Crib/Pack n Play Activity Toys?

[aristocatz]

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for good activity toys for cribs or pack n plays?

I am NOT looking for a soother or a mobile.

DD is almost 5 months old & trying hard to sit up on her own. She currently has a toy bar above her & a soother/mobile, but I'm worried that once she starts sitting up on her own in a few months, she will pull at the mobile & toy bar & hurt herself.

I wish they still sold those activity boxes like I had when I was a kid (with stuff to spin & dial & push), but I can't seem to find any.

The other issue is we have a sleigh crib, so many toys do not fit over the side of the crib.

She has a mirror in her pack n play and enjoys that, but I'm looking for something for her to manipulate.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[padams]

You are correct that by the time she sits up, she is past the mobile, toy bar stage. One, she could get hurt, but two, she'll be bored by it.

By 5 months, I put in regular (not the hanging boxes) baby toys like the stacking rings, shape sorters, the plastic keys, blocks, board books, etc. in the pack n play or crib when DSs were awake. I found that appropriate toys were usually for twice their current age. In other words, look for the 6 - 12 month old toys now. By 6 months of age, look for the toys for 12 month olds. If my boys were ready, then I'm sure your snowflake is too!

 

[Caseheidi]

I agree. My DD was ready for just regular toys be 5 months. I usually stuck with soft toys as she started pulling herself to a standing position by 7 months and tossing toys out. And things to teeth on we're mandatory as those little gums were so sore.
Toys she really liked we're where something would happen when she interacted. She lived her busy box and the noises it made, or her rattle that when she pulled made sounds. I would take your little one to the toy store and see what they were attracted to.

 

[Promomx2]

My granddaughter is 6 mos and tiny (13lbs), she loves to sit and play in her exersaucer with a blanket stuffed around her. DD also just got her a chair that goes in a regular dining chair with a tray and today I put her in the highchair I have for her 2yr old brother with a blanket. Her favorite toys are the ones that "krinkle".

 

[aristocatz]

Thank you for your replies

Good idea to take her to a store to see what she is attracted to..... if only I could get her to stay awake in a store lol!!! She always seems to fall asleep everytime I take her shopping

The hanging toys have worked out so well for her since she was at least 2 months old. She stares at them, swats & kicks at them, grabs & inspects them, & she frequently uses to self soothe if she wakes up in the middle of the night. She enjoys her mobile, but it definitely has no effect on her in terms of helping her sleep or keeping her occupied.

Geez it never occurred to me to try out the next age up for toys! I'm a first time mom and consider myself very green-mostly feel like I'm winging it as I go along!! She just started using her exersaucer (though she is still a little small for it so we stuff a towel behind her like the previous poster). She will last about 5-7 minutes in her Bumbo Seat & then gets antsy. She still enjoys her activity mat and her bouncy seat, though she doesn't last as long in them as she used to..... so maybe you are right that she is getting bored. Her favorite toy is actually her burp cloths! We use cloth diapers as burp cloths and she loves to grab them and hug them She also enjoys cloth books and being read to, her Oball, and is starting to get interested in stuffed animals. She also loves to grab the phone when I have someone on speaker phone I have tried a few cause/effect toys and she will watch them & smile, but doesn't yet seem to get the concept. She loves when we shake a rattle for her, but she hasn't yet tried to shake it on her own-though she will touch and "inspect" it. She loves mirrors.

She is not teething yet, but everything seems to end up in her mouth-she likes to taste things!

It didn't occur to me to put toys in her crib-is that safe? I thought the crib was supposed to stay empty until they are one year old??

I think she could get into one of those activity boxes, but for some reason I cannot seem to find them in stores or online (except the vintage ones on Ebay). Did they stop making them?

 

[NYEmomma]

FP used to sell (as in, a couple of years ago) a keyboard mat that you can strap to the rails and they can kick with their legs (or tap it with their hands) to play notes on it.

DDs just got these for Valentine's Day & they have a strap that you could attach is to the crib slats: http://www.amazon.com/VTech-Baby-Ha...ie=UTF8&qid=1361332548&sr=1-47&keywords=vtech

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Kick and Play Piano is aswome, makes noises
Earlyears Jungle Activity Center hangs on the side of the crib not over and has lots of toys to manulipate

 

[ChitownFamily]

If you have a side mobile that can remain in the crib. But the hanging one will need to come down, as others have suggested.

Since you are a FTM, and you seem open minded to new ideas (gotta love your refreshing attitude) can i suggest a great website that advocates lots of open & free play for little ones. http://www.janetlansbury.com/
I worked in a child care center that promoted RIE care, or the concept of allowing babies to freely move & explore. In my own house, we utilized a lot of the technique. lots of free play, exploring on mats etc. you mention baby is bored, but that's probably more your adult interpretation. at home, we did occasional use the exersaucer- it's all about finding balance using these apparatuses. I had never heard of RIE until I worked in Childcare. It's just a different way of looking at things.

 

[aristocatz]

Thank you! The piano and the jungle mat look great! I will have to check Walmart later today to see if I can check them out in person. & I will definitely take a look at that website as well.

 

[NYEmomma]

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Kick and Play Piano is aswome, makes noises

Yeah! That's what I was talking about.

FWIW, with DD1, I left the hanging mobile in her crib until she was around 2. She loved looking at it & even though she could stand in her crib, she never touched it. So it just depends on the kid. She was also in her crib until she was 3 because she never tried to climb out. It also took her a year of being in a twin bed before she realized that a) she could actually get OUT of bed, and b) open the door on her own. She's just the type of kid that doesn't do anything unless we expressly say, "yes honey, it's ok".

ETA: Meanwhile my tiny little 13lb, 7 month old DD2 has been pulling up and standing in her crib for a while now and is getting into EVERYTHING. Haven't had to take down the mobile yet though since she's such a little peanut that she can't reach it.

 

[padams]

Thank you for your replies

Good idea to take her to a store to see what she is attracted to..... if only I could get her to stay awake in a store lol!!! She always seems to fall asleep everytime I take her shopping

The hanging toys have worked out so well for her since she was at least 2 months old. She stares at them, swats & kicks at them, grabs & inspects them, & she frequently uses to self soothe if she wakes up in the middle of the night. She enjoys her mobile, but it definitely has no effect on her in terms of helping her sleep or keeping her occupied.

Geez it never occurred to me to try out the next age up for toys! I'm a first time mom and consider myself very green-mostly feel like I'm winging it as I go along!! She just started using her exersaucer (though she is still a little small for it so we stuff a towel behind her like the previous poster). She will last about 5-7 minutes in her Bumbo Seat & then gets antsy. She still enjoys her activity mat and her bouncy seat, though she doesn't last as long in them as she used to..... so maybe you are right that she is getting bored. Her favorite toy is actually her burp cloths! We use cloth diapers as burp cloths and she loves to grab them and hug them She also enjoys cloth books and being read to, her Oball, and is starting to get interested in stuffed animals. She also loves to grab the phone when I have someone on speaker phone I have tried a few cause/effect toys and she will watch them & smile, but doesn't yet seem to get the concept. She loves when we shake a rattle for her, but she hasn't yet tried to shake it on her own-though she will touch and "inspect" it. She loves mirrors.

She is not teething yet, but everything seems to end up in her mouth-she likes to taste things!

It didn't occur to me to put toys in her crib-is that safe? I thought the crib was supposed to stay empty until they are one year old??

I think she could get into one of those activity boxes, but for some reason I cannot seem to find them in stores or online (except the vintage ones on Ebay). Did they stop making them?

I was thinking you were asking about awake time in the crib and pack n play. You wouldn't load up the crib with stuff at night.

 

[aristocatz]

I was thinking you were asking about awake time in the crib and pack n play. You wouldn't load up the crib with stuff at night.

I guess I'm looking for a little of both-something to stimulate her in the pack n play & also something else for her to manipulate calmly in her crib. Right now, in her crib & in her pack n play, she has a toy bar and she uses it to put herself to sleep at night in the crib (stares and bats at the toys until she falls asleep) & she kicks & bats at the ones in her pack n play in the daytime as one of the things she does for fun. Once she can sit up, I'm guessing these will no longer be safe/appropriate.

 

[padams]

While it is convenient for you to have her play until she falls asleep or goes back to sleep during the night, you might want to consider that long term, she needs to learn to go to sleep by herself. Otherwise, you'll have a toddler taking her toys to bed and getting up in the night to play. It's a lot easier to develop good sleep habits at 4 months (even though it's more work for you) than to change her patterns when she's 4 years old. Just a bit of unsolicited advice....