Babies are the joy of our lives. Just about everyone wants to raise a child of their own someday. Having children has many benefits such as lower levels of depression and much higher levels of satisfaction from life. One of the questions which parents have is, when do babies grab toys or in other words, when should parents give their baby a toy to play with.
When babies hold things, it opens up a new world for them to play and is one of the first steps which your baby can take towards doing things on its own such as writing, reading, eating and much more.
So would a Baby grasp Toys?
The good thing is that babies can grasp toys or objects from the moment they are born. Grabbing things is a basic reflex for babies and as times goes on, within just 3 to 4 months, the newborn baby will be able to use both hands for grasping toys.
Babies will actively pick up and play with their favorite toys. Within just a year of age, the baby will have the coordination to pick up and hold toys in its hands securely. During the first year of birth, a baby will experience gradual development in grabbing things.
How does Grabbing Develop?
Up to 2 Months
From the moment your baby is born, it will be able to curl its little fingers around your own. As discussed earlier, it is a basic reflex and it means the baby does not have any control over it which might be why sometimes a baby holds your finger strongly and sometimes it does not.
As the baby develops up to 5 months of age, the reflex will be gone. Newborn babies will clench their fists during the first few months of birth and would slowly loosen up until the baby reaches 3 months.
3 to 4 Months
The baby’s hand-eye coordination will develop by this time and so will the muscles. The baby will reach out to grab things such as toys and will be able to hold on to these objects for some moments. He will bring the toy closer to his mouth but due to less control might end up hitting himself with the toy.
4 to 8 Months
By 4 to 5 months, the baby will be able to pick up much larger objects as compared to before such as Lego and by 6 months, the baby will start to hone its hand-eye coordination. This means the baby will be able to scoop up a toy and pass it from one hand and to another.
9 to 12 Months
With just a little effort, the baby will be able to pick up toys on its own. Babies love to drop or give things. Therefore, encourage your baby to play with this skill. After 6 months, a baby should be given finger foods such as a small soft piece of banana.
It is important for parents to encourage their baby to learn new things and play with toys for better child development.
