Rattling Along

So what exactly are baby rattles and why do we even have them? Well, if you’re thinking that during this age of advanced technologies something as simple and seemingly insignificant as this noisy, plastic toy surely can’t be too important, you’re quite wrong! Lets rattle along and see why…

Baby rattles are simple toys designed to stimulate infant development through the senses of sight, sound and touch. This humble toy can play a role in the physical and mental growth of a baby and can turn out to be something quite important for his development. A newborn’s vision is still underdeveloped for several months, which renders a baby more of an auditory learner. When infants encounter baby rattles or anything else for that matter for the first time, they may not even be able to focus on the object that well – Which is why babies seem to be quietly interacting with anything placed close enough to them. It’s their natural inclination.

When a baby interacts with a rattle through grasping instincts, he begins to realize there is a world outside of his being. Successfully gripping a baby rattle and creating sounds from this action allows infants the first notion of a subject-object world.

A baby’s body and mind develops in stages. At first, he will not be able to do a lot with his body because of the lack of control over those little limbs. He is likely to gain some control over his eyes first and then his head, allowing him to track sounds and movements. He can hear quite well though, so when you shake a rattle near him, a baby will hear the sound and will look for it. He will be able to make out a noisy, shaking object nearby and would want to get closer to it.

In the coming days and weeks, he will work with his arms and then hands, reaching out for the toy. Eventually, he will accomplish that task of clasping the toy with his tiny little fingers. It might surprise you to learn that the baby has just reached a very important milestone in his development! At first, he won’t be able to move it very much or very fast. He might bonk himself on the nose a few times and bawl out! Eventually, he will come around to shaking the rattle. Remember, noises are very interesting to a baby and it will encourage him to explore further.

The shaking of a rattle teaches a baby about cause and effect. Because rattles are designed to perform consistently, a baby soon learns about the direct relationship between his actions of shaking the rattle and the production of noise. As a result, if you were to present that baby with a rattle that doesn’t make a sound, he is bound to get frustrated! Other than conventional rattles that the baby can grasp, there are rattles that can be attached to the baby’s wrists or ankles too. These options will also encourage the baby to move more. This whole idea of various causes and effects may help to connect to other early development toys such as baby mobiles and later on, activity boards and so on.

Some rattles are made to double up as teething rings so babies going through the painful process of teething may also use baby rattles to soothe their gums. Babies also tend to process information about an object by tasting it, so needless to say, baby rattles must be kept as clean as possible. They should also be inspected regularly for cracks and other damages.