Toys???

[Doodlekitty]

Oh God, I'm so baffled by this whole pregnancy thing!!!
32 weeks tomorrow and starting to think I probably have most of the stuff I need. Downloaded a list from internet and it lists toys as a hospital essential. I had not even thought of toys!! How many toys does a newborn need? What type of toys?? I have a baby gym (obviously not for hospital!), a sophie Giraffe (which is apparently an essential), a couple of rattly things and thats about it. This list says fabric books and rattles and all sorts.
Feel like the worst mum-to-be in the world, that i had not even considered this. I figured it would just be 'new' for while, would not need toys to entertain it.

You do not needs toys for a brand new baby!!

Relax!! You're fine. If you're lucky your baby will just sleep and feed.

If you're unlucky your baby will scream, sleep and feed.

You will not need toys in hospital.

You have more than enough toys for the first 6 weeks or so, going by your list. Plus people will probably give you some as gifts.

You're doing great. Try to relax and enjoy it :)

Think you and your partners faces are 'toys' enough for a brand new baby. Don't think they're interested in much else tbh

God, don't buy toys unless for sentimental reasons (like you want to be the person to choose their first bear or something).

You will be inundated with baby toys as presents. Also, babies don't really play with toys for a good while so they just sit around looking pretty or stuffed in a carrier bag behind the sofa

Babies don't need toys for months. I think DS1 started to look at books/toys at around 4 months. Don't panic!

Noooo!! The baby doesn't need any toy at all for months. Don't even bother.

They have a whole new world to make sense of, and are born nearly blind. Believe me, they won't give a damn about a rubber giraffee!

(I wouldn't worry about the whole stimulation thing for the first few months. Apart from lots of touch, cuddles and being held and talked to, they don't need anything else).

Seriously, a play mat is enough. dd lay on hers for ages once she hit about two weeks and as she grew, started interacting more.

You can also get little soft wrist rattles (velcro around wrist) which are quite nice - think Matalan sell them.

Oh, and the Giraffe is amazing for teething - dd started gnawing on hers around three.months.

Thanks guys. I had a moment there where I was verging on hysterical! I blame the hormones. This whole baby thing is so confusing, every "essential" list is different and people seem to think you are giving a 'baby knowledge' injection the second you are pregnant. Feel a lot better now.

"Essential" lists are anything but that. They are made to make you part with loads of money for things you don't need.

If you can, leave some of the things to buy after the baby is born (it's almost impossible, I know) so you'll find out what exactly you need. Not all mums need the same things.

Mine (due two days ago) has one solitary thumper teddy :)

Thats it.

I'm hoping I will be enough stimulation until I see what my family and friends have got her as everyone keeps telling me they bought the cutest thing today... :)

We've bought a play mat thingy and we've been bought a few soft toys by friends and relatives. I wasn't planning on getting anythign else before baby is born and then just playing it by ear.

We were going to take one small soft toy to the hospital and admittedly more for me than the baby - I always think tiny new borns look lonely in those glass cots!

Toys are not an essential!

Baby gym is handy.

Mummy (and Daddy) are essential. Doting grannies, aunties, siblings and friends are handy.

DD is 10 months old and was more than delighted with a silk scarf and a rattle until recently.

Although both my babies have been intrigued by the Whoozit spiral toy on their car seat handles from a few weeks old. Always loads on eBay, much cheaper!

We got s couple of toys that I liked the look of. DS had a teddy beside his cot to keep an eye on him. It was for my benefit, not his though.

Contrary to other people's experiences, we did not receive any toys for gifts.

When dd1 was born we had a tigger teddy with a "baby on board" sign attached that we stuck onto the side of the glass crib so dd had something to look at.

I bet 10 years later the midwives still laugh about us

Newborn babies do not play with toys.

They will have zero interest in toys until at least 6-8 weeks. They will definitely not need toys in the hospital! That list is crazy. A newborn doesn't even have control over their own hands so what on earth would it do with a rattle?

I made the mistake of festooning newborn DD with wrist and foot rattles. She looked like a tiny Christmas tree. Hardly made a rattle. Was ridiculous. Save your money and buy a nice sheepskin for baby to lay on.

That's brilliant - please "out" the website that came up with hospital toys !

If you really want to mesmerize your newborn you could paint your nails bright colours and wave your fingers in front of their eyes. Even then it will be a few weeks before you get a reaction :) It will be months before they will hold anything at all and then they will bash themselves in the head with it.
Babies do appreciate strong black and white geometric shapes if you want to get busy doodling with some paper and a pen?