Parent Tips: Toys

There was a time when we thought Claire would never play with toys again. Sure, she doesn't play with them the same way as other children, but here's a list of toys that she absolutely loves:

• Baby teethers, preferably hard plastic or rubber. If it makes a noise, it's even better. The biggest hits are flipper keys and the rubber bead rings.
• Electronic keyboards, including the large floor models you step on (or roll on or sit on, in Claire's case).
• Electronic toys that make sounds. We shop in the toddler section a lot, where there are plenty of noisy toys that it only takes a gentle push to activate the sounds.
• Pig ice cream scoop. Have you seen these? These are plastic ice cream scoops with a pig head on one end, and they make an oinking sound when held upright.
• Rain sticks. These are wooden sticks (about two or three inches in diameter) that contain small pebbles, and they make a rain sound when turned from one end to another.
• Trampolines. Claire's never been on a large one, but she loves jumping on beds, so I guess that counts. She loves the mini-trampolines. She used to bounce on her knees and now can jump on them.
• Rocking horse on springs. She's outgrown hers now, but it was instrumental in building some excellent skills. She got it when she was three, and she couldn't get on it herself or make it bounce. When she was four, we taught her how to get on it herself, but she still couldn't make it bounce herself. However, once she could get on it when we weren't around, it didn't take long for her to learn how to make it bounce, since it got boring sitting there waiting for someone to show up and bounce it for her.