Happy doctor’s day to all my colleagues…
As a Pediatric Intensivist with my team of doctors, sisters and state of art facilities in Kauvery hospitals we manage the most sick children. We help the kids and their parents to come out of the most difficult times of their lives.
Every parent wants to provide the best to their kid in every aspect, that too when it comes to healthcare it should be excellent. Maa Kauvery Pediatric team provides this excellent health care with love and empathy.
By treating sick kids every day, we learn a lot from them. Their innocence, perseverance to fight against a disease, the ability to forgive their problems and live in the present moment with a pure smile. My little patients don’t lie. Sometimes they are angry at me because of my injections, but soon they forget and smile back.
I am truly blessed to serve these cute little lives on a day-to-day basis as my job.
Age-Appropriate Play & Toys
| Age | How They Play | Toys & Activities |
| 0 – 6 months | – Follow bright coloured objects with eyes.
– Enjoy looking, listening, sucking and touching. – Explore with their hands, feet and mouth. – Listen to voices and may begin to imitate sounds. |
Rattles & teething toys.
Baby crib gym (remove when baby can pull up on their hands), multi-coloured hanging toys (hang at 1 feet height), soft blocks, soft squeeze toys, small plush animals and toys that play music. |
| 6 mos. to 1 year | – Roll over both ways.
– Enjoy bath play & splashing. – Creep, crawl, pull to stand, hold on to furniture. – Bites, bangs, twists and throws toys. – Enjoy peek-a-boo & bye bye. – Enjoy pushing balls & cars. |
Floor activities, push toys (animals, cars), pull toys on short string (< 7 inches),
soft-puffed dolls, activity boxes, sound/music producing toys, stacking colourful rings on cone. |
| 1 & 2 years | – Likes to dump, push and pull, turn, knock down, stack things up, empty and fill.
– Enjoys opening & closing drawer. – Begins to copy adult actions like cleaning house, cooking, etc. – Likes to climb and may manage small indoor steps. – Enjoys active play. – Kicks and catches larger balls. – Throws and retrieves objects. – Identifies pictures in books. |
Small rocking horse &
low slides with handrails. Rides on toys that move by pushing with feet. Tunnels for crawling, large building blocks, shape sorters & picture books with stories/rhymes. Make believe & musical toys: toy phone, drums & xylophone. Bathtub activity with simple floating toys. Large markers/crayons and chalk with boards for scribbling. |
| 3, 4 & 5 years | – Likes to climb, jump & balance.
– Begins to share and take turns. – Hates to lose and is not ready for competitive sports. – Likes nature, science and is eager to know how things work. – Group pretend play. – Enjoys looking at books and hearing stories from books. – At 4, begins to be purposeful and goal directed. |
Tricycle
Lightweight frisbee/ring ball, wooden blocks & interlocking pieces. Dolls like humans. Play sets – doctor kit, kitchen set, cricket set, basketball, toy train, truck & cars. Simple board games, card games based on chance (not by strategy). Picture books (letters, stories & rhymes) Paints, colour books, Play-Doh, stickers & rhythm instruments. |
Must-Know Precautions While Buying Toys
– Avoid any objects (balls, toys with small detachable parts, etc.) that may fit in the child’s mouth and cause choking.
– Choose toys labelled phthalate-free, PVC-free, BPA-free and avoid plastic toys with recycling codes #3, #6 & #7.
– Choose foil-type balloons instead of latex. Latex balloons are a choking risk to kids of all ages.
– Choose toys made of washable fabrics and natural materials, like cotton, wool and uncoated wood.
– Check stuffed animals for eyes, noses and parts that can come off.
– Avoid toys with sharp edges/points and thin plastic that can break.
– Make sure all battery-operated toys have a cover that closes with screws to keep the batteries secure in the toy.
– Big “no” to toys with dislodging magnets & button batteries.
– In shooting toys, arrows used should have soft tips made out of cork or rubber.
– Toys with cords or strings should not be longer than 7 inches.
– Paint on toys should be lead-free.
– Crayons/paints used should be nontoxic.
– Seated baby walkers with wheels are not recommended. [Hand-held (sit-to-stand) push baby walkers are a better option.]
Dr. D. Sivaraman
Associate Consultant – Paediatrics & Intensive Care Specialist
Kauvery Hospital Chennai
