Babies learn best when they're having fun

I have recently become an aunt to an absolutely beautiful five-month-old little girl. Her mother, my sister-in-law, is a first-time mum, and is loving the wonderful milestones that Poppy is crossing off the baby to-do list. Pops now wiggles on her back, smiles and laughs (often more resembling a banshee scream!) and can sit up for short periods of time, and, always, looks exceedingly sweet (sure, as a proud aunt, I am definitely biased). I have not had the privilege of seeing a baby so close up before (none of my friends have children yet and this is the first baby in the family) so everything is new, so I often gather information and ideas for my sister-in-law from the Internet. I was thrilled to receive an email detailing the activities from CHILDWISE Research, for preschool toy brand Fisher-Price, which has conducted research with 1,515 UK mums with children aged six months to two and a half years, conducted in September 2013, looking into the activities most popular with mums, with a view to the rise in smart technology. Happily, 94 per cent of mums believe that babies and toddlers learn best when they are having fun. I thoroughly disapprove of children being plonked in front of gadgets to wile away the hours. Over three quarters of mums said that their baby is more engaged and plays with a toy for longer if it makes them laugh, with an equal number revealing that their child smiles and laughs more when playing with toys compared to smart devices. And when it comes to choosing toys for their little ones, 82 per cent of mums put fun and learning top of the list with just 3 per cent choosing high tech as one of their top three. Silly sounds in toys make babies and toddlers laugh the most according to the research, with movement and music coming in a close second and third.

TOP 5 TOY FEATURES THAT MAKE BABIES LAUGH

1. SILLY SOUNDS

2. MOVEMENT

3. MUSIC

4. TALKING

5. FUNNY FACES

Kathleen Alfarno, Ph.D. Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price, comments “Laughter is a powerful, readily available way to boost mood and psychological well-being. Just think about how great you feel as an adult when you participate in something you really enjoy. That’s what play is all about for babies and toddlers. It’s about having fun. When babies play, they have fun; when babies have fun, they laugh. That’s what makes play worthwhile. In fact, they are having so much fun they don’t even realise they are learning.”

The research reveals that babies and toddlers spend an average of 3 hours and 25 minutes playing with toys every day, with toys most popular with younger babies and boys, while books appeal to older toddlers and girls.

James Davies, Managing Director of Childwise concludes, “There is a lot of pressure nowadays on parents to ensure their baby is at the ‘right’ stage of development, but as long as there is enough time in your baby’s day for play, then you will be giving them the opportunity to develop who they are and learn about the world around them at their own natural pace.”

TOP 10 FACTORS FOR MUMS WHEN CHOOSING TOYS

1. FUN

2. LEARNING

3 DEVELOPMENTAL

4. MUSICAL

5. CHARACTER

6. TRADITIONAL

7. EASY STORAGE

8. EASE OF ASSEMBLY

9. PORTABILITY

10. HIGH-TECH

The Baby Show is the UK's leading pregnancy and parenting event taking place at London's Olympia from 25-27 October 2013. It takes place ExCel London in February 2014 and Birmingham NEC in May 2014.