist even when he can't see them (a jack-in-the-box is fun right now, too.). That's why he finds quick appearances and disappearances amusing. Understanding this concept, also known as object permanence, is an important milestone, and signals that your baby is making leaps in cognitive development — both his memory and his ability to think abstractly are growing.