Baby rattle: how and why to buy it

Fortunately, no large expenses or advanced technologies are needed to attract the attention of our little ones and to help them develop a relationship with sound and movement, just resorting to a few essential items. Among them there is precisely the game we want to talk to you about today, the rattle: an ally for parents and the first fun instrument that babies have at their disposal to enter the magical world of sounds. The rattle has a particular charm on infants and very young children: it attracts their attention thanks to its shape, its color and its sound function as well as the different possibilities of interaction.

This game requires the child some activities that require a sufficient mastery of hand-eye coordination, which usually occurs around four months. At six months, however, the sound games become much more tempting and intrigue the child, who understands that it is the movement that produces the sound. From the first months of life, children are attracted to colors and sounds and are very attentive to the study of the objects that are proposed to them; initially in the rattle it will be the sound that will intrigue them, then with the passing of the months, the game will be grasped and observed even manually.

Baby rattles offer useful activities for the growth and development of all the baby's senses: when the baby enjoys shaking the rattle, he exercises the movement of the wrist and that of the fingers, also developing correct hand-eye coordination; moreover, through the rattle, the newborn experiments with shapes and explores different surfaces, some softer and others rougher, also exercising the sense of touch. As the baby grows, he will learn to recognize colors, he will discover where the sounds come from and how the strength of the movement changes the intensity of the sounds.

Among all the beautiful toys that we can buy for a newborn, rattles particularly fascinate us and this is because:

· They can come to the rescue of parents and grandparents to distract the little one at the time of the walk, during the diaper change or during the feeding, or to calm him if he is unfortunately a little nervous and starts to cry;

They are small and light, therefore easy to take with you outside the home, in a wheelchair, in a stroller or in an infant carrier;

· There are many variations and the mother can choose, at the time of purchase, to follow her passions, choosing eg. a cat-shaped or unicorn-shaped rattle;

· Some can be reused in imaginative play scenarios when the child is older;

· Even the design rattles have an economic price, within everyone's reach and therefore we can allow ourselves to buy a few more without feeling too guilty;

They are ideal for making babies smile and melt parents' hearts, making them a popular gift for a birth, baby shower or happy time. Rattles are a less intimate gift idea than bodysuits and rompers, which mothers may want to choose themselves and certainly much less demanding than other baby accessories.

HOW TO CHOOSE A RATTLE?

There is a wide variety of rattles on the market today. Parents, as always, want the best for their little ones, and many wonder how they can choose a suitable rattle.

Here are three things to look for when buying a rattle:

- Safety : The rattle must be big enough to prevent the baby from choking.

- Appropriate for his age . Some rattles are for babies over 1 year old and others for babies over 3 months old.

- Challenging and fun. The rattle must have elements that encourage the baby to play.