OUR BABIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 January 1940, Page 8

OUR BABIES

Published under the auspices o£ the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” The baby’s first playthings are his hands and feet —himself —and every object within his reach is a potential plaything. We create the desire for toys as such, and one scarcely needs to remark to mothers that many of the very best playthings were never found in any toyshop. The toys children like best are those they discover or make for themselves. Towards the end of the first year baby's delight in doing things for himself becomes a very vivid motive, and as his ability increases his desire for independence waxes stronger and more impelling. It requires infinite patience to let clumsy baby fingers work out their tasks, but it is well worth while. Who does not know the flat feeling one has when the child of one’s heart takes but. a brief and passing interest (and that out of politeness, perhaps) in the beautiful toy we have chosen with such care in a shop and turns with intense interest to his preoccupation of the moment —an old saucepan or a few pegs quite likely, t Watch the baby pulling himself up in his pen, and- then deliberately letting go, shouting with laughter as he “bumps”—that is original play. Watch

the two-year-old absorb in jumping off a step again and again or making mud pies. Doing and making are the great delights, and they are the constructive elements of his play, and should be encouraged to the greatest extent possible. This is what makes

he sand pile and modelling clay so endlessly entertaining, and why a queer collection of odds and ends of his own choosing and making will be preferred by the toddler. Of bought toys, blocks of various kinds are the nursery standby. They are loved and used at all ages and stages. Large blocks are excellent, though difficult to get. It is a good plan to have a set of blocks made by a carpenter. The lightest possible wood must be specified, otherwise the blocks may be too heavy for little hands and hurtful to little feet if they fall. Assorted sizes of 2 inches to 121 inches are of real constructive value. They make “real” trains, roads that can be “really” walked on, “real” houses, forts, and boats. The Noah’s Ark is loved by almost all children, and its inhabitants are a great standby; so are the well-made farm buildings and farm animals one can buy. A general collection of these, remains a permanent joy, and can be added to at birthdays and Christmas. The smallness of these toys makes them attractive. Many things, however, are much better large. Beads for threading, for instance, should be really big; the first material for sewing is best with a bodkin and coloured wools. This prevents strain on little eyes and fingers.

All children love boxes of all sorts, especially if they have lids to fit on and off or hinged ones to open and shut. One must be careful to see that boxes have no sharp edges or corners. When the dressing-up stage develops, children treasure every scrap of old lace, ribbon, or material, old hats, belts, and gloves. Illustrated catalogues of motor cars, fancy goods, and so on are usually treasured. Children of four or five gloat over them, and get much joy from cutting out the pictures. Small, blunt-ended scissors can safely be used by quite small children.

Dolls, teddy bears, and such toys scarcely need comment—they' form part of every nursery equipment, and should have a big place in every child’s heart.

Finally, there is a very great value in useful play. Imitativeness may be converted into usefulness. Children love helping mother, and if this impulse is directed wisely excellent training results. Dr Cameron, the author of a very wise book called “The Nervous Child," makes the following remark on this point:—“At the age of two a child should know where every article of the nursery table is kept. He will fetch the tablecloth and help to put it in place, spoons, cups, and saucers will be carried carefully to the table, and when the meal is over he will want to clear it all away. All this is a great delight to him, and the good mother or nurse will encourage it in children, because she sees that in doing so they gain quickness, dexterity, and poise of body. The purposive movements of the child should be welcomed and encouraged. It is foolish and wrong to suppress them because he gets in the way and delays rather than expedites preparations. The child who is made to sit immobile in his chair while everythirtg is done for him is losing precious hours of learning and practice. The child whose impulses towards purposive action are encouraged is generally a happy child with his mind at rest. When these impulses are restrained, mental unrest and irritability are apt to appear, and toys, picture books, and kindergarten games will not be sufficient to restore his natural peace of mind."