“Do you recommend educational toys for 1 year old kids? or is that too young for educational-type toys that aren’t just sensory or whatnot”
A 1 year old is like a little scientist. They are constantly trying things to see what happens: “What happens if I throw the carrot to the floor, does it come back or stay there?; “What happens if I touch that candle”, “What is behind that door?” This means that at this age they learn from everything they do. Not just from playing with toys. One-year olds are very happy playing with plastic bowls and lids, cardboard boxes, a pot and a spoon and any other treasures that we all have around the house.
Appropriate toys for 1-year olds are those that help them develop their hand-eye coordination, physical development, and motor skills:
- Books: board books, touch books, activity books
- Toys to pretend with: animals, vehicles, dolls…
- Toys to build with: wooden blocks, shape sorters
- Toys to practice their motor skills: puzzles, large pegboards, toys with knobs, lids, switches, or dials, big and small balls.
- Musical toys
Parents also wonder about the number of toys children should have. It does not matter how many toys children have but the number of toys children have available at any given time. A study conducted in 2017 suggests that toddlers between 18 and 30 months played better when they had four toys at the same time. It seems that with fewer toys children played for longer and their quality of play was better.
So, if you want to buy toys for your child, great. But do not feel the need to buy them plenty of toys because they learn from everything they have around them.
I hope this information helps.
Love,
Ana
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Can You Discipline a 1 Year-Old?
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“Can you please advise on how to handle food aggression in toddlers? I feel like I’m going to lose a hand whenever I give my niece a snack.”
am not sure that ‘food aggression’ is really a thing but I know what you mean. There are two strategies you could use to teach your toddler how to behave around food. First, be a model for her. Children learn more from what they see than from what we do. So, when you eat around her, when you are all at the dinner table together, when she gives you any food, show her the right way to behave. Second, whenever you give her food and she is aggressive, tell her calmly but firmly: “No, you hurt my hand when you take the food this way. Take it gently, like this” (and model it to her). Whenever she gets the snack in a nice way: praise her so she understands how she should behave.
I hope this helps! Your niece is very lucky to have such an invested aunt.
Love,
Ana
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