The early days of a little one’s life are filled with new and exciting experiences. As he or she develops, your newborn gradually becomes more aware of the world around them, learning everything from sight, to touch, to taste.
Naturally, sensory development differs from baby to baby, but there is one sensation that they all recognise, and one that’s typically enjoyable for parents too: Tickling!
Newborns perceive tickling as a wider sensation of touch.
While it’s great to gently tease your little one as he or she gets to grips with this rather odd feeling, how does it affect their development? Well, there’s actually method behind the madness that suggests tickling is more than something that can make a newborn laugh.
In fact, research explored by ScienceDaily from the University of London explained that a little one who’s less than six months old experiences the sensation of touch in a very unique way. While he or she realises that they are being tickled, they perceive it as a wider sensation of touch.
Consequently, tickling in its own right is actually the ideal way to improve how your little one perceives this new sensation, and can play a role in sensory development.
To that end, are there any extra steps that parents can take to better increase how fast their newborn learns to taste, feel, hear etc? Well, here are three baby gifts you should add to your wishlist:
1. Stacking hoops and shapes
Stacking toys can provide bubs with a tactile plaything that has an eye on allowing him or her to better understand both touch and shapes. Babycenter explained that the sense of touch is something that develops incredibly early – within 11 weeks of pregnancy in some cases.
Consequently, your little one needs tools that can help them better understand how they feel the things around them, aiding early development.
2. Interactive books
Now, it may be early days to get your little one reading, but interactive books can be a great way to stimulate a number of senses. Many pair visual elements with sound to ensure that they boost your baby’s development in multiple ways.
3. Plush, colourful toys
It may sound relatively obvious, but the tried and tested choice of a cuddly toy can prove to be great option which bubs can interact with in a number of ways. If you’re struggling for specific inspiration, why not try a My Play Time Baby Gift Box?
It gives little ones a number of toys that are perfect for supporting development, and can help your baby improve his or her senses from a really early stage.