5^th May 20222

Babies/toddlers love to play and enjoy. These days are extraordinary for us. Every day watching your child grow a precious feeling. During this time toddlers need to become engaged in any activity. Do you know Children aged 1 year up to 3 years should be physically active for at least three hours each day (“Emotions and play: toddlers”, 2021)? This includes energetic play. It is vital for children’s health, well-being & development.

Toddlers are little wraps of happiness & joy. Their presence makes us feel positive & complete. They are always excited to explore new experiences. They are gifted with an inborn tendency to experience the world around them. Imagine we as adults when visiting any new county our mind and soul gets rejuvenated we feel happy to explore the insights of a place. Similarly, toddlers also enjoy every small moment and giggle. This world is a new place for them.

Play is the natural way toddlers develop and learn. It is essential for development, especially emotional development. Their emotions are significant as they don’t have words to express them. Play gives them a chance to explore and express the feelings developed within them. This is great for your child’s regulation, relationships & behaviour. You have a vital role in toddlers’ play and development as a parent. Through play, you can help a toddler understand what they are feeling & why. For example, if a toddler is sad because of a broken toy, You can make them know that it’s okay if the toy is broken, and we can fix it!!!! (“Emotions and play: toddlers”, 2021)

Physical activity has lots of health benefits for children. It:

• strengthens children’s bones, muscles, hearts and lungs
• improves children’s coordination, balance, posture and flexibility
• helps children stay at a healthy weight
• reduces children’s risk of getting heart disease, cancer and type-2 diabetes later in life (“Physical activity for babies and children: why and how much”, 2022).

After reading this all you might accept these facts. But do you know During 2015–2017, injuries contributed to 563 deaths of children in Australia aged 0–14—a rate of 4.1 per 100,000 children. In 2016–17, among children aged 0–14, there were around 66,500 were hospitalised injury cases—a rate of 1,445 per 100,000 children (“Australia’s children, Injuries – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare”, 2022).

Keeping a child attended always is a complicated task. It’s not always possible to always be physically present with the toddler. You might receive a phone call or an office meeting while working from home. Thinking of it, we have introduced Dono & Dono non-slip Playpen. It is elegant looking and practical at the same time. The bottom has suction so that the playpen does not move. The height is 66cm, high enough so that the baby does not jump over. You can even use the guards around the kitchen or living room to keep the child safe.

Features:

• Built-in activities for the little ones
• comes with a wide guard view so that the baby can see through, but not pass or get stuck
• Non-slip suction at the bottom of every guard to prevent slippage
• It has a safety lock button to secure the door
• Easy to set up and assemble
• 66cm high guard walls to keep the child inside the playpen
• You can combine a play mat (to be bought separately).
• made of non-toxic eco-friendly material.
• Excellent safety and durability
• Dono and Dono have other products in this range
• Promotes fine muscle development and stimulates curiosity. There is a roulette board, and cute animal stickers are also provided.
• No Lead and Cadmium & No Phthalates.

We also have also introduced Dono & Dono safety mat which can be placed inside the playpen for additional safety as kids usually fall inside the playpen and hurt themselves. There are many benefits of using a play mat.

• Cognitive Benefits- They help babies to understand the basics of cause and effect. For example, they kick a toy and then feel a response back while playing.
• Develops visual perception- Toddlers are nearsighted at the time of birth. This means objects placed away appear blurry. Our mat has cute designs which allow toddlers to understand the difference between colours shapes & sizes.
• Develops self-awareness- How long can we keep a baby on a playmat? Until they get bored. Toddlers after that gaze at their shadows & notice themselves.
• Helps to reach/grasping things- The action of babies is automatic. They don’t have control over it like us. You may have noticed that they always grasp anything given in their palm. With the help of a baby playmat toddler will be able to grasp rattles and rings without the fear of falling down (Developmental Benefits of Using A Baby Play Mat, n.d.)

RECOMMENDATION FOR PARENTS

1. Remove tripping hazards. Create a clear area for play by removing tripping hazards from the floor, such as toys, rugs and electrical cords. Pad sharp corners of benches and tables or remove them from the play area.
2. Never carry your baby around in a bouncinette or rocker chair. Put bouncinettes on the floor, not on a table or high surface.
3. Never leave a baby unsupervised on a changing table. Consider changing your baby on a large towel on the floor.
4. Don’t allow a child to walk or run while carrying sharp objects such as scissors. 
5. Safety gates help prevent falls. Use a safety gate at the top and bottom of the stairs.
6. Use a sensor light for stairs and steps.
7. Put non-skid rubber mats in the bath and shower (“Child safety and injury prevention – Better Health Channel”, 2019).

We hope you have liked the blog and found the above information useful. Stay connected for lot of exciting information ready for you in our upcoming blogs.

References

 Emotions and play: toddlers. (2021). Retrieved 5 May 2022, from https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/play-learning/play-toddler-development/emotions-play-toddlers

Australia’s children, Injuries – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). Retrieved 5 May 2022, from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/injuries

Child safety and injury prevention – Better Health Channel. (2019). Retrieved 5 May 2022, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/child-safety-and-injury-prevention

Physical activity for babies and children: why and how much. (2022). Retrieved 5 May 2022, from https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/nutrition-fitness/physical-activity/physical-activity-how-much#:~:text=Physical%20activity%3A%20why%20it’s%20good%20for%20children,-Physical%20activity%20is&text=It%3A,stay%20at%20a%20healthy%20weight

Famokids. n.d. Developmental Benefits of Using A Baby Play Mat. [online] Available at: <https://www.famokids.com/blogs/community/developmental-benefits-of-using-a-baby-play-mat#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20important,%2C%20left%2C%20and%20back%20sides.> [Accessed 6 May 2022].