When should you give a baby a doll? From the minute a baby is born they are ready to learn. From birth to five years of age is a crucial stage in a child’s learning development, according to experts. Eighty-five nine percent of their brains have fully developed by the time they reach kindergarten age.
From the ages of zero to one, babies explore their fascinating new world through their senses, which develop rapidly as they see, touch, smell, hear and taste everything they possibly can.
However, in the first few months, babies have little knowledge about motor skills, so they rely on their eyes and ears to absorb them. They focus on bright colors or black and white with simple patterns and changing tones.
Around eight weeks or so babies’ physical skills might have developed enough they are able to start reaching and grabbing at items that catch their attention. This is the time you can start introducing soft toys such as dolls, stuffed animals, mobiles, etc. to your baby.
Keep in mind any toys introduced to your baby are going to be put in the baby’s mouth so choose wisely. In 2018, there were an estimated 226,100 toy-related injuries for all ages treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments. Of them, 126,600 estimated injuries (56 percent) occurred to males. Most of the victims (96 percent) were treated and released from the hospital.
The Best Social and Emotional Skills to play with dolls is 18 -24 months. When should you give a baby a doll?
Although you may have given your baby a doll before the age of one-year-old, they will not have been developmentally ready for imaginary play.
The social and emotional skills need to enjoy imaginary play develop between 18 to 24 months old. At this is the age they are able to point to show others things. Say at least six words or more. Can point to at least on a body part on themselves. And follow one-word commands from others.
- Dolls are terrific for teaching various body parts! Hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hands, fingers, tummy, feet, toes, knees, etc. You can absolutely teach these without a baby doll. But you should consider providing another opportunity to practice labeling as this vocabulary helps to teach the vocabulary as it would be applicable to other people. It helps to teach kids that “eyes” not only refers to the object on their own face but to other people’s faces as well.
This doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy playing with dolls before then but most likely they were used to be chewed on and banged around on surfaces and themselves. This is normal for every baby’s development.
Best toys for baby development 0 - 6 months
Are dolls good for babies?
Absolutely! Baby dolls are packed with many opportunities for teaching children about themselves and their peers.
They also help to develop their cognitive, fine motor, emotional, and self-help skills. Children find it easier to practice these skills before they are able to complete these tasks for themselves.
Baby dolls are also a great way to start to introduce the idea of a sibling entering the picture as well.
Parents can model how to touch and care for a new baby which can give their siblings a taste of what they expect. Also, once the baby arrives, the new big sibling can take care of their own baby doll with mom and dad.
This can be especially helpful as it is quite normal (for obvious reasons) for the older sibling to get less attention once the baby arrives. Being able to carry out their own activities, but still feeling connected with their parents and family, can help children reduce the burden of adding members to the family.
Did you know they now have pregnant barbie dolls to help explain what is growing in mommy’s tummy?
Want more baby doll advice?
Check out my baby doll advice tab or the posts below. Or Best Baby Doll for 1 Year Olds 2020: Complete Reviews with Comparisons