Ten everyday objects that will sooth your crying baby
13.11.2018
Translation: Eva Francis
It’s tough when your baby won’t stop crying or is upset all day. These everyday objects stimulate the little ones' curiosity and hopefully make your baby forget why he or she was crying.
Yes, I speak from experience. Sometimes, my baby girl is upset, unresponsive or colicky for hours on end. Her nappies are clean, she's just eaten, her clothes are dry – but she's unhappy. She’s bored and looking for something to play with. But there’s another daughter to look after, a house to clean, lunch to be prepared and washing to be done. In my despair, I hand her one baby toy after another, hoping it will keep her quiet for a while. But after a short time, she’s bored with her toys. Too bad she can’t yet turn or move towards her toys herself.
For this reason, I've been looking for everyday objects that will keep my little one entertained for a little longer. These products are also great for anyone who’s babysitting and doesn’t have toys.
Everyday objects that will do anything but bore your baby
Storage containers
Plastic storage containers are hard but don’t break easily. Their shape and material are interesting and fun for babies to discover with their mouth. If the containers come in bright colours, even better.
Egg cups and spoons
The unusual shape of plastic egg cups fascinates babies. The spoons are usually a bit smaller than usual tea spoons and fit well into the small mouth of a baby. As an alternative to an egg spoon, a children's spoon made of silicone or a conventional coffee spoon made of metal can also be used for entertainment purposes. Metal spoons have a cooling and soothing effect, which is particularly useful when your baby is teething. I also think spoons are helpful to get used to solid food.
Silicone baking dishes
Small silicone baking dishes are easy to grip even with tiny baby hands and can be moved and squeezed in all directions. The outer surfaces are often ribbed, which is fascinating for babies to explore with their tongue.
Drinking straws
They’re long, unusual, bendable and can’t break. If one straw gets too boring, just hand your baby two or three more and see what happens.
Wooden cooking spoons
Silicone, wood, metal, round, straight, angular, with a hole, with an indentation – cooking utensils are made of a range of materials and come in so many different shapes that your baby can spend hours exploring them. As soon he or she notices that the object makes noise when it is hit on a surface, your little one will be busy for even longer. But yes, your ears won’t thank you.
Balloons
Once inflated, a balloon is sure to make your baby laugh. WATCH OUT: A balloon can burst and the small parts are dangerous if swallowed. For this reason, do not inflate it too much and never leave your baby alone with a balloon.
Coasters
Small coasters made of cork or plastic aren't only useful for glasses or pans, they also make for great toys.
Tissues
Babies love to chew on closed packs of tissues for minutes on end. Once it's open, I don't recommend using it any more, as the paper issues could get wet or even eaten. On top of this, the sticky opening may cause danger of suffocation (input from a customer in the course «Emergencies with small children»).
Toothbrushes
The bristles of a soft toothbrush for adults or children feel good in a baby's mouth and on their growing teeth. And as a welcome side effect, babies get to know what a toothbrush is before their first tooth appears.
PET bottle
Last but not least: The good old PET bottle in all its shapes and sizes. Compressed or just empty, this is by a mile my little one's favourite non-baby toy. There’s no other item she can twist and turn in her hands for this long. The lid and the transparent bottle seem to fascinate her again and again. Sometimes, I leave a bit of water in the bottle so she can see and feel it run up and down the bottle when she turns it. This effect is even more stunning if you put pearls or coloured pieces of paper inside the bottle. Or just go with a different bottle colour for a change.
Depending on the age of your child, try experimenting with the size and materials of objects. Be careful when the little ones start to get teeth. After this moment, some objects will no longer be suitable – or will be well chewed on in no time at all. For reasons of hygiene, I recommend only to use objects that you can wash off, put in the dishwasher or throw away after your baby is done with the new toy.
Typical baby toys
You've read this article and still prefer to use toys that were designed especially for babies? Or you're just not into experimenting with unusual toys? No problem! We have a huge range of toys for all ages. Have fun browsing!
Go to our full range of baby toys.
Know of any other great everyday objects that will sooth a crying baby? Go ahead and use the comment field below this article to share your tips. Don't want to miss out on any tips, tricks and topics about babies and toddlers? Follow my profile.
I’m the cook, cleaner, police officer, nurse, entertainer, motivator, author, storyteller, coach, organiser, chauffeur, lawyer and judge. To put it simply, I’m a mum to a daughter and not just a (Content) Manager at the office but also at home.
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