When you are looking for a gift for a friend’s recently announced baby shower, one set of items that few parents can deny useful are the toys that attach to the baby’s stroller and baby carrier. These toys are great because they go anywhere the stroller goes and therefore are always available for the child to look at, play with, chew on and attempt to throw.
The problem and the solution
Almost any parent will be able to tell you at least one story where they were taking their child out and a toy, soother, blanket or other item was thrown out of the stroller and lost forever. These toys are designed specifically to avoid this happening. These toys attach via Velcro, clips, spiral wires, etc. All of which are designed to do the same thing, they keep your child’s toys safe from falling out of the stroller or carrier which is always disappointing as your child will usually not notice for quite a while but when they do it can become the end of the world.
What’s available?
As these toys are attached either along the bar or dangling from it, it encourages the baby to reach for it, pull it and interact with it which promotes both gross and fine motor skills as well as hand-eye co-ordination. These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and noise levels. There are some which are high-contrast to captivate young children’s attention while working on their fixation, tracking and scanning co-ordination. Others have bells, squeakers and rattles in them to keep them entertained and distracted from what could be a long time sitting in a stroller if you are out hiking. Some of these toys also have special materials used for texture stimuli, teething materials and some even have interactive stimuli such as buttons. These toys quite often have the appearance of various animals and are usually quite whimsical in their appearance which children, especially those who are young, appreciate.
Drawbacks
The one downside to a couple of these toys is the noise factor. Some of them have bells which jingle on the slightest hint of movement which can make you sound like you are pushing a cart with horse bells attached to it or very young children during the winter to ask where Santa is. They have also been known to awaken a baby who fell asleep during their walk and as their parent is carefully lifting their sleeping baby out of the stroller a light nudge causes the bell to ring and the child to wake fully.
These toys are appreciated by almost any parent and their children and are well worth a second look when you are trying to decide what to get for the new arrival. They can be purchased at most stores where baby toys are sold and range from very inexpensive to moderately priced and are also available online through most retailers.