Thinking of creating a play area for your baby? Here are some “Must Know” pointers. A play area for a child should be physically safe, cognitively challenging and emotionally nurturing. Magda Gerber captures the point beautifully and perfectly. According to her, “a safe play space is one that if you got locked out of the house or apartment for many hours, you would return to find your baby hungry, upset and needing a new diaper but ‘unharmed’.
A safe play space allows you to fully relax, knowing you don’t have to be on guard to ensure your baby’s safety. It also gives your baby the freedom to fully explore in his play area, never hearing you say, “Don’t touch that, don’t climb on that.” Actually, get down on your hands and knees and crawl around. Experience the environment from your baby’s point of view. Are the electrical sockets covered? Could your baby crawl onto that step and fall on his back? If so, your baby is not safe alone in the space. A cognitively challenging environment, which provides opportunities for exploration and learning with age specific play things. Some cloths pin and a container could be appropriate for a toddler but is too much of a challenge for a young baby. Balls can be fun for a crawling baby but would fail to entertain a non-crawling one. Lastly, by emotionally nurturing environment, it means a place where your baby can relax and trust that you are there when he needs you. A place where he can freely enjoy independent explorations and also get into playful interactions with you when he desires.
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