Toys and books recommendations for 7 month old please...

[shirleycat1]

Hi, My ds is nearly 7 months old. He's got a play mat, which he loves, but I would imagine will be growing out of soon. I have also borrowed one of those things that they stand in and can turn around and play with different stuff. Apart from that we don't really have many toys and I was just wondering if anyone could recommend anything. I don't want to spend a fortune and fill my house up with bright plastic crap but as he develops I want him to have things that he can enjoy and be challenged by.

Also books, at the moment we read the odd thing to him here and there, but I plan to start introducing a quick read into the bedtime routine soon. So what books are good for this age and the next few months. Me and his dad both love to read and I really want to encourage it.

So please let me know what your dc's loved and what kept them quiet for a bit.

Thank you...

Treasure basket? No plastic crap, can be cheap to make (you can start off by filling it with things from around the house, so you don't need to buy anything at first), and it'll keep him busy for ages. Yes, it sounds really poncey when you read about it, but it's a really good idea, DS (8 months) loves his.

www.littleacornstomightyoaks.co.uk/Articles/Treasure%20basket.php

Hi Shirley, can I second the treasure basket idea? At 8.5m my DD's favourite things are random household objects - the TV remote controls, a hairbrush, a nailbrush, a little torch, some plastic coaster mats, the potato masher, some little plastic ducks we had on the bath, empty shampoo bottles, tubes of toothpaste i.e. completely free stuff we already had hanging round the house. She will happily sit for about 15-20 mins just passing them from one hand to another, dropping them on the floor, banging them together (as long as I vary the objects a bit so she doesn't get bored). She much prefers these to any of the plastic toys she has, although she does also quite like her set of plastic stacking cups.

On books, her favourites at the moment are ones that crinckle and have bits she can grab, especially this series (there's about 4 or 5 of them but "squishy turtle" is her favourite): www.amazon.co.uk/Squishy-Turtle-Friends-Cloth-Books/dp/1843321440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=126 0191772&sr=8-1

Ah have just seen you are after bedtime routine books, in which case squishy turtle might be a bit too exciting and interactive. At bedtime, current favourites are the Very Hungry Caterpillar or Peace at Last (sorry, bit too pushed for time to do links but typing titles into Amazon should bring them up).

Baby touch and feel books are good, lots of things to look at an can withstand dribble

here

there's about 10" square, so nice and big too.