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Home › Articles › General Safety Issues › Dad Play

Dad Play

Choosing Toys for Your New Baby

By Lisa A. Goldstein

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Once Baby arrives, what's a new dad to do? He's eager to play with his new treasure and start building on those father-child moments, but doesn't have the foggiest idea of where to begin. Selecting quality toys for infants and toddlers might seem like an overwhelming process at first but it should be fun.

Dad vs. Mom
One thing the new dad should keep in mind is that the relationship he has with his child will be separate from his wife's. "There is a mom and a dad way to interact with a child," says Dr. Sally Goldberg, a parenting specialist and professor of early childhood education at Nova Southeastern University. "They are both important. A mom has a more nurturing style and a dad has a more roughhouse style. Each one should be acknowledged and continue to develop his or her own style. A dad is not a substitute mom."

According to Maureen O'Brien, director of parenting and child development at The First Years, Inc., research on dads shows that they are more likely to engage in physical play. "Dads do tend to prefer 'active' toys, i.e., ball-throwing versus lap toys, but I think that's mainly because we socialize gender roles so early that they may not be as comfortable with 'soft play,'" says O'Brien. "They also really like gadgets and electronics (vs. plush for moms). That's mostly anecdotal, though. It's not clear if it's a true difference or just the environmental influence again of what we expose/expect men to do."

Toy Selection Tips
Regardless of your personal style, there are certain things to look for when selecting toys. Look for any item that you think will enrich your little one when he or she plays and has fun with it, says Goldberg. "The five senses are the windows to enrichment – something to see, hear, taste, touch and/or smell. The more of the five senses that the toy embodies, the more enrichment it will have."


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