Xiang Yun

Rattle toy for the restless child

A rattle toy is a plaything for babies, which as the name suggests rattles when shaken.

A rattle toy is normally used to appease a baby who is crying. The sound of the rattle toy could often stop the baby from crying and make it smile. A few minutes could be spent playing with the rattle toy and curling its fingers around the toy. This is very useful for a harried mother or nanny.

The earliest known rattle toy was often made of wood or silver. However this was not a safe toy since the child would often hit his head with it and cause it to hurt.

Today the rattle toy is usually made of tough light weight plastic and is very colourful. The handle of the rattle toy is slim enough for the baby to hold. The rattle toy comes in a variety of designs. There could be a rattle toy strung across the cot or the pram and when the baby moves its arms or legs it could make a sound that will satisfy the baby. There is also a rattle toy that could be worn like a wristwatch. When this is done, each time the baby moves its arms the rattle will make a noise. The rattle toy in addition to being a rattle could also be used as a teething ring. Parents should be careful with this type of toy to ensure that the baby will not bite off any parts and accidently swallow it.

The rattle toy could also be made of cloth. Interesting and colourful shapes could be made and then filled with beads or seeds.

Care should be taken to keep the rattles clean since the baby will put it often into the mouth and germs could be harmful. Also care should be taken to clean the rattle after other children use it.

In today’s advanced world of technology the rattle toy could also be had as an application for the iPad and the iPhone. When the mother is in a hospital waiting room or in the line at the supermarket check out counter she will be immediately able to soothe a fretful baby.

The rattle toy application on the phone is touch oriented and the young child will be able to operate it by just touching the screen. Hand and eye coordination is improved and also concentration is improved by having the child fixated by the moving images on the phone. It is amazing how a simple rattle toy could, by just a few shakes, seem to soothe a restless child.

Article Tags: Restless Child

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