Discover the power of play (instead of watching TV or DVDs)

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 not watch any TV or DVDs, even so-called "educational" videos, since any media exposure at this crucial juncture can negatively affect early brain development. Instead, babies benefit from playing with toys--with you or other caregivers. Playing helps develop a baby's social, emotional, language, intellectual, and problem-solving skills.

The toys don't have to be high-tech or "educational." Depending on your baby's stage of development, batting at a mobile, giving a musical ball a shove, or transferring a rattle between hands helps a little one learn about the world. They're examples of just a few of the many ways that play helps babies connect sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell to objects as well as recognize shapes, patterns, and colors, develop hand-eye coordination and memory, and bond with you and other caregivers.

Still, babies don't come with instructions, so it's not always easy to figure out how to play with them. Here are some tips for having fun with babies from birth to age 2, which tracks with their stages of development.

Newborns
Game plan: For newborns, mold your baby's fingers around a rattle or key ring and have him shake it or help him make the sound. (For babies 6 months and younger, play is parent-driven; after that, your baby takes over.) Shake a rattle or toy keys at various points in your baby's sight lines so he'll enjoy the surprise of hearing the toy's sound from different angles. Also, have your baby grab for toys with either hand to help develop both sides of her brain; sometimes present toys on her right side, sometimes on her left. However, your baby won't show true hand dominance until about age 18 months to 2 years. Also try tracking: Hold a toy six to 12 inches from your baby's face, which is where babies 4 months and younger see it best, with your baby sitting in your lap or lying down, and move it side to side slowly. This technique helps develop hand-eye coordination and vision. In time, take turns playing with the rattle to help establish the notion of taking turns, an important lesson for kids of all ages, although your child won't fully understand it until about age 3.

4 to 10 months
Game plan: If your baby doesn't like tummy time (some babies don't, initially), distract him with an activity gym's lights, music, and crinkle toys until he gets used to it. Also, take turns with your baby on, say, helping her to make the activity gym's elephant ear crinkle, or to pull the giraffe's tail. Detach her favorite toys and have her reach for them, either lying down or supported by you or a Boppy-type infant-support pillow. At first, your baby might just make general movements in direction toward the object, but eventually, she'll be able to reach out and pull objects toward her.

9 months and up
Game plan: Play with your child with shape-sorting toys and puzzles and hide another toy inside a nesting block to see if your baby can find it. That adds the element of surprise and builds on the concept of object permanence. You can also enrich the experience simply by helping balance the block creation when it gets too high or even just commenting ("Oh, what a big tower!"). Talking to young children as you're playing helps them assimilate words and concepts. Even though your child may not say his first words until 12 to 18 months, he's taking it all in.

1 to 2 years
Game plan: Encourage your baby's cruising confidence with plenty of praise as she makes her way across carpeted or hardwood floors. Bath time is a good time to encourage filling and dumping by adding spoons, a plastic pitcher, measuring cups, and bath toys to the mix so your child can fill and pour without a mess. 

See our reports on toys for babies and young children and toys for toddlers and preschoolers for more information.